The first confirmed case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the United States since 2017 does not threaten human health, according to experts.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed
Continue Reading Highly pathogenic avian flu in SC turkey flock is no threat to human health
Animal disease, not human food safety, is the purpose of traceability in the United States. It means that if there is an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease, tracing it to impacted herds might be
Continue Reading APHIS still wants USA to adopt RFID based traceability
A funny thing happened to R-CALF, the scrappy organization of mostly western cattlemen. It sued USDA on Oct. 4 over a factsheet about the electronic identification of cattle and bison found on the department’s website.
Continue Reading RFID guidance document disappears after R-CALF sued USDA
Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in humans is rare, with only about 40 cases recorded since 1921, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
But FMD is a highly contagious viral disease that causes fever
Continue Reading GAO report says USDA should up its game and store more FMD vaccine
The U.S. Department of Agriculure’s partially shut down Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) is being challenged by the deadly and highly contagious Virulent Newcastle disease that’s jumped from backyard poultry to commercial flocks in
Continue Reading Virulent Newcastle disease spreads to California’s commercial flocks
Homeowners with backyard chickens have now given federal agriculture officials reason to worry. A contagious viral disease affecting
Continue Reading Virulent Newcastle Disease means backyard chicken craze needs to clean up its act
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the January 2018 edition of Food Irradiation Update and is posted here with permission of the author.
The following is a recap of progress made worldwide with
Continue Reading Acceptance, use of food irradiation reached new levels in 2017
A federal review of laboratories handling many of the most dangerous pathogens on the planet, including some that can be foodborne such as Brucella and bacterium that cause botulism poisoning, shows room for improvement.
The
Continue Reading GAO says USDA needs to tighten up policies at certain labs
Although officials with Petland Inc. say any dog can be infected with Campylobacter, 93 percent of victims in an ongoing, 15-state outbreak had contact with Petland puppies before becoming ill.
In an outbreak update Monday,
Continue Reading Outbreak traced to puppies in 13th month; new states involved
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) says migratory wild birds are spreading avian influenza around the globe. The Parma, Italy-based food safety agency figures migration routes crossing the north-eastern and eastern EU borders are the
Continue Reading EFSA says wild birds spread avian flu to E.U. member states
Consumers buying pricey organic produce would likely be upset if they knew the imported fruits and vegetables they pay premium prices for are sometimes doused with chemicals when they reach the United States.
A new
Continue Reading Inspector General again finds weaknesses in organic imports
