Emerging Issues

Fresh produce from a global supply chain is being consumed by the American public to a greater extent than ever before. However, foodborne illness associated with both domestic and imported fresh fruits and vegetables has increasingly been detected over the past several years. A need still remains for developing cost-effective prevention, intervention, and detection strategies to reduce the number of new cases of foodborne illness associated with these commodities.

The identification of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella species, in particular multidrug-resistant variants, has also raised concerns that the treatment of salmonellosis may be compromised, because antimicrobial-resistant strains may cause a prolonged or more severe illness than antimicrobial-susceptible strains.^{24, 25} Of particular concern is the isolation of ceftriaxone²⁶ and ciprofloxacin-resistant²⁷ Salmonella because of the importance of ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin in treating Salmonella infections in children and adults, respectively.^{26, 27}

Also of recent concern are illnesses, such as listeriosis, Salmonella typhimurium, and Mycobacterium bovis tuberculosis,^{28, 30} associated with privately imported foods, especially products made from unpasteurized cow's milk. Additional educational and regulatory efforts are needed to decrease the number of illnesses that are related to these products.

More focus area objectives for foodborne illness and food safety practices have moved toward their targets than have moved away. However, continuing efforts are needed to achieve all of the targets. Research is necessary to understand the sources and routes of pathogen contamination in produce and to control pathogens in animals. Science-based guidance on safe food practices is vital at all levels—from farm to consumer—to prevent contamination during production, processing, distribution, and food preparation. In addition, disparities in consumer food safety practices signal the importance of focused educational programs directed toward racial and ethnic groups.

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