FOOD SAFETY NEWS SCAN: Top 10 risky foods, ground beef vulnerabilities

Foodborne Disease
E coli
Salmonella

Oct 6, 2009

Leafy greens top food safety watchdog's risky list
The food safety watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) today released a report on the 10 riskiest foods regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Drawn from the CSPI's database of outbreaks confirmed by the official postings between 1990 and 2006, the list includes leafy greens, eggs, tuna, oysters, potatoes, cheese, ice cream, tomatoes, sprouts, and berries. At a media briefing today, Carolyn Smith DeWaal, CSPI's food safety program director, said tuna and oysters made the list, even though producers are required to have "hazard analysis and critical control point" (HACCP) plans. She said the findings of the study add urgency to the passage of a key food safety bill, which passed the US House of Representatives but awaits action in the Senate. She said HACCP plans don't work unless they're enforced. Peter Hurley, the father of a young Oregon boy who was sickened in a recent peanut butter Salmonella outbreak, said 50 victims of foodborne illnesses and their families will gather in Washington, DC, on Oct 10 to meet with legislators and ask them to forward the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act to the floor of the Senate for a vote.
Oct 6 CSPI press release
CSPI report on 10 riskiest foods regulated by the FDA
http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/cspi_top_10_fda.pdf

News investigation finds safety gaps in ground beef production

Despite several Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreaks linked to ground beef over the past few years, the product is still vulnerable to contamination, because packers grind meat from different sources into their hamburger but aren't required to test the samples for E coli, the New York Times reported on Oct 4. The Times traced the burger eaten by a Minnesota woman who was sickened by contaminated ground beef in the fall of 2007 but is still recovering. The investigation also found that big companies, to avoid the possibility of recalls, sometimes agree to sell only to companies that won't test their products. The probe also found that the company didn't follow its own safety rules. In response to the story, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a press release yesterday that the events in the story are "unacceptable and tragic" and that the nation needs to do more to protect Americans. He said the USDA has been active in its contributions to President Obama's Food Safety Working Group, which has launched several measures to make ground beef safer, such as requiring inspectors to test additional trim components that go into ground beef. He said the USDA is also exploring ways to enhance traceback methods.
Oct 4 New York Times story
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33164820/ns/health-food_safety/
Oct 5 USDA press release
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/10/0491.xml

This week's top reads

  1. USDA suspends southern border livestock imports over New World screwworm threat

    As cattle detections track northward, Mexico recently reported its first human case.

    Lisa Schnirring
    screwworm larva

  2. Meta-analysis: Zika-infected pregnant moms 4 times more likely to have babies with microcephaly

    Five of 22 studies noted that over 50% of newborns had microcephaly, and the same number of studies observed that over 5% had congenital Zika syndrome. 

    Mary Van Beusekom

  3. Woman dies of Creutzfeldt-Jakob almost 50 years after taking prion-contaminated growth hormone

    The patient, who presented with gait imbalance and tremors, wasn't diagnosed until she was in a coma, shortly before she died.

    Mary Van Beusekom
    Woman in hospital bed

  4. HHS expected to discontinue COVID vaccine recommendations for some groups

    When CDC advisers widened their recommendation in 2023, most members were swayed by data, including those for long COVID, showing that no group is at low risk for the virus.

    Lisa Schnirring

  5. Data suggest COVID-19 reinfections less likely to cause long COVID

    The risk of long COVID was two to three times higher after the initial infection (14.8%) than after first (5.8%) or second (5.3%) reinfections.

    Stephanie Soucheray
    LONG COID

  6. Texas announces more measles cases, including first in Dallas area

    Two cases near the Dallas area are now included in the large outbreak, which now totals 717 cases.

    Lisa Schnirring

  7. WHO advisers say current strains OK for COVID vaccine production

    Current vaccine strains show high neutralization against the latest variants, but the LP.8.1 antigen may provide similar or moderately higher cross-reactive antibody response.

    Lisa Schnirring
    senior vaccination

  8. Saudi Arabia confirms 9 MERS cases, including hospital cluster

    Since 2023, the country has ramped up MERS-CoV testing as part of sentinel surveillance.

    Lisa Schnirring
    hospital isolation

  9. Flu vaccine efficacy 41% overall and 26% in older adults, per 2023-24 estimates

    Estimated effectiveness was 68% against influenza B and 32% against type A.

    Mary Van Beusekom
    Flu shot going into arm

  10. FDA significantly limits COVID-19 vaccine recommendations

    Critics said today’s announcement is more evidence of the current administration’s willingness to undermine public trust in vaccines.

    Stephanie Soucheray
    FDA building

Our underwriters