Parasites and the Food Supply

Patterns of travel, trade in foods and food consumption have changed, exposing consumers to pathogens—including parasitic animals— not previously encountered. The globalization of America’s food supply increased substantially during the 1990s (Fig. 1). Correspondingly, so did the risk to American consumers of acquiring a foodborne parasite. In 1990, about 13 species of parasitic animals were of concern to food scientists in the United States (Jackson, 1990). Today, that figure has multiplied by …