GAINESVILLE, Fla.—According to USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Food Safety Jerold Mande, 80 percent of foodborne illnesses may be caused by agents other than the top 30 pathogens currently tracked by the CDC, and they may be responsible for 70 percent of hospitalizations and 65 percent of deaths attributed to foodborne illness.
Mande made his comments at the dedication ceremonies for Florida's new Emerging Pathogens Institute (EPI) located in Gainesville where he urged the institute to focus its research in four areas.
He called for improvements in four areas of research including and better tools to help farmers and ranchers fight foodborne pathogens; more effective testing; more sensitive and effective ways for FSIS inspectors to detect foodborne hazards; and research to discover the unidentified pathogens responsible for the majority of foodborne illness.
