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Summarizing 2021 and looking forward to 2022

2021 was still a year dominated by COVID-19, but the food industry was better equipped to continue food production without the interruptions of 2020, and the virus no longer shut plants down as it did in 2020. 2021 looked much more like 2019 than 2020 for food safety when comparing outbreaks. While slow progress is being made in food safety, the number of outbreaks has not significantly diminished over the years. Foodborne diseases remain a global public health challenge worldwide. In 2021 the CDC reported 16 outbreaks. In the last couple of weeks, major outbreaks such as Fresh Express and...

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Inhibitory effects of sweeteners on bacterial quorum sensing

Scientists at Ben-Burion University in Israel discovered that some artificial sweeteners hurt the gut flora to quorum sensing. The study shows that aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin have significant inhibitory actions on the Gram-negative bacteria N-acyl homoserine lactone-based (AHL) communication system. The study concluded that artificial sweeteners disrupt communication, indicating that artificial sweeteners may be problematic in changing the microbiome and potentially increasing disease risk. Three less common sweeteners, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), advantame, and neotame, did not have this effect.

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Decreased incidence of infections caused by food pathogens during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic

FoodNet monitors laboratory-diagnosed infections caused by eight pathogens regularly transmitted through food (Campylobacter, Cyclospora, Listeria, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia). Cases of infection cover 10 states (covering roughly 15% of the United States’ population). A new research was published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly based on preliminary data from 2020 and issued by the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet). The study identified 26% fewer infections in 2020, compared with the average annual number during 2017–2019, including decreased infections associated with international travel. The decline was from 50 cases/100,000 during 2017-2019 to 37...

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Cornell University scientists create a national atlas for Listeria monocytogenes collected from soils across the US

Cornell University Dr. Martin Wiedmann, Jingqiu Liao, and the team created an atlas of Listeria monocytogenes in US soils. The research was published in Nature Microbiology. The study developed a nationwide atlas of 1,854 Listeria isolates, collected systematically from soils across the United States.  The Cornell team found that Listeria was present in a variety of environments. Listeria presence was affected by soil moisture, molybdenum, and salinity concentrations. When scientists identify a Listeria, the atlas will inform them where the Listeria resides in the USA. Identifying the location can pinpoint the source of the organism found in ingredients processing facilities...