The USDA is investigating a possible chicken Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak, according to their outbreak investigations response table. This is the first outbreak of a USDA-regulated food for 2022. The table did not give us any more information. We do not know if chicken is the definitive source or what type of chicken it may be, nor do we know how many people may have been sickened. If it is an outbreak, we do not know illness onset dates, where those sickened live, and if anyone has been hospitalized. As far as we know, no recall has been issued. Poultry and Salmonella have caused many outbreaks over the years. It's worth mentioning that Salmonella outbreaks are notoriously underreported. Epidemiologists use a multiplier of 30 to estimate how many people are actually sickened … [Read more...]
FDA’s Food Safety and Nutrition Survey Report Released
The FDA's Food Safety and Nutrition Survey, the agency's probability consumer survey designed to assess consumer awareness, knowledge, understanding, and self-reported behaviors regarding food safety, has been released for 2019. The survey was launched to help the FDA make informed regulatory, education, and policy decisions to protect public health. The survey was a mail-push to web methodology. The population includes adults who live in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. A total of 4,398 responses were collected during ht months of October and November 2019. Before this methodology change, FDA consumer surveys were conducted using phone interviews. The key findings on food safety include consumer knowledge about where they think they may contract food poisoning, … [Read more...]
USDA Makes Effort to Reduce Poultry Salmonella Illnesses
The USDA announced a new effort to reduce poultry Salmonella Illnesses, to try to achieve a national target of a 25% reduction in those illnesses. Several "key activities" are being launched to gather data and information that is needed to support future action. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement, "Far too many consumers become ill every year from poultry contaminated by Salmonella. We need to be constantly evolving in our efforts to prevent foodborne illness to stay one step ahead of the bad bugs. Today we’re taking action to help prevent Salmonella contamination throughout the poultry supply chain and production system to protect public health." USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Sandra Eskin said, in a Consumer Federation of America Virtual National … [Read more...]
Silver Maple Cooked Diced Chicken Recalled For Possible Listeria
Silver Maple Cooked Diced Chicken is being recalled in Canada for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. This is an update of the recall issued on September 10, 2021 for Erie Meat frozen fully cooked diced chicken. No illnesses have been reported to the government or the company to date in connection with the consumption of this item. The recalling company is Erie Meat Products Ltd. The chicken was sold in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan at the hotel/restaurant/institutional level. That means it was likely served in restaurants, cafeterias, hospitals, and nursing homes. The recalled product is Silver Maple Frozen All White Meat Fully Cooked Diced Chicken that is packaged in 4.54 kilogram packages (2 x 2.27 kilogram). The UPC number … [Read more...]
Tyson Cooked Chicken Listeria Monocytogenes Outbreak Ends
The Tyson cooked chicken Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has ended with three people sick, three hospitalized, and one person dead, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The outbreak was declared over as of September 10, 2021. The patient case count by state is: Delaware (1), and Texas (2). The patient age range was from 60 to 95 years. Illness onset dates ranged from April 6, 2021 to June 5, 2021. All three people were living in long-term care facilities or hospitals when they got sick. Tyson recalled ready to eat chicken products in relation to this outbreak. The recall was expanded once, and there was one secondary recall for Circle K chicken salads and sandwiches that was also expanded once. The chicken may also have been used to make deli … [Read more...]
September is Food Safety Education Month to Stay Healthy
September is Food Safety Education Month to keep you and your family healthy. This year the focus is on how to prevent food poisoning when cooking at home. First, following the four step recipe for food safety is crucial: Clean (wash your hands often, clean counters with hot soapy water, don't wash chicken or meat); Separate (keep raw meat, chicken, turkey, seafood, and eggs away from produce); Cook (cook foods to safe final internal temperatures and use a food thermometer); and Chill (refrigerate leftovers promptly). Then, you should focus on preventing Salmonella infections. Salmonella causes more foodborne illnesses in the United States than any other bacteria. Chicken is a major source of these illnesses, although outbreaks linked to ground beef have also … [Read more...]
Consumer Advocates Call for Modernization of Poultry Food Safety
Consumer advocates, food poisoning survivors, scientists, and four major poultry producers are calling for the modernization of poultry food safety to reduce illnesses, according to Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). These groups want to meet with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to discuss a "modernized, science-based regulatory approach to ensure the food safety of poultry products." The four poultry products are Butterball, Perdue Farms, Tyson Foods, and Wayne Farms. The four consumer groups are CSPI, Consumer Federation of American, Consumer Reports, and Stop Foodborne Illness. Campylobacter and Salmonella infections make up 705 of the foodborne illnesses tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Those pathogens are commonly found on … [Read more...]
Chicken and Salmonella is Focus of Consumer Reports Recommendations
With the new Salmonella outbreak linked to frozen raw breaded stuffed chicken breasts in mind, Consumer Reports is issuing their recommendations on the problem of chicken and Salmonella in this country. The article focuses on the tragic story of Noah C., a child sickened in the 2013 Foster Farms's chicken Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak that also sickened more than 600 Americans. The child suffered a severe infection that caused a brain abscess. He had to undergo brain surgery and faced, and still faces, a daunting recovery. The law firm of Pritzker Hageman, which underwrites Food Poisoning Bulletin, represented Noah and his family and obtained a $6.5 million verdict against Foster Farms, which attributed 30% of the fault to the huge poultry processor. Consumer Reports writes that … [Read more...]
More Circle K Chicken Made with Tyson Products Recalled For Listeria
The USDA is reporting that more Circle K chicken made with Tyson products recalled for Listeria have been discovered. These products have a different establishment number, complicating the recall. This information was posted in an update to the original recall notice from July 3, 2021. The different establishment numbers were used because of further processing. In addition, some products may have been served from deli counters in retail stores. You can see pictures of these new product labels at the USDA web site. The government is encouraging consumers to check the FSIS website frequently because this information about the recall is being updated often. The USDA will continue to update the original press release and the labels if they become aware of more products that used the … [Read more...]
Was Recalled Tyson Chicken Imported From China? The Answer is No
After seeing some rumors about the Tyson chicken recalled for possible Listeria contamination being processed in China, Food Poisoning Bulletin conducted some research. While it is true that as of 2013, China can export processed chicken to the United States (the rule was finalized in 2017), was recalled Tyson chicken imported from China? The answer is no. A USDA-FSIS spokesperson told us, "The product subject to recall was not processed in China. The product was processed at Tyson Foods establishment in Dexter, Missouri with domestic source materials." Indeed, the Tyson website says the same thing, adding that these rumors are a hoax. And even though it's now legal, very little processed chicken is exported from China to the United States. The Tyson chicken in question was … [Read more...]
