One in six Americans are sickened by their food each year, according to new statistics released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “About 48 million people (1 in 6 Americans) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year from foodborne diseases.” The news marks the first time since 1999 that CDC has done a comprehensive update of its statistics.

Meanwhile, beleaguered food safety legislation awaiting passage in the Senate is one of several bills jockeying for position on the Senate calendar. The bill is currently attached to a House-passed continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the U.S. government at current levels for the remainder of the fiscal year. (The current CR expires Dec. 18, putting Congress in a must-act situation. The fiscal year began Oct. 1.)

As the Fine Print pointed out Monday, if the Senate chooses to take up and pass the House CR, the food safety bill should have no trouble passing the food safety bill right along with it. But, if the Senate decides on a shorter CR, preferred by some Senators, then the prospects for food safety reform dim.