CDC Food Safety: November-December 2013

CDC Food Safety: November-December 2013

CDC & Food Safety New reports, publications, and web material November - December 2013

Food safety never takes a holiday

Just before holiday food-fests were in full swing, CDC and guest foodies gathered for a Twitter chat on being "food safe and food smart."  And, we served up the number #1 chat at CDC… EVER.

With food safety and nutrition on the menu

• Our audience extended 2,550 tweets--about twice the average rate of people potentially reached through CDC’s monthly chats.

We learned that there are many food myths out there.

• Diverse participants—dairy and produce farmers, public health departments, media outlets, small and large companies, advocates, and individual consumers—swapped questions and expertise in real-time and in one virtual place.

People are eager to engage when food safety and nutrition are at the same party.

• CDC Director, Dr. Tom Frieden, tweeted introductions and thanks.
• Agency “foodie” programs joined as one-CDC voice: Traveler’s Health; Global Health;Nutrition, Physical Activity, & Obesity; Environmental Health; and Public Health Preparedness and Response.
• Beyond CDC, external co-hosts USDA, FDA, the Center for Food Integrity,Foodsafety.gov and the International Food Information Council (IFIC), provided extensive acumen on food safety, nutrition, and consumer education.

After the chat

The sharing continued with retweets, blogs, features, and more, including:

• CDC Shares Food Safety Tips Via Twitter
• CDC makes merry with food safety chat
• Don’t Toss Your Cookies: Twitter Chat Offers Food Safety and Nutrition Insights for the Holidays
• #CDCchat About Holiday Food Safety

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Select CDC food safety publications

Key CDC publications during November - December include:

Salmonella

• Salmonellosis and Meat Purchased at Live-Bird and Animal-Slaughter Markets, United States, 2007-2012. This report reviews multiple salmonellosis outbreaks linked to meat purchased at markets, where live poultry and livestock are sold for onsite slaughter. Check out the CDC feature on Staying Safe from Salmonella Germs at Live Animal and Live Bird Markets! 
• Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Chester Infections Associated with Frozen Meals — United States, 2010.  Many frozen meals are not "heat and serve" items but are "not-ready-to-eat" (NRTE) products that require full cooking before eating. This report and the CDC Podcast, “Make it Well Done,” describes findings during the outbreak investigation of Salmonella Chester associated with frozen meals.  

New publication

E. coli 

• International Outbreak of Escherichia coli O104:H4 Infections Associated with Sprout Consumption— Europe and North America, May–July, 2011. This report describes surveillance conducted in the United States, which involved active case-finding, use of laboratory testing protocols specific to non-O157 STEC, interviews to identify potential exposures of interest, and documentation of clinical courses.
• Notes from the Field: Escherichia coli O157:H7 Outbreak Associated with Seasonal Consumption of Raw Ground Beef — Wisconsin, December 2012–January 2013. This publication summarizes an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to eating raw ground beef and crackers, a traditional winter holiday specialty in certain regions of the upper Midwest. 

Staphylococcal Outbreak of Staphylococcal Food Poisoning from a Military Unit Lunch Party – United States, July 2012.  This MMWR describes 22 cases of staphylococcal intoxication associated with eating perlo (a chicken, sausage and rice dish) following a military lunch party. Identification of staphylococcal enterotoxin A and isolation of S. aureus in perlo confirmed the cause of illness. Future outbreaks of staphylococcal food poisoning can be prevented by following the food safety practices suggested.

Restaurants and food workers Over half of all foodborne disease outbreaks reported to the CDC are associated with eating in restaurants or delicatessens. New Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) publications on restaurant food handling practices linked with foodborne illness provide findings for developing effective interventions and improving food safety in restaurants. Frequency of inadequate chicken cross contamination prevention and cooking practices in restaurants.   Ground beef handling and cooking practices in restaurants in eight states.    Food worker experiences with and beliefs about working while ill.  Handling practices of fresh leafy greens in restaurants: receiving and training. Explaining the Risk of Foodborne Illness Associated with Restaurants: The Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net).  Safe and healthy Because we work with food on a microscopic level, it’s really easy to forget the bigger picture of food safety in CDC’s overall work. The National Center for Chronic Disease published a supplement to a 2011 MMWR discussing access to healthier food retailers.

Outbreaks! CDC tracked several multistate outbreaks of foodborne illness during November - December, including: Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg Infections Linked to Foster Farms Brand Chicken ; Investigation ongoing:  as of December 19, a total of 415 ill people have been reported to CDC. (Click case count map, shown above, for the latest information.) More reporting on Salmonella and chicken: Pew Charitable Trusts released a report calling for more aggressive recalls of contaminated meat. Consumer Reports released an investigative piece on the prevalence of potentially harmful bacteria that lurk in store-bought chicken.  Multistate Outbreak of Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infections Linked to Ready-to-Eat Salads;  Investigation closed on December 11: a total of 33 ill people were reported to CDC and the outbreak investigation led to the recall of numerous ready-to-eat salad and wrap products. Botulism investigation: A home-made pickled vegetable dish known as turshi was linked to  four cases of botulism in Amarillo, Texas. Health officials in Amarillo, Texas, working with CDC EIS officers and botulism experts cracked the case on this puzzling, yet limited outbreak. News Channel 10 in Amarillo, TX and Food Safety News reported about the outbreak.

Partners Food Safety News reports on a partnership with CDC, FDA, and the National Center for Biotechnology Information to conduct whole genome sequencing of Listeria monocytogenes collected from reported human illness cases in the United States. InFORM 2013 Conference (Integrated Foodborne Outbreak Response and Management)--a combined meeting of PulseNet, OutbreakNet and EHS-Net--drew over 400 laboratorians, epidemiologists, and environmental health professionals from the US and 8 other countries. Participants represented federal, state and local public health, food and environmental regulatory agencies. Read more from APHL, including conference proceedings.

New web resources New medscape video for clinicians by Division Director, Chris Braden, on the clinical impact of Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella. Check out the Holiday Food Safety Feature   providing helpful food safety tips for mothers-to-be.

A new fact sheet about how to safely handle food in an easy to read—and remember—format.    A new fact sheet about the Palantir System for Enteric Disease Response, Investigation, and Coordination (SEDRIC) explains what it is and how it assists CDC and others in investigating enteric disease outbreaks.

Solve the outbreak!  Training for future Disease Detectives. If you haven’t heard, CDC released an iPad app earlier this year that allows players a fun way to learn about epidemiology by playing Disease Detectives. This app is available on the iPad with plans to expand to additional platforms.

Clean hands reduce the spread of diarrhea CDC's newly launched handwashing site explains the benefits of clean hands to reduce the spread of diarrheal and respiratory illness to stay healthy. Regular handwashing, particularly before and after certain activities, is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others. Also, check out the infographic, Don’t Play Chicken With Your Health.

Upcoming Webinar: Progress toward Attribution of Foodborne Illness

Webinar: Are Outbreak Illnesses Representative of Sporadic Illnesses? Friday, January 10, 2014, 2 PM to 3 PM ET Join FDA, CDC, and USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service as they discuss progress toward attributing foodborne illnesses to food sources and the most recent activities of their tri-agency partnership, Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC). Presenters will share an analysis comparing the characteristics of illnesses associated with foodborne outbreaks with those that are not linked to outbreaks.  The webinar is open to the public at no charge. Register by January 6, 2014 to receive a confirmation email with  agenda and instructions on how to participate. A recording of the webinar, second in the IFSAC webinar series, will be posted online after the event. Information on the first webinar is now available online.

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