design principles what to look for liabilities contaminants more links

LIABILITIES Ultimately safe equipment design comes down to food manufacturer to determine what type of equipment will work toward ensuring a contaminant-free processing system. Although many equipment manufacturers have taken the extra step to meet and exceed sanitary design guidelines, not all live up to the same standards. In the end it is the food manufacturer who bear the bulk of the cost in tainted food product liability cases. This section has been developed to give you a better understanding of the impact that poor sanitary practices can have in terms of the amount of recalls, lawsuits, settlements, and the illness and death that commonly follows the release of tainted food into the food supply. Current Estimates Contaminated food products cause more deaths each year than the combined total of all products regulated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. 1 Each year food borne pathogens cause 76 million human illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, 5,200 deaths, and an unknown number of chronic conditions, according to CDC. Estimated annual costs due to selected foodborne pathogens, 2000 1 Pathogen Estimated annual foodborne illnesses2 Costs3,4 Cases Hospitalizations Deaths   Number   Billion 2000 dollars Campylobacter spp 1,963,141    10,539         99           1.2 Salmonella5 1,341,873    15,608         553           2.4 E. coli O157 62,458    1,843         52           0.7 E. coli, non-O157 STEC 31,229    921         26           0.3 Listeria monocytogenes 2,493    2,298         499           2.3 Total 3,401,194    31,209         1,229           6.9 Information taken from: USDA ERS Cases Settlement Case     Detroit Couple Nets $65,000 In Cannoli Food Poisoning Case Product Recall Cases     2.3 million pounds of grond beef recalled after E. coli outbreak     Recall of 1.2 million pounds of ground beef after E. coli outbreak Outbreak Cases     Pennsylvania Company Recalls 52,000 pounds of Ready-to-Eat Meats     Tainted Pre-cooked deli meet causes Listeria Outbreak     Apple Juice E. coli outbreak     Solami E. coli outbreak     Salmonellosis outbreak from beef jerky     Salmonellosis outbreak from commercially prepared ice cream     Salmonellosis outbreak from powdered milk and infant formula     Bologna Recall for Possible Listeria Contamination     Sausage Recall for Possible Listeria Contamination     Chicken Salad Recall for Possible Listeria Contamination     White Fish Botulism Case     Shigella outbreak associated with eating fresh parsley

Terms of Use