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Health Law

Food Safety News

Daily online newspaper dedicated to reporting on issues surrounding food safety.
By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

Post Frequency: 49.2/day

Last Entry: May 17, 2013 at 18:06:24

NM Apple Cider Maker Not Achieving 5-Log Reduction

Posted on May 17, 2013
A juice maker in Carrizozo, NM must prove to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it can achieve a 5-log reduction of ?the pertinent microorganisms? for the shelf life of its apple cider. FDA only recently released a Feb. 20 warning letter sent to James P...

Nevada Senate Committee Serves Up Raw Milk to Vegas

Posted on May 17, 2013
Gamblers in Las Vegas taking advantage of all those free drink offers might soon be ordering up a nice cold glass of raw milk. With only two dissenting votes Thursday afternoon, the Nevada Senate?s Committee on Health and Human Services gave a ?do pass? recommendation to Assembly Bill (AB) 209, making raw milk sales legal...

House Ag Committee Votes to Repeal USDA Catfish Inspection

Posted on May 17, 2013
The House Agriculture Committee voted to repeal a controversial catfish inspection program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture late Wednesday night ? a sign the program, which was mandated by the 2008 farm bill to help protect U.S. catfish farmers from cheap imports, may be headed for the chopping block...

Best Public Relations Money Can Buy ? A Guide to Food Industry Front Groups

Posted on May 17, 2013
Last month, the International Food Information Council Foundation released the third edition of its report: Food Biotechnology: A Communicator?s Guide to Improving Understanding. What sounds like a reasonable and helpful document is in fact the product of a well-oiled PR machine whose board of trustees includes executives from such food giants such as Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, and Mars...

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Illnesses Tied to NC Holiday Inn Salmonella Outbreak Rise to 51

Posted on May 17, 2013
At least 51 people are now known to have fallen ill in a Salmonella outbreak linked to a North Carolina Holiday Inn, reported the Cumberland County Health Department Friday. That number is up from the 44 illnesses reported by the Department just one day earlier...

Two Infants Ill in Salmonella Tahini Outbreak

Posted on May 17, 2013
Two Minnesota children under the age of 1 are reported ill in a Salmonella outbreak linked to nationally recalled Krinos brand tahini sesame paste, according to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). The illnesses have been associated with a small cluster of Salmonella Mbandaka illnesses in other states, MDH spokesman Doug Schultz told Food Safety News...

How a Food Store Inspection Turned Into a Hazmat Emergency

Posted on May 16, 2013
Two food safety emergencies in College Station, TX – an E. coli outbreak and a fumigant problem in a grocery store – do not have anything to do with one another. ?At this time, the two incidents do not appear to be related,? Sara Mendez of the Brazos County Health Department told Food Safety News...

After Latest Scandals, Chinese Premier Urges Tighter Food Safety Controls

Posted on May 16, 2013
During a nationwide teleconference on Monday Chinese Premier Li Keqiang urged “strict market supervision and harsh penalties” to improve food safety and assure costumers that something like the melamine milk scandal will never happen again...

Too Many Repeat Violators in Hog Slaughter, IG Report Says

Posted on May 16, 2013
Too many repeat violations are occurring at federally inspected pig slaughter plants, and the problem lies with inadequate enforcement, according to USDA?s Inspector General. The IG ?s conclusion is found in a recently released audit report on USDA?s Food Safety and Inspection Service?s (FSIS?s) inspection and enforcement activities at the nation?s swine slaughter plants...

Institute of Medicine: Low Salt Intake May Be Unhealthy

Posted on May 16, 2013
Health experts have long promoted one simple, consistent message when it comes to salt intake: cut back. Now, a review from the Institute of Medicine suggests that a diet too low in sodium may actually be unhealthy for those at risk for heart problems...

7 E. coli Cases in Stephens County, GA

Posted on May 16, 2013
At least seven people in Stephens County, Ga., have fallen ill with E. coli in the last several weeks, leading health officials in the area to begin investigating the source of the outbreak, local radio station WNEG reports. Two of the patients were hospitalized and are now recovering...

NC Holiday Inn Salmonella Outbreak Climbs to 44 Cases

Posted on May 16, 2013
Update (5/16, 4:00 p.m. EST): Health officials in Cumberland County have updated the case count from 18 to 44 individuals sickened. The story below has been amended to reflect the updated numbers. At least 44 people have fallen ill with symptoms of Salmonella infection in an outbreak connected to the Holiday Inn Bordeaux in Fayetteville,...

Center for Food Safety Lists ?Food Industry Front Groups?

Posted on May 15, 2013
After a 40-year absence, enemies lists are making a comeback in Washington D.C. The ordinarily mild-mannered Center for Food Safety (CFS) Tuesday put out a list of what it called ?food industry front groups? that it charged with being guilty of deceptive practices...

Listeria in Onions, Salmonella in Mangoes Topped Last Year?s Reportable Foods List

Posted on May 15, 2013
Onions recalled for potential Listeria contamination and mangoes recalled for the possible presence of Salmonella were the foods most commonly reported by their manufacturers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between September of 2011 and September of 2012, according to a new report from the agency...

