Consumer Group Calls for Mandatory Pathogen Testing

January 14, 2000

The Center for Science in the Public Interest wants mandatory "systematic testing" for listeria and other food borne pathogens that CSPI says are risks to pregnant women and fetuses. Grocery Manufacturers of America says the idea is well intentioned "but misguided." Education is a better approach, says GMA.

CSPI, the American Public Health Association and four other organizations petitioned USDA to require meat processors to conduct frequent tests for listeria. The group also released a report, Unexpected Consequences: Miscarriage and Birth Defects from Tainted Food, summarizing the risks to pregnant women and fetuses posed by foods contaminated by listeria and the parasite T. gondii.

Those two pathogens "cause thousands of illnesses and hundreds of deaths each year," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director for CSPI. "These food borne hazards are particularly harmful to fetuses, resulting in miscarriages, mental retardation, blindness and other severe problems." Preventing exposure "should be a top priority for federal food safety officials."

T. gondii infections from contaminated meats and unwashed fruits and vegetables sicken about 112,500 and kill about 375 Americans each year, says CSPI, quoting figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Listeria causes about 2,500 illnesses and 500 deaths per year.

However, Stacey Zawel, GMA vice president, scientific and regulatory policy, said persons at risk from listeria "must know about their risks in order to make informed decisions about the foods they eat...we support education of all individuals who may be at risk of contracting listeria, including pregnant women."

GMA does not believe that mandatory end-testing of all food products "will effectively and efficiently combat the problem," said Zawel. "Prevention and education should be the focus of our overall food safety efforts, and we strongly urge the government, food industry and other influential organizations like the American Medical Association to step up efforts to educate those populations at greatest risk."

USDA is expected to release a risk assessment on listeria within a few months.