Foodborne Disease Outbreaks Associated with Organic Foods in the United States

Abstract

Consumer demand for organically produced foods is increasing in the United States as well as globally. Consumer perception often credits organic foods as being safer than conventionally produced foods, although organic standards do not directly address safety issues such as microbial or chemical hazards. We reviewed outbreaks reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System where the implicated food was reported to be organic. Information collected for each outbreak included the year, state, number of illnesses, pathogen, and implicated food. We identified 18 outbreaks caused by organic foods from 1992 to 2014, resulting in 779 illnesses, 258 hospitalizations, and 3 deaths; 56% of outbreaks occurred from 2010 to 2014. Nine outbreaks occurred in a single state, and nine outbreaks were multistate. Salmonella sp. (44% of outbreaks) and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (33%) were the most commonly occurring pathogens. Eight of the outbreaks were attributed to produce items, four to unpasteurized dairy products, two to eggs, two to nut and seed products, and two to multi-ingredient foods. Fifteen (83%) outbreaks were associated with foods that were definitely or likely U.S. Department of Agriculture certified. More foodborne outbreaks associated with organic foods in the United States have been reported in recent years, in parallel with increases in organic food production and consumption. We are unable to assess risk of outbreaks due to organic foods compared with conventional foods because foodborne outbreak surveillance does not systematically collect food production method. Food safety requires focused attention by consumers, regardless of whether foods are produced organically or conventionally. Consumers should be aware of the risk of milk and produce consumed raw, including organic.

Assessing the relationship between organic farming practices and microbiological characteristics of organic lettuce varieties ( Lactuca sativa L.) grown in Sao Paulo, Brazil

“…The most frequent pathogens were Salmonella (44%) and E. coli O157: H7 (33%). Eight of these outbreaks (44%) were attributed to produce items (Harvey et al 2016). Unfortunately, surveillance data on foodborne diseases in Brazil are incomplete, and the impact of increased consumption of organic foods on prevalence and/or severity of these illnesses in the country remains unknown.…”

“…Several foodborne illness outbreaks caused by Salmonella spp. and pathogenic Escherichia coli were related to the consumption of contaminated fresh produce, including those from organic crops (Berger et al 2010;Jung et al 2014;Callej on et al 2015;Harvey et al 2016;Yeni et al 2016;Wadamori et al 2017). In the United States, a recent outbreak involving E. coli O157:H7 linked to romaine lettuce affected 210 people from 36 states: 96 were hospitalized and 27 developed haemolytic uremic syndrome.…”

Survey of Traveler’s Diarrhea: Epidemiology and Testing Reveal the Source

“…In many papers, the consumption of contaminated eggs, milk, and milk products was the major cause of Salmonella enteritidis food poisoning [4][5][6][7][8]. In contrast to hospital admission data analyses that lack full characterization of the nature of the infections, we investigated the epidemiological history in detail [9][10][11]. e outbreak of food poisoning occurred in the UAE, not in China.…”

Assessment of Biological Soil Amendments of Animal Origin Use, Research Needs, and Extension Opportunities in Organic Production

“…Specifically, produce (fruit, nuts and five vegetable commodities) accounted for 46% of foodborne illness outbreaks during the period 1998-2008, a larger share than any other category (Painter et al, 2013). Eighteen outbreaks were caused by organic foods from 1992 to 2014 in the U.S., 54% of outbreaks occurred from 2010 to 2014, 44% were associated with produce (e.g., alfalfa sprouts, grape tomatoes), and Salmonella spp and E. coli O157:H7 were the most common pathogens (Harvey et al, 2016).The contamination of produce commodities can occur pre-harvest through the application of raw and/or untreated manure, contaminated agricultural water, direct or indirect (e.g., soil-splash events) contact with contaminated soil or deposition of fecal material from domesticated animals and/or wildlife (Ingham et al, 2004;Olaimat and Holley, 2012;Sharma and Reynnells, 2016). Moreover, fresh produce that is consumed raw or with a minimal processing step presents a unique food safety risk due to the absence of a kill step between harvest and consumption (Olaimat and Holley, 2012;Weller et al, 2016).…”