Almost lost in the flurry of “food-freedom” comments on the Facebook page of an eastern Tennessee raw-milk dairy farm that has been linked to an E. coli outbreak is the plight of five-year-old Maddie Powell, who remains hospitalized after developing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially fatal kidney disease associated with severe E. coli infections.…
Two-Time E. coli Victim Pushes to Improve Seattle's Restaurant Grading System
Sarah Schacht is part of a select group of people with the distinction of falling ill with E. coli in two separate outbreaks. First a victim in Seattle’s Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak of 1993 at the age of 13, Schacht was hit with the bug again 20 years later after dining at…
Pew: Frozen Berry Hepatitis A Outbreak Underscores Need for FSMA
Since first hitting headlines nearly two months ago on May 31, news reports have largely fizzled out regarding the outbreak of hepatitis A linked to frozen organic berries from Townsend Farms and sold at Costco stores. But for 150 people known to have fallen ill with the virus, the ordeal has yet to end. Aaron…
Hepatitis A Vaccination Process Causes Stress, Fear for Many
Reflecting on a week of sleepless nights and gut-churning stress, George Bentley said he wished Costco’s recall of frozen berries could have come at a better time. Bentley, from La Puente, Calif., got a call from Costco on the evening of Friday, May 31. The retailer had just announced a recall of Townsend Farms Organic…
FDA Uses Video Testimonials to Illustrate Consequences of Food Poisoning to Retailers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted three videos featuring people affected by foodborne illness Wednesday in an effort to educate food retailers on the potentially devastating effects of an outbreak. Two of the videos feature family members of Zella Ploghoft of Athens, Ohio, who died of complications from a Salmonella infection at age 82.…
Peanut Corp. Victims: Indictment Sets an Example
Following the U.S. Department of Justice’s indictment of former Peanut Corporation of America executives on Thursday, the families of victims poisoned by the company responded with joy and relief at the prospect of a criminal trial four years after the company caused a nationwide Salmonella outbreak that killed nine people and sickened more than 700.…
Salmonella and Peanut Butter: Victims’ Stories
A little more than a week ago, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the end of the Salmonella outbreak tied to Trader Joe’s peanut butter made by Sunland Inc. in New Mexico. In total, at least 42 people in 20 states fell ill, with 10 requiring hospitalization. Headlines from recent years have…
The Petting Zoo Problem
Katie Maness was 13 years old when her parents took her and two friends to the 2004 North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh. It was a beautiful October day, as her mother Becky recalls years later, and the three girls were excited to visit the petting zoo on their own. Inside the zoo exhibit, the…
Bittersweet News in NC Fair E. coli Outbreak
More than a month has passed since the first of the 106 victims in North Carolina’s Cleveland County Fair E. coli outbreak began showing symptoms of infection. This week brought bittersweet news regarding two of those victims. First, the good: After 35 days in care, 12-year-old Jordan McNair was discharged from Levine Children’s Hospital in…
Cantaloupe Victim’s Son Urges Washington to Act
Like many Americans, Paul Schwarz is fed up with the inaction in Washington, DC. After losing his father to the Listeria cantaloupe outbreak nearly a year ago, Schwarz has kept tabs on food safety policy and he’s frustrated that none of the measures that could have prevented the tragic outbreak have been implemented. Last week,…