Foodborne illness statistics are staggering. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that each year more than 5,000 Americans die from foodborne illness, more than 300,000 are hospitalized and another 76 million get sick.

News headlines about food-related disease outbreaks abound: "Tainted ham suspected in deadly bacteria outbreak," "Alfalfa sprouts sicken 70 people," "Gulf of Mexico oysters recalled."

Outbreaks continue even though the public-health community and industry have known for decades how to prevent the spread of disease through food. Has something gone wrong in the American world of food safety?

Actually, the answer is no. But like many other aspects of the new economy, food consumption and distribution have changed considerably. Globalization of the food supply, a trend toward "natural" foods and expanding international trade now expose more of the population to food-related risks.

A fast-food restaurant chain with a centralized commissary can almost instant- aneously distribute E. coli 0:157-contaminated hamburger patties to 100 of their facilities throughout California. Just a few years ago, this would not have been possible. Contaminated hamburgers might have been localized in a few "mom and pop" restaurants with the potential for so few cases of disease that the illnesses would simply escape detection.

Globalization of the food supply, which enables shoppers to buy fresh fruits and berries in the middle of winter, also presents the potential of allowing pathogens from developing countries entry into our food supply. For example, Cyclosporia cayetanensis, a unicellular intestinal parasite not reported as a cause of disease in the United States until 1995, has recently been responsible for a number of significant foodborne-illness outbreaks related to raspberries imported from Guatemala. There was also a nationwide outbreak of hepatitis A related to frozen strawberries from Mexico, distributed from a San Diego company to 16 state lunch programs.

The Food and Drug Administration inspects approximately two of every 100 shipments into the United States. Perpetual staffing shortages and an ever-increasing workload prevent the necessary inspections that these higher-risk imported foods require.

The trend toward eating more unprocessed, or natural foods has also exposed individuals to pathogens that processed foods do not contain. For example, pasteurized milk is a safe product, but "raw" or non-pasteurized milk can contain a number of pathogens, including Salmonella. The importance of drinking pasteurized products was re-emphasized a few years ago when a number of individuals died, and many more fell ill, from drinking a popular brand of non-pasteurized apple juice contaminated with E. coli and distributed throughout many of the western states.

How can you protect yourself? A basic rule is to know what you are eating.

If you buy produce out of season, remember that it probably comes from the developing world and it may be contaminated. Handle it with care and make sure it is well washed. Scan the news media for reports of contaminated foods. Recently, there were reports of salmonella-contaminated cantaloupe grown in Mexico and distributed in California. Find out where your produce is grown before you buy it - many markets now list the country of origin for their produce. If you are immunosuppressed or undergoing chemotherapy, avoid non-pasteurized or natural foods.

Knowing more about the foods you eat, like wearing a seat belt when you drive, might just save your life.

Rick Greenwood, director of UCLA's Office of Environment, Health and Safety, is associate adjunct professor of public health.