Health Law

Is There a MRSA and E. coli O157:H7 Connection?

Posted on December 16, 2008
Dr. Michael Millar, an infectious disease expert in the United Kingdom, certainly seems to think so. According to a recent article published on Legal-Medical.com, Dr. Millar believes that by putting an increased focus on eradicating infections such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C...

The Future Of Foodborne Pathogen Testing Is Now

Posted on December 16, 2008
I have seen the future of foodborne pathogen monitoring technology!  According to a new article published by the US Department of Agriculture's Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit, Salmonella detection (with other possible pathogens to follow) may be possible at a level not previously seen in food pathogen testing systems...

Foodborne Bacteria Suicide

Posted on December 16, 2008
pAs an initial matter, I'm a lawyer, not a scientist.nbsp; This a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216104309.htm"recent article /afrom Science Daily.comnbsp;is therefore a bit - OK, a lot - over my head, but the short version is researchers at the University of Illinois and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have found a way to fool a bacteriarsquo;s evolutionary machinery into programming its own death...

Is There a MRSA and E. coli O157:H7 Connection?

Posted on December 16, 2008
pDr. Michael Millar, an infectious disease expert in the United Kingdom, certainly seems to think so./p pAccording tonbsp;a recent article published on a href="http://www.legal-medical.co.uk/news/12031.html"Legal-Medical.com/a, Dr. Millar believes that by putting an increased focus on eradicating infections such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C...

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The Future Of Foodborne Pathogen Testing Is Now

Posted on December 16, 2008
pI have seen the future of foodborne pathogen monitoring technology!nbsp; According to a a href="http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=66-12-05-03"new article /apublished by the US Department of Agriculture's Qualitynbsp;and Safetynbsp;Assessment Research Unit, ema href="http://www...

FDA Warning - Botulism in Ungutted, Salt-Cured Alewives (Gaspereaux) Fish

Posted on December 12, 2008
I'm not sure how many of you out there are avid consumers of ungutted, salt-cured Alewives fish (mmm, sounds delicious, doesn't it?), but for those of you who are you need to heed the FDA's just-announced consumer warning!  Retailers and food service operators are being instructed not to offer for sale ungutted, salt-cured alewives (also called gaspereaux fish) from Michel & Charles LeBlanc Fisheries Ltd...

Food Safety Still Has A Long Way To Go

Posted on December 10, 2008
It looks like Congress is about to throw Detroit a bone by infusing some taxpayer money into the cash-starved Big Three.  But the area Congress should really be focusing its attention is on the US's preparedness (or lack thereof) for health emegencies...

10 Tips To Avoid Foodborne Illness At Restaurants

Posted on December 06, 2008
How many times have gone to a restaurant and ordered the night's special meal?  Or gone to the bathroom and noticed it was in less than prime condition?  Niall Harbison, regular contributor at iFoods.tv, says those are just the kind of things we should be on alert for when heading out to a restaurant for a meal...

Outbreak Alert! 2008: Foodborne Illness Trends

Posted on December 06, 2008
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has released a report entitled Outbreak Alert! 2008 that has some fascinating, and disquieting, information regarding current trends in foodborne outbreak incidents. After compiling data for outbreaks of illnesses linked to specific foods occurring between 1990 and 2006, the results are: • Seafood: 1,140 outbreaks involving 11,809 cases of illness • Produce: 768 outbreaks involving 35,060 cases of illness • Poultry: 620 outbreaks involving 18,906 cases of illness • Beef: 518 outbreaks involving 14,191 cases of illness • Eggs: 351 outbreaks involving 11,143 cases of illness The authors also have made some excellent recommendations for CDC and Congress based on their findings, including: 1...

China now says 294,000 children fell ill from melamine tainted milk

Posted on December 05, 2008
China said Monday that a total of 294,000 children had fallen ill from consuming dairy products tainted with the industrial chemical melamine, with 154 of them still in serious condition.  In a statement on its website, the health ministry also indicated the number of dead may rise from the four previously announced, saying that six deaths since September 10 may be linked to the consumption of melamine-laced milk...

Food Poisoning On The Brain...Literally

Posted on November 27, 2008
It turns out that feces contaminated food can lead not only to the usual array of foodborne illnesses, like E. coli or salmonella, but also to something much more unexpected.  Rosemary Alvarez found that out first hand when a surgeon operating on her brain for what was initially believed to be a tumor instead found...

WHO's Foodborne Disease Counting and Tracking System

Posted on November 26, 2008
I wanted to follow-up to my previous post regarding the World Health Organization's (WHO) recent announcement that much more research is needed into foodborne pathogens and their overall impact on humans. Today I received some additional information from James R...

Foodborne disease research needed

Posted on November 21, 2008
As you know, we have repeatedly made calls for more research into the public health risk known as foodborne pathogens.  Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) unequivocally agreed (although the question of funding still remains)...

Muskrat feces: Salmonella fighter?

Posted on November 19, 2008
You can file this entry under the "DO NOT TRY AT HOME" category.  According to a new report out of South Korea, scientists have found that the excrement of muskrats - the semi-aquatic rodents prized for their musk - contains an antibiotic that can treat food poisoning...

Turkey + Holidays = Foodborne Illness

Posted on November 17, 2008
While most of my postings here on the food poison blog tend to be less than joyous (but necessary given the serious nature of our business), I thought I'd take a moment and post a somewhat lighter article. The next month and a half will bring many folks together to celebrate the holidays with family and friends...

