The raw milk controversy continues to generate press- both in print and in the "blogosphere." Last Thursday on my layover in Minneapolis, this article was on the front page of the Star Tribune. On June 4, the New York Times ran an Op-Ed from Michael Feldman discussing the Wisconsin Governor’s veto of a bill that would
E. coli O157:H7
E. coli O157:H7 and Raw Milk AGAIN – Illnesses in Washington State
The Washington State Department of Health (WDOH) announced today that two recent E. coli O157:H7 infections are connected to the consumption of "raw" unpasteurized milk. According to WDOH "The two cases confirmed this month bring the count of infections this year associated with one Bellingham dairy to eight."
Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is…
2010 Raw Milk Scoreboard – E. coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter
Still not half way through 2010, and we have already seen at least six outbreaks of illness, involving three different dangerous pathogens, tied to raw milk. There have been outbreaks in Minnesota, Nevada, Utah (2), and Pennsylvania, as well as a single outbreak that included illnesses in Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. Raw milk consumers have been…
Food Poisoning Cost 3 Billion Annually – Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 Alone
The USDA, on a new website on May 13, unveiled a cost of food poisoning calculator. To date, the only two pathogens with reported yearly costs estimates are Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7. The combined cost estimate for those two? In excess of $3 Billion.
According to the USDA, the estimates "include assumptions about disease incidence…
Michigan/Ohio E. coli Outbreak Update
To update, two clusters of non-O157:H7 E. coli illnesses in Michigan and Ohio share the same genetic pattern and appear to be linked to a common food item. 10 Washtenaw County (MI) residents have suffered culture confirmed E. coli O145 infections, and the health department is awaiting stool test results on another 14. Meanwhile…
NY Senator Gillibrand to Secretary Vilsack: high time to regulate non-O157 E. coli
Is it mere coincidence that the Marler Clark firm’s petition to FSIS asking it to declare non-O157 strains of E. coli as adulterants in meat (submitted October 2009) is being considered in the midst of at least two outbreaks of non-O157 E. coli (O111 and O145)? Or is it proof that there is actually…
The time is ripe to regulate non-O157 strains of STEC E. coli
Currently, there are at least two outbreaks nationally that involve dangerous strains of E. coli that are not E. coli O157:H7. Michigan and Ohio are investigating at least 13 illnesses that occurred in mid-April, all of which are genetically indistinguishable strains of E. coli O145. (Incidentally, this was one of the strains involved in…
Michigan, Ohio no strangers to E. coli
The ongoing E. coli outbreak in Michigan and Ohio is reminiscent of several other outbreaks, resulting in lots of illnesses, that have occurred in those states in the past several years:
–Of course, residents of both states were sickened by E. coli O157:H7 in the infamous outbreak linked to Dole baby spinach in…
E. coli outbreak in Ohio and Michigan: what’s the common link?
A week ago, we reported on a developing E. coli outbreak in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Notably, the outbreak is not attributable to E. coli O157:H7–the most notorious of all E. coli strains–but it does appear to be a shiga-toxin producing strain of E. coli. Apparently, the outbreak is no longer confined to Washtenaw County…
FDA to announce new produce safety rules
Largely due to a string of E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks linked to lettuce and other leafy greens, the FDA will soon announce new rules (as opposed to voluntary recommendations) for the production and packing of fresh produce. See FDA Produce Rule Announcement. The new rules will set enforceable standards for fresh produce safety at the…