US Poultry Industry Gratified by CDC Data Showing Foodborne Illness Declines
US - Continuing reductions in foodborne illnesses in the United States announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today correspond to continuing reductions in pathogenic bacteria on meat and poultry products, according to the American Meat Institute Foundation (AMIF).
CDC today said that infections from E. coli O157:H7 are down 42 percent
since the baseline years of 1996-1998. Over the same time period, USDA has
observed a sustained decline in the positive samples of E. coli O157:H7 in its
ground beef sampling program. Just last month, USDA announced a 43.3 percent
drop in positive E. coli O157:H7 tests in the ground beef samples tested by
USDA. CDC said today that the U.S. has achieved its Healthy People 2010 goal
of less than one E. coli O157:H7 infection per 100,000 people five years ahead
of schedule.
CDC also said that listeriosis cases declined 40 percent since the
baseline years. This corresponds to a sustained decline in the incidence of
Listeria monocytogenes on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, according to
USDA data.
"We are gratified to see that foodborne illnesses continue to trend
downward -- the same way pathogenic bacteria on many meat and poultry products
are trending downward," said AMIF President James H. Hodges. The AMI
Foundation conducts research and education programs aimed at reducing and
ultimately eliminating foodborne bacteria on meat and poultry products. For
the past decade, AMIF has conducted millions of dollars in research to find
ways to enhance meat and poultry safety -- research that has been applied with
enormous success in meat and poultry plants nationwide. The meat industry has
developed and shared best practices aimed at making meat products safer for
consumers.
According to Hodges, increasing consumer awareness about ways to handle
food and prevent foodborne illness is contributing to these encouraging public
health trends. He detailed some of the most important food safety steps
consumers can take when handling meat and poultry:
Cool it -- Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. "With hot weather approaching, be sure to refrigerate meat and poultry promptly after purchasing at the grocery store," Hodges said. "Delaying the trip home increases food temperatures and allows any bacteria that are present to multiply."
Clean it -- Wash hands, utensils, cutting boards and other items that have come into contact with raw meat and poultry with hot, soapy water.
Separate -- Keep raw foods separate from cooked foods to avoid cross contamination. "Be sure to get a clean plate when removing cooked foods from the barbecue. Don't use the same plate to hold cooked food that once held raw meat and poultry," Hodges said. "And be sure to discard remaining marinade."
Cook it -- Meat and poultry products should be thoroughly cooked prior to consuming them. Hodges urged consumers to use instant-read thermometers to ensure doneness, particularly when cooking ground products like hamburgers, which must be cooked to 160 degrees F. "Never rely on internal color because it can be misleading," he said. "And never eat or even taste raw ground beef."
Hodges said that children, pregnant women, immuno-compromised people and
older Americans are at greater risk of contracting foodborne illnesses. They
and their caregivers are encouraged to visit http://www.meatsafety.org for
more detailed safe handling information about meat and poultry products.
These new data tell us that the steps the industry has taken are working,
but we are not prepared to declare victory. Rather, the data will encourage us
to sustain our efforts at identifying new and better technologies to make meat
and poultry even safer," Hodges said.
Source: PRNewswire - 15th April 2005