(This post by Hannah Bolinger, a graduate student in NC State’s Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, is the third in a series leading up to April 7, when the World Health Organization will celebrate World Health Day, which is focused this year on food safety. The first post in the series can be …
FDA to Withdraw Approval for Arsenic-Based Drug Used in Poultry
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Wednesday that it has received a letter of commitment from Zoetis Animal Health that, by this coming fall, the company will suspend the sale of Histostat (nitarsone) and formally request that FDA withdraw approval for the drug by the end of the year. 
Nitarsone is the only…
Avian Flu Detected in Foster Farms Turkey Flock
A strain of avian flu has been found at a Foster Farms turkey ranch in Stanislaus County, CA, the company announced this past Saturday. It’s the first time the virus has been found in commercial poultry since 2004. According to USDA policy, the ranch was quarantined and the animals are being killed to prevent…
Consumers Urged to Go Antibiotic-Free With Their Thanksgiving Turkey
Public health advocates are calling on consumers to go antibiotic-free with their traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Earlier this week, the Pew Charitable Trusts posted its three reasons to buy a Thanksgiving turkey raised without antibiotics — the main one being that consumers can influence food producers to curb the overuse of antibiotics in livestock raised for…
Letter From the Editor: Happy Thanksgiving!
On Thursday, millions of Americans will sit down with family and friends, likely over a large turkey, for the most practiced meal of the year. Our familiarity with it, and the way we pass down the instructions for its preparation, is perhaps what gives the day its generally good food safety record. 
The biggest food…
Cargill to Phase Out Growth-Promoting Antibiotics in Signature Turkey Brands
Cargill announced this week that it will stop using antibiotics for growth promotion in raising its turkeys. The company says the changes to its two signature brands — Honeysuckle White and Shady Brook Farms — makes Cargill the first major turkey producer to have a USDA Process Verified Program for this purpose. A Cargill press…