CORE reports on 2022 Foodborne Outbreaks

On January 8, the FDA Coordinated Outbreak Response & Evaluation (CORE) Network released its first annual report summarizing the investigations of foodborne outbreaks and adverse events in FDA-regulated human foods for the 2022 calendar year.

In 2022, CORE evaluated 65 incidents, responded to 28 and issued advisories for 11. These numbers show a slight increase from 2021 when 59 incidents were evaluated with 19 responses and 10 advisories. The investigations in 2022 included E. coli, Cronobacter, hepatitis A virus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella which were linked to a variety of products, including produce, dairy and fish.

CORE investigations also resulted in numerous public health actions, including recalls, public health advisories, Warning Letters, FDA prevention strategies, a country-wide Import Alert and a Consent Decree. Outbreak advisories were issued for:

• E. coli O157:H7 linked to packaged salads
• Cronobacter linked to infant formula
• Salmonella Senftenberg linked to peanut butter
• Hepatitis A Virus linked to strawberries
• Unknown contaminant linked to French Lentil and Leek Crumbles
• Listeria monocytogenes linked to ice cream
• Listeria monocytogenes linked to Brie and Camembert soft cheese products
• E. coli O121 linked to frozen falafel
• Salmonella Litchfield linked to seafood
• Listeria monocytogenes linked to enoki mushrooms
• Salmonella Typhimurium linked to sprouts

The 2022 annual report highlights noteworthy outbreaks from 2022, including Listeria monocytogenes linked to enoki mushrooms, Salmonella linked to cantaloupe and Salmonella linked to peanut butter.

Read the full report here.

Republished with permission from Bill Marler and Marler Clark. Copyright (c) Marler Clark LLP, PS. All rights reserved.