Top 10 Worst Food Poisoning Events In History

Infamously known as Minamata disease, this was caused by the Minamata factory of the Chisso Corporation, which polluted local water bodies with harmful chemicals and methylmercury from 1932 to 1968. No measures were taken during this time. Minamata was a place where fish was the staple food.

Minamata disease was officially discovered on May 1, 1956, and was declared an "epidemic of an unknown disease of the central nervous system." Fish gathered in the polluted waters and became contaminated. The local population consumed these fish, leading to the first observation of symptoms. Local cats exhibited bizarre behavior, followed by locals who displayed similar symptoms, including numbness, trembling, weakness, hearing impairment, and ataxia. In severe cases, the disease led to coma, paralysis, and even death.

Additionally, women contaminated with the chemicals gave birth to severely deformed babies, both physically and mentally. Chisso later compensated the victims, spending tens of millions of dollars. In total, about 2,000 people died, with thousands suffering long-term complications from the disease.

You wonder why the label "Made in China" is negatively associated with some of the most notorious events like these. Here, we look at arguably one of the worst food contamination incidents that happened in China. The incident started when Sanlu Group's baby milk formula was tainted with melamine to make it appear as if the milk had "higher protein." As a result, over 300,000 babies were affected, with over 50,000 being hospitalized, and six succumbing to kidney damage.

All of this occurred while the company tried to cover up their wrongdoing, paying critics to succeed in their concealment. This led to widespread criticism of food safety regulations by Chinese citizens. Two individuals involved in the scandal were executed, and three received life imprisonment, including the company's chairwoman. The incident also resulted in mass recalls from many countries.

It had a major negative impact on Chinese farmers as well, who faced difficulties selling milk and had to sell their cows and slaughter other livestock to survive.

This is another infamous incident in Japan. In early 1968, chemicals such as PCBs and PCDFs escaped through a pipe leakage and contaminated rice bran oils produced by the Kanemi Company. As a result, over 14,000 people were affected, and hundreds of thousands of birds and poultry died. About 500 people died from the incident. PCBs are known carcinogens widely used in products. When found in food, high doses are often associated with skin problems, including acne, and higher risks of cancer.

Consider this the Middle Eastern version of Minamata disease. In 1971, a drought put pressure on civilians in Iraq. To counter this, grain imported from Mexico had been treated with a methylmercury fungicide. At that time, mercury was considered effective for preventing fungi growth.

Despite warnings not to consume the grain and the products themselves looking suspicious, locals consumed it, not understanding the warnings due to language barriers. Soon after, people showed up in hospitals displaying symptoms similar to Minamata disease. Thousands were affected, and 459 people succumbed to the incident, although the death count is reported to be much higher.

This is currently recorded as the worst listeriosis outbreak in the world. First reported by doctors, it was caused by contaminated meats from Enterprise Foods, which was owned by the largest South African company, Tiger Brands. Over a thousand people were affected by the outbreak, with just over 200 people dead.

Along with Minamata disease, this was one of the worst food poisoning accidents in Japan. Surprisingly, this incident coincided with the presence of Minamata disease. In 1955, people reported symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and skin abnormalities in their babies after feeding them powdered milk. Soon after, the cause was traced back to the Morinaga company, where arsenic had been unintentionally added to the formula, causing those symptoms.

Not only did it claim 100 lives, but survivors lived with long-term health problems, both mental and physical, including seizures and a lower average IQ.

In early 2015, a case of contaminated pombe (also known as millet beer, which is popular throughout Africa) resulted in the deaths of 75 people and affected hundreds at a funeral in Mozambique.

It was first believed that the beer was contaminated with crocodile bile. However, further investigations revealed that the root cause was bacteria, which had led to the production of highly toxic substances - bongkrekic acid and toxoflavin.

Occurring in 1900, this was an "unusual" incident that went unnoticed for several months before action was taken. People were habitual drinkers and often attributed symptoms to alcohol. However, cases of alcoholism and other conditions intensified, even among those who drank less. People reported skin discoloration, weakness, and fatigue. This led to over 6,000 people being affected, with over 70 dying. When the incident was reported, a large amount of beer was poured into the sewers, and there was a sharp decrease in beer consumption.

In 1998, people reported a spike in dropsy, gastrointestinal problems, difficulty breathing, and swelling caused by consuming adulterated mustard oil (mixed with white oil, a petroleum product). This resulted in over 3,000 people being affected and 60 people succumbing to the substance.

Imagine going on holiday somewhere and drinking. Then, the next day, you feel unwell. It worsens and worsens until you are on life support, fighting for your life.

So far, six people have died. Two of them lived in my country.

Food safety should always be exercised in fast food restaurants. However, this wasn't the case for Jack in the Box in 1992. In early 1993, there was an unusual rise in people developing Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, which was traced back to undercooked beef patties in burgers. Many children were affected by the outbreak, with over 700 cases, 138 of them severe.

Ultimately, the outbreak led to the deaths of four children, with over 100 survivors suffering from long-term complications, including brain damage, paralysis, and diabetes.

While some of the largest foodborne illnesses happen worldwide, this outbreak was situated in Germany. This wasn't a typical E. Coli outbreak. It was the deadliest E. Coli outbreak, resulting in 53 deaths. Almost 4,000 people contracted the disease, with nearly a thousand suffering from hemolytic uremic syndrome, a severe condition that includes vomiting, weakness, and bloody diarrhea, which can lead to heart failure in some cases.

The main cause of the outbreak was an E. Coli strain that produced Shiga toxins. This led to hundreds of severe cases and deaths, and the outbreak cost over $2.8 billion in damages, almost reaching $3 billion in total.