Illinois Second-Most Affected State From Foodborne Illness

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jul 24, 2012 6:20PM

In January 2011, President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act. This act was supposed to begin a total overhaul of the FDA, including something that food safety advocates had been wanting for years: the power to order recalls of contaminated food. Prior to the act—and continuing now—recalls were voluntary.

Unfortunately, according to the Pew Health Center, the Consumers Union and other food safety organizations, the administration has not issued the necessary regulations to implement the law. As a result, outbreaks continue and Illinois is among the worst hit.

Pew released a report last week that collated data from the major outbreaks since the signing of the FSMA. The report doesn't include all foodborne illnesses, since 1 in 6 people suffer from one every year, but includes multi-state outbreaks confirmed by the CDC. Illinois was the second-hardest hit state after New York, with 64 reported illnesses that included Salmonella, E. Coli and Listeria. Remember, foodborne illnesses are badly under-reported—when was the last time you called the Department of Public Health after you got sick at a restaurant?—so it's likely these are only part of the story.

The Consumers Union, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the American Public Health Association and a number of other organizations published a full-page ad in the Tribune and other national newspapers, calling on the Obama administration to issue regulations so that when these outbreaks occur, the FDA can effectively act. Their coalition, Make Our Food Safe, has started a petition to urge the White House to release these regulations; if you are interested in participating or learning more, visit their website. Also, check out the interactive map of the outbreaks.