Opinion
Last week I told my colleagues that I did not want to hear anything more about the damn “Farm Bill.” It’s taken up more time than the Korean War did, and I was sick of hearing about it. Then they caught my attention by telling me about the catfish amendment. Yes, after assigning catfish inspection… Continue Reading
At least 51 people are now known to have fallen ill in a Salmonella outbreak linked to a North Carolina Holiday Inn, reported the Cumberland County Health Department Friday. That number is up from the 44 illnesses reported by the Department just one day earlier. The source of the outbreak is thought to be the… Continue Reading
Two Minnesota children under the age of 1 are reported ill in a Salmonella outbreak linked to nationally recalled Krinos brand tahini sesame paste, according to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). The illnesses have been associated with a small cluster of Salmonella Mbandaka illnesses in other states, MDH spokesman Doug Schultz told Food Safety News. The… Continue Reading
A juice maker in Carrizozo, NM must prove to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it can achieve a 5-log reduction of “the pertinent microorganisms” for the shelf life of its apple cider. FDA only recently released a Feb. 20 warning letter sent to James P. and Patricia R. Niebaum, owners of the… Continue Reading
Gamblers in Las Vegas taking advantage of all those free drink offers might soon be ordering up a nice cold glass of raw milk. With only two dissenting votes Thursday afternoon, the Nevada Senate’s Committee on Health and Human Services gave a “do pass” recommendation to Assembly Bill (AB) 209, making raw milk sales legal… Continue Reading
The House Agriculture Committee voted to repeal a controversial catfish inspection program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture late Wednesday night – a sign the program, which was mandated by the 2008 farm bill to help protect U.S. catfish farmers from cheap imports, may be headed for the chopping block. In the last attempt at… Continue Reading
Opinion
Last month, the International Food Information Council Foundation released the third edition of its report: Food Biotechnology: A Communicator’s Guide to Improving Understanding. What sounds like a reasonable and helpful document is in fact the product of a well-oiled PR machine whose board of trustees includes executives from such food giants such as Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, and Mars. In response to… Continue Reading
At least seven people in Stephens County, Ga., have fallen ill with E. coli in the last several weeks, leading health officials in the area to begin investigating the source of the outbreak, local radio station WNEG reports. Two of the patients were hospitalized and are now recovering. Most of the seven sickened have been confirmed… Continue Reading
Update (5/16, 4:00 p.m. EST): Health officials in Cumberland County have updated the case count from 18 to 44 individuals sickened. The story below has been amended to reflect the updated numbers. At least 44 people have fallen ill with symptoms of Salmonella infection in an outbreak connected to the Holiday Inn Bordeaux in Fayetteville,… Continue Reading
Two food safety emergencies in College Station, TX – an E. coli outbreak and a fumigant problem in a grocery store – do not have anything to do with one another. “At this time, the two incidents do not appear to be related,” Sara Mendez of the Brazos County Health Department told Food Safety News…. Continue Reading
During a nationwide teleconference on Monday Chinese Premier Li Keqiang urged “strict market supervision and harsh penalties” to improve food safety and assure costumers that something like the melamine milk scandal will never happen again. “Perpetrators must pay such a high price that they can not afford,” said Keqiang, according to official news outlet Xinhua…. Continue Reading