What you need to know about botulism and canned foods

There were 52 reported cases of foodborne botulism between 1985–2014 in Washington State (WSDH 2016a; 2016b). Although foodborne botulism is rare, the illness is very serious and can result in death. Botulism is caused by eating foods that are contaminated with the botulinum (botulism) toxin, which is produced by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum (CDC 2016a). Most cases of foodborne botulism are the result of eating home-canned foods that have been improperly canned. This publication supplies basic facts on how you can prevent botulism