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A limited number of state jurisdictions have completely adopted the most recent norovirus food safety provisions outlined in the FDA Food Code, according to an analysis conducted in 2020 by CDC researchers. 

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recently published its first annual report summarizing infectious disease trends, which noted increases in the incidence of infections by important foodborne pathogens like Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter, and norovirus.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has alerted the public that pathogens resistant to last-resort carbapenem antibiotics are increasingly being found in European food animals and food products.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Dr. Edward Dudley, Director of the E. coli Reference Center and Professor of Food Science at Penn State University, about the potential for wastewater monitoring to aid foodborne pathogen surveillance and bolster foodborne illness reporting. 

Although trends in Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks are important, it is more concerning that these outbreaks continue to occur despite industry efforts. This article explores the underlying causes of persistent L. monocytogenes outbreaks and emphasizes the need for leadership behaviors outside of food safety to transform organizational culture to eradicate or control L. monocytogenes.  

This article discusses the quantification of risk associated with changes in enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) physiology during post-harvest pre-processing of leafy greens.

Researchers from the University of Córdoba in Spain have developed a model for predicting the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in artisanal cheeses, which will be especially useful to producers that must demonstrate compliance with recently expanded EU regulations for controlling the pathogen in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods.

A study from the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety suggests a synergistic effect between antimicrobial blue light treatment and low concentrations of sanitizers commonly used in industry, finding enhanced inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes on food contact surfaces.

Many raw foods pose a higher risk of contamination compared to their cooked or processed counterparts. Consumers making choices in pursuit of health and wellness deserve full transparency about both the risks and benefits of these foods.

This episode of Food Safety Five discusses newly published CDC data about the pathogens causing foodborne illness and contributing factors of outbreaks, as well as research by CDC, USDA, and FDA scientists exploring the use of AI analysis of whole genome sequencing data for foodborne illness source attribution.