In 2021, health departments in Washington and Minnesota did something that doesn’t happen very often. They solved an E. coli outbreak linked to leafy greens. “It is rare to be able to identify the outbreak vehicle for commercially distributed food like romaine lettuce (much less link back to a farm source) with only four laboratory-confirmed … Read more
Triple wash your veggies, researchers at West Virginia University Extension advises consumers, to reduce bacterial counts and avoid food poisoning. Researcher Cangliang Shen, associate professor of human nutrition and foods at the university, has studied the microbial safety of farmers market produce, which revealed a risk for microbial contamination from pathogens such as E. coli, … Read more
What does the FDA want you to know about food recalls? Many food recalls are issued every month, from the FDA and the USDA, depending on which foods they regulate. The FDA regulates all foods except meat, poultry, and processed egg products. Food recalls can be for undeclared allergens, for foreign material contamination, or for … Read more
Mother Dairy Paneer Fresh Cheese is being recalled for generic E. coli contamination. This does not mean that pathogenic E. coli bacteria are in the product, but it is an indication of possible fecal contamination. No illnesses have been reported to the company to date in connection with the consumption of this cheese. The recalling … Read more
A new ozone marinade kills pathogens on meat and food contact surfaces, according to research from the ARS Meat Safety and Quality research Unit. Microbiologists Mick Bosilevac and Nor Kalchayanand, along with food technologist Tommy Wheeler, conducted the research about spraying beef and pork carcasses with an ozone solution. The “marinade” is applied at meat processing … Read more
Mother Dairy Paneer Fresh Cheese is being recalled in Canada for generic E. coli contamination. Generic E. coli isn’t a health risk, but it is an indication that fecal contamination has occurred. The recall notice did not state whether or not any illnesses have been reported to the company to date in connection with this … Read more
Fullei Fresh alfalfa sprouts are being recalled for possible E. coli contamination in a corrected recall notice on the FDA’s web site. The pathogen is Shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC) that can cause serious illness in humans. No known illnesses have been reported to the company to date in connection with the consumption of … Read more
When the FDA discovers that a company has significantly violated federal regulations, the agency issues a warning letter. These letters enumerate some of the key violations and instruct the offender to devise and execute a plan to correct them within a designated timeline. All of these letters deal with serious food safety violations – filth, … Read more
Every month there is at least one food recall about a potentially dangerous food in the United States. These recalls are for foods that may be contaminated with E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, cyclospora, and Campylobacter. Unfortunately, some foods are inherently risky because of the way they are grown or prepared. While the general public … Read more
A new study has confirmed that raw milk is linked to foodborne illness. During the time period of 2013 to 2018, 75 outbreaks that caused 675 illnesses were linked to unpasteurized milk. Of these illnesses, almost half were among children and teenagers aged o to 19 years. Given that the consumption of raw milk is … Read more