List of foodborne illness outbreaks by death toll

This is a list of foodborne illness outbreaks by death toll, caused by infectious disease, heavy metals, chemical contamination, or from natural toxins, such as those found in poisonous mushrooms. Before modern microbiology, foodbourne illness was not understood, and, from the mid 1800s to early-mid 1900s, was perceived as Ptomaine Poisoning, caused by a fundamental flaw in understanding how it worked. While the medical establishment ditched Ptomaine theory by the 30s, it remained the public conscience until the late 60s and early 70s.

Outside of Botulism (which has been well known since the early 1900s and killed often at the time), many other foodbourne illnesses such as Salmonella were not monitored closely or kept careful track of until at least the late 70s, with overall monitoring only fully taking off after the 1992–1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak.