CDC Claims Outbreaks Linked to Imported Foods on the Rise

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released an
analysis showing that disease outbreaks linked to imported foods apparently
increased in 2009 and 2010.

CDC experts reviewed data collected by the Foodborne Disease Outbreak
Surveillance System from 2005 to 2010, finding that 39 outbreaks and 2,348
illnesses were tied to imported foods from 15 countries.

According to CDC, 17 of the 39 outbreaks occurred in 2009 and 2010. Since
2005, imported fish was the most common source with 17 total outbreaks,
followed by spices with six outbreaks, including five from fresh or dried
peppers. Nearly 45 percent of the imported foods linked to outbreaks came
from Asia. “It’s too early to say if the recent numbers represent a trend, but
CDC officials are analyzing information from 2011 and will continue to
monitor for these outbreaks in the future,” said CDC epidemiologist and lead
author Hannah Gould. See CDC Press Release, March 14, 2012.