(Link to hi-res) Our Mission
Iwaspoisoned.com is dedicated to revolutionizing food safety and public health through innovative crowdsourcing techniques. As the leading online repository for reported food safety incidents, we aim to empower consumers, collaborate with health authorities, and work alongside the food industry to promote transparency and prevent future outbreaks. Our mission is to be a catalyst for change, enhancing food safety standards worldwide.

Our Goals

1. Provide an Outlet: For consumers to share their food poisoning experiences. Read user testimonials here.
2. Assist Health Departments: In identifying and responding to potential outbreaks.
3. Help Companies: Protect their customers and maintain brand reputation.

About Iwaspoisoned.com
An independent, curated crowdsourcing site designed to monitor food safety incidents in real-time. We offer a unique platform for consumers, health departments, and companies to stay informed and proactive about food safety.

How Iwaspoisoned.com Works

• Report: Iwaspoisoned.com offers a straightforward and accessible platform for consumers to report any food-related illness or safety concern. From personal experiences of foodborne illnesses to observations of food safety lapses.
• Search: Look for reports by city, state, restaurant, or product name.
• Sign-Up: Get email alerts for your area, delivered as you prefer - daily, weekly, or as reported.

(Link to hi-res) Why Iwaspoisoned.com - Foodborne Illness By The Numbers

• United States: 48 million are sickened annually and 128,000 are hospitzalied, leading to 3,000 deaths¹.
• Worldwide: 600 million cases annually & 420,000 deaths².
• Impact on Children: Over 30% of deaths occur in children³.
• Local Health Departments: 15% nationwide have reduced or eliminated programs & 21% of staff lost at local health departments nationwide⁴.
• Economic Impact: Over $17.6 billion annually in the U.S⁵.
• Case Studies:
  • Chipotle lost $10.7 billion in market capital during the 2015 outbreak crisis⁶.
  • Former Peanut Corporation of America CEO currently serving 28 year prison term for knowingly distributing products that killed 9 & made thousands ill⁷.

Who Iwaspoisoned.com Helps

• Consumers: Our platform provides a voice for consumers, empowering them to share their experiences and learn from others through real-time data on reported foodborne illnesses.
• Public Health Departments: Iwaspoisoned.com acts as a supplementary tool for health departments, enhancing their capabilities in tracking and responding to potential outbreaks. Our data aids in targeted inspections and rapid identification of health risks.
• Companies: Businesses in the food industry can benefit from our Enterprise Level Access, which includes early warning alerts, benchmarking, competitive analysis, risk factor horizon scanning and more. This service allows companies to enhance their existing food safety programs, to help protect their customers, and their reputation.

How Iwaspoisoned.com Began
Founded by Patrick Quade after a personal experience with food poisoning, the platform combines his analytical skills, tech expertise, and passion for food safety. It has grown into a key resource for reporting and preventing foodborne illnesses.

About Patrick Quade
Patrick Quade is the founder and CEO of Iwaspoisoned.com, a platform specializing in real-time food safety issue detection. With a background in finance from Morgan Stanley and a deep understanding of public health informatics, Patrick has over a decade of experience in food safety technology and crowdsourced surveillance systems. Read more about Patrick Quade at the footer. 
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  In the News

• New York Times: Discusses the impact of Iwaspoisoned.com on the restaurant industry and public health, highlighting its influence and controversies around its use.
• Food Safety News: Highlighted how customers reported foodborne illnesses at the Chipotle Mexican Grill location in Sterling, VA, on iwaspoisoned.com, along with supporting receipts and doctor's documents.
• Bloomberg: Reported on an outbreak at a Chipotle location in Sterling, Virginia, noting the increase in illness reports. Patrick Quade, the founder of iwaspoisoned.com, mentioned that 137 people reported getting sick after visiting that Chipotle.
• USA Today: Covers the FDA's investigation into Lucky Charms cereal following illness complaints from consumers, with several hundred reports posted on iwaspoisoned.com.
• Wall Street Journal: Delves into an incident reported on Iwaspoisoned.com, where over 100 people became ill after eating at a Chipotle restaurant in Virginia, suggesting a foodborne illness outbreak.
• NPR: Examines how iwaspoisoned.com has detected outbreaks ahead of officials and helped health inspectors.
• BBC News: Podcast episode titled "The Food Chain" features Patrick Quade, the founder of iwaspoisoned.com, and discusses the economic impact of food poisoning and explores identifying and preventing food poisoning sources.
• Washington Post: The article discusses iwaspoisoned.com's involvement in reporting a foodborne illness outbreak, leading to the closure of a Chipotle restaurant.
• World Bank: Emphasizes the effectiveness of Iwaspoisoned.com in detecting foodborne illness outbreaks and aiding public health, highlighting their role in increasing consumer awareness and assisting agencies worldwide in improving food safety and reducing economic losses.
• Nation's Restaurant News: Discussed how iwaspoisoned.com aims to provide valuable data to consumers and restaurants to help prevent outbreaks.
• Hedgeye: Highlights Iwaspoisoned.com's early detection of health issues at Chipotle, leading to a discussion with the platform's founder, Patrick Quade, at the Hedgeye Thought Leader Series hosted by Hedgeye Restaurants analyst Howard Penney.
• New York Post: Reports on foodborne illness incidents related to Fairlife's lactose-free milk, noting over 100 recent cases reported on Iwaspoisoned.com associated with the product.

