24.12.2020

On 18 December 2020 the Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC) announced the release of its 2018 annual report on the sources of foodborne illness involving the pathogens Salmonella, Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157, Listeria monocytogenes, and campylobacter. The report is significant in that it may guide future food safety oversight priorities for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Salmonella illnesses were linked to multiple food categories (chicken, seeded vegetables, pork, fruits, other produce (such as nuts), eggs, and turkey), which, IFSAC stated, suggests that interventions designed to reduce illnesses from these pathogens need to “target a variety of food categories.”
Campylobacter: Over 75% of non-Dairy foodborne illnesses were attributed to Chicken (often through chicken liver products), other Seafood (such as shellfish), and Turkey. The report did not include an attribution percentage for dairy because, the IFSAC explained, most foodborne campylobacter outbreaks were associated with unpasteurized milk, which is not widely consumed.