U.S. food supply is getting safer, figures suggest

ATLANTA - The government says food poisoning from dangerous bacteria like E. coli and salmonella has dropped dramatically in just a few years -- a sign that stepped-up measures to make the food supply safer are taking hold. <br> <br> Preliminary data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show substantial drops in illness from six of seven major foodborne bacteria from 1996 to 2001. <br> <br> Health officials said the improvement shows tougher regulations throughout the food system -- including stricter inspections at slaughterhouses and in the seafood industry -- are preventing tens of thousands of food poisoning infections a year. <br> <br> About 76 million Americans get food poisoning annually. <br> <br> The declines include big drops in the best-known foodborne bacteria. E. coli infections dropped 21 percent, salmonella fell 15 percent and listeria dropped 35 percent over the five-year span. <br> <br> Shigella, campylobacter and yersinia fell at least 35 percent each. Among major food bacteria, only vibrio -- a pathogen that shows up in some raw oysters -- rose, up 83 percent from 1996 to 2001.