Washington D.C.—Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released yesterday demonstrates little progress on reducing illnesses from the major foodborne pathogens. The new data shows no significant change in illness for E. coli O157-H7, Campylobacter, Salmonella, or Listeria.
“The CDC report shows that the need for policy reforms to address Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens, particularly in meat and poultry, are as urgent as ever,” said CFA’s Director of Food Policy Thomas Gremillion. “Unsafe food is making far too many Americans sick.”
Compared to a baseline period of 2012-2014, the preliminary data from 2015 show a decrease in illnesses for Salmonella Typhimurium by 15 percent. But the data show no significant change in illnesses for most other pathogens, including Salmonella serotypes Enteritidis and Newport, E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter and Listeria. The 2015 data show a 57 percent increase in illnesses from Cryptosporidium and a 40 percent increase from Shiga-toxin producing strains of E. coli (non-O157 STECs), although some of those increases may reflect more accurate surveillance techniques for those pathogens, rather than an uptick in actual illness.
Salmonella continues to be a major problem, notwithstanding the decrease in Salmonella Typhimurium. Recent efforts by the Food Safety and Inspection Service to finalize new standards for Salmonella in poultry parts should help to lower incidence rates, but for now, the number of consumers getting sick remains stubbornly high. FSIS should take additional steps, including declaring certain antibiotic-resistant strains of Salmonella as adulterants, to protect consumers.
Similarly, new rules that the Food and Drug Administration finalized this past year to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act may help to make an impact in reducing the incidence of foodborne illnesses such as E.coli. Most recently, FDA issued a final rule to protect foods from contamination during transportation. However, the data indicates that improvements from these changes have yet to be realized.
Contact: Thomas Gremillion 202-939-1010
The Consumer Federation of America is an association of more than 250 nonprofit consumer organizations that was established in 1968 to advance the consumer interest through research, advocacy, and education.