Federal Agencies Join Forces to Promote Produce Safety
Fresh produce, particularly lettuce, has become an increasingly common source of E. coli infection in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration, which has some regulatory authority over the produce industry, is promulgating a new rule for the safe production, harvesting and packing of fresh produce. FDA announced it is working more closely than ever with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency, state departments of agriculture, advocacy groups, and growers to ensure the effectiveness of the new rule.
Over the past several months, FDA and USDA technical experts, scientists, and other staff have participated in listening sessions and meetings in 13 states and toured farms to hear from people who have the “on-the-ground” knowledge that FDA states must be reflected in the proposed rule. In addition, more than 700 comments were received from all parts of the country and around the world from growers; environmental groups; state and local government agencies; retail food chains; academia; consumers, and others.
The comments have been sorted and routed to specific areas that these groups have been focusing on, and will be carefully considered and evaluated for inclusion. In addition, FDA will consider testimony and comments received by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in response to the proposed National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, as well as comments FDA received in response to its draft guidance on leafy greens, tomatoes and melons, issued in 2009.
FDA anticipates publishing a proposed fresh produce rule in 2011. The proposed rule will have a comment period, whereby stakeholders can provide comments and feedback to agency before the final rule is issued.
CDC E. coli Outbreak Surveillance Report for 2007
E. coli 0157:H7 and other foodborne agents cause an estimated 76 million illnesses annually in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published its latest set of data on foodborne disease outbreaks submitted from all states and territories. The CDC Surveillance for Foodborne Diseases Outbreaks Report summarizes epidemiologic data for the 1,097 reported outbreaks occurring during 2007 (the most recent finalized data), which resulted in 21,244 cases of foodborne illness and 18 deaths.
Among the 497 foodborne outbreaks with a laboratory-confirmed single etiologic agent reported, 40 were shiga toxin-producing E. coli outbreaks, primarily E. coli O157:H7. Coupled with two more suspected E. coli outbreaks, the E. coli classification accounted for 6 percent of 2007 outbreaks.
The 2007 surveillance number was much higher than the mean established from 2002-2006. In that period, the mean number of shiga toxin-producing E. coli outbreaks was 28 per year, or 2 percent of the total outbreaks.
In terms of illnesses, the 2007 report also was higher. In 2007, CDC and state health departments tracked 603 confirmed and suspected shiga-toxin E. coli illnesses. That was up from the 2002-2006 mean number of 375 E. coli illnesses per year.
It is important to note when reviewing the foodborne disease surveillance report that the actual numbers of outbreaks and illnesses in the U.S. is much higher than those confirmed by public health scientists and laboratories.
E. coli Prevention Research Focuses on Scottish Farmers
Certain farmers in the Grampain region in the north of Scotland are, to some degree, immune to the deadly bacteria Escherichia coli O157:H7, the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) reports. Researchers at Bangor University in Wales tested about 200 Scottish farmers from Grampain and North Wales and it was found that about one-fifth of the farmers, or roughly 20 percent, are at least partially immune to E. coli O157:H7. The report was published August 8 on Scotsman.com.
Researcher Dr. Prysor Williams said: “We are taking small samples of blood and saliva and looking for antibodies in the samples. That will tell us if that individual has been exposed to 0157. If antibodies are present it shows that that individual has a degree of immunity because all the volunteers are not patients.”
The story reports that the study’s findings could help in the search for an E. coli vaccine, and that repeated exposure over a long period of time may be protecting these farmers from the otherwise harmful pathogen. The Scotsman story reports that the Grampain region is said to have one of the highest E. coli infection rates in the world, and results of the study suggest a much higher rate of antibodies among that region’s population. According to the story:
Rates of E coli 0157 in Scotland are higher than the rest of the UK. Last year, there were 4.6 cases per 100,000 people in Scotland, compared with fewer than two per 100,000 in England. In Grampian there were 11.1 cases per 100,000…The reasons for the higher rates in Scotland remain unclear.
Drug-Resistant E. coli Strain Emerging, Research Shows
A new strain of drug-resistant E. coli poses an emerging health concern, according to a study to be published this week in the journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases, led by Dr. James Johnson of the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. Cases of this strain, E. coli ST131, have been reported across the United States and in several countries, researchers say.
During 2007, researchers tested 127 patients infected with E. coli that appeared resistant to cephalosporin and fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Of those cases, 54 were shown to be from this new strain, E. coli ST131.
“If this strain gains one additional resistance gene, it will become almost untreatable and will be a true superbug, which is a very concerning scenario,” Johnson said. he went on to tell local news sources that, “Fortunately, there’s still one big class of drugs that [E. coli ST131 is] so far universally susceptible to,” but that those drugs are “our last line of defense.”
More research into new antibiotics, plus exercising caution when using antibiotics, are two key elements needed to address this concern, according to health experts.
Sources:
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/99668604.html?page=2&c=y
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38495130/ns/health-infectious_diseases/
Stricter Food Safety Penalites Sought in New Legislation
Companies that knowingly violate food safety standards would face stricter penalties under a new bill introduced Thursday by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). The Food Safety Enforcement Act would allow prosecutors to seek prison sentences of up to 10 years for companies who knowingly distribute contaminated food and would make it a felony offense to do so. In a press release, Leahy stated:
“Current statutes do not provide sufficient criminal sanctions for those who knowingly violate our food safety laws. The bill I introduce today would increase sentences for people who put profits above safety by knowingly contaminating the food supply. It makes such offenses felony violations and significantly increases the chances that those who commit them will face jail time, rather than a slap on the wrist, for their criminal conduct.”
The press release cites the 2009 Peanut Corporation of America Salmonella outbreak as an example of a case in which the company may have known the products were unsafe and distributed them anyway. Nine people were killed in that outbreak and hundreds more were sickened. The mother of one of the victims in that outbreak testified at an Agriculture Committee hearing on federal food safety oversight last year at Leahy’s invitation.
The proposed legislation is expected to be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which Leahy chairs. “The Justice Department must be given the tools it needs to investigate, prosecute, and truly deter crime involving food safety,” Leahy stated. “This bill will be an important step toward making our food supply safer.”
