Final answer:
Foodborne illness is on the rise due to improper food handling, poor hygiene, and lack of temperature control. Both government agencies and individuals are key in preventing these illnesses by ensuring food safety. Encouraging good food safety practices, even in home kitchens, can significantly reduce the risk of contamination.
Step-by-step explanation:
Loraine's concerns about food safety and the rise of foodborne illnesses are justified. Foodborne illness is on the rise for several reasons, one of which is food contamination through improper handling, preparation, or storage. Certain populations including Pregnant women, Young children, Older adults, and People with weakened immune systems are especially at risk. The increase can also be attributed to factors such as poor hygiene, cross-contamination, and failure of temperature control in food preparation and storage.
The importance of food safety practices at home cannot be overstated as food can become contaminated at any point from production to consumption. Misconceptions, like assuming that foodborne disease is primarily caused by restaurant food, neglect the fact that home kitchens are also a common source of food contamination since they are not regularly inspected.
To combat foodborne diseases, it is essential for government agencies like the Food and Drug Administration to maintain the safety of the food supply, but individuals also have a responsibility to adhere to good food safety practices at home.