Report from the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases - Essay Example

Food Commodities as Carriers of Illness: How Safe is the Food you eat? Food borne illness remains common in the United States. Dr. John Painter, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and his team, conducted a study on food commodities and food borne illnesses. The results of the study attributed 46% of illnesses to produce and showed that more deaths were attributed to poultry than to any other commodity. Food Commodities as Carriers of Illness: How Safe is the Food you eat?

Studies conducted under the aegis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) demonstrate that, in the United States, “9 million persons each year have a foodborne illness caused by a major pathogen” (qtd. in Painter, Hoekstra, Ayer, Taux, Braden, Angulo & Griffen, 2013). In the light of this finding, research into food safety assumes great significance. Dr. John Painter, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and his team, conducted a study on food commodities and food borne illnesses.

The results of this study were published in the CDC journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases, under the title, Attibution of Foodborne Illnesses, Hospitalizations, and Deaths to Food Commodities by using Outbreak Data, United States, 1998-2008 dated March 2013. The research was performed in the United States using data from State and local health departments’ reports, collated by the CDC through its Food borne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System.  These comprehensive reports include data on the number of person’s ill, causes of the outbreak, description of the implicated food vehicle(s), lists of ingredients, and identification of the contaminated ingredient(s).

 Outbreaks of food borne diseases from 1998 – 2008 were studied. The etiologic agent, or the food ingredient which causes the illness, was identified mainly through statistical evidence from epidemiologic investigation and laboratory evidence identifying the presence of the etiologic agent in the implicated food. Identification was strengthened by other supportive data, such as previous experience and the presence of the same etiologic subtype on the farm that supplied the implicated food.

Painter et al. included in their study approximately 37% of the outbreaks from a total of 13,352 food borne disease outbreaks, causing 271,974 illnesses. These included outbreaks which featured implicated food vehicles and a single cause of illness. Foods were categorized into 1 of 17 commodities defined as aquatic animals (fish, crustaceans, and mollusks), land animals (dairy, eggs, beef, game, pork, and poultry), plants (grains-beans; oils-sugars [refined plant foods]; fruits-nuts; fungi; and leafy, root, sprout, and vine-stalk vegetables).

Food vehicles were categorized as simple (containing ingredients from one commodity) or complex (ingredients from more than one commodity). The method of estimation was the application of commodity-specific percentage of ill persons to the total estimated proportion of illnesses for each cause. The results showed that 36 agents caused the outbreaks of illnesses, with norovirus causing the most illnesses.  Most illnesses were attributed to plant commodities and most deaths to land animal commodities.

Under plant commodities, leafy vegetables accounted for 22% of illnesses. Under animal commodities, poultry accounted for 19% of deaths, due to Listeria or Salmonella bacteria. The contamination of dairy products after pasteurization by food handlers resulted in dairy commodities being the second most frequent food source for infections causing illnesses (14%) and deaths (10%). Painter et al. concede several limitations in their study, including absence of data for some agents, possible weaknesses in the reported outbreak data, and the failure to take into consideration present changes in some commodities, such as ready-to-eat meat.

This study is useful for prioritizing public health activities. In the light of the fact that many infectious diseases are emerging in both society and in hospitals, the general population audience of this newspaper needs to be made aware of scientific findings on this front. After all, food safety is a basic entitlement for all citizens. By keeping abreast of such research, public opinion can be mobilized to advocate greater government concern over the health hazards associated with food. It is clear that the handling of food, and the prevention of contamination of produce and poultry, must be given utmost importance.

There is a long way to go before food safety is assured in the United States. References.Painter JA, Hoekstra RM, Ayers T, Tauxe RV, Braden CR, Angulo FJ, et al. (March 2013). Attribution of foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths to food commodities by using outbreak data, United States, 1998–2008. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 19. No. 3.http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1903.111866DOI: 10.3201/eid1903.111866