New Report Identifies Sources Of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks
Watsonville, CA -- To help guide farmers in their efforts to reduce foodborne illness, The Alliance for Food and Farming today released an updated report which analyzes Centers for Disease Control data associated with foodborne illness outbreaks and produce.
The report shows that 12.3 percent of all foodborne illness outbreaks from 1990 to 2007 were associated with produce. Just over 10 percent of all identified outbreaks were associated with improper handling after leaving the farm and 2.2 percent were associated with the growing, packing, shipping or processing of produce. The majority of the foodborne illness outbreaks, 88 percent, are from non-produce food items.
“Despite the low numbers of outbreaks associated with the growing and processing of produce, it’s important for producers of fresh fruits and vegetables to continue making strides toward improvement,” said Ed Beckman, President of the California Tomato Farmers and a member of the Alliance for Food and Farming Management Board. “Two percent is still too high. We must work to get that percentage down to zero.”
The Alliance for Food and Farming, a non-profit organization comprised of farmers and farm groups from throughout the U.S., commissioned an independent scientific expert to conduct this unique analysis which identifies where the contamination of produce occurred. This is the second time the Alliance for Food and Farming has conducted a review of the CDC databases. The last time was based on data from 1990 through 2004. Both reports show similar findings, which indicates illnesses associated with produce are still low despite some recent outbreaks. The report concludes, however, that continued emphasis must be placed on further reducing incidents of on-farm contamination through applied research and increased oversight to ensure proper practices are being followed in produce operations.
The report also concludes that improvements are still necessary when it comes to training and educating both consumers and restaurant employees on safe handling of produce. Findings show that 65 percent of outbreaks traced back to a produce item can be attributed to improper handling in a restaurant, most likely the result of cross contamination or improper employee hygiene. Mishandling at community events caused 14 percent of the produce-related outbreaks, followed by mishandling in the home which represents 13 percent of outbreaks associated with produce.
The Alliance for Food and Farming points to several new programs that address food safety on the farm including those that involve mandatory government oversight of food safety practices. (See “Case Studies in Food Safety” below).
“We are doing everything we can to make sure we grow tomatoes that are safe for people to eat,” said Tony DiMare, a tomato farmer with The DiMare Company, which produces tomatoes in Florida, California and South Carolina. “As growers, we most certainly understand our responsibilities in preventing foodborne illness associated with the tomatoes our company grows on our farms. We accept that and have taken significant action to make sure we are practicing safe farming methods.”
“What people don’t realize is that many farmers are embracing proposed new food safety regulations,” said DiMare. “In California, our farms and packinghouses are required to have mandatory USDA audits to ensure food safety practices are being followed, and in Florida we worked with the state legislature to create a new law requiring the state to inspect our food safety practices.”
“Farmers are responding by enhancing their food safety practices to protect public health as well as their own economic interests,” said Ed Beckman, who noted that members of his organization, the California Tomato Farmers along with tomato farmers around the country suffered significant financial losses when tomatoes were erroneously targeted in a highly publicized 2008 salmonella outbreak.
“Farmers are extremely motivated to work to prevent foodborne illness outbreaks from happening on their farms,” continued Beckman. “But if the goal is to reduce future illness outbreaks in a significant way, it’s crucial for government agencies to provide information that accurately tracks the source of foodborne illness outbreaks. Farmers need this information as do restaurants and consumers if real improvements are to be made and measured.”
Beckman noted that the Alliance for Food and Farming has submitted its Analysis of Produce Related Foodborne Illness Outbreaks” report to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as part of a workshop being held March 30 in Washington D.C. titled Measuring Progress on Food Safety.
Beckman emphasized it is crucial that government reporting provide more accurate and detailed information about foodborne illness outbreaks. “The kind of information contained in this new Alliance for Food and Farming report is currently not easily accessible through the Centers for Disease Control databases,” he said. “We are calling on all segments of the produce industry to come together to work with CDC and FDA so that everyone is clear about objectives on how best to measure progress toward reducing foodborne illness from all sources.”
“While this kind of analysis offers a snapshot in time of an ever-changing situation, it is quite useful to our industry’s ongoing work to improve our food safety capability,” said Dr. Bob Whitaker, Chief Science & Technology Officer for the Produce Marketing Association. “A true commitment to food safety requires continuously evaluating and improving our efforts, so we welcome the input this report offers.”
Alliance for Food and Farming notes there are several programs focused on improved food safety throughout the produce supply chain. The National Restaurant Association provides education and information on food safety to its members and its ServSafe program is designed to train and certify restaurants and their employees on proper handling. Another program, the Partnership for Food Safety Education and its FightBAC campaign is focused on educating consumers about proper handling of foods in the home. The federal government also has a website at www.foodsafety.gov to provide consumers with information on safe food handling and government food safety programs.
About the Alliance for Food and Farming: The Alliance for Food and Farming is a non-profit organization which exists to assist farmers in communicating their commitment to food safety and care for the environment. Alliance membership includes approximately 50 farmers and farm organizations from throughout the nation. More information on the Alliance for Food and Farming report, including a complete copy of its report titled “Analysis of Produce Related Foodborne Illness Outbreaks” and a list of examples of food safety programs in place throughout the produce industry can be found on their website at www.foodandfarming.info.
Analysis by an independent scientific expert shows that 2 percent of all foodborne illness outbreaks and 6 percent of all foodborne illnesses confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control can be traced to a produce farm or processor.