foodborne

adjective

food·​borne ˈfüd-ˌbȯrn 

variants or food-borne

: caused by food contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms or toxic substances

foodborne illness

Most foodborne outbreaks of norovirus illness are likely to arise though direct contamination of food by a food handler immediately before its consumption.

—Robert Benziker

Bacteria called campylobacter contaminate most chickens that go to market in the United States, and the bacteria are the most common cause of food-borne illness, bringing on some two million cases of food poisoning in the country annually.

—Philip J. Hilts

also : relating to or being a microorganism or toxin contaminating food

Anderson and others believe that use of the drugs in healthy animals is playing a role in changing the very nature of foodborne bacteria, creating strains that are resistant to antibiotics used in human medicine.

—Jennifer Ackerman

Listeria is a big problem for makers of ready-to-eat products such as deli meats, soft cheeses and potato salad. The microorganism continues to grow in refrigerated food, making it far harder to control than other types of food-borne pathogens, such as salmonella.

—Scott Kilman

Examples of foodborne in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Listeria is a bacteria that contaminates foods and can cause listeriosis, which is the third-leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the US. —John Towfighi, CNN, 25 Oct. 2024

The investigation comes amid a rash of foodborne illness cases in which deli meat, waffles, eggs, and other foods tainted with E. coli, listeria, and salmonella have been responsible for product recalls, hundreds of hospitalizations, and even deaths across the United States. —Ellen Ioanes, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

Symptoms of foodborne illness are often flu-like, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or fever. —Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 26 Oct. 2024

The economic burden of foodborne illness was estimated to be as high as $90 billion annually, according to a 2020 research paper published in the Journal of Food Protection. —Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

foodborne

adjective

food·​borne

ˈfüd-ˌbō(ə)rn,

-ˌbȯ(ə)rn

: caused by food contaminated with harmful microorganisms or toxic substances