Sept. 6 Sunday Edition: Looking Back at the Big Stories of the Summer
Hello FSN+ members,
We are not producing a fresh Sunday Edition newsletter this week due to the Labor Day holiday. As our membership continues to grow, here are some highlights and updates related to the great work the FSN team does each week. We hope both our new and ongoing members enjoy the look back. Thank you for your continued support!
Morgan Holm
Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief
Quick bites
- Two ongoing outbreaks are growing in scope. In the U.S., the state of Michigan now reports a total of 14,718 patients affected by Cyclospora as of Sept. 3, up by more than 200 from a week ago. It is not yet clear what the source (or sources) of those infections may be for all of the cases Michigan is tracking. The death toll stands steady at two. Meanwhile, in the U.K., another 50 people have been identified as being affected by Salmonella. The latest cases are part of three related outbreaks that now affect more than 500 people. One of these outbreaks may be connected to dozens of cases under investigation in the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Denmark, France and Germany.
- Eleven Asian countries rehearsed a coordinated response to a cross-border food safety emergency. All 11 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) participated in the July exercise. Areas that need continued improvement were identified, including the need to establish clearer operational triggers for food contamination events. Foodborne illnesses cause more than 1.5 million deaths and 426 million illnesses each year in the Asia Pacific region.
- Research on campylobacter in New Zealand and France pointed to chicken as a common vector for contamination that may reach consumers. Analysis of the samples in both studies (which were unrelated) also found that resistance to common antimicrobials, such as ciprofloxacin and fluoroquinolones was comparatively high.
- Food Safety Education Month began September 1 in the U.S. FSN Publisher Bill Marler identifies what Congress, academia and consumers can do to make meaningful progress toward safer food for everyone.
GRAS rises to the top of the agenda
In early August, the Trump administration moved to tighten regulations affecting how food companies tell the government when they have added new ingredients to their products. A new proposed rule would address a loophole around substances “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS). Companies would be required to provide more information about why they believe an ingredient is safe although they would still have the power to decide whether to add a particular substance to its products. Trade groups say the new rules will slow down innovation and require more paperwork, resulting in a heavier burden on small food producers.
Dan Flynn looked at the history of GRAS back in January and predicted we would see some kind of regulatory action this year as RFK Jr’s Make America Healthy Again movement was prioritizing it as a way to encourage healthier food choices.
Where, exactly, is the beef?
The economics and politics of the cattle industry have suddenly emerged as a significant story just weeks before the midterm elections. President Trump announced last month that he would allow some 300,000 metric tons of beef to enter the U.S. under a reduced tariff rate. Trump went on to promise that the imported beef would be sold at a 25 percent discount to help reduce prices at the grocery counter. Cattle ranchers were largely caught off guard by the announcement and have raised a number of concerns. Specific details about the imports are not yet available, but the Trump administration has been issuing new directives and launching new initiatives to try to address concerns from beef industry players and Congress.
For some useful context about these developments, check out our Sunday Editions that explored consolidation in the beef industry from April and the debate over mandatory country-of-origin labeling from early June. And don’t forget the screwworm outbreak that arrived in the U.S. earlier this year. Although that parasitic fly is unlikely to enter Americans’ food supply, its appearance led the U.S. government to reopen the border to imported Mexican beef in late August. This story is likely to continue to play out in a very public way as the fall election season unfolds.
U.S., Canada trade talks collapse
Talks between the U.S. and Canada that were aimed at heading off higher tariffs on Canadian goods fell apart two weeks ago. In the aftermath, Canadians are assessing where the worst effects will be felt. The dairy industry on both sides of the border is likely to experience some of that impact.
In the spring, we looked at the increase in the movement of food products across borders and the role of food safety regulations in that trade. Increasingly, disruptions in the flow of those goods will affect the choices available to consumers. As this year’s Cyclospora outbreak demonstrated, foodborne illnesses can cross borders, too. That means governments will face increasing pressure to improve inspection regimes and coordinate implementation of safety standards.
We’ll be back next week with more insights and perspective about food safety.
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