China's Melamine Poisoning Problem - The Gift That Keeps Giving

Posted on November 15, 2008
As if the poisoning of tens of thousands of China's babies was not enough, now the problem of how to get rid of the nasty, toxic chemical is causing further headache. Disposal techniques so far have ranged from having it burned, buried and mixed into coal...

What's the Best Way to Deal with the Next E. coli or Salmonella Outbreak?

Posted on November 11, 2008
Not have an outbreak in the first place! That was the theme at the recent Fresh Summit 2008 conference, "Food Safety: Keeping Your Business Healthy," where attendees heard from panelists about the latest in regulations and safety initiatives as well as how to consider food safety investments in a return-on-investment perspective...

Investigation Into Melamine Contamination of China's Food Supply

Posted on November 09, 2008
As I was sitting at my desk enjoying a berry protein smoothy this morning, I logged into the Seattle Times and discovered a new article, "How toxic chemical melamine got into China's food supply," by Maureen Fan and Ariana Eunjung Cha...

Rise of Recent E. coli O157:H7 Infections Tied to Biofuel?

Posted on November 08, 2008
Last year we saw a huge rise in the number of beef recalls due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination.  While there were eight beef recalls in the US in 2006, the number jumped to an astounding 21 beef recalls in 2007, including the second largest beef recall in US history from Tops Meat Company...

New Cattle Vaccine May Reduce E. coli O157:H7 Infections

Posted on October 29, 2008
On Monday, a Canadian biopharmaceutical company, Bioniche Life Sciences, Inc., announced it has received full licensing approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)—an analogue to the USDA—for the world’s first cattle vaccine designed to reduce the shedding of E...

Country Cottage E. coli Outbreak - Are Criminal Charges on the Horizon?

Posted on October 19, 2008
The FBI is on the hunt for…E. coli O111?   In the latest development related to the Country Cottage outbreak, the Oklahoman reported today that FBI officials contacted the Oklahoma health department after the outbreak out of concern that it “might be a criminal situation ...

Salmonella Pot Pies - The Truth Is Out There

Posted on October 13, 2008
What if I told you the above images were recently released by the US government to confirm that, in fact, UFOs do exist? Would you be shocked? Well, sorry to disappoint but they are not UFOs. What they actually are, however, is just as shocking. The above images are thermal shots of the same product being cooked in six different microwave ovens with hugely varying (and inconsistent) uniformity of heating...

China Wants Lawyers Out While Number of Melamine Victims Doubles

Posted on October 08, 2008
Whatever China may have bought in world respect by hosting the spectacular summer Olympics may now be lost by the way the People's Republic is handing its adulteration of milk with the industrial chemical melamine. Item One:   According to Reuters: The government has not updated figures issued on September 21, when it said that 12,892 infants were in hospital, 104 with serious illness, and close to 40,000 others were affected but did not need major treatment...

Best Efforts Of Nation's Vet's Cannot Keep Avoidance Databank From Closing

Posted on October 02, 2008
Bryan Salvage at Meat & Poultry, the business journal for meat and poultry processors, today reports on the demise of the  Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank. It was used by veterinarians, livestock producers and state and federal regulatory and extension specialists to ensure that drug, environmental and pesticide contaminants do not end up in meat, milk, and eggs...

New Superhero Goes Where FDA Fears To Go: All Hail "Eddie, the Haphazard Gourmet Girl!"

Posted on October 02, 2008
Melamine-tainted milk powder has contaminated products world-wide, from infant formula, cookies, tea, and candies.  The contamination has been blamed for the deaths of four children and kidney ailments among 54,000 others.  More than 13,000 children have been hospitalized, over 1,400 with kidney failure...

Schwarzenegger's Veto Message For California's Raw Milk Bill

Posted on October 01, 2008
  To the Members of the California State Senate:   I am returning Senate Bill 201 without my signature.   This bill weakens food safety standards in California, something I cannot support.   Last year I signed AB 1735, which passed the Legislature unanimously and put into law food safety standards for raw milk...

The Michigan E coli Outbreak Caused By Aunt Mid's Bagged Lettuce Brings History Lesson From William D. Marler!

Posted on September 27, 2008
This is a press release being distributed by Marler Clark: Seattle--- “E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks associated with lettuce or spinach, specifically the "pre-washed" and "ready-to-eat" varieties sold under various brand and trade names, are by no means a new phenomenon,” according to food-safety attorney, William D...

Jail Inmate & State University Student E Coli Victims In Michigan May Blame "Aunt Mid's"

Posted on September 26, 2008
The Michigan Department of Community Health is issuing a public health alert after dozens of cases of E. coli surfaced. It now appears the E. coli outbreak is linked to iceberg lettuce that came from a wholesale distributor. As a precautionary measure, the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) is issuing a public health alert due to illnesses from the 26 cases of E...

FDA Has Not Found Melamine In Imports Yet Warns Consumers Not To Drink Mr. Brown Coffee Or Milk Tea Nor White Rabbit Candy

Posted on September 26, 2008
China's melamine scandal hasn't exactly reached the United States yet, but you can now see it from here.   The U.S. Food & Drug Administration this morning issued a warning about "Mr. Brown" instant coffee and milk tea products made in the PRC...

Xiang And Marler Comment On Melamine Scandal From Beijing

Posted on September 24, 2008
Xiang Yuzhang, China's chief quality inspector, says the melamine in the baby food problem was "more or less" under control, ABC News is reporting. However, America's top attorney for victims of food-borne illnesses, says many questions remain about the harm that's been done...

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