The Numbers:
As of Friday night, the CDC reported 53 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 being reported from 16 states. However, the CDC reported only 1 case in Alaska while the Alaska Department of Public Health reported 8 ill from the Anvil Mountain Correctional Center in Nome, and that its…
With more companies posting recalls for freshcut vegetables daily — including products sold to schools — the impact of Mann Packing’s Oct. 19 produce recall continues to ripple through the North American food chain.
At least nine retailers and three produce companies initiated U.S. recalls in recent days because their products were made with freshcut…
Triple B Corp. of Anchorage, AK, which does business as Charlie’s Produce, is recalling freshcut vegetables, vegetable fry kits and trays because they include fresh produce recalled by Mann Packing because of a positive test result for Listeria monocytogenes.
Mann Packing of Salinas, CA, posted its recall as a news release Oct. 19. It…
Tai Foong USA of Seattle is recalling Royal Asia branded frozen “Shrimp Wonton Noodle Soup” — sold exclusively at Costco stores in six states — because it contains egg that is not declared on the label and has caused a confirmed reaction in at least one person.
Costco began selling the soup in January at…
Changes to the food safety code the Anchorage Department of Health and Human Services wanted to begin enforcing in July are taking just a little longer than anticipated.
The first changes to the food safety regulations for Alaska’s largest city since 2010 are open for public comment until Sept. 22, and the department is hosting…
Federal officials this week made public details of two outbreaks of Trichinella infections in Alaska in the past 12 months, both linked to undercooked walrus meat.
Long associated with undercooked pork, the majority of cases of Trichinella infections in the U.S. since the late 1990s have been caused by wild game species that are not…
Salmon lovers have a new reason to opt for roasted instead of raw. Scientists have documented that the Japanese broad tapeworm has made its way to the waters of the North Pacific and is thriving among the salmon population there.
Published in the February edition…
The Sitka Tribe of Alaska has set up an environmental research and testing lab in Sitka and plans to begin testing local shellfish for biotoxins this spring. There has reportedly been some concern about the distance and turnaround time to have locally harvested shellfish tested in Anchorage by the state, which currently operates the only…
Alaska’s food safety budgets are taking more cuts as the state tries to close a $4 billion budget deficit caused by low oil prices. Another proposed cut of $268,000 is going to mean fewer restaurant inspections and reduced surveillance for food borne diseases. The further reduction in spending comes after last year’s $624,000 funding cut…
