The California Fast Food Worker Union, SEIU partnered with the Consumer Federation of America on a new report detailing the results of a recent survey, as well as new focus group research with insights from California fast food workers about their food safety experiences, and findings of a new review of county public health inspection records showing major food safety violations found in fast food restaurants throughout the state and across all major brands.

Foodborne illnesses strike an estimated 48 million people in the United States each year, and most foodborne illness outbreaks – incidents in which two or more people become sick from consuming the same contaminated food or drink – occur at restaurants. Results of the new survey reveal that serious food safety and public health problems are widespread across California’s fast food industry, exposing workers and consumers alike to risks for foodborne illness and other preventable health and safety hazards.