If you feel like this year has had a lot of food illness outbreak news, you're not imagining it. So far, 2018 has been filled with food-poisoning outbreak alerts, from romaine being contaminated with E. coli to Goldfish crackers being recalled due to Salmonella fears. Food-poisoning outbreaks have increased in 2018. According to the CDC, on the average, there are only about 15 confirmed foodborne illness outbreaks each year. As of midway through 2018, the CDC has declared 13 multi-state outbreaks so far. It's hard to point to a single issue that's causing the uptick in outbreaks. There haven't been any major changes in regulatory policies, nor has there been a massive shift in the type of outbreaks being reported. There are just more of them. The uptick in food-poisoning outbreaks could be tied to a variety of factors such as: • The food safety experts identifying food illness incidents sooner; • The increases in food and vegetable imports; and • A growing emphasis on convenience in the food industry - resulting in greater risk. #foodoutbreak #foodillness #foodposioning #foodbornediseaseoutbreaks #ecoli #foodrecall #foodborneillnesses #outbreak #foodsafety #foodsafetytraining #ecoli #salmonella Food Safety Training - 10% OFF SUMMER SALE • Learn about foodborne pathogens, cross contamination, cold and hot food safety, and best practices to prevent foodborne illness. • Food Manager ANSI Certification - $99.00 • Food Handler Training - only $7.00! • HACCP Training 16hr/4hr/1hr • Enter Promo "train10off" at Checkout If you feel like this year has had a lot of food illness outbreak news, you're not imagining it. So far, 2018 has been filled with food-poisoning outbreak alerts, from romaine being contaminated with E. coli to Goldfish crackers being recalled due to Salmonella fears. Food-poisoning outbreaks have increased in 2018. According to the CDC, on the average, there are only about 15 confirmed foodborne illness outbreaks each year. As of midway through 2018, the CDC has declared 13 multi-state outbreaks so far. The uptick in food-poisoning outbreaks could be tied to a variety of factors such as: • The food safety experts identifying food illness incidents sooner; • The increases in food and vegetable imports; and • A growing emphasis on convenience in the food industry - resulting in greater risk. Food Safety Training - 10% OFF SUMMER SALE • Learn about foodborne pathogens, cross contamination, cold and hot food safety, and best practices to prevent foodborne illness. • Food Manager ANSI Certification - $99.00 • Food Handler Training - only $7.00! • HACCP Training 16hr/4hr/1hr • Enter Promo "train10off" at Checkout #foodoutbreak #foodillness #foodposioning #foodrecall #foodborneillnesses #outbreak #foodsafety #foodsafetytraining #ecoli #salmonella http://foodsafetytrainingcertification.com/food-safety-news/foodborne-illness-outbreaks-on-the-rise/ Foodborne illness Outbreaks on the Rise If you feel like 2018 has had a lot of food illness outbreak news, you'tre not imagining it. So far, 2018 has been filled with food-poisoning outbreak alerts, from romaine being contaminated with E. coli to Goldfish crackers being recalled due to Salmonella fears. Food-poisoning outbreaks have inreased in 2018. According to the CDC, on the average, there are only about 15 confirned foddborne illness outbreaks each year. As of midway through 2018, the CDC has declared 13 multistate outbreaks so far. With frequent news of outbreaks, which are investigated by the CDC, many people might wonder whether foodborne illness is on the rise and whether safety measures across the nation adequately protect our food supply. What is the cause of the increase in food illness outbreaks? It's hard to point to a single issue that's causing the uptick in outbreaks. There haven't been any major changes in regulatory policies, nor has there been a massive shift in the type of outbreaks being reported. There are just more of them. The uptick in food-poisoning outbreaks could be tied to a variety of factors such as: the government catching smaller incidents earlier, increases in imports, and a growing emphasis on convenience in the food industry. One reason may be partly due to improved food safety industry tools both for detecting contamination in food and for outbreak surveillance, reporting and investigation. However, two other possible factors that have taken place along the food chain in recent years may be the cause of the increase in outbreaks. First, more than half of fruit and a third of vegetables purchased in the US are now imported from other countries. While imported food isn't necessarily less safe, it can allow for more opportunities for contamination along the way. the proportion