The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers to not eat raw or partially cooked oysters and clams with tags listing Oyster Bay Harbor in Nassau County, New York as the harvest area. Eight people in several states have been sickened with Vibrio parahaemolyticus food poisoning after consuming those foods. The New York Department of … Read more
As we told you on July 3, 2012, some Lake Superior beaches in the Duluth area were closed because of high levels of E. coli bacteria. A few of those beaches are now safe to use, but some remain closed. Flooding in the Duluth area in late June most likely washed bacteria from sewage systems … Read more
The Wyoming legislature is clarifying rules about raw milk sales. That state bans commercial sale of raw milk; in fact, the law bans farm families from drinking the raw milk produced by their own cows, although that is not enforced. The clarification reads: “producers who are the ‘sole’ owners of animals can serve raw milk … Read more
Last year, health officials in Oregon announced they would adopt the 2009 FDA Retail Food Code, which governs safety regulations about food workers. But last week, officials said that the Oregon Public Health Division Foodborne Illness Prevention Program will not adopt the “No Bare Hand Contact” section of the Code. Requiring food workers to use … Read more
As one of the few food safety lawyers in America, I’m often asked whether I believe that America’s food supply is the safest in the world. The short answer is: “I have no idea” – and if you’re one of the thousands of Americans sickened each year by foodborne illness, it’s no comfort knowing that … Read more
Kathy Mogel, Program Coordinator of the Onondaga County Health Department told Food Poisoning Bulletin that there are 20 confirmed cases of Shigella in that county. There are news reports that there are as many as 34 cases, but we’re reporting what the Health Department tells us. Ms. Mogel said that the age range of patients … Read more
A Georgia E coli outbreak has been linked to a deadly Louisiana outbreak, according to public health officials in both states. This particular strain of bacteria, called E. coli 0145, has not caused a multi-state outbreak in the United States for a year. Officials said that five people have been sickened in the Georgia E … Read more
Home pasteurization is a food safety measure used by some raw milk drinkers and advocated by some raw milk providers, because even if it’s produced on clean, organic farms, raw milk can contain pathogens. So far this year, there have been five foodborne illness outbreaks linked to raw milk and five raw milk recalls: Frisia … Read more
Scientists predict many consequences to climate change, such as changes in weather patterns and severity of storms. But a new report titled Assessing the Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Food and Waterborne Diseases in Europe ties climate change to increases in food poisoning outbreaks. The report is an assessment of 741 peer-reviewed publications, reports, … Read more
Clostridium perfringens is estimated to be the third most common cause of foodborne illness in the United States and a full 91 percent of outbreaks identified with a single food are attributed to meat or poultry products. Those are among the findings that a group of CDC researchers reported recently in Atlanta at the International … Read more