The CDC reports: Shigellosis is a nationally notifiable diarrheal illness caused by gram-negative bacteria. Shigella infection is spread through fecal-oral transmission and sexual contact. Although most infections are self-limited, antibiotics are indicated for severe illness or to reduce transmission in settings with high risk for spread. Since 2015, a growing proportion of cases has been caused by […]
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." In speaking about the recent E. coli O145 outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, Patricia M. Griffin, chief of CDC’s Enteric Diseases Epidemiology branch, said it is likely that E. […]
I love Economists. Actually, one of my three BA’s was in Economics. When you look at the cost of just two bugs that the Economic Research Service (ERS) looked at, you have to wonder why we do not demand more from the corporations who feed us and the government that is supposed to regulate them? The […]
With raw milk in the news nearly everyday, I thought supporting a website that offered unbiased facts on the pros and cons of consuming raw milk products would be useful in the raw milk debate. More than anything, I wanted to be able to have a place where parents could “find out the answers to […]
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand last week introduced new legislation to require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to regulate the six currently unregulated strains of E. coli proven to cause food-borne illnesses. In addition to the most common form of E. coli that is already regulated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has […]
There seems to be no middle ground in the debate over raw milk. On the one side, you have farmers happy to sell a product for $10 to $18 a gallon, and consumers who believe that they are purchasing a product that is not only more healthful but will also cure everything from allergies to […]
The Foodborne Illness Outbreak Database is up and running and we continue to add to it (frankly, hard to keep up with all the reported outbreaks and recalls) and improve it with your comments. Thanks.
David Dinsmore of the Town Talk of Alexandria and Pineville Louisiana continues to report on the tragedy surrounding an outbreak of illnesses that sickened more than 40 people and killed three patients at Central Louisiana State Hospital. Mr. Dinsmore reports that test results found the third most common cause of food poisoning — clostridium perfringens […]
I have decided this week that the Tea Party movement is right – business and government in the U.S.A. are a bunch of damn socialists – at least they are when poisoning consumers and investigating outbreaks. First, full disclosure. When I am not channeling Rupert Murdoch in my role as publisher at Food Safety News, […]
The CDC reports a total of 28 individuals infected with a matching strain of Salmonella Newport have been reported from 10 states since March 1, 2010. The number of ill people identified in each state with this strain is as follows: AZ (2), CA (14), CO (1), ID (3), IL (1), MO (1), NM (1), […]
I need to add two more bacterial outbreaks to my growing list of seven since January 2010. This just landed in my inbox from the Washington State Department of Agriculture – E. coli update: new illnesses point out potential raw milk hazards – Patients say they drank milk from Whatcom County dairy Two recent infections […]
There have now been at least seven outbreaks of illness, involving three different dangerous pathogens, tied to raw milk since January 2010. There have been outbreaks in Minnesota, Nevada, Utah (2), New York and Pennsylvania, as well as a single outbreak that included illnesses in Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. Raw milk consumers have been sickened […]
(From a company press release) – organicgirl Produce is voluntarily recalling a limited number of cases of 10 oz organicgirl Baby Spinach with an expired Use-by Date of May 22 and Product Code 11A061167 because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The recall includes only 336 cases of the 10 oz. package […]
What can one lawyer do to change a food safety system that doesn’t do much to keep people safe? If you’re Bill Marler, spend over a half million dollars of your own money funding an independent study to try and make the USDA take action. Bill Marler is a name people in the food industry […]
A BILL to amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to revise the definition of the term ‘‘adulterated’’ to include contamination with E. coli.
William Neuman’s article “In E. Coli Fight, Some Strains Are Largely Ignored,” went live a few moments ago. It will be interesting to see if this prompts a serious reassessment by our government of the real risks of non-O157:H7’s. Although Mr. Neuman’s article will be read by a few more millions of people than our […]