The 2010 NARMS (National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System) Report (FULL REPORT PDF) fell into my inbox today. According to the Report, for 2010, 5,280 retail meat samples were collected from 10 CDC FoodNet sites, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Tennessee and the Pennsylvania Department
Obama and Vilsack Bow to Produce Lobbyists and Eliminate Program to Test for Food-Borne Diseases
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
A Decade of Bad Sprouts
DECEMBER 2011
Multistate Jimmy John’s Restaurants Raw Clover Sprouts 2011
Organism: Non-O157 STEC
Vehicle: Vegetables, Sprouts, Clover Sprouts
On February 15, 2012, the Centers for Disease Control announced an ongoing investigation into illnesses linked to the consumption of raw clover sprouts consumed at Jimmy John’s Restaurants in several states. Among 11 ill persons
Clostridium perfringens cause of S.D. Basketball Taco outbreak
Laboratory testing by the Department of Health has identified Clostridium perfringens as the cause of the outbreak associated with the Pierre-Mitchell high school boys’ basketball game held in Pierre January 31. The investigation, which included voluntary questionnaires, implicated the tacos as the source food of the outbreak – of those completing questionnaires, 75% who ate
Taco Bell Should Learn From A Long History of Food Outbreaks
The other day I said to MSNBC:
“I think it just proves the point that it is always better to be transparent,” said Bill Marler, a Seattle food safety lawyer who used his blog to lobby vigorously for the release of the name. “Taco Bell could have looked like a hero by coming out and saying that
Food Safety News: No Raw Milk Link, No Brucellosis in Massachusetts
Food Safety News reports, a Massachusetts resident who first tested positive for brucellosis has now been confirmed to not have the infection, according to an email from the assistant commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR).
“While initial test results did show up positive, further, more specific and accurate testing by the CDC
Safe Workers = Safe Food
When AP reported this week that an owner of Jensen Farms was being fined by the U.S. Department of Labor for failing to provide safe migrant worker housing, I must admit even I was a bit shocked. Could it be that an owner of a business that allowed the deadly fecal bacteria Listeria to coat
2011: A Bad Year for E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella Outbreaks
Don Julio Mexican Restaurant December 2011 – 59 ill. A salmonellosis outbreak was linked to eating at the Don Julio’s Mexican Restaurant in Corinth, Mississippi. A food producer or supplier did not appear to be the cause. The food vehicle and the contributing factors were not described as of December 16.
The Twelve Days of Food Safety Christmas – Marler Style
On the first day of Christmas my food maker gave to me: Listeria in a cantaloupe.
On the second day of Christmas my food maker gave to me: Two pounds of Ground Turkey, and Listeria in a Cantaloupe.
On the third day of Christmas my food maker gave to me: Three Tainted Papayas
An E. coli and Salmonella 2011 Feast – Lettuce, Chicken Liver, Pine Nuts, Turkey Burger, Papayas, Sprouts and Strawberries
Certainly not a complete list of foodborne illness outbreaks, but there sure are a variety.
Romaine Lettuce – E. coli O157:H7
A total of 60 due to the outbreak strain of E. coli serotype O157:H7 have been reported from 10 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Arizona (1)