safety of food supply in question

by Diane Lofshult

Food for Thought:

On the heels of the recent pistachio nut recalls, a new government report says there has been little progress in protecting our nation’s food supply over the past decade. The report was a collaborative effort between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The data used for the report was from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), which each year compares current incidences of food infections to those of the previous 3 years.

According to the report, government efforts to prevent food-borne illnesses have reached a plateau, and efforts must be taken to improve food safety practices from “the farm to the table.” The authors of the report also warned that the incidence of food infections may very well increase, especially as the food industry becomes more global in scope. The authors urged the FDA to conduct more food inspections, especially on internationally grown produce.

Some experts say the report is likely to generate more rancor between the FDA and the USDA, which have long been rivals in overseeing the nation’s food supply. The full report is available online at www.cdc.gov/mmrr.