Some food pathogens increase in US
The CDC last week released its annual Food Safety Progress Report, which outlines the number of reported illnesses tied to specific pathogens in 2012, compared to the 2008-2008 time period:
- Campylobacter: Incidents were up by 14%, with more than 14 cases reported for every 100,000 people.
- Vibrio: While infection numbers were low compared to other pathogens (0.41 cases per 100,000 people), the rate of infection was up 43%.
- E. coli, listeria, salmonella and yersenia: Rates of these infections remained flat.
The agency indicated that campylobacter is linked to many foods including poultry, raw milk and produce, while vibrio is associated with shellfish consumption.
Ready to fight
According to CDC director Tom Frieden, figures indicate safety of U.S. food supply ranks high in relation to other countries. He added that while foodborne diseases remain a challenge, the agency is poised to combat them.
“We have the ability, through investments in emerging technologies, to identify outbreaks even more quickly and implement interventions even faster to protect people from the dangers posed by contaminated food,” he said in a press release.
FSMA could help
Federal authorities believe that measures taken under the Food Safety Modernization Act could help keep food-related illnesses low.
“New prevention-based rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act will help to reduce foodborne illness in general and new enforcement authorities allow us to take action to keep harmful foods out of the marketplace,” Michael Taylor, deputy commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a press statement.
The FDA submitted its budget request for FY 2014 earlier this month. Of the $4.7 billion requested, nearly $300 million is earmarked for FSMA activities and enforcement.