Testimonials

• The Scientific Community—Lee-Ann Jaykus, Ph.D. and Benjamin Chapman, Ph.D. from NCSU—acknowledged Iwaspoisoned.com as a unique service that has been effective in detecting common source outbreaks and highlighted its growing use among food safety professionals.
• Public Health Department Testimonials
  • "I applaud you. Giving consumers an additional way to report their poor experiences. Keep up the good work!" Long Beach California's Health & Human Services
  • “Your website was a great way for people to reach out and report their illness.” Connecticut Department of Health 
  • "We use this daily to follow-up on illnesses and add reports to our own database." City of Denton, Texas
  • "Partnering with Iwaspoisoned.com is a logical choice for enhancing our food safety efforts." Florida's Department of Health, Food, and Waterborne Disease Program
• Customer Testimonals
  • "Probably the most important app on my phone. A must have for everyone. I wish there was a way to get health inspection ratings for Ohio establishments." John | Oct 6, 2018
  • "Awesome! A great tool to have not only for reporting when an eating establishment gets you sick, but also for keeping an eye on the local illness/poisoning trends. I would pay for this app if it wasn't already free." Mario | December 18, 2018
  • "Thanks for your website. You are doing a great service to give people a voice." Leon | Feb 14, 2018

*Read more user testimonials here.

Conference Appearances
Iwaspoisoned.com has spoken about emerging technology & food safety surveillance in the social media age at 50+ U.S. & Global Food, Safety, and Environmental Health Industry events. For a comprehensive list of all conferences and events we have spoken and presented at, click here.

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Patrick Quade speaking at the Global Food Safety Initiative Conference in Nice, France

Patrick Quade presenting at the National Association of Convenience Stores Show on the topic of Food Safety alongside industry leaders


Patrick Quade speaking as a featured panelist at the Food Safety Summit Conference in Houston, TX


Patrick Quade presenting at the 2023 International Association for Food Protection Conference in Canada
White Paper Publication
Patrick Quade is a co-author on the peer-reviewed paper “A Platform for Crowdsourced Foodborne Illness Surveillance: Description of Users and Reports” published in JMIR Public Health & Surveillance in 2017, which demonstrates the reach of the Iwaspoisoned platform, receiving reports from every U.S. state and 89 countries, and emphasizes its value in complementing traditional surveillance approaches.

Key Findings From the 2017 data set:

• Global Impact: Iwaspoisoned.com has received reports from all U.S. states and 89 countries worldwide.
• User Demographics: The platform is primarily used by younger adults (67.55% between 18 and 34 years) and has a higher engagement among females (60.14%).
• Complementing Traditional Surveillance: This crowdsourced approach offers a valuable supplement to traditional foodborne illness reporting methods, aiding in swift outbreak detection and response.
• Enhancing Public Health Response: By integrating crowdsourced data with traditional surveillance, Iwaspoisoned.com serves as a vital tool in the early detection of foodborne diseases. Its user-friendly interface encourages public participation, making it an effective platform for reporting and monitoring foodborne illness outbreaks.

For a comprehensive understanding of our research and its implications for public health and food safety, we invite you to read our full white paper, which delves into the transformative potential of crowdsourced surveillance in foodborne illness reporting and prevention.

Contact Us
For more information on iwaspoisoned.com or to talk with Founder Patrick Quade: 

• Email: support@iwaspoisoned.com
• Address: 2093 Philadelphia Pike Claymont, DE 19703

More About Patrick Quade
Patrick Quade is the founder and CEO of waspoisoned.com, a platform which identify food safety issues real-time. He applies the analytical skills developed during his finance career on Wall Street at Morgan Stanley along with extensive experience in public health informatics. Patrick has over 10 years of experience in food safety technology and crowdsourced surveillance systems. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Charles Sturt University, Australia and is a member of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). 

• He has spoken at 50+ U.S. & Global Food, Safety, and Environmental Health Industry events. Click here to view all events he has attended.
• He published a peer-reviewed paper in JMIR Public Health & Surveillance.
• He has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and more for his role in detecting outbreaks and improving public health outcomes.

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References for Foodborne Illness Statistics
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Estimates of Foodborne Illness in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/index.html
2. World Health Organization. (n.d.). Estimating the burden of foodborne diseases. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/food-safety
3. World Health Organization. (n.d.). Estimating the burden of foodborne diseases on children. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/food-safety
4. National Association of County and City Health Officials. (n.d.). NACCHO Releases Comprehensive Survey of U.S. Local Health Department Funding, Programs, and Partnerships. Retrieved from https://www.naccho.org/blog/articles/naccho-releases-comprehensive-survey-of-u-s-local-health-department-funding-programs-and-partnerships
5. United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. (n.d.). Cost Estimates of Foodborne Illnesses. Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/cost-estimates-of-foodborne-illnesses.aspx
6. Yahoo Finance. (2016). Chipotle's disastrous 2015 explained in one chart. Retrieved from https://finance.yahoo.com/news/chipotle-disastrous-2015-explained-one-183645502.html
7. Foodbeast. (n.d.). 28 years. Retrieved from https://www.foodbeast.com/news/peanut-butter-salmonella/