This is simply unacceptable. This botulism outbreak, frankly any outbreak that sickens babies, should never have happened. We can do more to protect the most vulnerable. The stork in “operation stork speed” clearly flew into a brick wall and crash landed. This child’s parents bought ByHeart Infant Formula at a Walmart. ByHeart utilized powdered organic […]
Essentially, USDA/FSIS is treating Salmonella as an adulterant in this situation. I mean, it is not a bad idea to protect school kids, but why the differences? While you all were sleeping off your “turkey coma,” I was thinking about why Salmonella is not an adulterant by reading, Michael Ollinger, John Bovay, Casiano Benicio, and […]
Baby Spinach According to the CDC, as of November 15, 2021, a total of 10 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from seven states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from October 15, 2021, to October 27, 2021. Sick people range in age from 2 to 71 years, with a median […]
Remember this as you prepare Thanksgiving for your family and as you read this post – it is Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Mission Statement: Protecting the public’s health by ensuring the safety of meat, poultry, and processed egg products. USDA/FSIS has the authority to deem Salmonella and other pathogens adulterants – they just need […]
Last week the Camden County New Jersey Health Department reported that it had been notified by a health care provider that a food handler employed at a Starbucks at 1490 Blackwood Clementon Road in Gloucester Township tested positive for hepatitis A and worked through the infectious period. On Wednesday, Nov. 17, the Department of Health was […]
In 2011 I wrote: Last week the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall of ground turkey products due to “possible” Salmonella contamination. According to the press release, “Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation, a Springdale, Ark. establishment, is recalling approximately 36 million pounds of ground turkey products that may be contaminated with a […]
Well, my flight to DC was delayed – no pilots – and this press release landed in my inbox. I have known Dr, Esteban for a long time and look forward to his leadership. WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2021 — “Dr. Esteban has a deep understanding of USDA’s commitment to protect the health of the public […]
Alison Graham and the Roanoke Times told a story of an unnecessary hepatitis A outbreak. Thanks for doing the story. The Vests spent the last few weeks of their 40-year marriage in and out of the hospital. At first, Larry Vest, 77, ran a low fever and felt tired. After a few tests at his […]
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) shows: Seafood 168 Isolates (155 clinical, 13 “seafood manufacturer”) Distance between selected isolates: minimum = 0 SNPs, maximum = 4 SNPs, average = 1 SNPs Target creation date range: 2020-07-07 to 2021-11-08 seafood 11_10_2021 – Full Tree Onions 872 isolates (871 clinical, 1 “mixed produce”) Group: PDG000000002.2326 Cluster: PDS000094913.38 Distance […]
This afternoon, the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD) announced that RCAHD has identified a total of 50 confirmed primary cases and 2 secondary cases. There have been at least 31 hospitalizations and unfortunately 3 deaths. RCAHD stresses that hepatitis A is a preventable disease. RCAHD urges everyone to consistently practice good hand washing […]
I will spare you the list of hepatitis A cases that I have been involved with since 1998 when I represented 30 people exposed in a Seattle, Washington Subway restaurant, including one child who suffered acute liver failure requiring an emergency liver transplant. There have been dozens in the last 23 years, many with tragic […]
Thank you ProPublica for the searing story about industry’s and government’s failures: “America’s Food Safety System Failed to Stop a Salmonella Epidemic. It’s Still Making People Sick” I filed the petition more than a year ago, on Jan. 19, 2020, with USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), on behalf of Rick Schiller, Steven Romes, […]
Ya gotta love science. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) shows: Sushi 163 Isolates (150 clinical, 13 “environmental swab from seafood manufacturer”) Distance between selected isolates: minimum = 0 SNPs, maximum = 5 SNPs, average = 1 SNPs Target creation date range: 2019-01-28 to 2021-10-15 The sushi outbreak cluster is within a much larger cluster […]
49 cases and 1 secondary case of Hepatitis-A have been connected to an outbreak that started with the diagnosis of a restaurant employee. There has been at least 31 hospitalized and 1 reported death. Unfortunately, another death will be reported shortly. We are now representing 23 Roanoke residents. But according to the Roanoke City and Alleghany […]
Here are guides – especially for parents – of the four food borne pathogens I see most frequently. E. coli E. coli are bacteria that can cause serious, sometimes fatal, infections in humans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that E. coli causes 2,000 hospitalizations in the United States each year.Ten percent […]
The last few weeks have sounded remarkably familiar to Spring 2020 when we faced a nationwide (and Canada) Salmonella outbreak linked to California grown onions. We are now facing a similar outbreak – smaller at this point (over 650 vs over 1,600 sickened) – but it will be interesting to see if the root cause […]