A bulletin for the Australian Food Industry May 2001
Contents: Updating diagnostics for BSE | Joint actions and interactions between food additives | FDA final juice HACCP regulation | New hygiene guidelines for the food industry | USDA claims HACCP led to a decline in illnesses | US risk ranking of ready-to-eat foods
USDA claims HACCP led to a decline in illnesses
In the US the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have established an Emerging Infections Program Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet). This program collects data about nine foodborne diseases at eight US sites to quantify and monitor foodborne illnesses.
In a preliminary report issued in April, surveillance data for 2000 is compared with data for 1996-1999. A final report will be issued later this year.
The data for 2000 are presented in two ways: from the five sites originally included in the program and from the present eight sites.
The foodborne pathogens included in the survey are Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio. For the original five sites, the recorded incidence of diagnosed infections did vary for each organism. For example, the incidence per 100,000 population for Campylobacter in 1996 was 23.5 compared to 20.1 in 2000. For E. coli O157:H7 the variation was 2.7 in 1996 and 2.9 in 2000. The figures for Salmonella were 14.5 and 12.0 respectively.
The USDA, through the Agriculture Secretary in the new Administration, claimed that these figures show that HACCP is working and 'we are seeing sustained reductions in foodborne illness as well' (Food Chemical News 43 2001.10). However CDC took a more cautious attitude saying that despite year-to-year variation and regional fluctuations, the general magnitude of incidence and the relative order of pathogens have remained the same. CRC would need to look at outbreak investigations and compare the FoodNet data with the results of systematic microbiological sampling of foods to help evaluate the impact of prevention measures such as HACCP in meat and poultry plants.
The FoodNet program which presently covers 10.8 percent of the US population (1999) will provide data to assist in making this evaluation.
Food Science Australia
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