"Continued important reductions in foodborne illnesses announced today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that USDA's aggressive attention to science based policies and effective enforcement strategies are protecting public health by making meat, poultry and egg products safer.

"In its 2004 report on the incidence of infection with pathogens transmitted commonly through foods, the CDC noted significant declines from the 1996-98 baseline in illnesses caused by E. coli O157 (42%), Listeria monocytogenes (40%), Campylobacter (31%) and Yersinia (45%). Overall, Salmonella illnesses have fallen by 8%.

"Dramatic multi-year reductions in illnesses from E. coli O157 means the U.S. is now below the Healthy People 2010 goal of 1.0 case per 100,000 persons, according to the CDC. This is a remarkable national achievement. We are also very close to meeting the Healthy People 2010 goal set for illnesses from Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter. This year's report tells us that reductions in foodborne illness reported in 2003 were not an isolated event and that sustained progress is being made toward reducing illness from very dangerous foodborne pathogens. While the CDC data is inclusive of infections associated with all food sources and from contact with live animals and their environments, it is consistent with the results of regulatory testing of meat, poultry and egg products by the Food Safety and Inspection Service.

"Earlier this year, FSIS released data showing a 43.3% drop in the percentage of E. coli O157:H7 positive ground beef regulatory samples collected in 2004 compared with the previous year.

"In addition to regulatory testing results, recalls for E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella in FSIS regulated products dropped from 65 in 2002 to 23 in 2004.

"In 2002, FSIS required all beef plants to reexamine their food safety plans, based on evidence that E. coli O157:H7 is a hazard reasonably likely to occur. Plants that had previously not done so were required to implement measures that would eliminate or sufficiently reduce the risk of E. coli O157:H7 contamination of their products. Scientifically trained FSIS personnel then systematically assessed those food safety plans for scientific validity and compared what was written in plant Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans to what was taking place in daily operations. A majority of plants have made major changes to their operations based on the directive, including the installation and validation of new technologies specifically designed to combat E. coli O157:H7. Many plants have also increased their testing for E. coli O157:H7 in order to verify their food safety systems.

"In 2003, FSIS significantly enhanced its approach to oversight of establishments producing Ready-to-Eat products through an interim final rule for the control of Listeria monocytogenes. The rule also provided incentives for industry to implement new preventive measures. A report released in 2004 found that many plants have made significant improvements to their control processes, such as adding antimicrobial ingredients to their product formulations to inhibit the growth of Listeria monocytogenes and installing a post-processing treatment step to eliminate the pathogen. In addition, the report found that plants have either initiated or greatly increased their testing for Listeria or Listeria-like organisms on plant surfaces that come in contact with products after cooking. These testing data are used by FSIS inspection personnel to determine the effectiveness of sanitation and other control measures.

"We are encouraged by the advances that have been made in decreasing the risk of foodborne disease associated with FSIS regulated products. These declines must be continued, and at the same time, further progress must be made for pathogens such as Salmonella."