February 2012

sprout donation.jpgToday the FDA announced the formation of the Sprout Safety Alliance, in partnership with the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute for Food Safety and Health.  The goal–the identification and implementation of best practices for sprout production–is a laudable one given the product’s history over the last year.  See Jimmy Johns E. coli O26 Outbreak

Matt Bewig

Bowing to industry lobbying, the Obama administration has proposed eliminating a program that tests fresh produce for food-borne diseases like the listeria outbreak in cantaloupe that killed 36 people in 2011. The USDA microbiological data program (MDP), created by the administration of President George W. Bush in 2001, collects fresh produce

On Friday, Michigan was thrown into the multi-state mix (Wisconsin, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri) of states with illnesses in the most recent Jimmy Johns sprouts outbreak.  The announcement was the there were 2 Michigan residents whose illnesses were confirmed E. coli O26, matching the Jimmy Johns outbreak strain, with another 5 “suspect” cases.  

Taco Bell – “Mexican-style fast-food restaurant chain – Chain A” – Salmonella Outbreak

A 22-year-old Oklahoma woman contracted salmonella after eating at Taco Bell has sued the fast-food company. Leah Smith became sick while attending a University of Oklahoma football game last fall, two days after eating at a Taco Bell in Norman. She was

The Michigan departments of Community Health (MDCH) and Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) are issuing a public health alert regarding illness shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) from infections among people who have reported raw clover sprouts consumption in mid and southeast Michigan. At this time, MDCH is recommending that people avoid consumption of