The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is an arm of the Department of Health and Human Services. The CDC is one of the foremost investigative bodies in the world when it comes to tracking foodborne illness and foodpoisoning. The agency’s role in the investigation of foodborne illness outbreaks–e.g. the Salmonella outbreak linked to pepper covered salami products manufactured by Daniele, Inc.–is critical to the safety of our food supply and the lives of every person in the country.
The CDC’s role in national foodborne illness outbreaks:
Interestingly, though, the CDC is often not the agency that "discovers" otubreaks of foodborne disease like the salami Salmonella outbreak. On its website, the CDC details its typical role in the investigation of many foodborne illness outbreaks:
Most foodborne outbreaks are identified and investigated by local and state health departments. CDC provides consultation on some of those, as well as assistance on request for outbreaks that are particularly large, unusual, or severe.
In recent years, large multi-state foodborne outbreaks have become more common, because better surveillance identifies outbreaks that would previously have been missed and because an increasingly centralized food supply means that a food contaminated in production can be rapidly shipped to many states causing a widespread outbreak.
Continue Reading Salami Salmonella Outbreak: the CDC’s role in national foodborne illness outbreaks