Porca Food

Foodborne illnesses in the United States decreased by 26 percent in 2020 compared with the average from 2017-19, according to a report released today.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that its FoodNet surveillance system identified 18,462 infections, including 4,788 hospitalizations and 118 deaths, according to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP).

The decrease could be related to the coronavirus pandemic in more than one way, according to the researchers.

“The researchers speculated that pandemic-related behaviors, such as more handwashing, less international travel, and restaurant closures, may have contributed to the decrease in foodborne illnesses, but they note that changes in healthcare delivery and healthcare-seeking behaviors may have caused underreporting,” according to the report.

“While they also note that lab-testing practice changes may have had an effect, they found that the proportion of infections diagnosed by culture, compared … Read more

In the 21 days since it was first reported, an investigation has not yet identified a food as the cause of a fast-growing outbreak of Salmonella Oranienburg infections — at least officially.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta say public health and regulatory officials in several states are still collecting different types of data to investigate the multistate outbreak.

In three weeks, the Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak grew from 20 infections to 279 confirmed cases. While there have been no deaths, there have also been no recalls because no food is yet linked to the outbreak.

The rapidly growing outbreak has spread to at last 29 states with illnesses starting on dates ranging from Aug. 3 to Sept. 13. Sick people range in age from less than 1 year to 89 years, with a median age of 35, and 59 percent are female. Of 86 people … Read more

Two Salmonella outbreak investigations that have sickened a total of more than 200 people are picking up steam at the FDA.

One has sickened at least 127 people with Salmonella Oranienburg infections and stretches across 25 states. 

Although the source of the outbreak pathogen remains unknown, an update Sept. 22 from the Food and Drug Administration shows that in addition to ongoing traceback efforts the agency has begun sample collections and testing. The agency did not provide any information about where the samples were collected or whether they came from patients, food or locations where food is produced or sold.

The other outbreak involves Salmonella Thompson and has sickened at least 78 people. The FDA has begun onsite inspections of unnamed locations, according to the update.

The FDA is working with state officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the outbreak investigations.

The table below shows … Read more

food safety education month

Anytime you think you are seriously ill, seek medical attention. And if you think food caused your illness, make sure it gets reported. Most foodborne illnesses are “reportable,” which means your doctor lets the local health department know about them.

That’s how you might become a “confirmed case” in a multistate outbreak.  It’s your confirmed test result that gets reported to the health department,  your name is kept private.

But if you do not want to pursue action through a medical route, you can report your bad food experience directly to federal regulators. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration both welcome consumer reports about contaminated or adulterated food.

But how?
Both FSIS and FDA explain how on their websites. As September’s food safety month comes to a close shortly, Food Safety News is passing this information along with … Read more

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has responded to petition sponsors with differing opinions about how lab-grown “meat” and “beef” should be labeled.

The FSIS Office of Policy and Program Development has denied the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association’s petition asking the agency to “limit the definition of “meat” and “beef” to products derived from animals “born, raised, and harvested in the traditional manner.”
The petition from the Cattlemen’s Association has been pending since its submission on Feb. 9, 2018.

“This action would, as the petition notes, effectively prohibit the labels of products made using animal cell culture technology (hereafter, cultured products) or derived from non-animal sources, such as plant-based products, from displaying the term “meat” or “beef.” FSIS said it “received and analyzed over 6,000 public comments” to the petition.

The FSIS and the Food and Drug Administration had a public meeting in October 2018 on labeling cultured food products … Read more