The USDA is revealing unsanitary conditions in Boar's Head facility in a report in the wake of a deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that occurred between May and November 2024. The outbreak was linked to liverwurst produced at that facility in Jarratt, Virginia. FSIS undertook a thorough review of the outbreak to identify contributing factors and evaluate responses in the future. The USDA conducted document reviews and in-person assessments at the Jarratt facility and at all establishments owned and operated under the Boar's Head Provisions Corporate umbrella. The reviews were for years 2022 through 2024. FSIs also reviewed its own practices and procedures, given that the conditions in the Jarratt plant were so bad, including sampling programs, inspector training, and … [Read more...]
FDA Alerts About Use of Amanita Muscaria in Food
The FDA is alerting industry and consumers about the use of amanita muscaria, its extracts, and some of its byproducts, including muscimol, ibotenic acid, and muscarine, in food. The agency has decided that these ingredients do not meet the standard for use in food and that their use as ingredients may be harmful. People should avoid eating foods made with these ingredients. One of the products that did use amanita mascara extracts was Diamond Shruumz. Muscimol, a substance found in Amanita muscaria and related mushrooms, was found in nine Diamond Shruumz chocolate bar samples and four infused cones samples. Those products were linked to a deadly outbreak that sickened at least 180 people and hospitalized 73. There are three deaths potentially associated with that outbreak. These … [Read more...]
FDA: Taylor Farms Safety Issues Yielded Contaminated Onions
CBS filed a Freedom of Information Act with the FDA over the deadly McDonald's E. coli outbreak linked to Taylor Farms onions. The report states that Taylor Farms safety issues yielded contaminated onions. And the report states that dozens of violations were found by FDA inspectors.. The FDA issued a Form 483, which is only used when inspectors think that conditions exist that could be "injurious to health." In that outbreak, at least 104 people were sickened, 34 were hospitalized, and one person died. Four people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. The outbreak, which ended in October 2024, was the sixth largest outbreak of 2024. The report states that Taylor Farms did not implement their sanitation preventive controls. Pooling water was found on … [Read more...]
SunFed Cucumber Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak Ends
The SunFed cucumber Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak has ended with 113 people sick in 23 states, with 28 hospitalized, according to the CDC. That's an increase of 13 more illnesses and three more hospitalizations since the last update was issued on December 19, 2024. The case count by state is: Alaska (2), Arizona (1), California (4), Colorado (8), Iowa (3), Illinois (4), Massachusetts (6), Michigan (3), Montana (18), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (2), New Mexico (1), Nevada (1), New York (1), Ohio (1), Oregon (9), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (5), Texas (8), Utah (2), Washington (9), Wisconsin (13), and Wyoming (8). Illness onset dates range from October 12, 2024 to December 7, 2024. The patient age range is from less than one year to 99 years. Of the 99 people who gave … [Read more...]
First Human Bird Flu Death Reported in Louisiana
The CDC says that the first human bird flu death has been reported in Louisiana. There are 66 confirmed human cases of the H5N1 virus so far in the United States as of January 6, 2025. The person who died was over the age of 65 and had underlying medical conditions, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. That person had contact with non-commercial backyard flocks and wild birds. This virus can cause severe illness and death, however, this is the first person who has died from an H5 infection in this country. In other countries, more than 950 cases of human bird flu infections have been reported to the World Health Organization. About half of those people have died. The CDC is assessing the risk to the general public and states that it remains low. No person to person … [Read more...]
2024 Meat and Poultry Recalls Plummet from 2023 Total
In-depth analysis from Food Poisoning Bulletin Meat and poultry producers issued 34 recalls last year, a 48 percent drop from 2023 and the lowest total of the last decade, excluding 2020, according to a Food Poisoning Bulletin review of data published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS). "The number of recalls is likely to fluctuate over any given period of time, due to the number of variables that affect whether a recall is necessary to remove adulterated or misbranded product from commerce. Over the last few years, FSIS has pushed for more accountability from industry to produce safe and wholesome products. Through numerous calls, meetings, roundtables and guidance documents, we are proactively engaging with industry on ways to … [Read more...]
Top 10 Food Poisoning Outbreaks of 2024
These are the top 10 food poisoning outbreaks of 2024, in reverse order. There were quite a few outbreaks last year, with many illnesses and a few deaths. These are the top 10, in reverse order, with an addendum of five more outbreaks of interest. Addendum: Five Notable Outbreaks Five outbreaks that were important were added in an addendum this year. They were the Grimmway Farms carrot E. coli O121:H9 outbreak, the Infinite Herbs Salmonella outbreak, the deadly Rico Lopez soft cheese Listeria monocytogenes outbreak, the deadly Yu Shang Listeria monocytogenes outbreak, and the Gibson Farms walnuts E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. Number 10: Boar's Head The 10th outbreak of 2024 was the deadly Boar's Heat deli meat Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that sickened at least 61 people in … [Read more...]
Five More Significant Outbreaks in 2024
There were so many notable food poisoning outbreaks this year that we decided to add a list of five more significant outbreaks of 2024. These outbreaks are notable because people died, because the situation was so unusual, or because the vehicle for the pathogen was unusual. Grimmway Farms Carrot E. coli O121:H9 Outbreak One person died in this outbreak that was linked to recalled Grimmway Farms carrots. The carrots were contaminated with E. coli O121;H9 bacteria. There were 48 people sick in 19 states and twenty people were hospitalized. The case count by state was: Arkansas (1), California (3), Colorado (1), Massachusetts (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (5), Missouri (1), New Jersey (2), New York (5), North Carolina (1), Ohio (1), Oregon (3), Pennsylvania (1), South Carolina (2), … [Read more...]
Number One Outbreak of 2024 Was Bedner Cucumber Salmonella
The number one outbreak of 2024 was the Bedner cucumber Salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 551 people in 34 states and the District of Columbia. The cucumbers were also sold by Thomas Produce Company. That outbreak ended in August 2024. The case count by state was: Alabama (6), Arkansas (1), California (1), Connecticut (8), Delaware (3), Florida (60), Georgia (48), Illinois (9), Indiana (4), Iowa (5), Kentucky (20), Maine (4), Maryland (17), Massachusetts (11), Michigan (12), Minnesota (10), Mississippi (2), Missouri (4), Nevada (1), New Jersey (22), New York (69), North Carolina (27), Ohio (20), Oklahoma (2), Pennsylvania (68), Rhode Island (8), South Carolina (22), Tennessee (22), Texas (2), Vermont (2), Virginia (48), Washington (1), West Virginia (7), Wisconsin (4), and … [Read more...]
Top 10 2024 Outbreaks: Number Two is WanaBana Lead Poisoning
The top 10 2024 outbreak list continues with number nine: the WanaBana lead illness outbreak. There are at least 500 children sick after eating WanaBana apple sauce pouches, along with Weis cinnamon apple sauce and Schnucks applesauce. The FDA reported 90 children sick, but since these outbreaks are usually much larger than the known cases, we decided to go with the larger CDC number. Each agency used different criteria to identify possible patients. There are 93 confirmed cases of lead poisoning, 233 probable cases, and 28 suspect cases. The patients live in these 41 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, … [Read more...]
