The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services today issued its bi-weekly summary report on lead testing in Flint. Preliminary data indicate that 43 of 2,182 adults and children tested had elevated blood lead levels since Oct. 1. “In partnership with the Genesee County Health Department, we are working to
Continue Reading Flint Water and Citizens Contain Lead
FDA Releases Draft EIS on Produce Safety Rule
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 proposed rule that could significantly affect the environment: the definition of covered farms, water quality
Continue Reading FDA Releases Draft EIS on Produce Safety Rule
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 Ontario. The researchers correlated levels of E. coli bacteria with pH values represented by the
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. The city has been under multiple water boil advisories for possible E. coli contamination, including
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 of Organic Standards and Food Safety with the Organic Trade Association (OTA). These changes are
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, preventive controls for animal food, and Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) have been modified to
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 York State with a bit of a mystery. As first reported on Aug. 20,
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 and used to protect consumers from pathogen-related risks in food and water.”
The Microbial Risk
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 of California, Davis. As a result, these people who live and work in one of
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 farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder,” said
Continue Reading Obama Touts Food, Water Protections in State of the Union