@Risk

Federal officials now estimate that as many as half a billion salmonella-tainted eggs have been circulating in the US food supply over the past few months. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have been sickened with salmonella linked to the contaminated eggs, prompting three recalls over the past two weeks –the third was issued last Friday.

A small handful of egg farms in Iowa appear to be at the center of the outbreak. Two of these farms are operated by Hillandale Farms of Iowa, one of the largest egg companies in the US; Wright County Egg Farm operates the other five. These farms share several common suppliers, including those for chicks and feed. According to the AP, this supplier has a history of violations and controversy. (more…)

A voluntary system to trace livestock movement across state lines has fallen short of expectations, and so the US Department of Agriculture is drafting more stringent regulations.

Federal officials are working on a new system that involves mandatory regulations because they want to make it easier to track diseases such as brucellosis and tuberculosis in livestock.  According to an article in The Billings Gazette, more than 19 million of the nation’s 30 million beef cows and 9 million dairy cows crossed state lines in 2009. But, data from 2006 and 2007 show that only about one quarter (28 percent) of the nation’s adult cattle had any form of official identification that would allow them to be tracked.

Although this animal disease traceability system is focused on animal health, it can also help promote a safe, healthy food supply. For example, a USDA fact sheet says that: (more…)

The National Consumers League (NCL) is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish minimum sanitary and safety standards for the “unregulated but crucial” pallets that are used to transport food throughout the United States.

Why? Because for awhile now, there have been growing concerns about the link between pallets and contamination of food and pharmaceuticals, and recently the NCL tested pallets for foodborne pathogens, including E. coli and Listeria.

The results of these tests were alarming. Of the 140 pallets (70 wood and 70 plastic) tested: (more…)

Last Thursday, Jodi Nudelman, Regional Inspector General for Evaluations and Inspections from the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, testified before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce about the safety of the nation’s food supply.

Her remarks were reminiscent of an earlier speech by Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and served to underscore the current vulnerabilities of our food supply chain.

Here are a few of the startling specifics: (more…)

Most foodborne illness outbreaks are from non-produce food items, according to a new report from the Alliance for Food and Farming. The report, which analyzes Centers for Disease Control data associated with foodborne illness outbreaks, found that from 1990 to 2007:

• 88 percent of foodborne illness outbreaks were from non-produce food items. (See examples here and here.)

• 12 percent of all foodborne illness outbreaks were associated with produce.

• Of this 12 percent, more than 10 percent  were associated with improper handling of produce after leaving the farm. For instance, 65 percent of outbreaks traced back to a produce item can be attributed to improper handling in a restaurant, most likely the result of cross contamination or improper employee hygiene.  Mishandling at community events caused 14 percent of the produce-related outbreaks, followed by mishandling in the home –which represents 13 percent of outbreaks associated with produce.

• 2 percent of produce-related outbreaks were associated with the growing, packing, shipping or processing of produce.

This is the second time the Alliance for Food and Farming has conducted a review of the CDC databases. The first review, based on data from 1990 through 2004, resulted in similar findings, indicating that illnesses associated with produce are still low despite some recent outbreaks. (more…)