An East Coast outbreak of listeriosis has prompted the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) to expedite new regulations for processing ready-to-eat meat and poultry, but some food safety experts say the government's lengthy delays already have cost too many lives.
In October, Wampler Foods Inc of Franconia, Pa, shut down operations after two strains of Listeria monocytogenes found in the processing plant matched those of patients in the outbreak. The company has recalled more than 27 million pounds of fresh and frozen ready-to-eat turkey and chicken products.
Other potential sources for Listeria, in addition to deli meats and poultry, are soft cheeses, hot dogs, and unpasteurized or inadequately pasteurized milk. The organism has a high case-fatality rate: 20 deaths per 100 cases of illness.
During a mid-November summit, the FSIS convened experts from government, academia, industry, and consumer organizations to discuss safety improvements . . . [Full Text of this Article]
