Which statement correctly distinguishes foodborne illness from foodborne intoxication?

• A. Illness results from toxins formed in food; intoxication results from pathogen growth in the host.
• B. Illness results from ingestion of pathogens that cause disease in the host; intoxication results from consuming toxins produced by organisms in food.
• C. Illness and intoxication are the same.
• D. Illness results from chemical hazards; intoxication from physical hazards.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is distinguishing how the illness develops: through infection versus toxin-mediated illness. In a foodborne illness (infection), you ingest pathogens that survive in the gut, multiply, and cause disease in the host. In a foodborne intoxication, you ingest toxins that were produced by organisms while the food was being prepared or stored; the illness is caused by the toxin itself, not by an ongoing infection in the body. This is why the correct statement says illness results from ingesting pathogens that cause disease in the host, while intoxication results from consuming toxins produced by organisms in the food. The other options mix up these mechanisms or misclassify the hazards.