Suzanne Schreck is the Food Safety News Web Producer and a contributing author. She joined Marler Clark LLP as Marketing and Communications Coordinator in 2002 after graduating from Washington State University with a major in Marketing. In this role, Suzanne focused on managing media relations, managing and contributing to the firm’s network of over 30 Websites and blogs, and organizing and promoting the firm’s speakers bureau. After taking some time off to travel, Suzanne rejoined Marler Clark in her present role at Food Safety News and as Communications Director for the law firm in mid-2009.
Food products produced in un-licensed kitchens that have not been inspected by public health inspectors or certified as meeting food safety standards may soon be available at farmers' markets, roadside stands, and through on-farm sales in Wyoming. House Bill 54, the Wyoming Food Freedom Act, passed out of a Wyoming House committee Thursday with a 6-3 vote. The bill, introduced...
Last week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention includes a report on anticholingeric poisoning from the consumption of jimsonweed in July of 2008. Jimsonweed is a plant that was historically used by American Indians for medicinal and religious purposes. It grows wild and is used as an ornamental plant in the United...
Hero baby formula has been recalled in the United Arab Emerites (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait for potential contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria (formerly known as Enterobacter sakazakii). The recalls came after the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority found a batch of 150-gram Hero follow-up formula packages manufactured on May 12, 2009 and expiring on May 11, 2010 to be...
The Vietnam National Assembly Standing Committee rejected Minister of Health Nguyen Quoc Trieu's proposal to set up a National Committee for Food Safety last week. The proposed committee would have been made up of officials from related ministries within the Vietnamese government. Trieu argued that the committee would help ensure the safety of food produced by Vietnam's 9.4 million farm...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Wednesday that Park 100 Foods, Inc. of Kokomo, Ind., was recalling approximately 19,200 pounds of frozen chicken pot pie products due to possible contamination with foreign contaminants. Park 100 Foods initiated the recall after Market Day received a customer complaint regarding the product. The customer reported finding metal straight pins in a pot...
Members of the Wyoming Governor's Council on Food Safety are planning to send letters to Gov. Dave Freudenthal and legislators cautioning against an expansion of the cottage food exemption during the legislative session scheduled to begin on Feb. 8. This will be the third session in which the council will address problems related to cottage foods--foods prepared in home kitchens--in...
In January 2009, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) issued a policy statement to endorse 2005 recommendations for preventing SIDS, update parents and health care providers on research related to SIDS, and to provide updated recommendations. The 2005 AAP Policy Statement provides eleven recommendations based on research related to SIDS risk factors;...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced yesterday that the agency will provide $25 million in grants to help schools participating in the National School Lunch Program replace outdated equipment. The grants will be awarded by the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service to school food authorities that participate in the National School Lunch Program but did not receive funds through...
Eighteen people who became ill with E. coli O157:H7 infections after eating at the Ixtapa Family Mexican Restaurant in Lake Stevens, Washington, in October of 2008 filed a lawsuit against the restaurant yesterday. Fifteen adults and three children are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was filed in Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, WA.All plaintiffs are represented by...
Manny Chao is part owner of Seattle's Georgetown Brewing Company, a craft brewery located in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood. The brewery offers beers from pilsner to porter, but is best known for its Manny's Pale Ale. Food Safety News caught up with Chao to discuss food safety issues that apply to beer.Q: Pathogens can't survive in beer, but Clostridium botulinum, the...
At least 280 people who ate at the 42nd St. Oyster Bar in downtown Raleigh, NC became ill with norovirus in November and December of 2009 according to the Wake County Environmental Health and Safety director, Andre Pierce. At least three patrons of the restaurant tested positive for norovirus, a foodborne illness that causes severe vomiting and diarrhea and can...
Beginning January 1, home-based food producers in New Mexico are required to obtain a permit from the New Mexico Environment Department. The food permit, which cost $100 per year, allows home-based food processors operating within state jurisdiction to sell the following foods: yeast and quick breads, cookies, cakes, tortillas, high-sugar pies and pastries, high-sugar jams and jellies, dry mixes, candy,...
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced last week that rural areas in 19 states will receive $116.9 million in water and environmental project loans and grants through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Wysox Municipal Authority in Towanda, Pa., will receive a $1.9 million loan to provide safe drinking water to the city's 480...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Food Safety and the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced last week that they will hold a public meeting to provide information and address comments regarding milk and milk products on Wednesday, January 13, 2010. The public meeting precedes the 9th Session of the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products (CCMMP), which...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Christmas Eve that Janzen Farms of Dayton, Oregon, was recalling hazelnut kernels due to potential Salmonella contamination. The hazelnut kernels were sold in November and December at Lenny's North in Seattle, WA, and at the Sunset Produce Stand in Banks, OR. Six one-pound bags of the hazelnut kernels were sold at the...
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