Among all outbreaks of foodborne illness in the United States between 2010 and 2014, only 3 percent of outbreaks were multistate outbreaks, but these outbreaks involved 56 percent of the deaths from all outbreaks, according to the new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Although bacteria are more likely to contaminate foods like beef, chicken, and fresh fruits and vegetables, health officials have also seen the unexpected contamination of certain foods. Imported foods caused 18 of the 120 reported outbreaks between 2010-2014. Outbreaks can be local or scattered across two or more states. The scientists compared the number of illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths from outbreaks occurring in a single state with outbreaks occurring in two or more states.
Listeria caused the most deaths.
“Americans shouldn’t have to worry about getting sick from the food they eat”, CDC Director Tom Frieden said at a press conference announcing the report.
He added that new gene sequencing tools and advanced epidemiology techniques are used to quickly track down the source of food poisoning outbreaks. Foods from Mexico, including mangoes and papayas, were the leading source in those events, followed by foods from Turkey such as pine nuts, tahini and pomegranate seeds.
The 120 multistate outbreaks reported during the study period included almost 8,000 cases of illness; 1,460 hospitalizations; and 66 deaths, according to the report.
Investigations into outbreaks help to reveal the problems that resulted in food becoming contaminated in the first place, while lessons learned help strengthen food safety. Store loyalty cards can help identify foods that caused illness and enable more rapid notification of customers who bought a specific product. The agency said it expects to finalize additional rules soon regarding the growing and packaging of produce, as well as requirements that imported foods meet US safety standards.
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Health officials are still investigating, and have not determined what food was contaminated. Vital Signs is created to provide the latest data and information on key health indicators – cancer prevention, obesity, tobacco use, alcohol use, HIV/AIDS, motor vehicle safety, health care-associated infections, cardiovascular health, teen pregnancy, asthma, and food safety.
