USDA scientists at College Station, TX have discovered that providing sodium chlorate in the drinking water or feed of livestock will reduce the intestinal concentrations of bacteria harmful to humans.
The research is significant because it may lead to alternatives to antibiotics in animal agriculture now used to reduce or
Continue Reading USDA Makes Progress on Alternatives To Antibiotics
Big Fresh has the blood on its hands.
The big fruit and vegetable lobby managed to kill a little food safety program that cost this $3 trillion government a grand total of $5 million annually. Chump change.
Big Fresh meanwhile has its snout so far up the 2012 Farm Bill
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition just published the second edition of the Bad Bug Book, which now includes a separate “consumer box” for each chapter to provide more non-technical explanations.
The book provides current information about the major known agents that cause
Continue Reading FDA Releases Second Edition of the ‘Bad Bug Book’
The transmission of foodborne pathogens may be impacted by the effects of climate change, according to a report released March 28 by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Studying hundreds of peer-reviewed publications on six different food- and waterborne pathogens, the report’s authors observed 1,653 “key facts” that
A study in Northern Italy found that some unpasteurized milk sold from vending machines contained potentially harmful levels of pathogens and did not meet public health standards.
The Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni, E. coli O157 and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) detected in the milk “pose a clear risk for consumers
Continue Reading Study Finds Pathogens in Italian Vending Machine Raw Milk
Responding to a dramatic drop in consumer demand, Beef Products Inc, the nation’s leading maker of ammoniated beef now widely known as “pink slime,” announced it is suspending production at three plants. The suspended plants account for approximately 70 percent of the company’s capacity to produce Lean Finely Textured Beef
Continue Reading BPI Suspends 70 Percent of Ammoniated Beef Production
My only child, Alex, died from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) caused by eating E. coli O157:H7-contaminated ground beef back in 1993 when he was only 6 years old. It was the most horrendous experience possible.
His first symptoms were severe abdominal cramping and bowel movements that consisted strictly of blood
Continue Reading In Defense of Food Safety Leadership
On Monday, manufacturing conglomerate 3M Company announced the release of the newest product from its food safety division: the 3M Molecular Detection System, a device designed to help food and beverage producers and laboratories detect foodborne pathogens. According to 3M officials, it should significantly reduce the amount of time
Continue Reading 3M Launches New Pathogen Detection Device
A team of researchers led by food scientists at Cornell University has developed a new, highly accurate approach to identifying bacteria responsible for foodborne illnesses. According to the team, it should allow scientists to identify the culprits of illness outbreaks with unmatched accuracy and eventually replace the current method of
Continue Reading Beyond PFGE: Genomic Mapping Pinpoints Pathogens
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are conducting promising research looking at the role citrus byproducts could play in reducing pathogens in cattle.
And, luckily, cows seem to really like orange peels.
“Who knew? Those thick, sharp-tasting orange peels that people would never dream of eating are ‘snack heaven’
