Listeria outbreak teaches vital lesson

摘要

WHAT went wrong at Jensen Farms late last year, and how can farmers across the country avoid a similar tragedy in the future? About 30 people died and more than 100 were sickened from listeria-contami-nated melons from the Colorado farm.It is the second-deadliest recorded U.S. foodborne illness outbreak since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking such incidents in the 1970s. The deadliest also stemmed from the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes and occurred in 1985when about 50 people died after eating contaminated cheese from California. After an inspection of Jensen Farms in Granada, Colo., in September, the Food and Drug Administration reported several factors contributed to the introduction, spread and growth of the bacterium.