The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a new strategy guideline for addressing foodborne illness. Similar to what was done to address E. coli outbreaks related to leafy greens, FDA has released a new Cyclospora Prevention, Response and Research Action Plan. FDA noted that Cyclospora has been detected in domestically produced foods in recent years, after historically being associated with imported products. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been approximately 6,000 cases of Cyclospora in the U.S. over the last three years.
The new action plan focuses on improving prevention of Cyclospora contamination of foods and better preparing for any potential outbreaks in the future. FDA first documented Cyclospora in domestically grown cilantro in 2018. Soon after, an outbreak of Cyclospora was linked to domestically produced salad mix. The task force that was formed in the aftermath of those detections was responsible for developing the newly released action plan. FDA will be working with industry members on the development of rapid testing methods, as well as identifying ways to improve control measures for Cyclospora in the environment and on farms.
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