After filthy conditions were discovered at the plant where meat linked to a deadly Listeria outbreak was produced, the Boar's Head's facility in Jarratt, VA was permanently closed. But Boar's Head's other locations have also had food safety violations, according to inspection reports obtained by Food Poisoning Bulletin through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). At Boar’s Head plants in Forrest City, Arkansas; New Castle, Indiana; and Petersburg, Virginia inspectors found some of the same conditions discovered at the Jarratt plant - mold, slime, pools of blood on the floor, meat buildup on equipment, walls, and doors and insects dead and alive. Boar's Head Petersburg, Virginia Some violations inspectors found at the Boar's Head Plant in Petersburg, Virginia include: Heavy … [Read more...]
USDA Reveals Unsanitary Conditions in Boar’s Head Facility
The USDA is revealing unsanitary conditions in Boar's Head facility in a report in the wake of a deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that occurred between May and November 2024. The outbreak was linked to liverwurst produced at that facility in Jarratt, Virginia. FSIS undertook a thorough review of the outbreak to identify contributing factors and evaluate responses in the future. The USDA conducted document reviews and in-person assessments at the Jarratt facility and at all establishments owned and operated under the Boar's Head Provisions Corporate umbrella. The reviews were for years 2022 through 2024. FSIs also reviewed its own practices and procedures, given that the conditions in the Jarratt plant were so bad, including sampling programs, inspector training, and … [Read more...]
FDA Alerts About Use of Amanita Muscaria in Food
The FDA is alerting industry and consumers about the use of amanita muscaria, its extracts, and some of its byproducts, including muscimol, ibotenic acid, and muscarine, in food. The agency has decided that these ingredients do not meet the standard for use in food and that their use as ingredients may be harmful. People should avoid eating foods made with these ingredients. One of the products that did use amanita mascara extracts was Diamond Shruumz. Muscimol, a substance found in Amanita muscaria and related mushrooms, was found in nine Diamond Shruumz chocolate bar samples and four infused cones samples. Those products were linked to a deadly outbreak that sickened at least 180 people and hospitalized 73. There are three deaths potentially associated with that outbreak. These … [Read more...]
FDA: Taylor Farms Safety Issues Yielded Contaminated Onions
CBS filed a Freedom of Information Act with the FDA over the deadly McDonald's E. coli outbreak linked to Taylor Farms onions. The report states that Taylor Farms safety issues yielded contaminated onions. And the report states that dozens of violations were found by FDA inspectors.. The FDA issued a Form 483, which is only used when inspectors think that conditions exist that could be "injurious to health." In that outbreak, at least 104 people were sickened, 34 were hospitalized, and one person died. Four people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. The outbreak, which ended in October 2024, was the sixth largest outbreak of 2024. The report states that Taylor Farms did not implement their sanitation preventive controls. Pooling water was found on … [Read more...]
Top 10 Food Poisoning Outbreaks of 2024
These are the top 10 food poisoning outbreaks of 2024, in reverse order. There were quite a few outbreaks last year, with many illnesses and a few deaths. These are the top 10, in reverse order, with an addendum of five more outbreaks of interest. Addendum: Five Notable Outbreaks Five outbreaks that were important were added in an addendum this year. They were the Grimmway Farms carrot E. coli O121:H9 outbreak, the Infinite Herbs Salmonella outbreak, the deadly Rico Lopez soft cheese Listeria monocytogenes outbreak, the deadly Yu Shang Listeria monocytogenes outbreak, and the Gibson Farms walnuts E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. Number 10: Boar's Head The 10th outbreak of 2024 was the deadly Boar's Heat deli meat Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that sickened at least 61 people in … [Read more...]
