A second lawsuit stemming from the current Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli) recall by JBS Swift Beef Company was filed today in the US District Court, Eastern District of Washington. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the family of a young Selah-area child who fell ill with an E. coli infection after eating the
First Responders In Foodborne Disease Outbreaks Now Have Common Guidelines To Work With
The last time anybody counted, there were 2,864 local health departments operating in every state except Rhode Island. Some are units of state governments, cities and counties operate many, and others are a state-local hybrid.
To think that the so-called “first responders” on the frontlines of food-borne illness outbreaks would ever be on the “same
E. sakazakii infection from powdered infant formula: Know the risks
In early May of 2007, the Center for Acute Disease Epidemiology (CADE) of the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) was notified that a two-week-old premature infant had been diagnosed with Enterobacter sakazakii (E. sakazakii) infection. The child, a twin, was born at a low birth weight, and was fed a mixture of powdered infant formula
William Marler Op-ed: Dave Theno had it right – Secretaries Vilsack and Sebelius should pay attention
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Lauren Beth Rudolph died on December 28, 1992 in her mother’s arms due to complications of an E. coli O157:H7 infection – Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. She was only 6 years, 10 months, and 10 days old when she died. Her death, the deaths of three other children, and the sicknesses of 600 others, were eventually
The Next Foodborne Threat? MRSA infections from contaminated meat
In an interesting article published online today, the author discusses the growing threat to the public health posed by the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in our food supply. See Stephanie Woodard, Concerns Over Superbugs in our Food Supply, available at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31766160/ns/health-food_safety/ Although this threat is not new, nor are the warnings be raised about it, I thought it was worth raising the issue here in light of the article posted yesterday about Legislative efforts to restrict the widespread use of antibiotics in food animals. (To read that article, see here: www.foodpoisonjournal.com/2009/07/articles/food-poisoning-watch/antibiotic-use-in-food-animals-addressed-by-house-committee/#comments ) I think that one passage in particular is worth paying attention to, because it shows just how far we need to go to both understand this growing risk, but to stop it.
Until recently, the CDC has acknowledged the presence of MRSA in meat but downplayed the danger. In 2008, then CDC director Julie Louise Gerberding, MD, MPH, wrote that foodborne transmission of MRSA is "possible" but, if it happens, "likely accounts for a very small proportion of human infections in the US." Liz Wagstrom, DVM, assistant vice president of science and technology for the National Pork Board, agrees, saying that this kind of transmission would be extremely rare. Neither group could provide an estimate when queried by Prevention, but considering the high numbers of MRSA infections, even a tiny percentage could be a lot of people.
One reason the CDC and the National Pork Board must guess about transmission rates — and why we don’t know exactly how many MRSA-related infections occur — is that the federal government doesn’t collect data on MRSA outbreaks, says Karen Steuer, director of government operations for the Pew Environment Group. According to the US Government Accountability Office, there’s no testing for MRSA on farms. And the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System tests just 400 retail cuts of meat each month for four drug-resistant bacteria — which don’t include MRSA.
To read more, please click on the Continue Reading link.Continue Reading The Next Foodborne Threat? MRSA infections from contaminated meat
FDA Reports New Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough E. coli O157:H7 Numbers – 76 Sickened in 31 States, 11 with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
According to the FDA, as of July 10, the CDC reports that 76 persons from 31 states have been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. Thirty-five persons have been hospitalized, 11 with a severe complication called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome.
Consent Degree Reached Between Listeria Plagued Peregrina Cheese Inc. & FDA; Brooklyn Factory To Remain Open; Now Recalls Everything Since March 17, 2009
Brooklyn’s Listeria plagued Peregrina Cheese Inc. and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York have entered into a 16-page Consent Degree with many requirements—including the recall of all food products the food company has distributed since March 17, 2009.
The Consent Degree was filed with the U.S. District Court for Eastern New York on
Antibiotic use in food animals addressed by House committee
The New York Times reports on yesterday’s House Committee on Rules hearing on "H.R. 1549 – Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2009." In today’s article, titled, “Administration Seeks to Restrict Antibiotics in Livestock,” the Times refers to testimony by FDA Deputy Commissioner, Joshua M. Sharfstein, M.D.
In his testimony
Is the Convenience of Bagged Spinach and Lettuce Worth the E. coli Bacteria Risk and Damage to the Environment?
A battle for the soul of agriculture is being waged in California in a new sort of green revolution — and counter-revolution. Jackson West
"If we want to have bagged spinach and lettuce available 24/7, 12 months of the year, it comes with costs," lawyer Bill Marler told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Marler would know
More Doubletalk from USDA on E. coli and Swift Meat Recall
Blatantly (and self-servingly) rewriting history, in Friday’s Wall Street Journal, the USDA is reported as stating the following:
The USDA has been considering for more than a year a policy change that would allow whole beef cuts to be considered "adulterated" — and thus subject to recall — even if they aren’t "intended for use in ground beef," according to Daniel Engeljohn, a deputy assistant administrator for USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, or FSIS.
The policy change is still under consideration, he said.
See Bill Tomson, U.S. Beef Safety Plan Languishes Amid New Illnesses, Wall Street Journal, July 10, 2009, see: online.wsj.com/article/SB124725846273124757.html
Despite the fact that it has been pressed on the problem for over eight years, the USDA is now trying to act as if the serious risk of E. coli O157:H7 contamination of primal and subprimals, so-called intact cuts of meat, is a recent problem that is currently subject to ongoing policy review. This, to put it mildly (and aptly), is a bunch of cow-sh*t. Confusion has reigned since the FSIS E. coli O157:H7 policy on intact vs. non-intact meat was first announced on January 19, 1999. See 64 Fed. Reg. No. 11, 2803-05, see ftp.resource.org/gpo.gov/register/1999/1999_2805.pdf (hereinafter “Intact Meat Policy Statement)”.
For a complete and accurate history of how long this issue has been before the USDA, without it taking any action to address the risk, please click on the Continue Reading link.Continue Reading More Doubletalk from USDA on E. coli and Swift Meat Recall