The burden of illness associated with E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria in fresh produce is the most significant and disruptive food safety problem still affecting the U.S. food system. Fresh produce is also the one food category experts urge consumers to eat more of as part of healthy diets that can prevent chronic disease. The continuing illness outbreaks associated with fresh produce undercut this “eat more” message by reducing consumer confidence and disrupting markets for growers, retailers, and consumers.
Over 8 billion chickens and turkeys are eaten each year, making poultry the most consumed protein in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Salmonella is responsible for 1 million foodborne illnesses attributed to poultry, yet a minimum of 1 in 25 packages of poultry sold in the grocery store is contaminated with Salmonella. We believe the poultry industry and the federal government can and should do better.
The 2022 powdered infant formula contamination, recall and subsequent shortage was a ‘perfect storm’ that exposed the dysfunction of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Along with our coalition partners, STOP began calling upon the FDA Commissioner to fix the deficiencies within the agency including appointing a fully empowered Deputy Commissioner of Human Foods who has food safety experience and uniting all aspects of human foods in which the FDA regulates. We want and NEED the agency to be poised for the future to protect public health.
There is a heavily promoted food movement claiming that raw milk is healthier and safer than pasteurized milk. Anyone making these claims ignores the extensive literature focusing on the risks – especially for children and aging adults – of consuming raw milk. Pasteurization is one of public health’s most effective food safety interventions. Remember, infants and children are not miniature adults, and they handle infectious diseases differently. We urge all consumers NOT to take the risk of consuming raw milk and raw milk products.
The recall system in the U.S. was developed to inform consumers. Sadly, the system has not changed in over 30 years, and it does not provide timely, actionable, and easily accessible information for consumers.
STOP began convening a multi-faceted stakeholder working group on this issue in September 2020 and continues to pursue systemic changes throughout both the FDA and USDA systems.
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