As GOP Guts Food Safety Budgets, New Data Show Illnesses On The Rise

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/07/30/607161/gop-food-safety-data/

By Travis Waldron posted from ThinkProgress Economy on Jul 30, 2012 at 4:00 pm

House Republicans have gone to great lengths to block implementation of a new food safety law, while also trying to cut the budgets of agencies that oversee food safety. But new data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows just how foolhardy those moves are, as rates of foodborne illnesses are rising:

The most recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the rates of infections linked to four out of five key pathogens it tracks – salmonella, vibrio, campylobacter and listeria – remained relatively steady or increased from 2007 through 2011. The exception is a strain of E. coli, which has been tied to fewer illnesses over the same time period.

Foodborne illnesses sicken 48 million and kill roughly 3,000 Americans each year,

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