The Honorable Bill Cassidy, M.D., ChairmanThe Honorable Bernie Sanders, Ranking MemberCommittee on Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsUnited States Senate428 Senate Dirksen Office BuildingWashington, DC 20510 Re: Finish what the Senate started — botulism in infant formula, the shared milk and powdered-milk supply behind two outbreaks, and the case for hearings and parent testimony Dear Chairman Cassidy, […]
In July 2010, CDC identified a nationwide sustained increase in the number of Salmonella Enteritidis isolates with PFGE pattern JEGX01.0004 uploaded to PulseNet, the national subtyping network made up of state and local public health laboratories and federal food regulatory laboratories that performs molecular surveillance of foodborne infections. This increase began in May 2010 and […]
William Neuman of the New York Times got Dr. Hagen on record this week in his article, “Beef Recall Heats Up Fight to Tighten Rules:” Dr. Hagen has yet to say publicly what she plans to do. But in a written statement provided to The New York Times, she said, “In order to best prevent […]
We compiled a bit of data and some cool charts to try and see the differences between the last two years of the Bush administration and the first two years of the Obama term. Download all the slides here – Obama v Bush
In less than two weeks (on September 14) the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, headed by Representatives Dingell (D-MI), Waxman (D-CA), and Stupak (D-MI), will hold what has become an annual event–yet another hearing on the failings ofm the food industry to provide consumers safe food. In 2007 the Committee held hearings […]
The CDC estimates that “non-O157 STECs (like O26, O45, 0103, O111, O121, and O145) cause 36,700 illnesses, 1,100 hospitalizations and 30 deaths in America each year.” And, with the outbreak of E. coli O26 in Cargill hamburger that was announced last weekend, I frankly fail to see what more needs to be said to convince […]
At the PulseNet conference here in Chicago there was a lot of discussion as to what happened to Stewart Parnell, the CEO of the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), who was responsible for 714 ill and nine deaths, which until this DeCoster Egg recall, was one of the larger Salmonella outbreaks in recent memory. Nearly […]
Our fourth food poisoning lawsuit was filed today in the enormous egg recall and Salmonella outbreak tied to two Iowa egg farms. The lawsuit was filed against Quality Egg (doing business as Wright County Egg) in the Northern District Court of Iowa, Western Division just as the FDA released its report on Wright County Egg […]
As I was boarding a plane to Chicago, my inbox filled up with Wright County Egg’s and Hillandale Farm’s first every FDA inspection – the so called 483. Here are the highlights (more like lowlights) of Wright County Egg. Frankly, it was hard to read this one. I’ll leave Hillandale’s for another day. If you […]
I am heading to Chicago to attend two E. coli O157:H7 mediations and the annual CDC PulseNet conference, and just got the chance to read Mr. Schneider’s “USDA Lax on E. Coli Strain Linked to Beef Recall.” I would urge all to do so.
In a letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack on August 18, 2010, J. Patrick Boyle, President and CEO of AMI stated “outbreaks associated with non-O157:H7 STECs in various foods have been documented, but no reported outbreak in the U.S. has been confirmed to be directly linked to beef products.” Really J. Pat? Interestingly, The CDC estimates that […]
I know realistically that raising a few chickens for eggs in my backyard (presently in the guest room shower) will not change what happened over the last few weeks with the US Egg Industry. And, I know that the eggs are not necessarily safer, but I felt I needed to do something other than sue […]
In light of this weekends recall by Cargill Meat Solutions of approximately 8,500 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O26, and the sickening of three people, it is time for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to deem another six “enterohemorrhagic […]
In another late Friday night press release, FSIS announced that Cargill Meat Solutions Corp., a Wyalusing, Pa. establishment, is recalling approximately 8,500 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O26. FSIS became aware of the problem on August 5, 2010 when the agency was notified by the Maine Department of […]
I was visting my clients, Linda and Richard Rivera, in San Francisco today where Linda is in her 15th month of hospitalization from an E. coli O157:H7 infection. She has become, in my mind at least, the reason that S. 510 must pass and the President must sign sweeping food safety legislation now. We […]
Fruiti Pops, Inc. of Santa Fe Springs has recalled its mamey frozen fruit bars because of a possible link to a rare U.S. outbreak of typhoid fever. The company said Thursday that the fruit bars were distributed in California, Arizona and Texas since May 2009. Fruiti Pops says retail stores, ice cream trucks and vending […]