A new report from the Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration provides an analysis of foodborne illnesses in calendar year 2019.
The organization is a tri-agency group created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The 14-page paper analyzes foodborne illness outbreak data for salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, listeria monocytogenes, and campylobacter, in addition to specific foods and food categories that are responsible for foodborne illnesses in the U.S.
The report’s executive summary said that each year in U.S. an estimated 9 million people get sick, 56,000 are hospitalized and 1,300 die of foodborne disease caused by known pathogens.
The report said:
- Salmonella illnesses came from a wide variety of foods, according to the report. More than 75% of salmonella illnesses were attributed to seven food categories: chicken, fruits, pork, seeded vegetables (such as tomatoes), other produce (such as nuts), turkey and eggsl
- E. coli O157 illnesses were most often linked to vegetable row crops (such as leafy greens) and beef. Over 75% of illnesses were linked to these two categories;
- Listeria monocytogenes illnesses were most often linked to dairy products and fruits. More than 75% of illnesses were attributed to these two categories, but the rarity of listeria monocytogenes outbreaks makes these estimates less reliable than those for other pathogens; and
- Non-Dairy campylobacter illnesses were most often linked to chicken. Over 80% of non-dairy foodborne illnesses were attributed to chicken, other seafood (such as shellfish) and turkey, with campylobacter illnesses most often linked to chicken.
For more information on IFSAC projects, visit https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/ifsac/projects/index.html.
