foodconsumer.org: Trust for America's Health joins food-safety campaign

Trust for America's Health joins food-safety campaign
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admin on 10/08/2009 02:04:00
 
By Sheilah Downey
The Food and Drug Administration, founded in 1906 at the dawn of the age of
refrigeration, is responsible for the safety of 80 percent of the food supply.
In light of reports of 50,0000 food-borne illnesses in recent years, consumer
safety groups are demanding change.
Calling the food safety system "antiquated," The Trust for America's Health
(TFAH) has joined in the appeal to overhaul the FDA's 100-year-old practices and
"bring it into the 21st century," according to a press release.
"The current fragmented, antiquated system has tragic consequences," said Dr.
Jeff Levi, Executive Director of TFAH. "Millions of Americans get needlessly
sick and thousands die each year from food-borne illnesses that could have been
prevented."
Levi said that upgrades are needed in safety standards, inspection practices,
outbreak detection and recall systems, all of which are being considered in a
Senate bill sponsored by Sen. Richard Durbin, which is pending. A similar bill,
the Food Safety Enhancement Act, passed in the House of Representatives in July.
The TFAH statement comes on the heels of a study by the Center for the Science
in the Public Interest, which yesterday reported that leafy greens, eggs and
tuna top the list of the 10 riskiest foods likely to cause food-borne illness.
The CSPI report identified 363 outbreaks linked to leafy greens, variously
contaminated with E. coli, Norovirus, or Salmonella which caused 13,568 cases of
illness between 1990 and 2006.
Manure, contaminated irrigation water, or poor handling practices are possible
reasons for the illnesses, said the CSPI report.
The multiple salmonella outbreaks and illnesses in the produce sector point to
where the food safety system is failing, said the lead author of the CSPI report
Sarah Klein.
"It is clearly time for FDA's reliance on industry self-regulation to come to
and end," said Klein. "The absence of safety plans or frequent inspections
unfortunately means that some of our favorite and most healthful foods also top
the list of the most risky."
Rounding out the riskiest top ten are cheese, ice cream, oysters,  potatoes,
tomatoes, sprouts and berries, which altogether caused an estimated 50,000
reported illnesses during the 16-year study period.
In their report, eggs were linked with 352 outbreaks and 11,163 illnesses; tuna
to 268 outbreaks and 2,341 illnesses; oysters to 132 outbreaks and 3,409
illnesses; and potatoes were linked with 108 outbreaks and 3,659 illnesses.
Experts in food safety recommend washing all lettuce and produce thoroughly in a
sink full of water before using. To be extra cautious, they also recommend
adding vinegar to the water, as vinegar kills germs.
The CDC reports approximately 40,000 cases of salmonella each year, with about
400 deaths.
They add this side note: "Because many milder cases are not diagnosed or
reported, the actual number of infections may be 30 or more times greater."