Dive Brief:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last month that confirmed cases of cyclospora were declining, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's increased scrutiny on fresh cilantro from Puebla, Mexico may have played a key role, Food Safety News reported.
- In a Sept. 19 update, the CDC reported at least 134 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis, where consumers got sick on or after May 1. The agency reported 319 cases for the same period last year.
- FDA began detaining fresh cilantro from Puebla in April 2015 after the agency linked the product to several U.S. foodborne illness outbreaks.
Dive Insight:
FDA's aggressive stance toward preventing contaminated cilantro from entering the country demonstrates the theory behind supply chain and operational enhancements manufacturers should be putting in place to be compliant with the FSMA preventive controls rule. That rule went into effect for larger companies last month, and smaller companies have just under a year to reach compliance themselves.
These results should be promising for other manufacturers. If they take similar precautions through improved supply chain visibility and ingredient traceability, they may see similar results in terms of reducing the risk of pathogen contamination for products or ingredients.
Fewer pathogens in turn reduce the risk of recalls, and enables a company to be more transparent, which benefits the manufacturer and consumers alike. Recalls can be costly to manufacturers' finances, brand reputation and future sales, so employing similar tactics can help manufacturers optimize their supply chain for both safety and cost-effectiveness in the long term.