Food safety ranked No. 1 on the list of consumers most memorable food stories in 2009, while childhood obesity took the No. 1 spot for top concern of the decade, according to the seventh annual year-end survey commissioned by Hunter Public Relations.
According to the survey, the issue of food safety was the biggest story of the year—from E. coli in ground beef to Salmonella poisoning in nuts, thousands of Americans have been sickened, prompting food recalls of everything from baby food to green onions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 76 million cases of food borne illnesses occur annually in the United States; more than 300,000 persons are hospitalized and 5,000 die.
When Americans were asked to recall the top food stories of the decade, nutritional concerns and food safety garnered the top spots. With more than 9 million children categorized as obese, childhood obesity became a major national concern and garnered the top spot for the decade. The FTC and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) continue to urge food companies to develop products that are more nutritious and to review and revise their marketing practices.
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