News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – The overall US incidence of major foodborne diseases was about the same in 2012 as it was about 5 years earlier, but Campylobacter infections were significantly more common, for unclear reasons, federal officials announced today.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) yesterday announced new measures to improve the safety of raw ground turkey and chicken products, including requiring companies to reassess their food safety plans.

The new steps are in response to several Salmonella outbreaks that have been linked to ground poultry, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said in a statement.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a plan today to spend less time visually inspecting poultry carcasses and more time checking other safety variables, saying this will simultaneously improve food safety and save money for taxpayers and poultry companies.

(CIDRAP News) – Federal officials today released a progress report on the work of President Barack Obama's Food Safety Working Group, which has been buoyed by legislation passed earlier this year but faces challenges in implementing the law.

Ju1 1, 2011

(CIDRAP News) – An annual update today viewed as the nation's report card on food safety showed that Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections continue to decline, but measures to cut Salmonella infections haven't made any headway.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said yesterday its revised standard for Salmonella and its first-time standard for Campylobacter in raw poultry at processing plants will take effect in July, giving processors more incentive to keep the contaminants out of their products.

(CIDRAP News) – E coli O157:H7 was the comparative bright spot today in a federal report that showed little change in the incidence of most foodborne illnesses in 2009.

(CIDRAP News) – Amid the devastation left by hurricane Katrina on the US Gulf Coast, fears of infectious disease outbreaks have added to the distress. Some of those concerns are solidly grounded, while others are less so, disease experts say.