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There are a lot of recalls for products potentially contaminated with Salmonella in the first half of May. Just in the past two weeks, we’ve seen recalls on organic chia seeds, yogurt-covered pretzels, cream cheese, and a variety of white chocolate candies, all due to possible Salmonella contamination (and that doesn’t even include last month’s widespread organic basil recall). It’s unlikely that these Salmonella incidents are linked to a common source, but instead more to do with the production process and with the renewed focus of the FDA. Last year was the highest for recalls since before the pandemic, and bacterial contamination made up a quarter of total recalls in 2023, so we’re on track to see that trend continue. The good news is that many of these are voluntary recalls before people actually become sick, which may be contributing to the sheer number but is a win for public health.
Sources: FDA, CDC, Axios, Time
CDC’s Emerging Infectious Disease journal released a recent report studying 482 outbreaks. Of those, 155 (or 32.2%) were linked to a food that was “irradiation-eligible” but not actually irradiated. Food irradiation exposes food to ionizing electromagnetic radiation (gamma or x-rays, basically) after it’s already processed and even packaged, which destroys the DNA of harmful pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria, among others. Irradiation has been approved by the FDA for foods including meat, poultry, and eggs, the three food items that made up most of those 155 outbreaks. But it’s not widely adopted in the U.S., in part because of the higher cost of sending food out to an irradiation facility and in part because of the idea that consumers don’t want to eat irradiated food. The authors cite a preprint study that suggests that education can change attitudes about irradiated foods, which may be an important first step. CDC emphasizes that irradiation doesn’t make food radioactive, nor does it change its texture or appearance, and it has been approved for over 30 years. While not the only or even best means to protect against foodborne illness, irradiation is one tool in the toolbox, and foodservice establishments can use this information to make informed decisions about food sourcing.
Main Image Source: CDC