Reporting Suspected Foodborne Illness
on this page:
Why should I call the foodborne illness hotline?
What do I need to know before I call?
What are the hotline hours?
What happens after I call?
Hotline print materials
To report a suspected foodborne illness call 1-877-FOOD-ILL
(1-877-366-3455) from within Minnesota.
Why should I call the Foodborne Illness Hotline?
- Your call to the hotline helps us identify foodborne illness outbreaks in Minnesota and prevent the spread of illness to others.
What do I need to know before I call?
- Foodborne illness often occurs 1 to 4 days after eating contaminated foods.
- Hotline staff will ask you about your symptoms, and the foods you ate and where you ate them in the 4 days before your illness began.
- All information we collect about your illness is private. We will not release your name to anyone outside the public health system without your permission.
- The Foodborne Illness Hotline is staffed from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday (not including Holidays).
- If someone is not available to take your call, please leave a confidential voice message with your name and daytime telephone number. We will return all messages left after normal business hours the next working day.
- You may also e-mail your foodborne illness report. Please include your name and daytime telephone number in your message. (Note: As of December 2008 our email address is changed. The new e-mail address is health.foodill@state.mn.us - mail sent to the old address may not get to us.)
- We will forward your report to the environmental health staff responsible for inspecting the restaurants, delis and grocery stores you mention.
- All information we collect about your illness is private. We will not release your name to anyone outside the public health system without your permission.
- We may ask you for a stool sample so that we can determine what is
making you ill.
To report a suspected foodborne illness call 1-877-FOOD-ILL
(1-877-366-3455) from within Minnesota.
Spotlight
Chicks and Ducklings: Salmonella
Those cute little chicks and ducklings can be a great attraction for children this time of year, but they can also be a source of illness.
Protect others if you are experiencing diarrhea!
Anyone with a diarrheal illness should avoid swimming in public pools or lakes, sharing baths with others, and preparing food for others.
Young children (children in diapers) that are experiencing diarrhea should not be allowed to go swimming or attend daycare.
If you have questions or comments about this page, use our IDEPC Comment Form or call 651-201-5414 (TTY: 651-201-5797) for the MDH Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division.
