Who is most susceptible to food poisoning complications? In many recall notices and all notice of outbreaks, we mention that people who belong to certain groups should be very careful about foods contaminated with pathogens. The FDA calls these groups “at risk.” These groups are more susceptible for several reasons. In some, their immune systems … Read more
With the recent E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, and the current outbreak of E. coli O103 infections that have sickened dozens in the southern United States, many are wondering how investigators solve these disasters. It’s a tribute to public health officials that many outbreaks are solved, and the responsible foods or food safety … Read more
With the summer months approaching and Memorial Day just around the corner, Ben Chapman, a food safety researcher at North Carolina State University, is uncovering food safety myths for summer food safety. What do you need to know to stay safe food-wise this summer? One suspected culprit that many people suspect in summer food poisoning outbreaks is … Read more
A study published in the Journal of Food Protection has found that while consumers think that organic foods are “safer” than conventionally grown or produced foods, the standards applied to those products do not directly address microbial or chemical safety issues. Researchers looked at the CDC’s Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System in this study. They … Read more
The 10 largest multistate food poisoning outbreaks of 2015 sickened 1,771 people, hospitalized 286 people and killed 13. Five of them were Salmonella outbreaks, two were E.coli, two were Listeria and one was Cyclospora. Here is brief look at each of them. An ongoing cucumber Salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 838 people in … Read more
The FDA’s hour-and-a-half-long budget hearing before a House subcommittee today began with the chairman enumerating the agency’s many challenges including its glacial pace with respect enacting guidance rules and regulations and filing its budget, and ended with Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) asking FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg for a breakdown of inspection personnel and an … Read more
Most savvy cooks know that raw eggs, meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish should be handled with care because they most likely contain pathogenic bacteria. So they wash their hands after handling these products, take care to avoid cross-contamination, and sanitize surfaces after cooking. Cooking those foods to a safe final internal temperature will kill the … Read more
The 10 largest multi-state food poisoning outbreaks of 2012 poisoned 1,071 people in 45 states. Various strains of just three pathogens- Salmonella, E.coli and Listeria were the cause of the 10 largest multi-state foodborne illness outbreaks, based on the total number of people sickened. Six of them were caused by Salmonella, three by E.coli and one by Listeria. These dangerous bacteria … Read more
According to a post on his Facebook page, the owner of Jimmy John’s restaurant chain is putting sprouts back on the menu. He said, “I am rolling out a new sprout. Costs more for me, it’s tougher to manage, but we think we hit a homerun on this one.” Recalls of contaminated sprouts and food … Read more
Area 23, a shellfish harvesting zone off the Louisiana coast roughly equal in size to the city of New Orleans, was closed this week after health officials linked a norovirus outbreak to its oysters. An investigation into the outbreak that sickened 14 people who ate oysters at a Louisiana restaurant determined that the oysters were … Read more