At least 35 players and several coaches from the Illinois State football team became ill with apparent food poisoning. The illnesses caused many of the players to miss practice. In addition, it seems that whatever caused the players to become ill has spread to other individuals on Illinois State’s campus.
According to a report
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has been pushing for over a decade to get out the message on the risk to at risk-populations of contracting the Listeria bacteria from cold cuts of meat, such as hot dogs and deli meat. The CDC urges those over the age of 50, and especially those over 65
Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture´s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a press release announcing that it has posted a set of draft compliance guidelines to help small and very small meat and poultry manufacturers reduce harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. The guidance aims to
How about a little good news for a change? The CDC announced today, in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the results of a study indicating a decline in the incidence of a.jpg)
number of high-profile foodborne pathogens:
In comparison with the first 3 years of surveillance (1996–1998), sustained declines in the reported incidence of
In her blog at eFoodAlert.com, Phyllis Entis today discussed France’s approach, or lack thereof, to letting the food-consuming public know about foodborne threats to their health. The story arose from an outbreak of staphylococcal enterotoxin contained within three batches of cheese that were made using unpasteurized milk (aka "raw milk") from a single milk
Over at the Des Moines Register, Phil Brasher has written a great piece on Marler Clark’s efforts to create a searchable foodborne illness outbreak database.
The nation’s top private food regulators, otherwise known as the Marler Clark law firm out of Seattle, are putting together a database for tracking food-borne illness. That’s something you
Over the last several years, there have been multiple outbreaks linked to, and recalls of, various kinds of spices. From white pepper, to red pepper, to black pepper and beyond, spices are a potentially ideal vehicle for the transmission of foodborne disease. More and more people are becoming ill from contaminated spices, and more and more recalls are occurring. So is this problem merely an emerging threat? Or is it a problem that food producers must confront here and now, finding ways to better ensure the safety of the consumers they profit from.
Spice outbreaks in recent history:
1. Veggie Booty
In May 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began a multi-state investigation in response to an increase in laboratory reports, first posted on PulseNet on April 2, 2007, of Salmonella Wandsworth. Salmonella Wandsworth is a very rare serotype that was never before implicated in a U.S. outbreak. As of September 6, 2007, there were 69 reported cases of Salmonella Wandsworth in 23 states and 14 cases of Salmonella Typhimurium in six states who became ill after consuming Veggie Booty, a puffed vegetable snack food with a raw, dried vegetable coating. A total of 61 bags of Veggie Booty were ultimately tested in twelve states. Salmonella was isolated from thirteen of them. Eleven of the thirteen bags were positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella Wandsworth, and one bag was positive for Salmonella Typhimurium and Enterobacter sakazakii. One bag also tested positive for Salmonella Kentucky, and Salmonella Haifa and Saintpaul were isolated from other bags.
The Union International Food outbreak sickened more than 79 people in Western states between December 2008 and April 2009; the majority of the illnesses were in California. Public health officials traced the outbreak to white pepper manufactured by Union International and sold under the brand names Uncle Chen and Lian How. Ultimately the company recalled more than 50 products, including spices, oils, and sauces, due to potential contamination with Salmonella.
3. Wholesome Spice Company and Overseas Spice
This outbreak and recall is, of course, still going on. According to the CDC just days ago, 238 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Montevideo, which displays either of two closely related pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns, have been reported from 44 states and District of Columbia since July 1, 2009. Epidemiological investigation showed that these 238 sick people all ate Daniele Inc salami products contaminated by salmonella. Daniele used salmonella-contaminated pepper in the production of the various kinds of recalled salami.
4. Today’s recall of Johnny’s brand French dip au jus powder?
Will the Johnny’s recall, announced today out of Tacoma, Washington, be another recall or outbreak to add to this list? The ingredient list for the recalled prodcut states that it contains: ‘MSG, Wheat, Soy & Milk; Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (corn, soy, wheat), yeast extract, salt, rice flour, monosodium glutamate, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soy & cottonseed), caramel color, whey solids, non-fat milk solids, mono & diglycerides." Only time will tell, hopefully, what happened at Johnny’s to prompt today’s recall. Spices? Certainly possible.
The historical trend:
These kinds of events naturally prompt the question why are we suddenly seeing outbreaks and recalls linked to pepper and other spices. Is this truly a new phenomenon; a new species of failure by food importers and producers?
Continue Reading Spices: emerging threat or clear and present danger?
So how does the principle of strict liability–i.e. liability without regard to fault–which is applicable in foodborne illness cases, apply to bottles of Tylenol that make people sick? The answer: very well.
For some background, Johnson & Johnson today expanded its recall of various Tylenol products, which, like many food items, are regulated by
The USA Today reported today that "Federal agencies that supply food for 31 million schoolchildren [Food and Nutrition Service] fail to ensure that tainted products are pulled quickly from cafeterias." The audit, which was conducted by Congress’s Government Accountability Office, concluded that "The delays raise the risk of children being sickened by contaminated food," according to the USA Today.
The GAO
I haven’t been in half as many living rooms as the partners at Marler Clark have, but I’ve certainly seen a lot of suffering over the past six years, doing what we do. Kids on dialysis; adults suffering in the miserable comfort of a hospital bed after having big pieces of their intestines surgically removed