The following is a report in the current issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

“Large-scale outbreaks of foodborne illness have recently focused attention on the ability of the U.S. food-safety system to protect the public health. The nationwide outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium infection associated with peanut products that is described by Cavallero et al. is one example.¹ This contamination, which was ultimately traced to the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), took a high toll — 714 people were affected, about 200 were hospitalized, and 9 died. Investigators found multiple potential routes of contamination at PCA facilities, such as rain leakage and cross-contamination between raw and roasted peanuts. Although the outbreak was eventually contained, key parts of the food-safety system clearly failed.

 

‘There is a public health imperative to do better. The burden of foodborne illness is substantial: about 1 in 6 people in the United States get sick each year, 128,000 are hospitalized, and about 3000 die. We know that foodborne illness is not just a mild annoyance — it can lead to lifelong chronic diseases, such as arthritis and renal failure, and can cause death. Moreover, outbreaks can reduce consumers’ confidence in the food supply and cause major economic disruptions for the food system.

‘Ensuring food safety is a difficult job. A global marketplace provides a diverse array of food products. Many processed foods are manufactured through complex technology. New strains of Escherichia coli are emerging — such as the O104:H4 strain in the recent German outbreak² — and we’re seeing unexpected pathogens in some food items, such as salmonella in nuts. Given our complex food-distribution channels, it’s not easy to trace contaminated products to their source rapidly.

‘The challenge is great, but we believe we have a historic opportunity to reduce foodborne illness under the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).” Read the entire article here.