In 2008, the deaths of 22 people in Canada were linked to an outbreak of listeriosis transmitted through deli meats.

In Life on Listeria Lane, our newest Chew on This podcast, we discuss this foodborne illness and listeria, the bacteria that causes it, with Dr. Christine Hoang, assistant director of the AVMA's Scientific Activities Division.

Listen to Life on Listeria Lane here.

You may have heard that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently announced new measures to combat foodborne illnesses caused by E. coli.

“Over the last eight months since President Obama took office, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been aggressive in its efforts to improve food safety, and has been an active partner in establishing and contributing to President Obama's Food Safety Working Group (FSWG),” Vilsack stated in a recent USDA press release.

The president created the FSWG, which is charged with developing food safety policies, shortly after coming into office. The FSWG has since identified prevention as its first priority. While no new funding has been allocated, the FSWG has recommended that inspectors prioritize prevention by using science-based data to focus on foods and products that present the most risk.

The FSWG is also pushing for quicker response to outbreaks through the development of new food-tracing systems, which would help speed the process of tracking down the source of of the contamination. Currently, the USDA is looking at ways to enhance trace-back methods that would require all grinders, processors, distributors and stores to maintain accurate records in order to enhance the ability of public health officials to respond to and, hopefully, stop future outbreaks. In addition, the FSWG is developing a new incident command system that would link all relevant agencies -- and state and local governments -- in order to facilitate quicker communication and decision making during an emergency.

These efforts also include a new USDA initiative to step up inspections of meat processing facilities. This effort includes something new -- conducting routine sampling of bench trim for E. coli. Bench trim is pieces of meat that remain after steaks and other cuts of beef are produced. Bench trim is routinely used in ground beef and often suspected during E. coli outbreaks. This new procedure will create an added layer of protection, and it could mean that the same piece of beef could be tested twice, once before it’s ground and then a second time after it is made into hamburger. This new testing pays particular attention to more dangerous strains of E. coli (E. coli O157:H7). Other changes include:

* new USDA instructions to federal inspectors asking that they verify sanitary practices at beef processing plants;

* a newly appointed chief medical officer to the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service to reaffirm its role as a public health agency;

* and new USDA industry guidelines on how to control E. coli O157:H7 contamination. It’s interesting to see that some companies in the private sector jumped on the bandwagon soon after Vilsack’s announcement. Costco, for one, announced its own expanded testing program for E. coli in the ground beef it sells. Costco had been negotiating with some of its suppliers for some time to be allowed to test ingredients in ground beef before grinding. Now the giant retailer has reached an accord with Tyson, one of the largest beef producers in America, which would allow Costco to test beef trimmings before they are ground into Tyson ground beef. This is a major step, because many American grinders and beef processors have reportedly been slow to allow testing of components of ground beef.

All of this is great news for those of us who like a good, juicy hamburger once in a while, not to mention all those other classic American dishes that involve ground beef. Although more testing will undoubtedly cause some headaches and added expense for stores and meat processors, we think the end result—safer food for our families to eat—is worth the cost.

Learn more about the dangers of E. coli by listening to the Chew on This Podcast: "The ABC's of E. coli"

The summer’s over and you know what that means – school’s in session! And while the new school year brings excitement and anticipation, it also ushers in something a little less desirable… foodborne bacteria.

In fact, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, packed lunches are incredibly vulnerable to bacteria that can cause foodborne illnesses. But don’t worry. Your friends at Keep Our Food Safe are here to teach you the ABCs of a safe lunch.

Dr. Richard Raymond, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety, explained that temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees, create a “danger zone” for food, where harmful bacteria can quickly multiply. Perishable items should always be stored in the refrigerator and kept cool, and reheated to their proper internal temperature, otherwise they can quickly enter the danger zone.

In fact, when school lunches are left in the danger zone, bacteria can multiply, leaving your lunch vulnerable to the bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. There are ways to avoid entering the danger zone when preparing a bagged lunch. First and foremost, wash your hands, cutting board, utensils and dishes before preparing lunch. Keep countertops clean, and don’t use the same cutting board or utensils for both meats and veggies, unless you have thoroughly washed these utensils between uses. This is the best way to minimize the spread of harmful bacteria and reduce the risk of cross contamination.

