Unsolved Wendy’s outbreak shows challenges of fighting foodborne illnesses

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Unsolved Wendy’s outbreak shows challenges of fighting foodborne illnesses
Unsolved Wendy’s outbreak shows challenges of fighting foodborne illnesses

We’re failing at preventing foodborne outbreaks—and solving them.

We will never know for certain what caused a large, multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to Wendy’s restaurants late last year, according to a new study led by investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study, highlighting weaknesses in our ability to respond to foodborne outbreaks, lands amid a separate report published by the CDC finding that, in general, we’re also failing to prevent outbreaks. In fact, cases from some common foodborne pathogens have increased relative to pre-pandemic levels.