The first quarter recalls from the FDA and USDA plummeted to unprecedented low levels during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. For instance, while the FDA’s recall level did dip in the first quarter, down 9.6% from 2019, the USDA only posted three recalls in January, February, and March 2020. That’s a decrease of 78.6% from the … Read more
According to an announcement in the Federal Register, the USDA will expand non-O157 STEC (Shiga toxin-producing E. coli) testing to ground beef, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components. The non-O157 strains include what’s called the “Big Six” E. coli strains: E. coli O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145. USDA first announced the … Read more
The USDA is offering Memorial Day food safety tips to help keep you. safe and healthy. This holiday weekend is not like other years because of the coronavirus pandemic, but don’t forget about food safety while you observe the holiday. Remember that if the weather is hot and humid, perishable foods can only be out … Read more
The food safety agencies Stop Foodborne Illness and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) are calling for poultry safety modernization to reduce Salmonella and Campylobacter infections in poultry. Those agencies believe that the USDA’s regulatory framework lags behind advances in science and technology and doesn’t reflect the best. practices to prevent illness … Read more
While the USDA and FDA reassure the public that the shortages they are seeing in grocery stores are primarily the result of panic buying and shortage and not due to problems in the supply chain, other consumer advocate groups are increasingly concerned. COVID-19 outbreaks at meatpacking plants across the country are decreasing supply. That doesn’t … Read more
A consent decree has been issued against Miller’s Organic Farm of Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania for violating USDA laws by avoiding inspections and misbranding meat and poultry. In November 2019, the U.S. government permanently enjoined the company and its owner, Amos Miller, for obstructing federal health and safety oversight and from selling uninspected meat to the company’s … Read more
If you have been a longtime reader of Food Poisoning Bulletin, you may have noticed that food recalls have decreased substantially in the past few months. The USDA has issued three recalls since January 24, 2020: One was issued on February 8, 2020, and two were issued on April 10, 2020. The FDA has had … Read more
Food & Water Watch, commenting on the New Swine Inspection System (NSIS) proposed by the USDA, says that this new swine inspection system is so dangerous it could spur another zoonotic pandemic. Zoonotic diseases are those that make the jump from animals to humans. Food safety agencies, including Center for Food Safety, have issued warnings … Read more
Consumer Reports letter to USDA outlines recommendations to ensure the safety of food products during the COVID-19 pandemic. This emergency has put pressure on the food chain, and personnel numbers have dwindled as more shelter in place orders have been put in place. The agency wants the USDA to commit to several points that … Read more
According to Food & Water Watch, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service granted another regulatory waived to a chicken plant to increase its chicken slaughter line speeds up to 175 birds per minute with only one FSIS trained inspected at the end of the line. The plant in question is the Foster Farms slaughter … Read more