If you think you’re got problems, try being a farmer. They’re faced with an impressive array of enemies that are waging war on their crops and their livelihoods. These adversaries don’t need sophisticated weapons. They’ve got something more deadly — an arsenal of biological ammunition. And for the most part,
Continue Reading Food safety training, treatments addressed in federal grants
New dietary guidelines show potential conflict between safe and healthy
Time was that food and medicine were two different things. Food was for eating and medicine was for curing diseases. It was as simple as that. Take a look at the recently released 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and you’ll see that things have changed. 
Food is now viewed as
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Fresh Produce Responsible for Most Foodborne Illnesses in the U.S.
Fresh produce is the cause of most foodborne illnesses in the U.S., reports the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). In a study of outbreaks that occurred between 2004 and 2013, the consumer advocacy group found that fresh produce, such as cilantro, cucumbers, cantaloupes and peppers, caused 629
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Study: Washing Utensils Between Uses Important for Safer Produce
Poor hygiene and improper food preparation can lead to foodborne illnesses at home. The first step of the government’s safe food handling advice to consumers is to wash hands before and after handling food and clean cutting boards, dishes, utensils and countertops with hot soapy water after preparing each food
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Studies Find Reusable Produce Containers Often Contaminated
Reusable plastic containers used by farmers to ship fresh produce from farms to grocery stores have gained wide usage in the last decade, effectively replacing corrugated boxes with a more environmentally friendly alternative. But two studies — one in Canada and one in the U.S. — have found serious problems
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Aussie Listeria Tests Led to Recall of Likely Already Consumed California Fruit
Back in the day, before the fresh fruit and produce industry managed to kill it, the Microbiological Data Program (MDP) came under fire from growers for not providing timely results, sometimes resulting in recalls of fruit that consumers had already eaten. 
That was 18 months ago and MDP — the
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Families in WIC Nutrition Program to Get More Fresh Fruits, Veggies
Families enrolled in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program will be able to get more fresh fruits and vegetables beginning next month, thanks to changes in the program’s “food packages,” which are outlined in a recently published USDA final rule. Under the revisions, the cash value of
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NC Farm Bill Assumes Growers Are Not to Blame for Food Illnesses
States have farm bills too, and North Carolina’s 2013 edition shows they can be significant. Senate Bill 638, known as the NC Farm Bill of 2013, takes a big bite out of any potential food safety liability fruit and vegetable growers might face while giving more legal protection to those
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Digging Into the FDA's Proposed Rules for Produce
Food Safety News examines the potential impact of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s newly proposed produce rules, mandated by the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011. Part of the Food Safety Modernization Act, which has the goal of reducing the incidence of foodborne illness in the U.S., is an
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