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) – Consumer Reports magazine has stirred debate about pathogens in pork by reporting a small study in which Yersinia enterocolitica was found in 69% of samples, while more common foodborne pathogens like Salmonella and Listeria were much less prevalent.

(CIDRAP News) – A US government report released this week on the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in major foodborne pathogens paints a mixed picture, with some markers down or stable but others in double digits or increasing.

(CIDRAP News) – The number of US gastroenteritis deaths more than doubled in 8 years, with Clostridium difficile and norovirus as the two most common culprits, researchers reported today at an infectious disease conference.

(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