Healthy foods top CSPI’s risk list
The list was compiled by comparing the number of foodborne illness outbreaks associated with foods from 1990 to 2006, as well as the number of illnesses, and is dominated by foods that Americans are encouraged to consume as part of a healthy diet. Although many consumers may be more likely to connect meat products with foodborne illness, these were not considered for inclusion as they are regulated by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS).
Topping the list were leafy greens, which caused 363 illness outbreaks during the period, leading to more than 13,500 cases of illness, the report said. Also on the list were eggs, tuna, oysters, potatoes, cheese, ice cream, tomatoes, sprouts, and berries. Together, these foods were responsible for nearly 50,000 reported illnesses, CSPI said, although because many illnesses are not reported, the total is likely to be much higher.
Call to action
However, the organization said that the list was not intended to warn against healthy foods, but as a call for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revamp food safety measures. The US food industry has been scarred by a spate of recent foodborne illness outbreaks, paving the way for a clutch of new proposals to overhaul the nation’s food safety system, including the Food Safety Enhancement Act, currently awaiting consideration by the Senate.
CSPI staff attorney and lead author of the report Sarah Klein said: "Outbreaks give the best evidence of where and when the food safety system is failing to protect the public. It is clearly time for FDA's reliance on industry self-regulation to come to an end. The absence of safety plans or frequent inspections unfortunately means that some of our favorite and most healthful foods also top the list of the most risky."
Industry criticism
Several industry bodies have criticized CSPI’s report, including the National Milk Producers Federation, which called it “misleading” and “based on outdated information”.
“Cheese and ice cream products are among the safest, most stringently regulated foods in this country,” the association said in a statement. “The cheese examples in this report mostly concern consumption of raw milk products, which neither FDA nor the dairy industry recommends. The ice cream example is 15 years old and was an isolated incident.”
The US Potato Board also issued a statement challenging the CSPI findings, in which its CEO Tim O'Connor said: "Potatoes are inherently healthy and are not an inherently risky food and they should not be on this list at all. The issue is cross-contamination, not the potato itself."
The full CSPI report can be accessed online here.
