There are currently two active E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks in the United States that were announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this month. Neither has had a specific food, brand, store, or restaurant associated with it, although the FDA has hinted that one may be linked to a restaurant and one … Read more
Halloween is this weekend. While the holiday is fun, there can be problems that we have written about in other years. This year, the CDC has some ideas on different types of fun and safe Halloween activities you may want to do with your family and friends, and ranks activities from lowest to highest risk. … Read more
Today is Global Handwashing Day. Did you know that washing your hands properly is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of bacteria and viruses? Keeping your hands clean can prevent 30% of diarrheal illnesses and 20% of respiratory infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This day … Read more
According to the Centers for Disease Control and PRevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for the week of August 5, 2020, four Americans are dead after ingesting methanol hand sanitizers. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers should only contain ethanol or isopropanol, but recently, some of them have been found to contain methanol. Methanol, or wood alcohol, is … Read more
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is offering tips on how to stay safe during the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler said in a statement, “Powerful storms and hurricanes are likely to affect millions of Americans who are already dealing with the stress that … Read more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report has released information about incidence and trends of foodborne illness from their active surveillance network for 2016 – 2019. They have found that foodborne illnesses increased, so the Healthy People 2020 targets for reducing foodborne illness will not be met. In 2019, FoodNet … Read more
On our Facebook page recently, one person asked if anyone should be concerned about the safety of products arriving from China as the coronavirus outbreak continues. The virus has been named COVID-19, as it is a virus causing coronavirus disease that was first identified in 2019. Is there a danger regarding coronavirus and imported products? … Read more
A new study published in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infectious Diseases looks at the prevalence of hepatitis E contamination in pigs used for food in the United States. The hepatitis E virus RNA was found in 6.3% of serum samples from market-weight pigs at 25 slaughterhouses in 10 states. The blood … Read more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is offering game day food safety tips to keep your football watching and Super Bowl parties safe for family and friends. If you are offering a buffet of foods to guests, these rules are even more important. First, always wash your hands before preparing food. In addition, … Read more
The mystery deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that sickened 24 people in 13 states and caused two deaths has been declared over by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with no resolution. The outbreak notice states, “A specific food item, grocery store, food processor, or restaurant chain was not identified as the source of infections … Read more