Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) wants to see food safety agencies fully funded, especially in the wake of the huge cyclospora outbreak that has sickened thousands across the country. She sent a letter to the CDC’s Acting Director Bhattacharya and the FDA’s Acting Commissioner Diamantas asking them to reverse the cuts made last year. She said … Read more
A California company called DNATrek is marketing a spray-on DNA barcode that could help track the origins of pathogenic bacteria during a food poisoning outbreak related to produce. Discovering the origin of the contamination is key to preventing further illnesses and alerting the public who may have purchased the contaminated product. The technology was developed by … Read more
In its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released numbers of the incidence and trends of infection of foodborne illness pathogens from 1996 to 2012. The report, called the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), shows that for 2012, a total of 19,531 infections, 4,563 hospitalizations, and … Read more