@Risk

A new study by a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) economist estimates that the total annual health-related costs of foodborne illness across the nation is $152 billion annually – four times that of earlier estimates calculated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

This total is based on an FDA cost-estimate approach: health-related costs are the sum of medical costs (physician services, pharmaceuticals, and hospital costs) and losses to quality of life (lost life expectancy, pain and suffering, and functional disability). It includes the costs of medical bills, lost wages and lost productivity. (Note: These are health-related costs only. An aggregate economic impact total that included losses to food manufacturers and distributors involved in recalls would be significantly higher.)
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The food industry is contending with yet another recall of contaminated food.

This time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is collaborating with public health officials in many states, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the State of Rhode Island to investigate a multistate outbreak of a particular strain of Salmonella.

Since July 1, 2009, 207 individuals from 42 states and District of Columbia have been sickened with this Salmonella strain, and preliminary analysis of this study has suggested salami as a possible source of illness. As a result, Daniele International Inc., an establishment with operations in Pascoag and Mapleville, R.I., recalled approximately 1,240,000 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) varieties of Italian sausage products. Specifically, the FDA is actively investigating the supply chain of the black pepper used in the manufacturing of the recalled meat products.

The CDC has identified three interesting and unique features of this outbreak: (more…)

On Wednesday, a Senate committee unanimously approved a sweeping overhaul of the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety system.

The proposed legislation is similar to the measure passed by the House this summer, as it significantly increases the FDA’s regulatory powers and allows the agency to directly order a food recall, rather than merely requesting that a food manufacturer institute one. In addition, the Senate version of the bill includes whistle-blower protections, unspecified grants to states to improve food safety programs, and requirements for organic agricultural standards and other factors to be included in government food safety rules.

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Last week, the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) released a report from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), which recommends clear objectives be set to improve the ability of government and industry to trace food products throughout all stages of the supply chain.

As I have posted about before (see here and here, for example), food can become contaminated at any of the many different steps in the supply chain. Improved tracing could help: (more…)

Could increased stress on farm animals translate into increased food safety risks?

A study published last month in the journal “Foodborne Pathogens and Disease” suggests that it can.

Marcos H. Rostagno, an animal scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), published the review titled, “Can Stress in Farm Animals Increase Food Safety Risk,” and he identified ways that animal stress may be related to the prevalence of foodborne pathogens today.

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