"Risky" food list poses food safety conundrum

A new study in the US has compiled a list of the 10 "riskiest" foods. The list, regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and released by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), has raised significant issues for food producers across the globe.

CSPI, who examined the FDA-regulated products, found that popular food items such as lettuce, tuna, oysters, cheese, ice cream, tomatoes and berries were linked to the maximum number of food borne illnesses since 1990. In fact, The 10 foods account for nearly 40 percent of all food borne outbreaks linked to FDA-regulated food.

In America the list has angered several companies within the food industry. Amongst others, the Produce Marketing Association, the American Blue Fin Tuna Association and the National Milk Producers Federation are outraged.

But the FDA, who is responsible for regulating produce, seafood, egg and dairy products, as well as typical packaged foods such as cookie dough and peanut butter - which accounts for nearly 80 percent of the US food supply - noted that more than 1500 separate, definable outbreaks were associated with the top 10 riskiest FDA-regulated foods.

What's more, while these caused nearly 50,000 reported illnesses, most food borne illnesses go unreported, suggesting these outbreaks are only the tip of the iceberg.

"Outbreaks give the best evidence of where and when the food safety system is failing to protect the public," said CSPI staff attorney Sarah Klein, the lead author of the report. "It is clearly time for FDA's reliance on industry self-regulation to come to an end. 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."

CSPI identified 363 outbreaks linked to iceberg lettuce, romaine, spinach, and other leafy greens, variously contaminated with E. coli, Noroviru, or Salmonella, causing 13,568 cases of illness.

Eggs were linked 352 outbreaks and 11,163 illnesses; tuna to 268 outbreaks and 2341 cases of illness, and oysters - despite limited consumption - to 132 outbreaks, causing 3409 illnesses.

The data, which comes from CSPI's Outbreak Alert! Database, includes outbreaks from 1990 to 2006, and has been backed by moves in the House of Representatives back in July, when it passed the food Safety Enhancement Act, which will give the FDA the authority to require food processors to design and implement food safety plans.

Meanwhile, for the rest of the us, the findings of the report offer serious considerations for the state of food safety and regulation across the rest of the world.

Like this article? Get the RSS feed: