Brock Spencer of WHOI News (IL) reports that Peoria’s District 150 is pulling some food items off its menu for safety reasons.
In the past six weeks, there have been two separate outbreaks with around 120 kids saying they felt ill after lunch.
At each of those lunches, the district schools served tacos.
Now, the
From field to fork, farm food safety a growing issue
John Seewer of PennLive.com reports that big retailers such as Wal-Mart are encouraging growers to embrace new technology that allows them to more closely track produce with bar codes and scanners. Growers are using bilingual videos and posters to train seasonal workers on proper hygiene. Some small farms are treating the water they use to scrub veggies.
Throughout the food chain there’s more attention to food safety within the last five years because there’s more worry about how an outbreak of illness could cost growers and wholesale buyers millions of dollars.Continue Reading From field to fork, farm food safety a growing issue
Students ill after lunch
The Peoria Journal Star reports that students at five District 150 middle schools went home sick Wednesday after eating lunch, the second time in a little more than a month children fell ill at district schools after lunch.
Thirty-five students became sick after eating their choice of chicken fajitas or turkey and noodles served with golden corn, assorted fruit, milk and juice, said district spokeswoman Stephanie Tate.
Lincoln Middle School was hit the hardest; 15 students complained of stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea and/or a fever.Continue Reading Students ill after lunch
Officials investigating second illness outbreak in Peoria schools
Officials say about 15 students became ill after eating lunch today at a Peoria school. It is the second outbreak in six weeks in the central Illinois city’s public schools.
Authorities say the Lincoln Middle School students complained of upset stomachs and vomiting and were sent home with parents after eating school lunches that included
Restaurant inspections uncommon
Anchorage Daily News reports that grappling with high staff turnover and job vacancies at the local environmental health office, Alaska in 2005 inspected fewer than one in five restaurants, stores and other food-serving establishments in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
The year before that, fewer than one in 10 were inspected.
Kimberly Stryker, associate coordinator for the state Division of Environmental Health food safety and sanitation program, was quoted as saying, “Consumers think that we’re out there more than we are. It’s the sad reality.”
The story adds that when inspections did occur in the Valley over the past two years, many were spurred by complaints from customers who reported food poisoning, rodents and, in one case, a Band-Aid in the spaghetti.Continue Reading Restaurant inspections uncommon
Nutrition know-how
The Vancouver Province recently conducted the following nutrition know-how Q&A:
Q: What are some basic steps to reduce the risk for food poisoning?
A: There are some simple steps you can take to help minimize the risk for food poisoning. Always read the labels for proper food storage and cooking instructions. Cook the food well so it reaches the appropriate internal temperature to kill harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites. After cooking limit the time the food sits at room temperature. Foods should never be kept out of the oven or refrigerator for more than two hours. Defrost foods in the refrigerator, under cold running water, or in the microwave.
Not all harmful bacteria are killed after cooking and can multiply when the food is re-heated or cooling. Re-heating to at least 165 degrees F will help to keep bacteria at bay.Continue Reading Nutrition know-how
Conference attendees come down with mystery illness
W USA 9 News reports that some hotel workers in the District for a convention are being evaluated for stomach ailments. The 53rd International Congress of Hotel Concierges has been under way this week at the Mayflower Hotel. But Thursday night, a few of the 450 attendees began complaining of nausea and vomiting.
Friday morning,
Bad Burgers Make Metro Students Sick
ChannelOklahoma.com reports that several metro middle school students were sick Friday night after eating food that had been left out since before Christmas.
Cafeteria workers at Western Oaks Middle School, in the Putnam City school district, on Northwest 23rd Street made the mistake, officials said. According to reports, the workers left behind a tray of about 25 burgers inside a warmer.
When school resumed after the holiday break, that food was mixed with fish sandwiches and served to students.
Officials said they took immediate action to get the bad food out of the cafeteria rotation. However, 10 students took at least a bite of old hamburger. Some ate the whole thing.Continue Reading Bad Burgers Make Metro Students Sick
Multiple outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness among school children associated
MMWR reports that ten outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness among school children at nine different schools were reported during February 2003–May 2004 to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH). These outbreaks occurred among children who ate lunch provided by the schools and were characterized by short incubation periods and short durations of illness.
The clinical
County investigates jail outbreak: Food-borne illness suspected
The Salinas Californian reports that illness has spread at the Monterey County Jail, leaving about 75 inmates with diarrhea and stomach cramping in what the county Health Department says might be a food-borne outbreak.
Reports of sickness at the jail infirmary started Sunday, and by Monday morning, 20 inmates had complained of diarrhea and bloody stool, the jail announced.
As of Monday night, 75 cases had been reported, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“We’re waiting to see what the cause is,” said Chief Deputy Bert Liebersbach of the custody operations bureau.Continue Reading County investigates jail outbreak: Food-borne illness suspected