The CDC is MIA in Listeria and Salmonella Outbreaks
Food Safety Advocate Questions Why Foodborne Illness Outbreaks are Unreported by the
Premier Public Health Agency in the Time of Trump
SEATTLE, Feb. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Two multi-state foodborne illnesses outbreaks have been reported by the FDA since the beginning of the year,' William 'Bill' Marler, owner of Marler Clark, Inc., PS, The Food Safety Law Firm. 'However, contrary to how outbreaks have been publicly announced and posted on line for decades, the CDC has remained silent,' added Marler.
Last month, the FDA announced that they were investigating illnesses in a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis linked to Sweet Cream-brand mini pastries made in Italy and exported to the United States through a Canadian company.
One January 21, 2025, the FDA was notified by Canadian Food Inspection, that the same strain of Salmonella linked to Sweet Cream-brand mini pastries, was responsible for a United States Salmonella outbreak. A recall of this product was initiated with the two distributors in the United States. The FDA conducted a traceback investigation that indicated the Sweet Cream-brand pastries were consumed by one of those sickened at a restaurant which received product from one of the U.S. distributors.
Facts about Salmonella Outbreak (as of January 29, 2025)
Case count: 18 people infected with the outbreak strain, one person hospitalized, no deaths. 69 victims in five Canadian provinces
7 States reported cases - California, Illinois, Massachusetts North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania
60% of those sickened reported eating the pastries
On November 25, 2024, FDA was notified about an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in the United States, with many ill people residing in long-term care facilities (LTCF) prior to illness onset. FDA's traceback investigation identified that each of the LTCF who supplied invoice information for review from 2024 to present received a frozen supplemental shake of either Lyons ReadyCare or Sysco Imperial brand. As part of this investigation, FDA collected environmental samples and found the outbreak strain of Listeria.
Facts about Listeria Outbreak (as of February 22, 2024)
Case Count: 38 Sick – 37 Hospitalized – 11 Deaths
Illness Range: 2018 to the present
21 States with Cases: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and West Virginia
Who is sick: 34 victims (89%) reported living in long term care facilities or were hospitalized prior to becoming sick
According to the FDA, this outbreak includes cases dating back to 2018, with 20 cases across 2024 and 2025, and is currently ongoing. Epidemiologic evidence in previous investigations were unable to identify a source of the outbreak. Certain Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial Frozen Supplemental Shakes are being voluntarily recalled.
'The CDC site has not published anything about these two outbreaks or made an announcement of the recalls. It is imperative to have active reporting on recalls by our government officials to help prevent more illnesses. This is in the interest of public safety,' said Marler.
William 'Bill' Marler has been a food safety lawyer and advocate since the 1993 Jack-in-the-Box E. coli Outbreak which was chronicled in the book, 'Poisoned' and in the recent Emmy Award winning Netflix documentary by the same name. Bill work has been profiled in the New Yorker, 'A Bug in the System;" the Seattle Times, '30 years after the deadly E. coli outbreak, A Seattle attorney still fights for food safety;" the Washington Post, 'He helped make burgers safer, Now he is fighting food poisoning again;" and several others.
Marler Blog. Bill is also the publisher of Food Safety News.
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CNN
20 minutes ago
- CNN
US foreign aid cuts threaten decades of progress on driving down malaria
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'When all of a sudden everything stops, that just tears down trust – not just from our government to other governments, but within countries' own health systems.' Between 2010 and 2023, the US contributed more than one-third of the world's malaria financing, according to WHO. As of last year, the US was also the largest contributor to the Global Fund, which works to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. It's unclear what the future level of US funding for the independent, public-private program will be, following the Trump administration's proposal to halve US matching contributions. The Trump administration's funding cuts 'could reverse decades of progress earned, in part, through longstanding investments from the United States of America and other global partners,' WHO warned in a statement earlier this year. 'Although funding for some USA-supported malaria programs have been reinstated, the disruptions have left critical gaps.' 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The Hill
27 minutes ago
- The Hill
Most voters in favor of Trump's ‘most favored nation' drug price policy: survey
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