The UK has a long history, like many countries, of blaming the consumer when  foodborne illness is involved.

Maybe those who are sick are in the wrong class.

The number of people infected with E. coli across England rose by more than 1,000 last year, figures have shown.

Dorset and North, East and West Devon were the worst hit for the infection with 629 and 612 cases each between September 2014 and September 2015.

Public Health England figures show there were 39,604 from September 2014 to September 2015, compared with 38,291 for the same period the year before.

The health authority said it was working to reduce the rate.

That’s a lot of E. coli infections.

Consumers are apparently supposed to:

• Wash hands thoroughly after using the toilet, before and after handling food and after handling animals
• Remove any loose soil before storing vegetables and salads
• Wash all vegetables and fruits that will be eaten raw
• Store and prepare raw meat and unwashed vegetables away from ready-to-eat foods
• Do not prepare raw vegetables with utensils that have also been used for raw meat
• Cook all minced meat products, such as burgers and meat balls, thoroughly
• People who have been ill should not prepare food for others for at least 48 hours after they have recovered.

The UK health types really do treat people as if they are dense. Wrong social class, I guess.