You can keep perishable items, like lunch meats and cheeses, cold by packing freezer packs or frozen juice boxes in with the lunch. Insulated lunch boxes work best in keeping perishable foods cold. Just make sure to double bag the food to help create insulation. Insulated containers are a good way to keep foods like soup and chili hot. Remember to keep the lid on until lunchtime so the food stays hot.

Be sure to recycle old packaging material, like plastic bags and disposable packaging. Old packaging can carry bacteria, and if they come in contact with other food, they could spread bacteria that causes foodborne illnesses. Another good way to avoid cross contamination!

When school’s out and kids head home and grab a snack before hitting the books, make sure foods like hot dogs, are heated to the proper internal temperatures before eating. If you’re reheating foods in the microwave, it’s important to rotate or stir the food halfway through cooking. Foods and liquids often don’t evenly heat in the microwave, leaving cold spots that may harbor harmful bacteria.

And college students, that late night pizza may look like tempting, but if it has been sitting out all night then it’s a good idea to avoid eating it. Pizza and other perishable foods should never be eaten if they’ve been left out for more than two hours.

Ready for the pop quiz? By studying these concepts you’ll be able to ace your Food Safety 101 exam.

Did you think we forgot about you? Guess again! We've been busy working on new and exciting Chew on This podcasts to educated consumers about food safety issues. And now it's time to release our latest podcast: Campylobacter Q&A.

Campylobacter is a leading cause of global foodborne illness, but it is often misunderstood. What is it? How dangerous is it? Why have a lot of us never heard of it?

In this new Chew on This podcast, Dr. Christine Hoang, assistant director of the AVMA’s Scientific Activities Division, answers these questions and tells us what systems are in place to keep our food safe from campylobacter. In our new podcast, we answer questions about “campy.” Listen now.

By the way, if you missed our last podcast, which discussed the ABCs of E. Coli, you can listen to it now.

Alright, class, time for another lesson in food safety and the federal government. We all know that the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for ensuring the safety of our meat, poultry and eggs, and that other sections within the USDA are also hard at work protecting some other food sources. And we also know that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) checks on our food too: veggies, dairy, seafood and processed products. But here’s a question to test your food safety knowledge: do you know how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fits into this equation?

The CDC is a public health agency that works to equip humans with the necessary tools to protect their health. They investigate all types of diseases and work on many different types of disease prevention and control, including foodborne diseases, like salmonella, and diseases that aren’t transmitted through our food, like influenza. While the CDC doesn’t regulate our food supply, it does work closely with the USDA and the FDA to interpret data collected from state and local public health authorities and it investigates foodborne related outbreaks.

Like the name implies, foodborne diseases are transmitted through the consumption of contaminated food. Stomach Flu or noroviruses, for example, are spread person to person. In fact, humans are the sole reservoir for noroviruses, and noroviruses cause the vast majority of foodborne illnesses.

Additionally, hygiene and food preparation play an important role in spreading disease. People play an unintended yet significant role in the transmission of foodborne diseases through poor hygiene, such as not washing their hands properly. Improper food storage and preparation, such as not cooking meat at a high enough temperature, also contribute to foodborne illness.

Back to the CDC… The CDC’s Emerging Infections Program (EIP) developed the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) in 1995 as an important component of its foodborne disease initiative. FoodNet collaborates with the USDA, FDA and ten EIP sites across the United States to provide information that helps public officials better understand and respond to foodborne illness outbreaks.

Generally, as the result of a physician requesting lab tests on a patient, the discovery of a foodborne disease is reported by the laboratory to the state health department. After extensive investigation by the local authorities, suspected outbreaks are reported to the CDC. Because an intricate chain of events needs to occur before the CDC is notified, and because most people don’t visit a doctor for these types of mild illnesses, very few are actually reported to the CDC.

FoodNet, on the other hand, provides a quicker way for foodborne outbreaks to be detected. Reports of outbreaks are continuously being checked by public officials, instead of waiting for labs to report incidents and outbreaks. Public officials frequently contact the laboratories to inquire about new cases of foodborne illness and report them to the CDC, so they can closely monitor these events and provide more accurate estimates of the extent and effect of these outbreaks.