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1 1 (February 4, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govydu0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Cogrsioa Resarc Serdc 0 February 4, 2019 Foodborne Illnesses and Outbreaks from Fresh Produce The produce industry continues to be associated with a series of foodborne illness outbreaks across multiple U.S. states and Canada, resulting in hundreds of illnesses and hospitalizations, as well as kidney failure and death in some cases. Many in Congress have expressed concern that foodborne illness outbreaks are continuing to occur despite ongoing regulatory oversight by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state public health authorities and given the enhanced authorities and resources provided to food safety officials following the enactment of comprehensive food safety legislation as part of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act in 2010 (FSMA, P.L. 111- 353). FSMA req;llllloluired the development and implementation of produce safety standards for certain fruits and vegetables, among other regulatory actions. Foodborne Illnesses Linked to Produce The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a foodborne disease outbreak as occurring when two or more people get the same illness from the same contaminated food or drink. Based on previous CDC outbreak investigations, microbial hazards associated with fruits and vegetables include pathogenic (disease-causing) strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Salmonella, Norovirus or Norwalk-like virus, and Listeria monocytogenes. Other produce-related hazards have involved Vibrio, Shigella, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Cyclospora, Toxoplasma gondii, and Hepatitis A virus. Microbial hazards may be introduced through agricultural and processing water (used in production or transported via runoff), soil amendments (such as manure and municipal biosolids), worker hygiene, field and packing facility sanitation, and produce transportation and distribution. During the last three years (2016-2018), FDA, CDC, and state and local officials have investigated several multistate outbreaks involving leafy greens, salad mix, sprouts, cucumbers, papaya, frozen strawberries, prepared fresh and frozen vegetables, pre-cut melons, pistachios, and dried coconut. Norovirus, Salmonella, and E. coli are among the leading cause of illnesses linked to produce. Multiple foodborne illness and outbreak investigations involved E. coli 0157:H7 illnesses that were linked to leafy greens. Of these, one was linked to romaine lettuce grown in California, and another was linked to romaine lettuce grown in Arizona. Other investigations involved E. coli linked to leafy greens (not traced back to a common supplier) and involved Listeria monocytogenes linked to packaged salad. Figure 1 and Figure 2 show reported outbreak and illness trends for all produce and a subset of produce for leafy greens based on data from the CDC's National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS). These data indicate the number of single and multistate outbreaks associated with produce https://crsrep ranged from about 30 to 60 per year and sickened from 900 to nearly 3,000 people annually (1998-2016) (Figure 1). Leafy greens, a subset of the produce category, accounted for between 20% and 40% of these reported outbreaks and 10% to 40% of all produce-related illnesses (1998-2016). Over this period, single and multistate outbreaks associated with leafy greens ranged from about 10 to 20 per year and sickened between 100 and 1,100 annually (Figure 2). Figure I. Foodborne Illness Outbreaks, All Produce 500 0 2 500 50 1,500 30 99 2j U2 2 00 2006 20 2010 12 2) 4 201 mmoutbreak - - nese Figure 2. Foodborne Illness Outbreaks, Leafy Greens 32500 s 2,500 30 1,0W 0 Souce CR rmC- aa tp:/wwccgvnr/ne~tl Prce inldsfutntecuigpausvgtbesrus includes all lettuce, greens, and cabbage (excluding sprouts). Notes: Includes confirmed and suspected cases across reported single and multistate outbreaks and all attributed causes and settings (restaurants and institutions, e.g., schools, hospitals, and prisons). Analysis by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a public health advocacy group, indicates that foodborne illness outbreaks associated with produce were more common and sickened more people than any other food category. A 2008 United Nations study ranks leafy greens as the highest priority in terms of microbiological hazards within the fruit and vegetable category. This ranking is based on the sheer number of outbreaks and the types of microbial hazard associated with leafy greens, but it also reflects the size and scale of production and trade in leafy greens. Other factors include the diversity and complexity of production of leafy greens and potential for amplification rts.congress.Aov

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