In a televised interviewyesterday, Bill Marler voiced criticism of the proposed cut of an important USDA food safety program in the new Federal budget. The program is called the Microbiological Data Program. Through the program, USDA officials randomly test vegetables from all over the country for the presence of harmful bacteria. Companies are informed of problem
Amidst its attempts to de-regulate locally produced foods entirely, will New Hampshire legislature consider an insurance requirement?
Or is insurance, too, beneath the “live free or die” mantra that is currently being taken to the extreme by a few folks in New Hampshire. Food freedom is one thing, but de-regulating what I’m sure is a sizeable industry in the state is not without its problems. The Legislature seems comfortable with the safety
Bacillus cereus identified as cause of Kentucky Zappos outbreak that sickened 58 in December
A total of 58 employees who worked at the Zappos plant in Bullit County, Kentucky were infected by a bacteria called Bacillus cereus in December. At least twenty-nine sought medical attention, but nobody was hospitalized.
With the full cooperation of Zappos and the contracted caterer, Materson’s, the health department has completed an investigation into the matter. The investigation
Gaps in biosafety training a likely cause of 38 state Salmonella outbreak
According to CIDRAP, gaps in biosafety training likely played a role in a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to lab exposure that sickened 109 people in 38 states. The report is based on a CDC summary released January 17.
The outbreak involved a commercially available Salmonella Typhimurium strain used in laboratories, and health officials believe
97 Confirmed Foodpoisoning Cases Linked to Chinn’s Crab House, Wheeling, Illinois
The Cook County Department of Health has confirmed that 97 people have been stricken with a gastrointestinal illness after eating at Bob Chinn’s Crab House in Wheeling, Illinois. It is being reported that the numbers of ill persons are likely to increase, “because of the popularity of the restaurant and the volume of people that
Food Safety News: norovirus to blame in Indiana Jimmy Johns outbreak
By Gretchen Goetz at Food Safety News:
The top left corner of the menu at Jimmy John’s restaurants jokingly tells customers that the store was established “to add to students GPA and general dating ability.”
But an investigation into the cause of a foodborne illness outbreak in Northwest Indiana shows that the sub shop
Foodpoisoning outbreak at Porter County, Indiana Jimmy Johns
Media reports from Indiana indicate that a Porter County Jimmy Johns restaurant (located on Lincolnway) is the site of a large outbreak that has sickened at least 60 people. Nobody has been hospitalized. The identity of the pathogen responsible for the outbreak has not yet been disclosed.
Jimmy Johns is, of course, no stranger to
Food industry behaving badly: it ain’t all cantaloupes and third-party auditors
Pick up today’s edition of just about any major daily and you’ll find more than you wanted to read about food producers, and the auditors who are supposed to hold them in check, behaving poorly. Try Stephanie Armour’s article, or this from the AP, just for starters. The upshot is that the companies
Marler Blog in Top 10 of ABA Blawgs
Usually it is best to be number 1, but considering that Marler Blog was 9th out of 100 in this years ABA Top Blawgs, that is pretty damn good.
As the ABA said, “You may never look at a produce aisle the same way again once you’ve read Seattle lawyer Bill Marler’s exhaustive
Advisory issued for mycotoxin contamination of Pepin Heights Orchards apple cider
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and Pepin Heights Orchards have advised consumers to avoid drinking certain Pepin Heights brand Honeycrisp 100 Percent Fresh Pressed Apple Cider after department laboratory tests found some product may be contaminated with a mycotoxin called patulin.
The affected product was sold in 64-ounce (half gallon) plastic jugs, featuring a