The FDA has published the following warning: Consumers worldwide should not use any ByHeart brand infant formula as all ByHeart products are included in this recall. As we know, as of November 26, 2025, a total of 37 infants with suspected or confirmed infant botulism and confirmed exposure to ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula (various […]
We have been working on ways to keep consumers informed on issues of Food Safety. That is why we have all the below “bug” websites and why I sponsor specifically Food Safety News (FSN) and the Foodborne Illness Outbreak Databse. It is ultimately the free market – consumers being aware of companies with good and […]
I just landed from a 10-hour flight from Istanbul to New York and I have a few moments to update my blog. On the plane I read the interesting CDC study from Scotland on the prevalence of “Secondary Cases” (person-to-person transmission from a primary E. coli O157:H7 infection). The study found that secondary cases constituted […]
Not thoughts so much as the visual experience of the people and the markets. Some food I purchased (spices), and some food I just took pictures of:
The FDA posts company prepared press releases each time there is a recall of product – whether there are illnesses or not. Hazelnut E. coli O157:H7 In the case if DeFranco Hazelnuts, the company proudly notes that the recall is “voluntarily,” although was prompted, “after the nut products were linked to 7 illnesses in the […]
Unilever United States, Inc. today announced a limited recall of Skippy® Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy® Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread, because it may be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune […]
According to AP, a Miami couple and their company face federal charges of importing cheese and other dairy products into the U.S. that were contaminated with Salmonella and other bacteria. Federal prosecutors say 41-year-old Yuri Izurieta and 46-year-old Anneri Izurieta are charged with smuggling and conspiracy. Their company Naver Trading Corp. was also charged. An […]
Being up early here in Istanbul (Morning Prayer call is 5:30 AM and the Minaret is 100 meters away), this press release from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) dropped into my inbox: MDH and MDA are working with counterparts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and federal agencies to investigate […]
Aya Sofya, built by Emperor Justinian, is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, and right outside my window on the Europe side of the Bosphorus. From the date of its dedication in 360 A.D. until 1453, it served as the cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and […]
Sara Rubin of the Monterey County Weekly wrote a thought-provoking story on traceability in the produce industry – “From the Field to the Fork, Tracing the Traceability Issue.” The piece is worth a read – especially some of the quotes: The flipside of protection is increased exposure for the culpable party. After a 2009 salmonella […]
According to press reports, in a testimony before the food agency subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations Phyllis K. Fong, Inspector General of the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) discussed its budget request and recent audit and investigative activities. In a focus on USDA, Fong questioned beef trim sampling practices, recommending that the agency […]
I should have paid attention to being blocked here in Dubai from the BBC website (I suppose it might be my search term, “breast”). Now, after reading the article (there are ways around the block) my faith in some of my fellow humans is being sorely tested. Apparently, ice cream made from human breast milk […]
Don Sharpe, director of CDC – CIFOR (a partnership with U.S. state and local health departments, the USDA, FDA, and PulseNet), Vince Radke, CDC Sanitarian and Ian Wiliams, director of CDC – OutbreakNet, were part of a very interesting discussion on how foodborne illness outbreak investigations are conducted in the Untied States and throughout the […]
After giving my speech this afternoon at the 6th Annual Dubai Food Safety Conference, I was approached by a reporter or Gulf News about my thoughts that the doctor, a restaurant’s cook and a supervisor had been fined Dh10,000 each (about $2,750US), and ordered to jointly pay diyaa or blood money (money or some sort […]
Three years after a Salmonella outbreak, first linked to United States Tomatoes and then Mexican Peppers, that sickened about 1,500 people and claimed two lives, U.S. epidemiologists have learned that speed is of the essence in identifying sources of food contamination and preventing further infection. However, in an editorial accompanying the paper in the February […]
According to press reports, the City of Evanston said Merle’s BBQ Restaurant was the source of a recent food borne illness outbreak that caused 30 people to get sick. The Evanston restaurant was catering parent/teacher conferences at Haven Middle School on Feb. 16, and people reported falling ill shortly after. The Evanston Health Department investigated […]