WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Puree has high lead levels, according to the FDA. Four children from North Carolina have elevated blood lead levels, indicating potential acute lead toxicity. The WanaBana product has been identified as a potential shared source of exposure. All lot codes and expiration dates of this product are included in this warning. The FDA has shared these results with the firm. The firm's representatives are cooperating with the FDA. WanaBana has agreed to voluntarily recall all WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches regardless of the expiration date. These pouches are sold nationally and are available through many retailers, including Amazon and Dollar Tree. If your child has consumed this product, the FDA is recommending that you contact your child's … [Read more...]
A Government Shutdown Will Threaten Food and Water Safety
A Government shutdown will threaten food and water safety, according to Food & Water Watch. The odds are good that the government will shut down on November 15, 2023, especially given the current chaos in Congress. A shutdown would affect every area of government. WIC and SNAP benefits would be threatened. Regional VA offices may close, and critical research on diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's would stall. The threats to human health include FDA inspectors being forced to reduce or delay inspections at food processing facilities. This will put consumers at risk of foodborne illness. During the shutdown in 2013, about 900 of these inspections were postponed. $EPA regulators could be forced to suspend safety inspections at drinking water sources, hazardous Superfund … [Read more...]
How to Keep Your Pets Safe This Halloween
Learn how to keep your pets safe this Halloween with tips from veterinarians.org. These Halloween Pet Safety Tips can prevent illness and injury. First, keep Halloween candy out of reach. Dogs and cats should not eat candy. If your pet goes trick or treating with you or your children, you need to be very aware of this danger. Put all Halloween treats in a closed jar to keep them away from your pet. Encourage children to discard the wrappers and get them involved. Consider making cooked pumpkin or peanut butter treats if you want your pet to have a snack. But check all labels first to make sure that the peanut butter is xylitol-free, since it is poisonous to dogs. Raisins, grapes, sultanas, and currents are toxic for dogs and cats. Call your vet immediately if your pet eats … [Read more...]
Win.IT America Violated Child Labor Laws By Employing Children
Win.IT America has entered a federal consent judgment to stop illegally employing children and to not violate federal child labor laws in the future. The court prohibits the Hebron, Kentucky facility from "oppressively" violating child labor laws. The order was entered in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky on September 8, 2023. Investigators with the department's Wage and Hour Division discovered the children working in the distribution center in August 2023. The two children, ages 11 and 13, were employed for months. The violations included employing a child to operate a forklift, which is a hazardous occupation for workers under the age of 18, and told another child to pick orders in the warehouse, which is a prohibited occupation for workers under the … [Read more...]
Monogram Meat Snacks Pays Fine For Child Labor Violations
Monogram Meat Snacks is paying a fine of $140,164 in civil penalties for violating child labor laws, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The company allegedly employed at least 11 children, nine of whom operated hazardous machinery, at its meatpacking and food processing facility that is located in Chandler, Minnesota. The company agreed to pay the penalty as part of an investigation that was conducted by the department's Wage and Hour Division. The investigation started in March 2023. Federal officials determined that during that period, Monogram Meats Snacks employed five 17-year-olds, four 16-year-olds, and two 15-year olds in violation of federal child labor laws. Principal Deputy Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman said in a statement, "As we made clear earlier … [Read more...]
Infants Fed Powdered Infant Formula Get More GI Infections
A study conducted in the United Kingdom found that infants fed powered infant formula contract more gastrointestinal infections than breastfed infants. Part of the problem is contaminated infant feeding equipment. Almost 3/4 of infants in the UK get infant formula in the first 6 weeks. This number rises to 88% by 6 months of age. At least 3000 hospitalizations every year in the UK may be attributed to formula feeding. Breastfed infants have significantly fewer GI infections. The World Health Organization recommends that water used to reconstitute powdered infant formula (PIF) be at least 70°C (158°F) to kill pathogens. Powdered infant formula manufacturers state that they cannot produce a sterile product and that it can contain pathogens such as Cronobacter and Salmonella. For … [Read more...]
Your Kitchen Sink is an Important Part of Food Safety
Your kitchen sink is an important part of food safety and preventing foodborne illness, according to the USDA. Think about everything you use your sink for: rinsing produce, cleaning pots, pans, plates, cups, and utensils, and discarding meat and produce scraps. All of those things can carry pathogenic bacteria. The USDA recently completed a study looking at how consumers handle food and how good they are at preventing cross-contamination. Participants prepared a meal with raw sausage, shell eggs, and a fruit salad made with cantaloupe. That study showed that the kitchen sink was the most cross-contaminated part of the kitchen at 34%. And 26% of samples of cut-up cantaloupe removed from the completed fruit salad was contaminated with bacteria. There are several ways this can … [Read more...]
Preterm Infant Dies After Receiving Evivo with MCT Oil Probiotic
A preterm infant has died after receiving Evivo with MCT Oil probiotic in the hospital. That dietary supplement, produced by Infinant Health, is formulated to contain the live bacterium Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis, according to the FDA. The infant developed sepsis caused by that bacterium. The FDA is investigating this death. Genomic sequencing data found that the bacteria that caused sepsis in the infant was a genetic match to the bacteria in the probiotic. The FDA is now warning that preterm infants who are given these dietary supplements are "at risk of invasive, potentially fatal disease caused by the bacteria or fungi contained in probiotics." Medical literature reports state that microorganisms in probiotics have caused bacteremia or fungemia, sometimes with severe … [Read more...]
Surprising Bacteria Source: Wash Your Wrist Bands!
A new study from Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of science reveals a surprising bacteria source: your wrist band. If you wear a watch, you should wash your wrist bands regularly. Most people do not clean wristbands. The researchers tested plastic, rubber, cloth, metal, and leather wristbands to see if there is a correlation between the material the wrist bands are made of and the level of contamination. They also clarified the best way to disinfect them. The results of the study, which were published in the journal Advances in Infectious Diseases, suggested that metal wristbands are cleaner. In spite of the fact that 95% of all wristbands tested were contaminated, gold and silver bands had little or no bacteria. Nwadiuto Esiobu, Ph.D., senior author … [Read more...]
FDA Releases Food Safety Guidance For Producing Sprouts
The FDA has released its final food safety guidance for producing sprouts. That ingredient has been linked to many outbreaks over the years, including a Salmonella outbreak earlier this year caused by Sun Sprouts alfalfa sprouts that sickened at least 63 people in eight states and hospitalized 10 of those patients. The 2023 Final Guidance updates and finalizes these sections of the original draft guidance that was issued in 2017: Cleaning and Sanitizing, Agricultural Water in Sprout Operations, Seeds for Sprouting, Environmental Monitoring, and Recordkeeping. Some sections of the 2017 document have been reissued and one new section is in the revised guidance. The update and new sections are on Equipment, Tools, and buildings, Sampling and Teting of Spent Sprout Irrigation Water, and … [Read more...]
