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...]
New Listeria Outbreak Added to FDA CORE Investigation Table
A new Listeria outbreak has been added to the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. This table lists active, current, and closed outbreak investigations, and provides little information until there is some concrete action that consumers can take to protect themselves. We don't know the states where ill people live, illness onset dates, or if anyone has been hospitalized. There are currently nine outbreaks that are under active investigation. The new Listeria outbreak has sickened six people, according to the table. A product has not yet been identified but FDA inspectors are conducting an inspection at an unnamed facility, and samples have been collected for analysis. The E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that may be linked to romaine lettuce served on hamburgers and sandwiches at … [Read more...]
FDA Targets Sampling of Leafy Greens to Enhance Safety
The FDA targets sampling of leafy greens to enhance safety in the wake of the Wendy's E. coli romaine lettuce outbreak that has sickened at least 97 people in six states. This is the implementation of the Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan, which was launched in March 2020. There are three priority areas: Prevention, Response, and Addressing Knowledge Gaps. Sampling is intended to detect and prevent contaminated product from reaching consumers. It is also meant to help growers and processors identify practices that may present microbial risks. During the harvest season in fall 2020, the FDA plans to collect about 240 lettuce samples at farms and ranches in the Salinas Valley in California. Three farms were identified by traceback in the past few years as being associated with a … [Read more...]
Some Outbreaks Ended on FDA CORE Outbreak Table
Some outbreaks ended on FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Table, and some case counts have increased in some of the still active outbreaks. There are no new outbreaks to announce. As usual, there is very little information about each outbreak until the government identifies some action consumers can take, such as discarding food or avoiding a particular restaurant. For the Salmonella Mississippi outbreak (ref# 1097) in a not yet identified product, the case count has increased from 99 to 100 cases. For the Salmonella Senftenberg outbreak (ref# 1087) in a not yet identified food, the case count has increased from 22 to 27 cases. For the mystery Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak (ref# 1095), the case count has increased from 73 to 78 cases. For the Cyclospora outbreak (ref# 1080) … [Read more...]
Warning Letter to FluxxLab For Unapproved COVID Treatments
The FDA has sent a warning letter to FluxxLab LLC because th company is allegedly selling COVID-19 treatments that have no proof of efficacy. The letter states, "The FDA has observed that your website offers the Covid-19 Immune Support Tincture and the CBDA+CBD Oil Tincture products for sale in the United States and that these products are intended to mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose, or cure COVID-19 in people. Based on our review, these products are unapproved new drugs sold in violation of section 505(a) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), 21 U.S.C. § 355(a). "Furthermore, these products are misbranded drugs under section 502 of the FD&C Act, 21 U.S.C. § 352. The introduction or delivery for introduction of these products into interstate commerce is … [Read more...]
Cyclospora Outbreak Added to FDA CORE Outbreak Table
The cyclospora outbreak announced by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention on June 30, 2022, has been added to the FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Table, with at least 51 people sick. No food linked to these illnesses has been identified, and we don't know where the ill persons live, the patient age range, or illness onset dates. And the Jif peanut butter Salmonella Senftenberg outbreak has ended. There is a discrepancy in the numbers reported in that cyclospora outbreak between the FDA and CDC. The CDC reported that there are 61 cases of non-travel linked cyclosporiasis reported in May and June 2022, while the FDA has 51 cases linked in this outbreak. Every year since 2013, there has been a cyclospora outbreak in the U.S. that occurs among people who have not traveled … [Read more...]
FDA and USDA Outbreak Tables Updated: More Illnesses
FDA and USDA Outbreak Tables have been updated with new information. The USDA table, which does not have as many outbreaks listed, had one outbreak of Salmonella Muenchen, with beef as a suspected source, that is now closed with no resolution. On the FDA outbreak table, the Salmonella Braenderup outbreak that is not solved now has 70 illnesses, up from 63 on the last update. Every other outbreak remains the same. There are eight active investigations, plus the Cronobacter illnesses investigation in infants, which has been transferred to an IMG group. The Big Olaf ice cream Listeria monocytogenes outbreak case count remains the same, with 23 illnesses, 23 hospitalizations, one death, and one fetal loss. The last illness onset date was 6/12/2022. Investigators found Listeria … [Read more...]
FDA Works to Improve Safety of Fresh and Frozen Berries
The FDA is working to improve the safety of fresh and frozen berries in the wake of hepatitis A and norovirus outbreaks linked to those items. An ongoing hepatitis A outbreak linked to fresh organic strawberries has sickened at least 18 people in three states, and a hepatitis A outbreak in 2020 linked to blackberries sickened 20 people in seven states. In the United States, there have been three hepatitis A outbreaks and three norovirus outbreak linked to frozen berries from 1990 to 2016, and since 2011, there have been three hepatitis A outbreaks linked to fresh berries. Globally, from 1983 to 2018, there were 50 outbreaks associated with frozen berries, with 36 caused by norovirus and 14 by hepatitis. While freezing preserves berries, it does not inactive viruses. The berries … [Read more...]
FDA Releases New Total Diet Study Report on Toxic Elements
The FDA has released their new Total Diet Study Report that focuses on the presence of toxic compounds in the foods we eat. The overall takeaway is that the key toxic elements were not detected in most (68%) of the tested foods. The analysis was conducted in foods that were collected from 2018 through 2020. Overall, 3,276 food, beverages, and water products were studied. The key elements studied were lead, arsenic, including inorganic arsenic, the most dangerous form, cadmium, and mercury. Overall, lead was found in 15% of the samples, arsenic in 43%, cadmium in 61%, and mercury in 8%. The categories of food included in the study were alcohol, baked goods, baby food, beverages, candies, condiments, dairy, fruit, grains, meats, ingredients like sugar and flour, compound foods such as … [Read more...]
