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 […]
A few days ago, “Down Under” a.k.a. Australia, my friend, food safety guru, and for some strange reason, eater of raw shellfish, Dr. Julian Cox, was speaking about the risk of pregnant women consuming unpasteurized juice or cider and tahini or hummus. The risk to the mother and the baby is Listeria, which can spread […]
I was managing the barbecue last night cooking chicken breasts. Of course, before they hit the grill, I had carefully removed them from the plastic-covered tray from the store, and placed them into a triple-strength plastic bag to marinate a bit. I washed my hands and counters along the way and dried all with paper […]
In March, the Southern Nevada Health District announced it was working with its federal partners to investigate reports of acute non-viral hepatitis in Clark County. The Health District initially received reports of five cases of severe acute non-viral hepatitis in children between November 23, 2020, and December 3, 2020. Since its initial investigation, the Health […]
Several years ago I spent several weeks in Australia and New Zealand giving a series of speeches on food safety – “why it is a bad idea to poison your customers.” One of the many sayings from “down under” that I learned to enjoy was “good on ya” when someone did some especially well. LGMA, […]
According to the USDA ERS: Foodborne illnesses from different pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and parasites) cause a variety of health effects, ranging from a few days of diarrhea to more serious outcomes such as kidney failure, cognitive impairment, and even death. Since the mid-1990s, the USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) has estimated the economic cost of […]
Norovirus – See informational video When someone talks about having “the stomach flu,” they are probably describing acute-onset gastroenteritis caused by one of the noroviruses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that noroviruses cause nearly 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis annually, making noroviruses the leading cause of gastroenteritis in adults in the United […]
Guillain-Barré Syndrome Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a disorder in which the body’s immune response, typically to an infection, causes nerve damage. The syndrome is rare, affecting about one to two people in 100,000 each year. It can present as a very mild case of brief weakness to devastating paralysis, affecting the muscles that allow a person […]
Plainville Brands (Poultry Processing, Poultry Slaughter) from Pennsylvania source of some of the ground turkey sold nationwide. As of April 12, 2021, 28 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Hadar have been reported from 12 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from December 28, 2020, to March 4, 2021. Sick people range in […]
I made it into Nation’s Restaurant News this weekend. Restaurants, change is coming to the salad bar With little fanfare last week, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it would take “two important steps to advance the safety of leafy greens.” Although the announcement was quiet, the impact on how leafy greens will be […]
Feel free to utilize the material and/or link to the sites. With our own work over the last 28 years (yes, it has been that long) and with the help of dozens of experts throughout the world, we have been updating our informational sites over the last 12 months. We just finished the last one […]
I am pleased to support and participate in the second South Arica Food Safety Summit June 8 and 9, 2021. Since it is virtual, I urge world-wide participation – https://foodsafetysummit.co.za/#top Our inaugural 2020 Summit focussed on all the lessons we have learned during this global pandemic. Although the pandemic is still top of mind, we […]
“This reoccurring pathogenic E. coli strain therefore appears to be a reasonably foreseeable hazard in the California Central Coast leafy greens growing region, and specifically of concern in the South Monterey County area of the Salinas Valley growing area. Farms subject to the FSMA Produce Safety Rule are required to take all measures reasonably necessary to identify, and not […]
Since 1984, the Legal Foundation of Washington has distributed more than $200 million to Washington’s legal aid community. The Legal Foundation of Washington is a non-profit created by the Washington Supreme Court to build support for civil legal aid across the state. I hope others step up.
This weekend I continued to work on the Parker and Jarboe E. coli cases – both linked to the consumption of tainted romaine lettuce that was caused by E. coli O157:H7 contaminated cattle feces in the environment. I was also considering what our next move – short of litigation – might be on the quest […]
I am speaking (virtually) at the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) Conference this week: https://www.fdli.org/2021/03/2021-food-and-dietary-supplement-safety-and-regulation-conference-agenda/. My guess is that there will be a few FDA and FSIS people in attendance. My roll is to bring some reality about why it is a bad idea to poison your customers and what the FDA and FSIS leadership […]