A new Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has been added to the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. This investigation joins four other active outbreak investigations on that Table. In the new outbreak, which is not the same as the new Listeria outbreak linked to deli meats and cheeses in the upper northeastern part of the United Sates, at least two people are sick. A possible source of the pathogen has not been identified. Traceback has been initiated, but no recall has been issued, there has been no on-site inspection, and no sample collection or analysis. We do not know the patient age range, illness onset dates, or whether or not anyone has been hospitalized. There is one other mystery outbreak on the Table: an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in a not yet identified food that has … [Read more...]
New E. coli Outbreak and Cyclospora in Leafy Greens, Says FDA
A new E. coli outbreak is on the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table, and the two cyclospora outbreaks that have been closed may have been linked to leafy greens. There are now just five active outbreaks under investigation on that table. The Salmonella Mississippi outbreak that sickened at least 103 people ended unsolved. The Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that may have been linked to cantaloupe ended with no resolution. The Salmonella Senftenberg outbreak that sickened at least 35 people ended unsolved. And the illnesses linked to Daily Harvest French Lentils + Leeks crumbles ended with no cause. In the new E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, which has sickened at least 10 people, traceback has been initiated. The E. coil O121:H19 outbreak linked to Earth Grown frozen falafel … [Read more...]
Daily Harvest French Lentil + Leek Crumbles Illnesses Reach 393
Daily Harvest French Lentil + Leek Crumbles illness case count reaches at least 393, with 133 hospitalized, according to the FDA. The last illness onset date was September 4, 2022. People have been sick with gastrointestinal illnesses, and liver, bile duct, and/or gallbladder illnesses. The FDA says that these illnesses are linked to eating that product. Daily Harvest voluntarily recalled their crumbles on June 17, 2022. In response to complaints, the FDA launched an investigation including an inspection of the company's plant and sample collection. The response to this incident is no longer being handled by the FDA's CORE Network, but research into what may have caused these illnesses is ongoing. Consumers should not eat, sell, or serve the recalled Daily Harvest French Lentil + … [Read more...]
FDA Launches Safety Strategies Starting with Onions and Enoki
The FDA has launched new food safety strategies to help protect the public, starting with onions and enoki mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms. Those products have been linked to several food poisoning outbreaks in the last few years, including the deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to enoki mushrooms in 2020. There was also a Salmonella Stanley outbreak in 2020 linked to wood ear mushrooms that sickened at least 55 people. Before these enoki and wood ear mushroom outbreaks, the FDA was not aware of outbreaks liked to those products in the last 20 years. The 2021 Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak linked to onions sickened more than 1,000 people. And the 2020 outbreak of Salmonella Newport linked to red onions sickened 1127 people. The enactment of the FDA's Food Safety … [Read more...]
FDA Studies Seafood Consumption Role in Child Development
The FDA is studying seafood consumption roles in child development and growth, with the aim of limiting the exposure of babies and young children to heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium that may be in those foods. The independent study is funded by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and is called The Role of Seafood Consumption in Child Growth and Development. The FDA is partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency on this study. While seafood consumption is healthy and should be an important part of a child's diet along with a pregnant women's diet, seafood is the primary dietary source of mercury. That heavy metal can damage the … [Read more...]
ALDI Falafel Outbreak Investigation Added to FDA CORE Table
The new ALDI falafel outbreak investigation has been added to the FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Table with at least 20 people sick with E. coli O121:H19 infections in six states, and five hospitalized. The case count by state is: Florida (2), Iowa (1), Kansas (1), Michigan (11), Ohio (1), and Wisconsin (4). The falafel was sold at ALDI stores in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The … [Read more...]
History of Food Poisoning Outbreaks Linked to Cantaloupe
In the latest update to the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table, that agency stated that a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that has ended is linked to cantaloupe. This is not the first time that this fruit has caused illnesses. What is the history of food poisoning outbreaks linked to cantaloupe? While the outbreak is over, the FDA says that more information is forthcoming. We do not know the case count by state, but there are at least 87 people who are sick. We also do not know the patient age ranges, or illness onset dates. History of Food Poisoning Outbreaks Linked to Cantaloupe There have been six other multistate food poisoning outbreaks since 2011 that were linked to cantaloupe. Many of these outbreaks were deadly. Jensen Farms Listeria Outbreak In 2011, a deadly … [Read more...]
New Salmonella Litchfield Outbreak on FDA CORE Table
A new Salmonella Litchfield outbreak has been listed on the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. Twenty-eight people are sick. We do not know the patient age range, illness onset dates, or whether or not anyone has been hospitalized. Traceback has been initiated in this new outbreak, but there has been no recall, no on-site inspection, and no sample collection and analysis has been started. The CDC has not mentioned this outbreak yet because there is no action consumers can take at this time to protect themselves. Other outbreak investigations have been updated. For the cyclospora outbreak in a not yet identified food (reference #1080), sample collection and analysis has been initiated and an on-site inspection has been initiated. For the Salmonella Mississippi outbreak in … [Read more...]
More Illnesses on FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Table
There are more illnesses on FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Table as of September 21, 2022. There are currently nine active investigations, as well as the Abbott Nutrition infant formula cronobacter investigation, which has been transferred to IMG for further action. Three Salmonella outbreak case counts have increased, and one of the cyclospora outbreaks has had the case count increased. For the Salmonella Mississippi outbreak (ref# 1097) in a not yet identified product, the case count changed from 102 to 103. Traceback has been initiated, but there is no recall or onsite inspection and no samples have been collected. For the unsolved Salmonella Senftenberg outbreak (ref# 1087), the case count increased from 27 to 30. Only traceback has been started in that outbreak as … [Read more...]
Please Don’t Cook Your Chicken In NyQuil!
Another potentially dangerous and definitely irresponsible TikTok video has gone viral. This one gives details on how to cook chicken in NyQuil, an over-the-counter cold medicine. The FDA has condemned this practice, and not just because it's disgusting. This practice can be dangerous. The FDA says that any social media challenges involving medicines are dangerous because they do not use these products in the manner for which they are intended. Many of these TikTok "challenges" show people misusing nonprescription, or over the counter, medications and then encouraging viewers to do the same. The challenge encouraging people to cook chicken in NyQuil, which contains the drugs acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, and doxylamine, is unsafe because cooking that product will make all of … [Read more...]
