Seafood food poisoning caused

In the U.S., fish and shellfish caused at least one in six food poisoning outbreaks with known etiologies, and 15% of the deaths associated with these outbreaks during 1988 to 1992. This is a marked increase over the preceding decade, when seafood consumption was associated with 10% of foodborne disease outbreaks that had identified etiologies (Ahmed, 1992 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1996 Lipp and Rose, 1997). 

This nonsystematic approach to monitoring has proven inadequate for protecting the U.S. food supply. In response, the FDA enacted the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) program of 1997 (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1995, 2001). In the U.S., the FDA has established action levels in suspect seafood for the toxins causing some of the shellfish poisonings (see Table 7.3). When an action level is reached, the HACCP plan must be followed to prevent unsafe product from reaching consumers. 

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