Skip to main content

Food Safety Scares 2013: How FDA Delays are Putting American Lives Risk from Unsafe Food

October 30, 2013

 

WHAT:                 In the wake of recent high profile foodborne illness outbreaks, consumer group OSPIRG Foundation will release a Halloween-themed food safety report which identifies the number and types of illnesses there have been in Oregon and the millions of dollars foodborne illness is costing the state.

Highlights:          In 2012 there were 1,110 foodborne illnesses recorded by the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). That number has already been surpassed in 2013, and if just one more major outbreak occurs in the next two months the number of illnesses will be double that of illnesses in 2012.

                                The report also highlights the rise of salmonella cases and the recent outbreak of antibiotic-resistant salmonella that continues to be tracked. More than 300 people have been sickened by the pathogen this year, which has been linked to Foster Farms, a poultry producer that has already been the focus of federal investigations.

                                The FDA continues to delay the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act—passed by Congress in 2010—which updated our food safety system for the first time in more than 70 years.

WHEN:                 Thursday, October 31, 10 a.m.

WHERE:               The report will be available on http://www.ospirg.org

Comments