I believe the most common food-borne illness would be food poisoning which can be caused by the germs; norovirus, salmonella, clostridium perfringens and more. This is when food gets contaminated by bacteria due to the inaccurate use of the four simple steps rule to food safety.
Four simple steps to food safety:
- Clean = wash hands when handling food and clean surfaces where food is prepared. This prevents the spread of bacteria.
- Separate = ensure that when you're handling food, you do not cross-contaminate. Cross-contamination can be prevented by using different chopping boards for separate things. E.g. green chopping board for vegetables and red for meat.
-Cook = when cooking, cook the food to the right temperature. This means that food must not be under cooked or over cooked, but cooked just at the right temperature.
-Chill = refrigerate the food properly. This means that any food that needs to be chilled, is kept within the fridge to prolong the freshness of the product.