Rate of Food-borne Illnesses From Leafy Greens Increased More than Consumption

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Food-borne Illnesses From Leafy Greens on Rise in U.S.

Mon Mar 17, 11:46 PM ET

MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- There was a significant

increase in the proportion of food-borne illness outbreaks in the

United States linked to leafy green vegetables from 1973 to 2006,

but the rise can't be completely explained by increased consumption

of leafy greens, researchers say.

" During the 1986-1995 period, U.S. leafy green consumption increased

17 percent from the previous decade. During the same period, the

proportion of food-borne disease outbreaks due to leafy greens

increased 60 percent. Likewise, during 1996 to 2005, leafy green

consumption increased 9 percent, and leafy green-associated

outbreaks increased 39 percent, " researcher Michael Lynch, of the

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a prepared

statement.

Lynch and his colleagues decided to conduct the study after high-

profile spinach and lettuce-related E. coli outbreaks in 2006.

Their analysis of more than 10,000 food-borne illnesses from 1973 to

2006 revealed that leafy greens were involved in a total of 5

percent of all food-borne outbreaks. Most of the leafy green

outbreaks were caused by norovirus (60 percent), while others were

caused by salmonella (10 percent) and E. coli (9 percent).

" Given recent experiences, that was not a total surprise. What was

interesting was when we compared the numbers to consumption data, "

Lynch said.

He said further investigation is needed to determine why the rate of

leafy green-related food-borne illness has increased more than

consumption. Many food-borne disease outbreaks can be traced to a

problem in food preparation, he said. However, some outbreaks were

fairly widespread, which suggests that contamination occurred either

on the farm or in the processing plant.

" The proportion of outbreaks due to leafy greens has increased

beyond what can be explained by increased consumption. Contamination

can occur anywhere along the chain from the farm to the table.

Efforts by local, state and federal agencies to control leafy green

outbreaks should span from the point of harvest to the point of

preparation, " Lynch said.

The study findings were presented Monday at the International

Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases, in Atlanta.

In a three-part series published in January, HealthDay detailed the

problems with tainted foods plaguing the U.S. food system. In little

less than a year and a half, nationwide recalls of tainted products

formed their own peculiar food pyramid: meats, vegetables, salads,

snacks, fast food, even dessert items. The various pathogens in

those products killed at least three people, sickened more than

1,300 others and touched almost every state in the country as well

as Canada.

More information

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has more about food safety.

http://news./s/hsn/20080318/hl_hsn/foodborneillnessesfromlea

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