The Louisiana firm that recalled 20,166 pounds of roast beef products earlier this week for potential Listeria contamination has greatly expanded the initial recall, which now includes 468,000 pounds of a variety of deli meats. Manda Packing Company of Baker, Louisiana, is now including ham, turkey breast, tasso pork, ham shanks, hog head cheese, corned… Continue Reading
Between July and September of 2009, health officials in Hungary noted an unusually high number of Salmonella Goldcoast infections in the country. In October, they sent an inquiry to Europe’s disease tracking system to see whether this rare strain of Salmonella had surfaced in any other countries. The results showed that Italy too had seen… Continue Reading
Ben-Lee Processing, Inc., an Atwood, Kansas establishment, is recalling an undetermined amount of ready-to-eat and heat-treated bacon and ham products that were produced without a Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced on Friday. The recall applies to various weight packages of cured… Continue Reading
Russia will ban U.S. turkey products over concerns about the controversial animal drug ractopamine, the country’s Veterinary and Phyto-Sanitary Surveillance Service (VPSS) announced this week. The news comes a few days after Russia announced it will block U.S. beef and pork as of Feb. 11 due to a lack of compliance to its zero-tolerance policy… Continue Reading
Approximately 35,000 pounds of fully cooked chicken, beef and pork products have been recalled for possible contamination of Listeria monocytogenes by Idaho-based LJD Holdings, Inc., operating as B and D Foods. The following product is subject to recall: – 10-lb. boxes, containing 2, 5-lb bags of “ROYAL “THE TEMPURA KING” ROYAL TEMPURA CHICKEN, Fully Cooked… Continue Reading
Animal rights and food safety groups are petitioning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to immediately lower the allowed residue limits for ractopamine — a controversial drug used to boost growth and leanness in meat production — and to study the drug’s effects on human health and animal welfare. The petition comes just days after… Continue Reading
The long-running international dispute over ractopamine, a drug used to boost growth and leanness in pork and beef production, has become even more contentious in recent weeks. Russia, which is an increasingly important export market for U.S. meat products, announced it will no longer accept meat from animals raised on the drug, and it will… Continue Reading
When Consumer Reports released the results of a study last week that found most pork was contaminated with Yersinia enterocolitica, the media and bloggers were abuzz with headlines like: “Almost 70 Percent of Pork In Stores Unsafe” (Forbes), “Widespread bacteria and drugs found in US pork samples” (Fox News), and “Consumer Reports analysis of US… Continue Reading
In a new study of raw pork chops and ground pork, Consumer Reports found 69 percent of samples were contaminated with Yersinia enterocolitica, according to a report published by the group today. A lesser-known foodborne pathogen, Yersinia enterocolitica can cause fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea, lasting one to three weeks, according to the Centers for… Continue Reading
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Friday announced the nation’s first known H3N2v-associated (swine flu) death. Testing involving a 61-year-old Madison County woman at the Ohio Department of Health Laboratory confirmed that the individual had been infected with the H3N2v influenza virus. The patient had multiple other underlying medical conditions, but the influenza virus may… Continue Reading
The Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization on Friday ruled that U.S. country-of-origin labeling laws (COOL) discriminated against meat importers such as Canada and Mexico, but that U.S. consumers also have the right to know information on their food’s origin. The ruling will require the U.S. to amend its labeling laws to not be… Continue Reading