PHOTOS: Massive Food Recalls
Massive food recalls seem to have hit every aisle in the grocery store over the last few years. Most recently, more than half a billion eggs have been recalled due to a salmonella outbreak. Seems like the kind of thing we ought to be alarmed about -- but due to the fracturing of government agencies that regulate food safety, there’s actually no good way to measure whether recalls are on the rise, says Patty Lovera with the nonprofit Food and Water Watch. One thing’s pretty clear, though: Due to the interconnectedness of our industrial food supply, it’s easy for a problem at a single processing plant to affect supermarket shelves throughout the country. That means today’s disease outbreaks are more likely to be far-reaching. A set of bills in Congress is designed to give federal agencies greater authority to force and track recalls -- right now, most are voluntary -- but legislation that passed the House earlier this year stalled in the Senate before recess. The egg recall might push senators to get cracking.
Here’s a look at some major recent food-borne illness outbreaks and recalls:
August 2010: Eggs
Pathogen: Salmonella
Source: Wright County Egg, Galt, Iowa
Quantity recalled: 550 million eggs sold under more than 20 different brands
Illnesses/deaths: An estimated 1,300 illnesses to date [FDA]
Problem: Wright County Egg recalled 230 million eggs on August 13 and an additional 150 million on August 17 after a salmonella outbreak that began in May was traced back to its egg farms. On August 19, another egg producer, Hillandale Farms, recalled another 170 million eggs. Hillandale Farms had bought young birds and feed from a company owned by the DeCoster family, which also owns Wright County Egg. Investigators are still working to determine the precise source of the contamination. [NYT]
Results: The FDA was already strengthening safety regulations for large-scale egg producers even before the recalls. The new rules require testing for salmonella in hatchery chicks and young hens, and inside the poultry house where chickens are kept. Eggs must also be refrigerated within 36 hours of being laid to help prevent salmonella growth.



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