A Study of Food Poisoning Cases in Turkey from 2016 to 2020 According to the Written and Visual Media

Abstract

This study aims to examine and statistically analyze the cases of food poisoning in Turkey between 2016 and 2020, and the number of people affected by these cases. The data on food poisoning were obtained from news sources published in the written and visual media while weather temperature and relative humidity values were obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Frequency distributions and Kruskal Wallis and Bonferroni non-parametric tests were used to evaluate the data. A total of 504 cases of food poisoning (100.8 cases/year, 42 cases/month) were experienced in Turkey between 2016 and 2020, and the estimated number of people affected by those cases is 27,196. Surprisingly, most cases of food poisoning occurred in autumn and winter while the lowest number of cases took place in summer. Students and employees were most affected by food poisoning. No direct correlation of food poisoning with ambient temperature and relative humidity was determined. The study is the first research conducted in Turkey in this area, and can be used to develop strategies and policies for food safety.