Food Safety Updates From CDC
New CDC Report: Impact of COVID-19 on Antimicrobial Resistance
A new CDC report shows that much of the progress made in the United States combatting antimicrobial resistance (AR) was lost in 2020, in large part due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report, COVID-19: U.S. Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance, Special Report 2022, concludes that the threat of AR infections is not only still present but has gotten worse in the United States.
Data on antimicrobial-resistant enteric (intestinal) pathogens show that resistance decreased in 2020 among reported infections of Campylobacter and nontyphoidal Salmonella, but increased among reported infections of Salmonella serotype Typhi and Shigella. Understanding the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on resistance in these pathogens will require continued monitoring of data. Fewer overall infections for these pathogens were reported in 2020, which could be attributed to pandemic behaviors, such as fewer restaurant meals, limited international travel, increased telehealth visits that may have reduced stool sample collection, and fewer emergency room visits for abdominal symptoms, likely due to long wait times or to avoid getting COVID-19.
New Article Examines Past Listeria Outbreak Investigation
A new article with CDC coauthors reflects on a 2010–2015 listeriosis outbreak linked to ice cream. During the five-year outbreak, 10 illnesses and three deaths were reported from four states. Read about that outbreak, the investigation, and recommendations in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal.
Share Food Safety Resources During Hurricane Season
Help your community prepare for hurricanes, floods, or other emergencies. CDC’s food safety website includes information on handling food during a power outage and how to keep food safe after a disaster or emergency. You can syndicate this web content directly onto your website. When CDC updates these pages, the updates will appear immediately on your site. You can also share social media resources on food safety after a disaster.
Today’s Food Safety Tip
Are you canning summer produce or other food? Before you do, visit CDC’s Home Canning and Botulism page to make sure you’re using the right canning techniques and equipment to help prevent botulism. Even a small taste of food containing the toxin that causes botulism can be deadly.
When in doubt, throw it out. If you have any doubt whether food was canned properly, do not eat the food.
