I asked our AI friends – What are the pros and cons of replacing FDA Commissioner Makary with me – here is the response? This is a very timely question — Makary resigned as FDA Commissioner today, May 12, 2026, amid reports of internal tensions and policy clashes, with the vaping dispute reportedly being a […]
Dear Food Safety Friends: I hope this post finds you well. As you may know, I’m the Publisher of Food Safety News, an online publication dedicated to reporting on food safety issues. September is U.S. Food Safety Education Month, and we’ve launched a special fundraising campaign to enhance our critical reporting and develop new digital […]
What Authority does the FDA have to mandate a recall? The FDA’s mandatory food recall authority went into effect when FSMA was enacted on January 4, 2011. Section 423 of the FD&C Act, as added by section 206 of FSMA, gives the FDA the authority to order a responsible party to recall an article of […]
What do producers of meat produced under insanitary conditions face by way of criminal sanctions? Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act – here are the criminal provisions: The Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) is primarily codified in Title 21 of the United States Code (USC), sections 601-695. Provisions concerning criminal penalties under the FMIA are […]
Los Angeles County officials are now reporting that at least 16 people have become infected with Salmonella after eating at a Mexican restaurant in Valencia, CA. People who dined at Madre Oaxacan Restaurant & Mezcaleria late this past week began reporting symptoms of food poisoning, and Public Health was alerted to the situation on Tuesday, […]
I just learned of the death of someone who was a hero and a friend, Roni Austin (Rudolph). She will be missed. Thanks to Wiki for a great summary of her heroic work. Roni and Dick did not find out about the cause of Lauren’s death until late January when an article about the Jack […]
Imagine that the phone call comes or an email pops into your inbox – “Sir, we have been contacted by the health authorities and they say our product has been linked to illnesses and deaths. What do we do?” So, what do you do? Boar’s Head’s CEO, received that call. Now, what has he done […]
Foodborne Illness Litigations and Lessons for the Food Sector 13:00 – 14:00, Wednesday 18th September 2024 Speaker: Bill Marler Chair: Professor Lisa Ackerley Bill Marler is a lawyer best known for his work in food safety and foodborne illness litigation. He is the founder of Marler Clark, a law firm based in Seattle, Washington, that specializes […]
Good to see FSIS getting off the sidelines on this one – finally. https://www.marlerblog.com/files/2024/09/Boars-Head-NOS-July-2024_view.pdf
The below press release was posted not he Boar’s Head website a few hours ago. It is sad that Boar’s Head management let the food safety culture go so far down the drain that it requires closing a factory and putting employees on the street. The impact on this small Virginia town will be felt […]
“deficiencies associated with the establishment’s physical conditions were observed that could pose imminent threat to product.” The New York Times just dropped: ‘Imminent Threat’ Found at Boar’s Head Plant 2 Years Before Fatal Listeria Outbreak U.S. inspectors listed serious problems in 2022 that could have resulted in strict measures like a pause in production. But […]
This is a crime. We are now beyond six years from the date that the NICD announced the association between Tiger Brands’ polony products and the outbreak, and the work done by all parties has only generated more evidence that the NICD’s and Tiger Brands’ conclusions are accurate. There is no evidence to the contrary. […]
The great thing about my job is that I know a lot of smart people in Food Safety who really care. Over the last few days people have sent me questions that need to be asked and answered by Boar’s Head and the regulators, FSIS. Feel free to shoot me any other suggestions. USDA FSIS […]
Where recalled product was sold list has been released – it is massive – https://www.marlerblog.com/files/2024/09/RC-023-2024Retail-List.pdf Listeria is a gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that is ubiquitous and can grow under either anaerobic (without oxygen) or aerobic (with oxygen) conditions. A. The Prevalence of Listeria in Food and the Environment Listeriosis is one of the most important bacterial infections worldwide that arises […]
58 clinical WGS date range: 2024-06-10 to 2024-09-04 5 Liverwurst Isolates 1 Deli Meat Ham Isolate As of August 27, a total of 57 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria have been reported from 18 states – Including: Arizona 1, Florida 3, Georgia 2, Illinois 1, Indiana 1, Maryland 8, Massachusetts 3, Minnesota 1, Missouri […]
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are collecting different types of data to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections. Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback data show that eggs supplied by Milo’s Poultry Farms are contaminated with Salmonella and are making people sick. According […]