10 Shocking Cases of Tragic Food Deaths

Food is an integral part of life. We all know that food should be healthy and of high quality, but do we always remember and worry about this? Often, most people think only about the taste of dishes, forgetting that they may contain toxins. But what can we say, because there is food that can even cause death...

In this issue you will find ten shocking stories about lethal products.

Many people know that improperly prepared fugu fish can be fatal. It is considered a delicacy in Japan and is served all over the world in high-end Japanese restaurants. But despite the bad reputation of this dish, not many deaths have been recorded among those who ate this fish. But this does not mean that fugu should be taken lightly. Since 2000, 20 deaths have been recorded. Most of the dead were simple amateurs, such as fishermen from Tokyo, who tried to cook fugu for themselves.

In 2008, an amateur cook in the UK died in his sleep after tasting a very spicy tomato sauce he had prepared the day before. A 33-year-old man in excellent health simply did not wake up in the morning. Although death from eating spicy foods is relatively rare, there are cases of deterioration in health after eating such food - from a burning sensation in the stomach to pain in the intestines.

Sannakji is a Korean dish that consists of live octopus seasoned with sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Compared to puffer fish, sannakci itself is not poisonous, but deaths have still been reported from its consumption. Because the octopus's muscles still contract when eaten, care must be taken when eating sannakchi as they may block the air passage through the throat. Sannakchi strangulation caused the death of several people.

Curry sauce is commonly served in Indian restaurants and cafes. To thicken it, add a little almond flour. But often, due to the high cost of almonds, the nut is replaced with more affordable peanuts. Although it does not affect the quality and taste of the sauce, we must not forget that it can be deadly for allergy sufferers. So, in 2014 alone, three people died in the United States as a result of consuming such a sauce.

Eating competitions are popular all over the world. They are often attended by many people who hope that they can eat more than others and win a prize. In different countries, they even hold professional competitions, where they mainly eat hamburgers or hot dogs. Unfortunately, sometimes this leads to death for various reasons, including even from suffocation.

Microwave popcorn contains flavorings rich in diacetyl. Those who frequently make popcorn and do not wear respirators inhale this toxin, which causes a fatal lung disease such as bronchitis obliterans, the only cure for which is a lung transplant. In addition, diacetyl can lead to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, there was a lean harvest in Iraq, which led to fungicide-treated seed grains being put up for sale. It could not be used as food at all. Ignorance of a foreign language was the reason that people did not understand the meaning of the inscriptions on the bags. The resulting poisoned grain led to serious health problems for many people and several deaths.

In January 2015, a large group of people in Mozambique drank local beer during a funeral, a popular drink in Africa known as pombe, which is made from a mixture of corn flour, sugar, bran, sorghum and yeast. Within a couple of days, dozens of people were hospitalized with severe stomach pain and diarrhea, and several died. As a result of the study, the presence of crocodile bile was discovered in the beer, which got into the beer during fermentation.

In 1973, a company in the US state of Michigan that produced cattle feed accidentally added polybrominated biphenyl to its product instead of the desired ingredient. It was mixed into feed and sold to almost every local farmer. The effect was quite resonant. Farmers suffered huge losses, and the state's dairy industry was completely destroyed, as the products turned out to be toxic. Many local residents fell ill with rare diseases, in most cases they were diagnosed with cancer.

Sweet poison

In 1958, Joseph Neal, a confectioner, accidentally received arsenic instead of a sugar substitute. An inexperienced production assistant pharmacist mixed up the ingredients. The poison was mixed with other ingredients for caramel candies, which looked no different from ordinary ones. Then the candies went on sale. As a result, 20 children died.