California health officials are warning consumers not to eat mussels, clams or scallops from Marin County because they may contain dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins. The California Department of Health issued a health advisory Wednesday after mussels harvested from Marin County were found to contain high levels of PSP toxins, but the… Continue Reading
Four of the Peanut Corporation of America executives indicted with federal criminal charges last week have pleaded innocent to the 76-count charges that include fraud, conspiracy, and the introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud or mislead, the Associated Press reports. PCA CEO and President Stewart Parnell, PCA food broker… Continue Reading
Zachary Confections, Inc., has announced a voluntary recall of certain production lots of its Zachary Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Eggs because of possible Salmonella. The product is packaged in white egg crates with purple, green and yellow lettering. The product was manufactured on February 20 and 21, 2013, and shipped to retail stores in Iowa, Minnesota,… Continue Reading
Michael Hartmann, the 59-year-old Minnesota dairy farmer, is in more trouble over charges involving the sale of unpasteurized milk. It was just last October that Hartmann was putting legal problems behind with a plea bargain that saw him plead guilty to just two misdemeanor counts, one for illegally selling raw milk and raw milk products… Continue Reading
With tomorrow’s sequester, USDA’s meat and poultry inspectors are supposed to see less work, but what they do accomplish will likely be measured against what they did during the last quarter of 2012. The federal government actually calls the period ending Dec. 31 the first quarter of its fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. In… Continue Reading
Other than a memo put out by the White House earlier this month, which forecast reduced food inspections and meat inspector furloughs, there is not much known about exactly how the sequester, scheduled to kick in on Friday, will impact federal food safety oversight. According to the document put out by the White House Office… Continue Reading
New research out of Spain has added to the mounting evidence that the Mediterranean diet is good for the heart. The diet - which consists of lots of fruits, nuts and olive oil, a moderate amount of fish, poultry and red wine and very little red meat, dairy, processed meats and sweets – has been considered… Continue Reading
A case of E. coli infection has been connected to frozen beef burgers recalled by the Canadian division of Safeway grocery stores last week, Canadian health officials announced on Wednesday. At least one patient in the Regina, Saskatchewan area has fallen ill with E. coli O157:H7 after eating a frozen burger under one of two… Continue Reading
Add organic eggs to Europe’s ongoing food scandals. As many as 150 German and 36 Dutch poultry farms are being investigated for fraud involving organic eggs. Led by prosecutors in Oldenburg, Germany, the investigation is looking into violations of organic rules for free-range egg production. To sell “free range” eggs in Germany requires meeting specific… Continue Reading
Two leading Democrat members of Congress, Henry Waxman (CA) and Louise Slaughter (NY), introduced legislation this week aimed at providing more detail on the amount and use of antimicrobial drugs given to animals raised for food. The legislation, dubbed the Delivering Antimicrobial Transparency in Animals (DATA) Act, says it will help public health officials and scientists… Continue Reading
It’s a coin with two markedly different sides. Flip it once and fresh cut leafy greens come up as the nutritional stars in salad mixes. On that list are spinach, kale, green and red leaf lettuces, baby leaf lettuces, escarole, endive, spring mix, arugula, romaine, and iceberg lettuce, among others. Praised by doctors and public… Continue Reading