Five Kansas residents and three Oklahomans were stricken with Salmonella illnesses earlier this year that are now being blamed on sprouts. The two-state Salmonella outbreak is believed to have originated with sprouts grown at Sweetwater Farms in Inman, KS, according to the findings of an investigation involving the Kansas Department
Continue Reading Two state Salmonella outbreak blamed on Kansas sprout farm
CDC Update: 8 Sickened in Blue Bell-Linked Listeria Outbreak
According to an update Wednesday night from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been eight people sickened by strains of Listeria monocytogenes linked to Blue Bell Creameries products in Kansas and Texas. The outbreak now consists of two clusters of illnesses that are likely linked to
Continue Reading CDC Update: 8 Sickened in Blue Bell-Linked Listeria Outbreak
Legislatures Weigh Bills on Soda Labels, Microbeads, Marijuana, Powdered Alcohol, Among Others
State legislatures remain in session from Alabama to Wyoming, with food safety mostly getting only a light touch from lawmakers who seem largely focused on budgets and education in this non-election year. In Alabama, where a new cottage food bill took effect last June 1, Extension services are getting
Continue Reading Legislatures Weigh Bills on Soda Labels, Microbeads, Marijuana, Powdered Alcohol, Among Others
Mixed Results For Food Issues in Midterm Elections
The national headline of Tuesday’s elections is that Republicans have taken control of the U.S. Senate. This shift means that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will take over as Majority Leader for the 114th Congress and that Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), who won a hotly contested race, will become Senate Agriculture
Continue Reading Mixed Results For Food Issues in Midterm Elections
Kansas Officials Say Four of Seven Current E. coli Cases Linked to Private Event
Four cases of E. coli O157:H7 in the Wichita, KS, area stem from contamination at a private event and are not related to last Monday’s Wolverine Packing Co. recall of about 1.8 million pounds of pathogen-tainted beef. 
Those infected at the private event, about which no details were released, include
Continue Reading Kansas Officials Say Four of Seven Current E. coli Cases Linked to Private Event
KS Health Officials Want Restaurant Customers to Fill Out Surveys
A likely norovirus outbreak involving a Jimmy’s John’s restaurant in Garden City, KS, is under investigation by state officials who are asking for the public’s help. State and local health officials want anyone who dined at the Jimmy John’s Restaurant in Garden City between Dec. 10 and Dec. 24, 2013,
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Cyclospora Illnesses in Midwest Reach 258 as Investigation Continues
Health officials in several Midwestern states are continuing to investigate a recent surge in Cyclospora infections from early June, but have still not identified a source. At least 258 people have now fallen ill, predominantly in Iowa, Nebraska and Texas, according to the latest case counts by state health departments.
Continue Reading Cyclospora Illnesses in Midwest Reach 258 as Investigation Continues
Letter From The Editor: Drop the Charges
It’s a rare Sunday that I think I might be able to settle something, right here and right now. An interesting incident occurred recently, mostly in the skies over Kansas near Garden City. A famous National Geographic photographer was taking pictures of a Brookover Feed Yard from a paraglider. He
Continue Reading Letter From The Editor: Drop the Charges
Kansas Warns Public About Raw Milk Danger
This past January, Kansas experienced its third outbreak of disease associated with consumption of raw milk since 2007.
Chelsea Good, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Agriculture, says because the 18 people who became ill in January with Campylobacter infection were “quickly and easily identifiable,” no public announcement was
Listeria Outbreak Toll Rises
The deaths of a Nebraska man in his 80s and a 95-year-old Missouri woman, plus five cases of Listeria infection in Kansas, were confirmed Friday by state health departments, increasing the toll in the multistate outbreak caused by contaminated cantaloupes from Colorado’s Jensen Farms.
The confirmations bring the total