Consumerist
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food
Ground Beef Gains Time-Travel Ability
Nick didn't notice the label on this package of ground beef until after he brought it home. Seeing how he bought it on November 20, 2009, and the label claims that it was packaged on August 8, 2004, he's a little confused. More » -
safety
The 10 Riskiest Foods That Aren't Meat Or Poultry
This list of the 10 riskiest foods might surprise you at first, because there's no mention of any sort of meat or poultry. But that's because it's from the FDA, which doesn't regulate those two food categories. When it comes to produce, dairy, eggs and seafood, here's what to watch out for, listed in order from most outbreaks to least. More » -
websites
New FoodSafety Website Helps You Stop Accidentally Poisoning Your Family
The USDA and Health and Human Services (HHS) today unveiled a new website focused on food safety at foodsafety.gov. It's got lots of info on how to keep food from spoiling, but better still it's a good launching pad for filing complaints, or keeping track of what's going on in your state (check the "state agency" widget in the bottom right column).
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news from the swamp
Houses Passes Strong Food Safety Reform
The House of Representatives just passed the bipartisan Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. If enacted, the legislation would strengthen the FDA, increase inspections of food facilities, and hopefully ensure that tragedies like the Peanut Corporation of America salmonella outbreak become a thing of the past. More » -
chicken
U.S. Balks At Prospect Of Imported Chinese Chickens
China is itching to sell their processed chickens directly to the U.S. market, an idea that doesn't exactly thrill our regulators or representatives. Congress banned the import of processed Chinese chickens in 2007, ruffling Beijing's feathers to the point where they're now considering a retaliatory ban on U.S. chickens. Since we're in a recession and Congress doesn't want domestic chicken exporters to lose over a half-billion dollars next year, they may let the Chinese chickens come here to roost. More » -
Yesterday, we reported that production at the ConAgra facility where Slim Jims are manufactured will not resume until fall due to damage from the horrific explosion in June. This information is incorrect. Employees will return to work on July 19, and production will resume on July 27. [WRAL] (Thanks, Lon!)
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The FDA has issued a new ruling that says egg producers must "test regularly for salmonella and buy chicks from suppliers who do the same," and that eggs "will have to be refrigerated on the farm and during shipment" as well as by wholesalers and in the store. The rule is meant to cut down on the number of egg-related salmonella cases nationwide, which currently are around 142,000 a year. [Washington Post] (Photo: Andreas Kollegger)
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food poisoning
How, Exactly, Did E. coli Get In Nestle's Cookie Dough?
The recent discovery of E. coli O157 bacteria in Nestlé refrigerated cookie dough and subsequent recall of 30,000 tubs of said dough raises an urgent scientific question: Uh, how did that much cow poop end up in cookie dough? More » -
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food safety
Dunkin Donuts Pulls Hot Chocolate, Dunkaccinos Over Salmonella Scare
Dunkin Donuts is stopping sales of its hot chocolate and Dunkaccino products because one of its milk supplier, Plainview Milk Products Cooperative, found salmonella on some of its equipment. DD says they haven't found any contamination in any of their products but wanted to be safe. We're glad to see a company being proactive about food safety and we're glad to see testing uncover contamination before any illnesses were reported, but still, pathogens in cookie dough and hot chocolate is just mean. More » -
groceries
New Survey Says Less Than 20% Of Consumers Trust Food Supply
Is it any surprise that after the past few years of outbreaks and recalls, almost no one trusts products from food manufacturers anymore? IBM recently completed a survey of shoppers in the 10 largest cities, and found that a lot of consumers want more information than they currently can get about their food choices. More » -
mysteries
How Did E. Coli Get Into Nestle's Cookie Dough?
USA Today is reporting that the FDA is "stumped" by the presence of E. coli 0157:H7 in Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Dough, which was recalled last week. How does bacteria normally associated with raw ground beef find its way into our buckets of delicious cookie dough? Some speculation, inside. More » -
snakes on a plate
TGI Friday's Snake Head Incident Becomes A Cold Case
The decomposed snake head that a Clifton Park, NY man discovered in his side portion of broccoli has reached the end of its strange, unappetizing journey—for now. Since Consumerist broke the story back in May, there have been no leads. More » -
food safety
Comprehensive Food Safety Reform Moves Forward In Congress
The House Energy and Commerce Committee just approved comprehensive food safety reform, setting it up for consideration on the House floor in the coming months. The Food Safety Enhancement Act was approved by voice vote, indicating bipartisan support and suggesting a relatively smooth passage through the entire House. More » -
food safety
Grocery Store Just Can't Stop Selling Expired Yogurt
Esther doesn't want much. She just wants to buy some yogurt that hasn't expired. It seems that's too much to ask of her local Safeway near Baltimore. More » -
unacceptable food
Loaf Of Bread Comes With Baked-In Rodent Goodness
Back in 2007, a man in Northern Ireland opened up a loaf of bread and found a whole, mercifully dead, rat. (The BBC is reporting that it's a mouse, but it's either a giant mutant mouse or a rat.) A judge heard the case this week, and fined the bakery £1,000 ($1,653) "plus costs." More » -
snakes on a plate
TGI Friday's Learns That Serving Decomposed Snake Heads Is Bad For Business
Back at the beginning of May, Consumerist broke the story of a man who discovered a decomposing snake head in his side order of broccoli at TGI Friday's. We even had charming pictures. The next week, Albany, NY-area news media reported that the snake wasn't steamed with the broccoli, but the restaurant and police still don't know who the herp perp could be. What they do know is that the notoriety from the snake incident has hurt business. More » -
news from the swamp
Congressional Heavyweights Unveil Food Safety Measure
The Food and Drug Administration might actually be able to protect us from dangerous food if Congress passes a bill recently circulated by six powerful members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The draft legislation would finally empower the FDA to quarantine suspect foods and slap violators with both civil fines and criminal charges. More » -
news from the swamp
The FDA Isn't Yet Sure How To Make Our Food Safer But Lots Of Cash Might Help
The FDA is set to receive $3.2 billion next year but they don't yet have a plan to make our food any safer. That doesn't sit well with Congressional appropriator Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who at a recent hearing told Acting FDA Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein: "A lot sounds to me like buzzwords from a past administration." More »
food safety
New York, 3:32 PM
Sun Nov 22
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