This the second article in a five-part series analyzing the most prevalent pathogen-food combinations in the United States. Using CDC and USDA data, researchers at the University of Florida’s Emerging Pathogens Institute identified – for the first time – which pathogens and which foods cause the most illness in the United States. The series is exploring the following five pathogen-food combinations: campylobacter in poultry; toxoplasma in pork; toxoplasma in beef; listeria in deli meats; and salmonella in poultry. Each article offers strategic insights into the food safety issue of each of those five combinations, identifying what makes them such a threat – and offering solutions to combat them.
It doesn’t carry the regulatory weight of E. coli, and it hasn’t grabbed headlines the way Salmonella has, but Toxoplasma in pork – and the illness Toxoplasmosis – is a growing threat, the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness worldwide. A parasite with properties similar to Trichinella spiralis (trichinae), it can cause havoc in certain processed meats that have little thermal processing, but it is particular a threat to fresh meats.
FoodWorld 