Senate Agriculture Comittee Clears Farm Bill

Posted on May 15, 2013
The Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday marked up and approved a new farm bill 15-5. While this mega-legislation that sets farm policy for five years is mostly focused on nutrition programs like SNAP and commodity programs like crop insurance and conservation, there are a couple notable food safety mentions in the bill: Under a section...

Boil Water Order Temporarily Closes Two Poultry Plants

Posted on May 14, 2013
Five Mississippi counties this year have seen water quality or quantity levels deteriorate to the point where Boil Water orders had to be issued. In the latest instance in Jones County, spikes in total coliform bacteria levels required a Boil Water alert Sunday...

WA Dairy Recalls Improperly Pasteurized Products

Posted on May 14, 2013
A Washington state dairy is voluntarily recalling certain milk and cream products because they were not adequately pasteurized. Pure Eire Dairy of Othello, WA issued a recall of its organic pasteurized non-homogenized skim, reduced fat 2% milk, and whole and heavy cream milk products bearing the expiration dates of 5/15/13, 5/18/13 and 5/20/13 Monday...

USDA, FDA Issue Major Report on Reducing Deadly Listeria in Deli Products

Posted on May 14, 2013
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have released a detailed draft risk assessment aimed at reducing Listeria monocytogenes in deli products reaching consumers’ plates...

FDA Unveils New Tool to Help Industry Craft Food Defense Plans

Posted on May 14, 2013
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday released a new tool to help the food industry defend against an act of intentional food contamination. According to FDA, the Food Defense Plan Builder, available online, is a “comprehensive, easy-to-use software program designed to help owners and operators of food facilities?ranging from primary production and manufacturing...

Governor Haslam?s ?Ag-Gag? Veto Could Have National Impact

Posted on May 14, 2013
The veto by Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Haslam of a bill requiring anyone taking pictures or shooting video of animal abuse to turn the evidence over to law enforcement within 48 hours may have national impact. Haslam?s veto, coming on the heels of an opinion by his democratic Attorney General that the so-called ?ag-gag? measures...

Arsenic Levels in Chicken Raise Health Concerns

Posted on May 14, 2013
Levels of inorganic arsenic found in samples of chicken may be responsible for a very slight increase in cancer risk to consumers over their lifetimes, according to a study by researchers at John Hopkins University published this week. That research comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed against the U...

College Station Market Closed For Fumigant

Posted on May 14, 2013
The popular BCS Asian Market in College Station, TX was closed Tuesday on orders of the Brazos County Health Department and the Texas Department of State Services. The surprise closure occurred as Brazos County health officials are working overtime to find the source of an April outbreak of E...

NC Announces Possible Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Holiday Inn

Posted on May 14, 2013
The Cumberland County Department of Public Health in Fayetteville, NC announced Tuesday it is working with the N.C. Division of Public Health to investigate a gastrointestinal illness outbreak among staff and patrons of a local hotel?s restaurants. There are two confirmed cases of salmonella and one individual has been hospitalized, the news release said...

Democrats Urge White House to Release FDA Guidance on Arsenic in Juice

Posted on May 13, 2013
Nearly two years after Consumer Reports and Dr. Oz sparked national concern after finding arsenic in popular brands of children’s apple juice, a handful of Democrats in the House and Senate are asking the White House Office of Management and Budget to release a long-delayed voluntary guidance on limiting arsenic, a known carcinogen, in juice...

The Challenges and Advantages of Farm-to-Fork Traceability

Posted on May 13, 2013
Take a moment to consider a few foods found in a supermarket: eggs, tomatoes, coffee — maybe even chocolate chip peppermint brownie ice cream, to name a few. Now, try to imagine all the steps and processes that food went through to get all the way to those shelves...

Wrigley Halts Rollout of Caffeinated Gum in Response to FDA Concerns

Posted on May 13, 2013
Candy giant Wrigley announced last week that it will temporarily remove its new caffeinated gum from the market after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expressed concerns over the product’s safety. The gum was greeted with skepticism immediately after its release late last month by FDA and consumer groups alike...

Letter From The Editor: A GM Food Labeling Win

Posted on May 12, 2013
Last month I wrote a news story along the lines that President Obama this spring signing House Resolution 933 after California voters last fall defeated Proposition 37 marked two big defeats for the GMO labeling crowd. HR 933 was dubbed the ?Monsanto Protection Act? for its limiting federal courts from ordering genetically modified crops from...

FDA Sends Warning Letters To Three Food Companies

Posted on May 10, 2013
A French-owned bakery in Seattle, a juice processor in Melville, NY, and a seafood processing facility in San Juan Bautista, CA are subjects of recent warning letters from the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On April 18, FDA warned Biofournil of America, Inc...

The Rising Importance of ISO Certification

Posted on May 10, 2013
Amidst growing regulations and interest in ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certification, Exact Scientific Services has become one of the few testing laboratories in Washington State that is ISO 17025 certified. “The BRC, and now the recent SQF Code for Product Sampling, Inspection and Analysis, were no small part of our decision to pursue this...

Farm Rich Frozen Food E. Coli Outbreak Hits 35

Posted on May 10, 2013
Another three individuals have been confirmed ill with E. coli O121 after eating Farm Rich products, bringing the total number ill to 35 people in 19 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least nine patients have been hospitalized, and 82 percent of those ill are 21 years old or...

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