Foodborne illness results from consuming foods or beverages contaminated with disease-causing microbes. Its transmission can be difficult to grasp, but a drawing is an effective method for explaining this process. Visual storytelling makes the journey of germs visible, simplifying how contamination occurs and showing the connection between germs and sickness.
Depicting the Contamination Process
A drawing can show how food becomes unsafe. The first step is to illustrate the source of the contamination. This could be a sketch of raw chicken on a countertop, unwashed hands that have touched a contaminated surface, or a pest like a housefly landing on food. These images establish the origin of the harmful microbes.
The next part of the drawing should show how these germs travel to other foods, a process known as cross-contamination. You can use arrows to visually connect the source to a new item. For example, draw arrows from the raw chicken juices to a cutting board and knife, and then from that same cutting board to fresh vegetables for a salad. This sequence demonstrates how microbes move between items through shared utensils or surfaces.
Finally, the drawing needs a host to complete the story. This involves sketching a person eating the now-contaminated food, such as the salad. To show the consequence, a subsequent image of the same person can depict them looking unwell, with a hand on their stomach or an unhappy expression. This connects consuming the food to getting sick.
Illustrating Common Pathogens
To make the invisible germs a visible part of the story, you can add simplified drawings of them. These representations do not need to be scientifically perfect, just recognizable as the agents of illness. For bacteria, simple shapes are effective. Salmonella and E. coli, for instance, are depicted as rod-shaped or oval cartoons, and adding angry facial expressions can help identify them as the “villains.”
Viruses require a slightly different, but still simple, approach to their depiction. Norovirus, a common cause of gastroenteritis, can be drawn as a circle with spikes or triangular patterns on its surface. This distinct shape helps differentiate it from the bacterial drawings. Including these cartoon microbes in the drawing at the source, on the vehicle, and inside the host reinforces their role in the contamination process.
Visualizing Prevention Methods
Illustrating how to prevent foodborne illness can be as informative as showing how it happens. A drawing focused on solutions shows clear, actionable steps. For example, a picture of a person washing their hands with soap under running water communicates a fundamental prevention technique. This image can show bubbles and water to emphasize thoroughness.
Other prevention methods are also well-suited for visual explanation. You can draw a food thermometer inserted into a hamburger patty to check for safe cooking temperatures. To illustrate preventing cross-contamination, draw two separate cutting boards for raw meat and vegetables. A drawing of a refrigerator with raw meat stored in a sealed container on the bottom shelf provides a clear visual for safe food storage.