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FOOD-SAFETY REPORT SNAGS IRE OF SEAFOOD INDUSTRY

WASHINGTON -- A report citing seafood as the single biggest cause of foodborne illness is making waves throughout the seafood industry.The 52-page report, "Outbreak Alert! Closing the Gaps in Our Federal Food-Safety Net," compiled by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, concluded that seafood caused 237 out of 865 food-poisoning outbreaks studied over the last 10 years.Within the fresh-foods

WASHINGTON -- A report citing seafood as the single biggest cause of foodborne illness is making waves throughout the seafood industry.

The 52-page report, "Outbreak Alert! Closing the Gaps in Our Federal Food-Safety Net," compiled by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, concluded that seafood caused 237 out of 865 food-poisoning outbreaks studied over the last 10 years.

Within the fresh-foods category, eggs were cited as the second-largest cause of food poisoning, with 170 incidents; beef accounted for 91 outbreaks, with 40 of those from ground beef; and fruits and vegetables, particularly lettuce and sprouts, accounted for another 82.

"Contaminated seafood and eggs harbor a host of hazards for the unsuspecting consumer," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety for CSPI, in a news release.

CSPI said most cases of food poisoning are caused by salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli 0157:H7, and occur as isolated incidents, not outbreaks -- defined in the report as two or more people made ill by a single food source.

In its response, the National Fisheries Institute, Arlington, Va., blasted the report, saying "the statistic of 237 outbreaks in 10 years needs to be verified, and, in any case, is misleading." The trade association said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, have published no data on foodborne illnesses between 1997 and 2000.

In a statement issued after the report came out, NFI listed a number of qualifications that needed to be considered when looking at the report: "outbreaks" do not reflect the number of actual illnesses or individuals affected; CDC figures implicate seafood in only 7% of outbreaks and 3% of illnesses due to outbreaks; the sources of most foodborne illnesses are difficult to pinpoint, since they may not present symptoms until many hours after ingestion; because many seafood-related illnesses show up shortly after the food is eaten, they are likely to be reported more frequently as the source, since victims have better recall of their last meal.

A seafood technology expert with the University of California at Davis' department of food science and technology, described the report's findings as a "typical misuse of data."

"They're using outbreak data without giving specifics," said Professor Robert Price. "It doesn't give any indication of how many people got sick."

For the report, CSPI used data from the CDC, as well as medical journals, and reports from state and local health departments. The consumer group, which also publishes "Nutrition Action Newsletter," said 75 million cases of food poisoning occur in the United States annually, resulting in 5,000 deaths.

TAGS: Seafood