At least nine people have fallen ill with E. coli infections after attending the Rice County Fair in Rice County, MN, according to the Faribault Daily News. Speaking to the Daily News, the fair manager said that five people have been hospitalized. The manager also said that the E. coli originated from an animal and not a food item. Investigators suspect it came from either the fair’s barn or the petting zoo. The fair had hand-washing stations available outside the petting zoo and barns, but not all visitors used them. A number of disease outbreaks have been linked to petting zoos in recent years. In 2012, the petting zoo at a county fair in North Carolina was linked to an E. coli outbreak that sickened 106 people and ended in the death of a 2-year-old boy. Parents are advised to carefully monitor their children when petting farm animals. Children should immediately wash their hands after visiting a petting zoo and should not be given the opportunity to put their hands or fingers in their mouths after touching animals.
The News Desk team at Food Safety News covers breaking developments, regulatory updates, recalls, and key topics shaping food safety today. These articles are produced collaboratively by our editorial staff.
The root cause of a large E. coli outbreak in the United Kingdom in 2024 remains unknown with authorities warning a re-emergence is possible.
Almost 300 people fell ill with
Authorities in Lithuania are investigating two cases of foodborne botulism linked to fish sold at a market.
The State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT) conducted an inspection at a market
A second U.S. resident has died from the bird flu.
The Washington Department of Health reported that the Grays Harbor County resident was an older person who had a
Oregon State University has launched a new online Quality and Food Safety training series aimed at building practical skills for professionals across the food industry.
The program, offered through OSU’
The Food and Drug Administration uses import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed.
Recent
Alarjawi brand Royal Zaatar is being recalled in Canada because of contamination with Salmonella.
The recalled product was distributed in Alberta, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. As of the
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert for raw beef and pork products because of misbranding and an undeclared allergen.
The products
