Listeria Hysteria: Should You Worry About the Flurry of Food Recalls?
Revolutionary technology is making it easier to identify bacteria outbreaks and track down their sources. That's why you see more recalls.
Shared from the Chicago, IL Patch
By
Morgan Searles (Patch Staff) - May 15, 2016 9:57 am ET
... Wiedmann said the development of certain tools has helped scientists and government regulators better understand how listeria gets to food, and it's up to the food industry to up its game.
Genome sequencing and DNA fingerprinting paired with patient interviews have made it easier to identify outbreaks ... Before this technology evolved, investigators would go to people with listeriosis and ask, "What did you eat in the past two months?" and the patient would go, "Uh, hell if I know."
Those tools have, in a way, contributed to the recent rash of Listeria hysteria. It's hard to escape the frantic headlines declaring, “Massive Frozen Food Recall Over Deadly Listeria Fears” and “Symptoms Of Listeria Are Subtle, So Here's Exactly What To Look For.” Ten pages of Google News results cover Listeria activity from this month alone.
Though outbreaks may seem commonplace lately, Wiedmann said they’ve simply become easier to identify thanks to technology changing the picture of foodborne disease surveillance.
Data from the CDC shows the number of Listeria outbreaks identified in the United States has gone up over the past 20 years,
but the number of people reporting Listeria-related sickness is decreasing....
