FDA Releases 2022 Annual Report on Investigations of Foodborne Outbreaks
On January 8, the FDA Coordinated Outbreak Response & Evaluation (CORE) Network released its first annual report summarizing the investigations of foodborne outbreaks and adverse events in FDA-regulated human foods for the 2022 calendar year.
In 2022, CORE evaluated 65 incidents, responded to 28 and issued advisories for 11. These numbers show a slight increase from 2021 when 59 incidents were evaluated with 19 responses and 10 advisories. The investigations in 2022 included E. coli, Cronobacter, hepatitis A virus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella which were linked to a variety of products, including produce, dairy and fish.
CORE investigations also resulted in numerous public health actions, including recalls, public health advisories, Warning Letters, FDA prevention strategies, a country-wide Import Alert and a Consent Decree. Outbreak advisories were issued for:
- E. coli O157:H7 linked to packaged salads
- Cronobacter linked to infant formula
- Salmonella Senftenberg linked to peanut butter
- Hepatitis A Virus linked to strawberries
- Unknown contaminant linked to French Lentil and Leek Crumbles
- Listeria monocytogenes linked to ice cream
- Listeria monocytogenes linked to Brie and Camembert soft cheese products
- E. coli O121 linked to frozen falafel
- Salmonella Litchfield linked to seafood
- Listeria monocytogenes linked to enoki mushrooms
- Salmonella Typhimurium linked to sprouts
The 2022 annual report highlights noteworthy outbreaks from 2022, including Listeria monocytogenes linked to enoki mushrooms, Salmonella linked to cantaloupe and Salmonella linked to peanut butter.
Read the full report here.
Related Articles
-
The agency identified three trends that played a role in the contamination and is asking for more collaboration between stakeholders in the agricultural community, the government and academia to help prevent and mitigate the issue.
-
The 2022 edition includes several changes, including new allergens and allergen labeling requirements, revising the definition of intact meat and addressing food donations.
-
The agencies conducted research that gleaned insights into the relationship between romaine lettuce microbial ecology and the survival of E. Coli O157:H7 in cold storage.
-
At the IAFP annual meeting FDA’s Stephen Ostroff said that the numerous recent foodborne illness outbreaks indicate industry still has a lot of work to do.
