Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak Illustrates Inadequate Inspection System
Food safety advocates say a flawed inspection system played a role in cantaloupe Listeria outbreak, one of the deadliest foodborne illness outbreaks in U.S. history.
The outbreak, which was linked to cantaloupe grown on Jensen Farms, in Holly, Colo., sickened 139 people in 28 states over a three-month period beginning July 31. Dozens of those stricken required hospitalization, 29 people died and one woman who was pregnant miscarried.
On October 19, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an environmental assessment of factors that likely contributed to the contamination of melons grown on the farm. The report cited a number of unsanitary conditions including standing water on the floor of the packing facility and used equipment that was hard to clean. Yet just one month the outbreak began, an independent inspection service gave Jensen Farms a “superior” rating.
The FDA has 1,100 inspectors charged with monitoring 421,121 domestic and foreign farms and food processors, Douglas Karas, an agency spokesman, told Bloomberg News. On average, the FDA is able to inspect less than a quarter of all food facilities each year, so third-party auditors step in to fill the gap.
But there is no standardized training or accreditation process. And hired auditors often are usually paid by those they are inspecting, creating conflicts of interest. Food safety advocates, including members of the Make Our Food Safe Coalition are urging the FDA to address these issues as it revamps inspection guidelines under the Food Safety Modernization Act. Make Our Food Safe Coalition members include The American Public Health Association, the Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention, The Pew Charitable Trusts and STOP Foodborne Illness.
