Resources - Select Foodborne Illness Media Articles
Media coverage of food safety and CDC’s work in preventing foodborne illness largely centers on coverage of multistate foodborne disease outbreaks. Each year, CDC also receives substantial coverage of our annual FoodNet Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) as well as a number of general media requests for specific tips for preventing foodborne illnesses.
Within the past year, a number of major-market stories have also run that detail emerging changes to food safety regulations and CDC’s role and collaboration with FDA and USDA in protecting the nation’s food supply.
The release of CDC's 2011 Estimates of Foodborne Illness in the United States generated substantial media coverage. The news media coverage portrayals were accurate and favorable with a few rare exceptions. A preliminary content analysis of a sample of 42 news stories (from a larger universe of 281 new stories) from national and regional news outlets, as well as editorials and blogs, showed that only three articles inappropriately compared the 1999 and 2011 estimates, with only one of these articles not offering an explanation for the change.
Coverage of the 2011 Estimates of Foodborne Illness in the United States
- Reuters: Tainted food sickens 48 mln each year: CDC
- New York Times: New Estimates of Food Poisoning Cases
- The Washington Post: Nearly 17% of Americans suffer food poisoning each year, study shows
- Time: 48 million
- Fox News: Foodborne Illness Affects 1 in 6 Americans
- CNN: CDC: 1 in 6 Americans get food poisoning annually
- ABC News: CDC: Tainted Food Sickens 48 Million People Each Year
General Coverage
- New York Times: The Burger that Shattered Her Life
- Time Magazine: Raw Milk Straight from the Cow
- New York Times: Tainted Lettuce Linked to Illness in Three States
- New York Times: Beef Recall Heats Up Fight to Tighten Rules
Coverage of Salmonella Enteriditis outbreak, Aug-Sept 2010
- New York Times: Fried, Scrambled, Infected
- USA Today: Food Safety Groups Slam USDA Egg Graders at Farms in Recall
- USA Today: Hints of Salmonella Outbreak Seen Earlier
- Washington Post: Egg-loving Salmonella bacteria have been sickening people for decades
Coverage of E. Coli illnesses
- Food Poisoning Journal: Action Imminent on non-O157 STECs?
- AOL News: USDA May Be Ready to tackle ‘Other’ E. coli Strains
- Cattle Network: Jolley: Clarifying My STEC Editorial
- Washington Post: CDC: E. coli illnesses on decline, but other foodborne infections increasing
Coverage of Foodborne Disease at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases (ICEID)
- Reuters: Salsa, Guacamole Dips Tied to Food Poisoning: CDC
- USA Today: CDC: Fresh salsa, guacamole linked to foodborne illnesses
Food Safety News: Response to FoodNet report from Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro
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