Did you know that over 1 million people get a foodborne illness each year? This is a low estimate as it is believed that there are a lot more cases that go unnoticed because some people do not always go to the doctor when they get sick. Any of these foodborne illnesses can turn into outbreaks, which then lead to product recalls. However, product recalls can also be initiated for other reasons, such as if an allergen was not included on the label, if product testing comes back positive for pathogens, etc. There are numerous food recalls, but we only hear about a few each year on the news since it is up to the FDA to determine when recalled products pose a risk to public safety.
Below are some tips to help you interpret food recall and outbreak notices related to produce.
Table of Contents
Commonly Used Recall and Outbreak Terms
- CDC – The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is responsible for detecting the outbreak and the cause of the outbreak, as well as keeping track of those affected by the outbreak.
- FDA – The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) is responsible for tracing the product and determining how big of a food recall is needed. The FDA is in charge of this in the case of recalls related to produce items, while FSIS (USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service) is responsible for meat, poultry and egg recalls.
- Microorganism – Microscopic organisms that can cause public health or sanitary concern, including yeasts, molds, bacteria, viruses, etc.
- Outbreak – When there are two or more similar illnesses that result from the consumption of the same food.
- Pathogen – A microorganism that can cause disease under specific environmental conditions in a specific host.
- Recall – When a product has been removed from the shelves due to the potential to cause harm, which can include anything from a potential outbreak, issues with the label, product testing that tests positive for pathogens, etc. Food recalls can be initiated by a discovery made by the company producing the food or by the FDA.
Commonly Mentioned Pathogens
Three common pathogens you hear about when produce related recalls and outbreaks are described are Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp, and E. Coli 0157:H7.
Listeria monocytogenes
- Microorganism Type: Bacteria
- Estimated foodborne illnesses/year: 1,600
- Memorable outbreak: In 2011, there was a multistate outbreak of whole cantaloupes contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes that led to 147 people infected, 33 deaths and 1 miscarriage. The contamination was caused at the packinghouse level.
Salmonella spp
- Microorganism Type: Bacteria
- Estimated foodborne illnesses/year: 1 million
- Memorable outbreak: Outbreaks occurred related to cucumbers and a specific strain of Salmonella in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
E.Coli 0157:H7
- Microorganism Type: Bacteria
- Estimated foodborne illnesses/year: 92,750
- Memorable outbreak: In 2009, there was a recall for 3.6 million packages of Nestle Toll House cookie dough. As was suspected, the victims had consumed raw cookie dough. The typical suspect would be the eggs. However, the flour was the only ingredient that did not go through a kill step (a step that eliminates pathogens) prior to being used. As a result, it is now common practice to for cookie dough manufacturers to use pasteurized flour in their cookie dough.
| Organism | Common Name of Illness | Onset Time After Ingesting | Signs & Symptoms | Duration | Estimated Illnesses /Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E. coli O157:H7 | Hemorrhagic colitis or E. coli O157:H7 infection | 1-8 days | Severe (often bloody) diarrhea, abdominal pain & vomiting. Can lead to kidney failure. | 5-10 days | 92,750 |
| Listeria monocytogenes | Listeriosis | 9-48 hours for gastro-intestinal symptoms, 2-6 weeks for invasive disease | Fever, muscle aches, & nausea or diarrhea. Can cause mild flu-like illness (pregnant women), or bacteremia or meningitis (elderly or immuno-compromised). | Variable | 1,600 |
| Salmonella | Salmonellosis | 6-48 hours | Diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, vomiting | 4-7 days | 1,000,000 |
(Table was adapted and expanded from the FDA Foodborne Illness Contaminants Table. All examples are from bacterial sources that come from contaminated raw/frozen fruits and vegetables.)
Who is at the Greatest Risk when Food Safety Outbreaks and Recalls Occur?
Pregnant women, infants, elderly and those with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to being affected by these pathogens. For example, with Listeria monocytogenes, it can cause more harm to the baby growing inside of the pregnant woman than to the pregnant woman herself.
What Should You do if Your Food Has Been Recalled?
You can review the list of recalled items on the FDA website to see if your specific product has been recalled. Also, if the FDA believes that the food recall is of importance to public health, they will publicize information to the news media. Depending on the store and the amount of personal information they have, they can contact you directly to inform you of the recalled food that you purchased. (I have only had this personally happen to me with something I purchased from Costco.)
If you think you might have purchased a recalled item, you can return to the store where it was purchased for a refund.
How to Know if You Have Been Infected by an Outbreak?
You can review the list of recent outbreaks on the FDA CORE website. If you think you might have contracted a foodborne illness, it is recommended that you visit your doctor, as they will be able to connect with public health officials and the CDC to see if there are any other common foodborne illnesses that have occurred.
How are Outbreaks Identified and Tracked?
The CDC uses two electronic tools: Food Net and Pulse Net. Food Net reports and tracks foodborne trends and illnesses and monitors trends over time, while Pulse Net connects foodborne illness cases to identify outbreaks. Food Net relies on patient interviews, while Pulse Net relies on DNA fingerprints of bacteria from patients and compares them to those of other patients to connect any unrecognized outbreaks.
Produce operations work really hard to prevent sending out any product that can cause foodborne illnesses. However, they do have tracking measures in place so that if an issue is detected, a recall can be initiated and the product can be tracked faster to reduce the amount of harm caused to the consumer.
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
- What is Food Safety & Why is it Important?
- How is Your Produce Regulated?
- How to Practice Food Safety at Home
Resources:
“Foodborne Illnesses: What You Need to Know.” U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 07 Jan 2016. Web. Accessed 30 Dec 2016.
Listeria monocytogenes
“Listeria (Listeriosis).” U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 12 Dec 2016. Web. Accessed 30 Dec 2016.
“Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes from Jensen Farms, Colorado (Final Update).” U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 27 Aug 2012. Web. Accessed 30 Dec 2016.
Salmonella spp
“Reports of Selected Salmonella Outbreak Investigations.” U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 28 Nov 2016. Web. Accessed 30 Dec 2016.
“Salmonella.” U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 28 Nov 2016. Web. Accessed 30 Dec 2016.
E.Coli 0157:H7
“E.coli (Escherichia coli).” U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 6 Nov 2015. Web. Accessed 30 Dec 2016.
Neil, K.P., Biggerstaff, G., MacDonald, J.K., Trees, E., Medus, C., Musser, K.A., Stroika, S.G., Zink, D. and Sotir, M.J. “A Novel Vehicle for Transmission of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 to Humans: Multistate Outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 Infections Associated With Consumption of Ready-to-Bake Commercial Prepackaged Cookie Dough–United States, 2009.“ Clin Infect Dis. (2012) 54 (4): 511-518. Accessed 30 Dec 2016.