US Aims to Reduce Foodborne Pathogens

Georgetown University’s Produce Safety Project has issued a report which examines the steps taken by select EU countries to reform its food safety data collection and analysis systems which have been in place since 1990s.

The report recommends revamping farm-to-table surveillance of domestic and imported food by developing a national surveillance plan and expanding the collection of data on contamination of foods.

It focuses on the development of cross-agency strategies for priority setting and attributing the burden of specific foods to overall foodborne illness.

A key recommendation of the report, called Building the Science Foundation of a Modern Food Safety System, is the annual publication of a unified cross-agency report on tracking foodborne pathogens in humans, animals, food and feed.

The annual analyses will summarise surveillance data on human foodborne illnesses-including outbreaks and sporadic cases and on pathogen contamination in domestic and imported animals, food and feed.