Where have all the (foodborne) outbreaks gone?

waybomb

Well-known member
From Meetlingplace newsletter:


(The views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly those of the author.)

In a world where we are surrounded by swirling clusters of COVID-19, and endless news reports chronicling the continuing spread of the virus, a separate kind of outbreak appears to have disappeared.
Serving as a veteran food industry defense lawyer for more than 20 years, I have spent countless hours in courtrooms throughout the U.S. defending meat companies accused of causing foodborne illness outbreaks. In 2011, our foodborne illness defense practice was so busy that I boarded 236 commercial flights in that year alone. For years, I found myself immersed in an endless stream of meetings with meat industry clients, depositions, court appearances and jury trials.
Today, as I sit down at my desk to write this blog, I realize that I do not have a single case involving a meat product and an alleged foodborne illness. Yes, while we do manage countless other matters for our food industry clients, none of those matters involve foodborne illness and the meat industry. I point this out, because it is wonderful example of how incredibly well the meat industry has done at curbing foodborne illness and, knock on wood, almost eliminating it entirely.
Indeed, so far this year, there has been a single recall of USDA-regulated product for the presence of pathogens. On June 13, 2020, a company voluntarily recalled 42,922 pounds of ground beef for the suspected presence of E. coli O157:H7. The pathogen was detected through routine surveillance by FSIS. More broadly, the meat industry continues to do incredibly well in other regards, recording only 18 additional recalls (for reasons not involving pathogens) so far this year.
While some may argue that COVID-19, and the lack of social gatherings and/or barbeques, may be responsible for the significant decreases in illness, I’m not sure I would agree. From my experience, outbreak victims in most cases prepared the meal in question for themselves or for their family, and the cause was the ultimate mishandling of the product by the consumer. We also know that few E. coli outbreaks are caused these days by restaurant workers, as opposed to consumers, mishandling products. With COVID-19 restrictions, restaurants nationwide are now serving a smaller percentage of the total meals we consume and, as a result, consumers are preparing more meals for themselves in their homes. Under these circumstances, I would expect to see an uptick in the numbers of consumer illness. Yet, there has been none.
So, what does this mean for the meat industry? Keep up the great work. Nearly 20 years ago, I recall attorney Bill Marler imploring the meat industry to produce a safer product and to put him out of business. Well, by all accounts, Bill’s wish may come true.
Stay safe and healthy.
8/17/2020
 
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