The non-profit watchdog group says the presence of so many healthy foods on such a list—which also includes tomatoes, sprouts and berries—is exactly why the U.S. Senate should follow the House and pass legislation that reforms food safety laws.
FDA is responsible for regulating produce, seafood, egg and dairy products, as well as typical packaged foods such as cookie dough and peanut butter—nearly 80% of the food supply. More than 1500 separate, definable outbreaks were associated with the top 10 riskiest FDA-regulated foods, causing nearly 50,000 reported illnesses. Since most food-borne illnesses are never reported, these outbreaks are only the tip of a large, hulking iceberg, CSPI says.
"Outbreaks give the best evidence of where and when the food safety system is failing to protect the public," said CSPI staff attorney Sarah Klein, the lead author of the report. "It is clearly time for FDA's reliance on industry self-regulation to come to an end. The absence of safety plans or frequent inspections unfortunately means that some of our favorite and most healthful foods also top the list of the most risky."
CSPI identified 363 outbreaks linked to iceberg lettuce, romaine, spinach and other leafy greens, variously contaminated with E. coli, Norovirus, or Salmonella, and causing 13,568 cases of illness. Manure, contaminated irrigation water or poor handling practices are all possible culprits in those outbreaks. FDA does not currently require farms and processors to have written food safety plans, nor does it provide specific safety standards for even the largest growers.
Eggs were linked to 352 outbreaks and 11,163 illnesses; tuna to 268 outbreaks and 2341 cases of illness, and oysters—despite their limited consumption—to 132 outbreaks causing 3409 illnesses. Outbreaks involving potatoes don’t seem to make headlines, but nevertheless they are linked to 108 outbreaks and 3659 cases of illness. Cheese, ice cream, tomatoes, sprouts and berries round out the top 10 list.
Data come from CSPI's Outbreak Alert! Database, which includes outbreaks from 1990 to 2006, using data collected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other sources.
In July, the House of Representatives passed the Food Safety Enhancement Act with broad, bipartisan support. That measure would give FDA authority to require food processors to design and implement food safety plans, provide specific safety standards that growers would have to meet, and require FDA to visit high-risk facilities every 12 months or less, and most other facilities every 3-4 years. In the Senate, similar legislation, sponsored by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), is pending.