This is simply unacceptable. This botulism outbreak, frankly any outbreak that sickens babies, should never have happened. We can do more to protect the most vulnerable. The stork in “operation stork speed” clearly flew into a brick wall and crash landed. This child’s parents bought ByHeart Infant Formula at a Walmart. ByHeart utilized powdered organic […]
Workers at Arizona Subway Found to Have Hepatitis A East Valley Tribune Mesa Friday, January 12, 2007 ?- Sarah J. Boggan On Thursday, health officials in Pinal County said people who ate at a Subway restaurant at 1781 W. Hunt Hwy. from Dec. 10- 23 may have been exposed to hepatitis A. A food handler […]
The E. coli that sickened 81 Taco John’s patrons in Minnesota and Iowa last month has been traced back to California according to a report by Sabin Russell, San Fransisco Chronicle Medical Writer. Another outbreak of E. coli food poisoning has been traced to a farm in California — this time to an unidentified Central […]
According to Kelli Hernandez of the Valdosta Daily Times, 72 cases of Salmonella infection found in Lowndes County. She further reports that: Following the investigation and interviewing patients infected, 72 cases of Salmonella Montevideo infections with indistinguishable patterns were reported with the onset of gastrointestinal illness between Aug. 21 and Nov. 15, and investigators were […]
David Dankwa wrote in Best’s Review – January 2007 – Highlights from BestWeek – Briefing Eateries Lean on Reputation Covers The E. coli outbreak linked to Taco Bell restaurants has left approximately 70 people sick in five states, creating a major change-control crisis for the fast-food chain. As with many restaurants or food-service providers that […]
I’m flying back to Seattle tonight where it is only slightly colder than both the weather and my reception in Monterey this morning. The hearing today sponsored by the State of California at the Monterey County Fairgrounds was well attended – seems there were at least 200 (about 25 were press). It was great that […]
I am in Washington DC the first part of this week meeting with a variety of political leaders to push food safety. On Friday I will be in California to see the proposal of the leafy green industry unveiled. I must admit I was a bit amused at the following article recently published in Food […]
I posted a request for ideas to present while I am in Washington D.C. to the Foodsafe listserve. Foodsafe is an industry-supported discussion group to connect those interested in food safety to each other, and to information. The sender is responsible for content. For archives or to unsubscribe from the list, go to http://www.foodsafetyweb.info/foodsafe. For […]
Brandon Bailey (a.k.a. “E. coli Reporter”) of the San Jose Mercury News wrote again this morning on the produce industries desire to have a “seal of approval” for leafy vegetables. See full article – “Plan for safer vegetables is already drawing critics” However, what are the rules for getting the seal? As Mr. Bailey points […]
“From both sides of the valley little streams slipped out of the hill canyons and fell into the bed of the Salinas River. In the winter of wet years the streams ran full-freshet, and they swelled the river until sometimes it raged and boiled, bank full, and then it was a destroyer. The river tore […]
E.J. Schultz of the Sacramento Bee Capitol Bureau wrote late last year about “Plans could give spinach seal of approval – After E. coli outbreaks, various proposals seek safer produce handling.” Consumers buying California-grown lettuce and spinach could soon be seeing a safety seal of approval, under an industry-backed proposal formulated in the wake of […]
I’m off to Washington D.C. next week to gauge the interest of the new Congress in taking a hard look at Food Safety, specifically, fresh fruits and vegtables, in light of all the recent E. coli outbreaks. Below is a letter that I had sent to key lawmakers: During the last four months of 2006, […]
My seven year old daughter, Sydney, has been asking for a rodent, any rodent, to go along with her cat, dog and several fish for months. My wife was glad to see the following headline: Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Pet Rodents Hamsters and other rodents kept as pets were linked to about half of human […]
For those who find humor in the pages of the New Yorker, I thought this was good: It says: “I’m not a lawyer, I’m just drafting.” cattlenetwork.com reported in a recent posting that “Rates Of Foodborne Illness Are Decreasing” The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that rates of foodborne illness and the incidence of […]
It is good to see Dania Akkad (a.k.a “lettuce lady”) back on the E. coli beat. She covered the recent grand jury pronouncements (see full article here) More county money and effort should be spent to detect and prevent potentially fatal strains of E. coli from contaminating local produce, the 2006 Monterey County grand jury […]
Fred Minnick of QSR wrote today in his 2006 “In Review” about banning trans-fats and E. coli litigation – both of which I enjoy, but trans-fats not in as many locations. This was one year that operators didn’t necessarily have control over their own fate. Politicians debated banning trans-fats, spinach was contaminated with E. coli, […]