News Release

Washington, D.C - Statement of Nasima Hossain, Public Health Advocate, on the continued danger of our food system.

Friday’s announcement of widespread listeria contamination in eggs produced in Minnesota underscores the need for food inspections to happen at more regular intervals.  Over one million hard boiled eggs in 34 states were involved in this recall.  “This incident underscores the need for food inspections to happen at more regular intervals and for the Food Safety Modernization Act to be fully funded, so that foods with dangerous contaminants are kept off store shelves.”

“Listeria is a disease that can fatally affect young children, the frail and elderly. Healthy people may also suffer short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. In pregnant women the infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths. Minnesota was also the site of a huge egg recall in August 2010. Clearly egg manufacturers have not improved their food production practices and this makes it imperative for our public health and consumer safety protections to continue to be enforced and not weakened.”