The database provides a roadmap for development of tests to identify
pathogens and provide information about the origin of each pathogen, significantly reducing the typical public health response time in outbreaks of foodborne illness from weeks to days.
In the wake of the recent recall of E. coli-tainted romaine lettuce, the National Consumers League (NCL), Washington, D.C., said it is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set minimum sanitary and safety standards for the "unregulated but crucial" pallets that are used to transport food throughout the United States.
