NEW Foodborne Illness and Unsafe Conditions

People get foodborne illness, also called food poisoning, from bacteria, viruses, parasites and/or toxins in the food they eat.  

If you think you or someone you care for may have become ill from food they consumed from a restaurant, food cart/truck, commercial kitchen or other food establishment in Clackamas County, please complete the online reporting form below.    

Why should I report? 

Reporting illness or unsafe food conditions or practices helps us keep the community safe.  Public Health tracks food poisoning illnesses and investigates to see whether multiple illnesses were caused by the same source.   

If we do find a common source or unsafe food practices, we can take steps to prevent more people from getting sick.  This typically includes working with the establishment to make sure they are preparing, handling and storing food correctly and cleaning properly.  Occasionally it can also include messaging to the community to inform them about a specific source of illness and issuing food recalls of contaminated foods.  In some situations, we may work with partners such as the Oregon Department of Agriculture.  Your personal information is kept private from the business you are reporting.   

What information will be asked for and how long will it take? 

Reporting the following basic information only takes a couple minutes.  Here is what we will ask from you on the reporting form: 

• Your contact information in case we have follow up questions
• How many people you are reporting became ill
• Name and location of the establishment you think made you ill or where you observed food safety concerns
• Date(s) visited
• Symptoms experienced or unsafe practices observed
• Details of the food consumed from the establishment 

Sometimes, when people get food poisoning, they assume the most recent thing they ate made them sick, but often that is not true. In some cases, symptoms can start as quickly in a few hours, while in other cases they can take as long as two weeks.  Because of this, we ask that you also provide the below information, which is optional:  

• Food eaten on the day you became sick and the three days before symptoms started
• Information on any other food establishments you may have eaten food from on the day you became sick and on the three days before 

Important tips to prevent the spread of illness 

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.  If you are not near a sink, use hand sanitizer.
• Do not return to work until it has been at least 24 hours since vomiting or diarrhea.  This is especially important for people who work in childcare or healthcare.