State and local ballot issues involving food and agriculture sometimes push food safety onto the political stage. Not much of that is likely in 2018, however, because this year only a handful of states are going to be voting on food or agricultural measures.
According to Ballotpedia, the nonpartisan online political encyclopedia, Arizona, California, Colorado,…
Due to multiple reports of oyster-associated Norovirus-like illnesses, Washington State is conducting a recall for all shellfish harvested from 3/15/17 to 4/11/17 from the implicated portion of the Hammersley Inlet growing area. The area of the recall has been closed.
At this time the following companies are identified in this recall include: Calm Cove Shellfish…
Two young Washington state girls are hospitalized with complications from E. coli infection and their school has been temporarily closed for cleaning. One of the girls has reportedly developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious kidney condition linked to E. coli infection. Health officials said the source of their exposure to Shiga toxin-producing E. coli…
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Tuesday that, as of Nov. 23, there were 19 people from seven states sickened by the outbreak strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 linked to consumption of Costco chicken salad made with rotisserie chicken. Five people have been hospitalized and two developed hemolytic uremic…
In 2011, when applesauce from Snokist was making children sick as far away as North Carolina, USDA Agricultural Marketing Services local inspector Wendy Alguard told Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigators arriving on the scene in Yakima, WA, about the problem. She thought FDA ought to know that Snokist employees often had to scrape mold…
There was a lot of hand-washing going on during the Northwest Washington Fair last week in Lynden, WA. Yes, there were the usual farm exhibits, carnival rides, food booths, music, talent shows, and much more. But the 24 hand-washing stations placed around the animal barns, along with a team of specially trained “Hand-Washing Ambassadors,” underscored…
Kuivikko vs. Kapowsin Meats Inc. is the first lawsuit filed against a Graham, WA, slaughterhouse for allegedly causing a Salmonella illness that may be resistant to antibiotics. 
The Seattle lawyer for Tara Kuivikko, a Thurston County resident who is one of 134 sickened in the current outbreak, says that as much as the defendant…
Northwest Farm Food Cooperative of Burlington, WA, is recalling frozen raw Cat Food with the code Jul12015B due to the product’s potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. No pet or consumer illnesses from this product have been reported to date. However, Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans…
The Controlled Substances Act, which is not being enforced in states with recreational and medical marijuana, should be amended by Congress to explicitly allow any state marijuana and hemp policies without federal interference. That polite “butt out” request was made to the federal government last week in Seattle by the National Conference of State Legislatures…
The latest reported case count in the E. coli outbreak in Washington state is 23 lab-confirmed cases, with 8 of those people hospitalized, and another 22 individuals exhibiting symptoms of the infection but whose lab results were not yet available. Most of those sickened are first-grade students from five local school districts who attended a…
Update (Jan. 26, 2015): Queseria Bendita has now expanded the recall to include all best-by dates for its products. This article has been updated to reflect the expansion. Original article published Jan. 17, 2015: Queseria Bendita LLC of Yakima, WA, is recalling all lots of Panela, Queso Fresco, Requeson and Cotija fresh soft cheese products…
