By Amy Bryant, specialist, Food Safety, APHL; Kirsten Larson, senior program manager, Food Safety, APHL; and Robyn Randolph, program manager, Food Safety, APHL

Foodborne illness is preventable. However, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year an estimated 48 million Americans are sickened by contaminated food and, of these, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die. Many will also suffer secondary chronic diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, reactive arthritis, kidney dysfunction and diabetes as a result of their foodborne illness. The economic burden for these illnesses is estimated to be more than $75 billion (based on 2023 cost estimates).

Foodborne illness is frequently overlooked or goes unidentified because contaminated food is often consumed days or even weeks prior to the onset of symptoms. Contrary to popular belief, foodborne illness is not often caused by the last meal people ate.

Food safety scientists work tirelessly to protect the public from foodborne illnesses. In public health laboratories, they use highly specialized techniques such as next generation sequencing to link genetic fingerprints of bacteria from human patients to a contaminated food source. They can, for example, determine whether patients are infected with closely related pathogens and if those pathogens come from a common source—say, lettuce from a particular farm or meat from the same processing plant.

The data they collect is submitted to surveillance networks and is routinely analyzed and tracked by epidemiologists who identify persistent and emerging pathogens that can negatively impact the public’s health. When cases are linked, public health officials can detect outbreaks and notify the public of hazards through timely food recalls and health alerts. 

Food safety scientists also help protect our pets, testing animal food for harmful contaminants. Raw pet food can contain germs like Listeria or Salmonella, endangering not only pets but owners as well. It is estimated that about 14 million dogs and 10 million cats get sick each year from an illness related to pet food.

June 7 is World Food Safety Day and this year’s theme is Food Safety: Science in Action. In honor of this day, we rounded up some recent blog posts highlighting the important work of food safety scientists and the essential information science contributes to solving foodborne illness cases.

• CDC, the US Food and Drug Administration and state and local partners investigated a link between blood lead levels in children consuming certain cinnamon-containing apple purée and applesauce products: Applesauce Tainted with Lead Chromate: What We Know and Next Steps.
• Ready-to-eat meat charcuterie products were recalled due to possibly being under-processed, which may have resulted in possible contamination with foodborne pathogens: Is That Salami Safe? Charcuterie Recalls and Consumer Safety Tips.
• In 2024, Boar’s Head Provisions Co., Inc. recalled millions of pounds of deli meat and poultry products due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination: Inside the Country’s Worst Listeria Outbreak in 13 Years.

The post Honoring World Food Safety Day: How Science Keeps You Safe appeared first on APHL Blog.

Visit Original Post >>>