Food Protection Trends - October 2010 - 597

WhAT’S hAPPENING IN FOOD SAFETY
3-A SSI Announces Probationary List Update -A Sanitary Standards, Inc. (3-A SSI) announces new public information on the probationary status of a current 3-A Symbol licensee. The new Probationary List was introduced in early 2010 and intended to assist regulatory sanitarians, processors, equipment fabricators, and other interested parties. The Probationary List was added to other public information on 3-A Symbol holders to disclose information on any licensee that is responsible for a finding of non-conformance to certain provisions of a 3-A Sanitary Standard for which the company holds 3-A Symbol authorization, including the company name and the specific type and model of equipment. According to Tim Rugh, “The Probationary List is not intended to penalize the licensee, but to help inform all concerned parties that the licensee is addressing specific issues it has acknowledged require correction.” The licensee remains in this status until a plan for corrective action is completed and verified by third party inspection. 3-A SSI maintains public information on 3-A Symbol licensees at http://www.3-a.org/symbol/ holders_list.html, including current and discontinued licensees and the new Probationary List. The public information is important because it shows all equipment conforms to 3-A Sanitary Standards for dairy and food processing equipment and meets provisions of the 3-A Symbol program. The discontinued symbol holders’ list shows the reason for discontinuation, such as the equipment is no longer in production, the equipment was consolidated in another 3-A Symbol authorization resulting from a change in company

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ownership, or the failure of the holder to maintain the authorization in accordance with the terms and conditions for use of the 3-A Symbol. Since 1956, the 3-A Symbol has been used to identify equipment that meets 3-A Sanitary Standards for design and fabrication. Voluntary use of the 3-A Symbol on dairy and food equipment assures processors that equipment meets sanitary standards, provides accepted criteria to equipment manufacturers for sanitary design, and establishes guidelines for uniform evaluation and compliance by sanitarians.

CDC Report Looks at Foods and Foodborne Agents Associated with Outbreaks in the United States total of 1,097 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported in 2007 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a CDC analysis. State investigators reported 21,244 illnesses and 18 deaths as a result of these outbreaks. The report also provides the most recent data on how many illnesses were linked to specific types of foods. “Knowing more about what types of foods and foodborne agents have caused outbreaks can help guide public health and the food industry in developing measures to effectively control and prevent infections and help people stay healthy,” said Chris Braden, acting director of the CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases. Despite health officials’ efforts, the cause of an outbreak— either the food or the foodborne agent responsible—often cannot be determined or confirmed. This

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most commonly is the case when the outbreak is small. Of 1,097 reported outbreaks in 2007, 497 (or 45 percent) confirmed that one foodborne agent was responsible and in an additional 12 outbreaks more than one foodborne agent was responsible. Thus, in more than half of the outbreaks, a foodborne agent was not identified. Norovirus was the most frequently confirmed foodborne agent (39 percent), followed by Salmonella (27 percent). Foodborne disease outbreaks due to norovirus occur most often when infected food handlers do not wash their hands well after using the toilet; outbreaks due to Salmonella occur most often when foods are contaminated with animal feces. Contaminated foods are often of animal origin, such as beef, poultry, milk, or eggs. But any food, including vegetables, may become contaminated. Thorough cooking kills Salmonella. The report states that in the 235 outbreaks where one food commodity was identified, the largest number of illnesses listed poultry (691 illnesses), beef (667 illnesses), and leafy vegetables (590 illnesses) as the cause. The CDC tracks 17 food commodity categories. A full listing of the number of illnesses associated with each of the categories is available at www.cdc. gov/outbreaknet/surveillance_data. html. To prevent foodborne illnesses, CDC recommends that consumers and food handlers appropriately clean, separate, cook and chill foods. For more details, visit www.foodsafety.gov. The full report, “Surveillance for Foodborne Disease Outbreaks — United States, 2007” appears in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, and is available online at www.cdc.gov/mmwr. 597

OCTOBER 2010 | FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS
http://www.3-a.org/symbol/holders_list.html http://www.3-a.org/symbol/holders_list.html http://www.cdc.gov/outbreaknet/surveillance_data.html http://www.cdc.gov/outbreaknet/surveillance_data.html http://www.cdc.gov/outbreaknet/surveillance_data.html http://www.foodsafety.gov http://www.foodsafety.gov http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr
Food Protection Trends - October 2010

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