On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released its draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed produce safety rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act. The statement considers the four areas in the
Continue Reading FDA Releases Draft EIS on Produce Safety Rule
water
Test Uses Low-Tech Litmus Paper to Detect E. Coli
Litmus paper, long known as a low-tech method of testing substances for acidity, might have a new use as a cheap, quick way to test for E. coli, according to researchers at McMaster University in…
Continue Reading Test Uses Low-Tech Litmus Paper to Detect E. Coli
Possible E. Coli Case Reported on Mercer Island
The King County Public Health Department is reporting that a child from the city of Mercer Island, WA, has fallen ill with a presumptive infection of E. coli O157:H7. The child has not been hospitalized.
Continue Reading Possible E. Coli Case Reported on Mercer Island
FSMA Rule Revisions a ‘Huge Win’ for the Organic Sector
Organic food producers are very pleased with the Food and Drug Administration’s revised provisions for the produce safety rule of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). “It’s a huge win,” says Gwendolyn Wyard, regulatory director…
Continue Reading FSMA Rule Revisions a ‘Huge Win’ for the Organic Sector
FDA Releases Four Revised FSMA Rules
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration published its revised provisions to four of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) on Friday morning. Certain aspects of the rules for produce safety, preventive controls for human food,…
Continue Reading FDA Releases Four Revised FSMA Rules
5 of 7 E. coli Cases in Western New York Linked; Source a Mystery
Water is a suspect for five E. coli O157:H7 cases in Livingston County, New York that are related, but tests so far have turned out to be negative. That leaves health officials in western New…
Continue Reading 5 of 7 E. coli Cases in Western New York Linked; Source a Mystery
USDA, EPA Launch Tool to Better Assess Pathogen Risk
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that they have jointly developed a new tool to help “improve the quality of data collected…
Continue Reading USDA, EPA Launch Tool to Better Assess Pathogen Risk
California Farming Communities Threatened by Nitrate Pollution
A quarter-million residents of California’s Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley may be drinking water contaminated with nitrate from fertilizer and animal manure, according to a study released Tuesday by a researchers at the University…
Continue Reading California Farming Communities Threatened by Nitrate Pollution
Obama Touts Food, Water Protections in State of the Union
In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Obama said that while he’s in favor of reforming outdated and unnecessary regulations, he won’t be backing down on food or water safety.
“I’m confident a…
Continue Reading Obama Touts Food, Water Protections in State of the Union
Pennsylvania Residents Blame Biosolids for E. coli in Water
After local well water tested positive for E. coli, residents in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania are blaming biosolids, applied to a nearby farm for the contamination.
Bill Schaffhouser, who has lived near the farm for six…
Continue Reading Pennsylvania Residents Blame Biosolids for E. coli in Water