of the imported fresh fruit eaten in the United States rose to 53.1 percent in 2016, from 23 percent in 1975, according to the Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service. Fresh vegetable imports rose to 31.1 percent from 5.8 percent. (Still, the United States remains a net agricultural exporter, with grains, soybeans, meat and nuts accounting for most of the trade surplus.) People are tending to eat more produce and eat it in different forms, and those are good things, because we want people to eat more fresh produce, but when that happens, you're likely to increase the risk," Taylor said. This risk is due to the fact that fresh produce is "sold and prepared without any kill step," such as cooking or canning, which can destroy illness-causing germs. Second, Americans' increasing demand for convenience is helping boost sales of items such as pre-chopped fruit and vegetables. While the trend is not new, 2018 seems to be a time of reckoning for the pre-chopped produce business. There is a fine balance between convenience and risk. McDonald's salads have been linked to a parasitic illness outbreak that has sicked more than 160 people, pre-cut melons were linked to a salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 60 people , and romaine lettuce contaminated with E. coli was linked to at least 193 illnesses and five deaths. Outbreaks are also influenced by seasonal and environmental factors, she said. "We do see more outbreaks of foodborne illness reported in the warmer summer months, where opportunities for food abuse arise [leaving foods unrefrigerated for periods of time, for instance]," she said. Flooding from storms has been associated with fresh produce outbreaks, while Vibrio illness linked to eating oysters may occur as a result of rising ocean temperatures. The Food Safety Modernization Act became law in 2011. The act "is still being implemented, but it basically codified this principle that everybody responsible for producing food should be doing what the best science says is appropriate to prevent hazards and reduce the risk of illness," Taylor said. "So we're moving in the right direction." Under the new requirements, state governments will be the frontline inspectors and overseers and supporters of food safety compliance for produce at the farm level, Taylor said. "They need resources to do that. There started to be resources available, but that funding is incomplete." Also under the act -- and for the first time -- the FDA will directly oversee the importers and evaluate whether they have in place the newly required foreign supplier certification program, Taylor explained. The program requires that importers know their foreign sources of supply (and their practices) and verify that suppliers are meeting US requirements. The FDA's greatest challenge, then, is that there are about as many overseas facilities registered to manufacture and sell food here as there are US-based facilities, Taylor said. "Congress has gotten about halfway to what it said was needed to successfully implement" the act, Taylor said. Although it is still being phased in, the funding is incomplete. Historically, food safety and nutrition have never been adequately funded at FDA," Taylor said, based on his experience at the agency from the 1970s through 2016. More than 200 people ill from parasite in Del Monte vegetable tray recall More than 200 people ill from parasite in Del Monte vegetable tray recall Donnelly said that "Beyond budget, there is a lack of trained food inspectors at FDA. Food companies complain that FDA's approach to inspection is punitive, versus a more educational approach taken at [USDA], where on-site inspectors work with food processors to assure safe food production." Meanwhile, lawyers have replaced government scientists at the FDA in many instances, and so there is a lack of understanding of how certain foods are produced, she said. "Without knowledge of production practices, it is difficult to offer guidance to processors to effectively manage risks. This is why education is key," Donnelly said Consumers also play a role in food safety well beyond their demands and purchases. They need to be stay informed and report serious illnesses from food. In each outbreak communication, the CDC informs the public about where sickness is occurring, the severity of illness, symptoms and product recall information, if any. It helps when people who believe that their own illness may be part of an outbreak talk to their doctors. Along with keeping informed about outbreaks, consumers with compromised immune systems also need to reconsider their food choices. As consumers age, their immune systems become less functional, increasing their risk.