Dive Brief:
- A decade of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is showing more insight about the progression of foodborne illness cases, how often they are reported by the states to the CDC, and how often the states solve the cases.
- According to the report, done by nonprofit consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest, "From 2009 to 2012, the number of outbreaks states reported to CDC decreased by about 30 percent compared to the six previous years," Food Safety News reported.
- As for solved outbreaks traced back to a known, definite food source, those solved cases dropped from 41% in 2003 to 29% in 2012.
Dive Insight:
Other new information has arisen concerning previous foodborne illness outbreaks as well. Food & Water Watch released emails that demonstrate a split in the U.S. Department of Agriculture over whether to move for a recall of Foster Farms' poultry products, which reportedly caused several spats of illnesses from 2004 to 2014. Some USDA officials said evidence was not sufficient, while other USDA scientists claim they had all the evidence they needed but simply did not act quickly enough to prevent widespread illness.