Foods Implicated in U.S. Outbreaks Differ from the Types Most Commonly Consumed

Area of Science:

• Food safety
• Epidemiology
• Public health

Background:

• Foodborne disease outbreaks are investigated to identify causative foods.
• The relationship between foods implicated in outbreaks and general U.S. food consumption patterns is not well understood.
• Assessing this relationship can inform risk assessment and prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the frequency of food categories in outbreaks with their consumption distribution in the U.S. population.
• To identify food categories posing a disproportionately higher or lower risk of foodborne illness.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of food categories implicated in foodborne disease outbreaks.
• Comparison with national food consumption data for the U.S. population.
• Statistical analysis to determine significant differences between outbreak frequency and consumption rates.

Main Results:

• Beef, chicken, eggs, fish, herbs, mollusks, pork, sprouts, seeded vegetables, and turkey were overrepresented in outbreaks relative to consumption.
• Pasteurized dairy, fruits, grains and beans, oils and sugars, and root and underground vegetables were underrepresented in outbreaks relative to consumption.

Conclusions:

• Specific food categories, including meats, poultry, fish, and sprouts, present a higher risk for foodborne contamination or mishandling.
• Other categories, such as fruits, dairy, and grains, appear to pose a lower risk based on outbreak data relative to consumption.