I asked our AI friends – What are the pros and cons of replacing FDA Commissioner Makary with me – here is the response? This is a very timely question — Makary resigned as FDA Commissioner today, May 12, 2026, amid reports of internal tensions and policy clashes, with the vaping dispute reportedly being a […]
In the same week that reports of the settlements of spinach-releated death cases were announced, millions of dollars for California citrus growers were OK’d by congressional negotiators on Monday as part of a massive spending bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill contains: $20 million for citrus farmers in California to rehabilitate […]
The ongoing pet food recall by the Food and Drug Administration has now expanded to pork and poultry. According to an FDA report, five states including California have quarantined hog farms and one poultry farm in Missouri due to concerns that feed was contaminated with melamine, the ingredient linked to kidney failure in dogs and […]
Answer – Congressional Hearings Full Hearing Written Testimony and Podcast Here Andrew Bridge of the Associated Press wrote today of Congressman Stupak’s led panel shines spotlight on food safety. Part of the story is below, the rest of the story (whether Congress actually does something) has still not been written. Families victimized by tainted spinach […]
The agency acknowledged the need for change but said it couldn’t have prevented illnesses linked to peanut butter and spinach. Elizabeth Williamson of the Washington Post wrote an interesting article about what FDA may have know and if they chose to ignore problems or simply did not have the manpower or mandate to do anything […]
“A Diminished Capacity: Can the FDA Assure the Safety and Security of the Nation’s Food Supply?” My name is William Marler. My law firm Marler Clark, located in Seattle, Washington, specializes in foodborne diseases, especially E. coli, Salmonella, Hepatitis A, Campylobacter, Shigella, Norovirus, and Listeria. Unfortunately, we at Marler Clark have been “in business” since […]
I’m off to Washington D.C. on Monday to attend the following hearing. I was there in January pitching hearings on the safety (or lack of it) of our food supply. I posted on January 5, 2007. I am working on my written testimony and hope to post it here either later tonight or Monday. Despite […]
E. coli and little league baseball should not mix. I can not imagine why a system seems to use kids as guniea pigs to figure out when an E. coli outbreak is happening. It will be interesting to see if Richwood Meat tested for E. coli prior to it being shipped to customers in at […]
Tom Ragan of the Santa Cruz Sentinel called yesterday asking what was the status of the Dole Spinach Litigation: The family of an 81-year-old Nebraska woman who died after eating spinach grown at a San Benito County ranch has reached an undisclosed settlement – the first announced agreement in what could be a long line […]
E. coli? Interesting stories from different coasts: Ground beef hamburger patties recalled in California A voluntary recall is underway for dozens of brands of frozen ground beef patties. State health officials said meat produced by Richwood Meat Company of Merced may be contaminated with E. coli. The meat is sold at Winco Foods, Vons, and […]
KCAL SANTA ANA reported that: The health permit of a Lake Forest eatery linked to an E. coli infection outbreak, which affected 14 customers and one employee, was reinstated Thursday. The Foothill Ranch restaurant voluntarily closed on April 6, after reports that several people who ate at the restaurant from March 23-25 reported getting sick, […]
Montco man, 19 others drop suits to negotiate over E. coli illnesses Patrick Lester of The Morning Call wrote this morning: A Montgomery County man and others sickened by an E. coli outbreak at Taco Bell last year could receive out-of-court settlements ranging from $25,000 to $500,000 from the fast-food restaurant chain, an attorney said. […]
Karoun Demirjian of the Chicago Tribune Washington Bureau reported on a Senate hearing last week: Pet food recall has lawmakers examining flaws – Senator Durbin calls safety procedures ‘broken’ Cans of dog food and anecdotes about the family cat are usually out of place at Senate hearings, but that’s what lawmakers talked about Thursday as […]
Produce firm names winners of E coli research grants A scientific advisory panel assembled by Fresh Express, a California produce company, has selected nine research teams to receive awards up to $250,000 each to study how to keep Escherichia coli O157:H7 from contaminating fresh produce. In January 2007, Fresh Express, which produces bagged salads and […]
Morning Edition, April 12, 2007 · Lettuce and spinach crops are in the ground now in California’s Salinas Valley. They’ll soon be arriving as pre-washed bagged leafy greens at your local supermarket. But after last fall’s big E. coli outbreak in spinach that sickened 200 people and killed three, the big question is, are those […]
From Times Staff Reports April 13, 2007 A 15th person has tested positive for E. coli linked to the outbreak originating at a Foothill Ranch restaurant, authorities said Thursday. The latest victim, a young adult who ate at the restaurant March 23, was not hospitalized, an Orange County Health Care Agency spokesman said. Fourteen of […]