Number Three Outbreak of 2024 is Deadly Cantaloupe Salmonella
The number three outbreak of 2024 is the deadly cantaloupe Salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 407 people in 44 states. That outbreak was declared over in January 2024 and is included in this year's list because last year at this time there were only 302 people sick. The case count by state was: Alaska (1), Arizona (15), Arkansas (2), California (56), Colorado (11), Connecticut (2), Florida (4), Georgia (8), Illinois (22), Indiana (9), Iowa (12), Kansas (2), Kentucky (10), Maryland (9), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (7), Minnesota (29), Mississippi (1), Missouri (15), Montana (3), Nebraska (7), Nevada (5), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (8), New Mexico (2), New York (14), North Carolina (7), North Dakota (1), Ohio (14), Oklahoma (4), Oregon (8), Pennsylvania (5), Rhode … [Read more...]
Number Four Outbreak of 2024: Deadly Diamond Shruumz
The number four outbreak of 2024 was the deadly outbreak linked to recalled Diamond Shruumz microdosing products. There werer 180 people sickened in 34 states. Seventy-three of those patients were hospitalized. Three deaths are potentially associated with these products. The cause of these illnesses is still not known. The case count by state is: Alabama (8), Arizona (13), California (3), Colorado (1), Florida (6), Georgia (21), Idaho (4), Indiana (8), Iowa (6), Illinois (2), Kansas (5), Kentucky (11), Maryland (2), Michigan (2), Minnesota (3), Missouri (1), Montana (3), Nevada (2), New Jersey (3), New York (2), North Carolina (12), North Dakota (3), Ohio (6), Oklahoma (1), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (12), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (9), Texas (19), Virginia (2), … [Read more...]
Top 10 Outbreaks of 2024: Number Six McDonald’s Onions
The top 10 outbreaks of 2024 continues with number six: the deadly McDonald's onions E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. In that outbreak, 104 people were sickened, 34 were hospitalized, and one person who lived in Colorado died. That outbreak was declared over on December 3, 2024. The final patient case count was: Colorado (30), Iowa (1), Kansas (3), Michigan (2), Missouri (8), Montana (19), Nebraska (13), New Mexico (10), Oregon (1), Utah (8), Washington (1), Wisconsin (1), and Wyoming (6). Illnesses onset dates range from September 27, 2024 to October 21, 2024. The patient age range was from 1 to 88 years. In this outbreak, four people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, which is a type of kidney failure. The person who died did not have HUS. Taylor Farms provided the fresh … [Read more...]
Top 10 2024 Outbreaks: Number 10 Boar’s Head Meat Listeria
It's time for the top outbreak list for 2024. This year, the number 10 outbreak is the deadly Boars Head meat Listeria monocytogenes outbreak. There were at least 61 people sick in 19 states. And ten people died. The final case count by state was: Arizona (1), Florida (3), Georgia (2), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Louisiana (1), Maryland (8), Massachusetts (3), Minnesota (1), Missouri (3), New Jersey (6), New Mexico (1), New York (19), North Carolina (1), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (2), Tennessee (1), Virginia (4), and Wisconsin (1). Illness onset dates ranged from May 29, 2024 to September 13, 2024. Sixty people were hospitalized. In this outbreak, one person got sick during a pregnancy and remained pregnant after recovering. The people who died lived in Illinois, New … [Read more...]
Deadly Grimmway Farms Carrots E. coli O121:H9 Outbreak Ends
The deadly Grimmway Farms carrots E. coli O121:H9 outbreak has ended with 48 people sick in 19 states, according to the CDC. Twenty people were hospitalized. There were quite a few recalls issued in relation to this outbreak, including the original recall, an expansion, and secondary recalls including Earth Farms Vegetable Medley, Fabalish Kickin’ Carrot Falafel Bites, Bunny Luv Carrots, and Whole Foods Organic Carrot Sticks. The case count by state was: Arkansas (1), California (3), Colorado (1), Massachusetts (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (5), Missouri (1), New Jersey (2), New York (5), North Carolina (1), Ohio (1), Oregon (3), Pennsylvania (1), South Carolina (2), Texas (1), Virginia (1), Washington (8), and Wyoming (1). Illness onset dates ranged from September 6, 2024 to October … [Read more...]
