After Nebraska Beef, Ltd., recalled 531,707 pounds of beef for a possible E.coli contamination, Kroger is recalling beef from its stores and from stores selling beef under its label. The recall includes nearly all kinds and weights of ground beef with Kroger labels sold between 5/21 and 6/08. The sell-by date on them will fall between 5/21 and 6/05. Not included are ground beef in sealed tubes in 1,3, or 5lb sizes, or Frozen Beef Patties or Ground Beef Patties found in the frozen food aisle. Other caveats apply and there may be more updates, check the Kroger Recall page for the latest information. E.coli can cause food poisoning or even death. If you have any of this meat, you can either throw it away or return it to Kroger for a full refund.
Quality & Safety
Heath Inspections: The Taste Of Chicago Is Apparently The Foulest Thing Ever
The always excellent Chicago Reporter informs us that the annual mass tourist migration known as the Taste of Chicago is basically the foulest thing ever. If you’ll recall, last year the Taste was struck by an outbreak of salmonella— so this year the Reporter has gathered some disgusting statistics and anecdotes guaranteed to make you think twice before buying those tickets.
8 Common Foodborne Illnesses And Their Symptoms
Our nation’s recent salmonella outbreak has rekindled discussions about foodborne illnesses and how they spread. The good news is that most of these illnesses can be avoided with proper food processing and preparation procedures along with simple hand washing. If you don’t know your botulism from your mad cow disease, CalorieLab has put together a list of 8 of the most prevalent foodborne illnesses and their symptoms. Check out the list, inside…
So, We're Probably Never Going To Know Where The Salmonella Came From
The FDA still has no real idea where those salmonella tomatoes came from. They suspect both Mexico and Florida, but as you may have noticed: Florida and Mexico are kind of big. And there’s no real evidence aside from a guess by the FDA based on the “time frame” of the outbreak matching up with the harvest in those locations.
U.S. Marshals Raid Rat-Infested PETCO Distribution Center
The FDA sent U.S. Marshals to seize “various animal food products” stored at a PETCO distribution center in Joliet, Illinois yesterday, because the storage conditions had been deemed unsanitary twice in a row:
Yum! Brands Restaurants Now Serving Tomatoes
Junk food connoisseurs will be elated to learn that according to Fox 5, Yum! Brand restaurants are now restocking tomatoes after the recent salmonella outbreak which has forced many restaurants to take them off the menu. Federal officials say that the outbreak has sickened 277 people nationwide. The Yum! Brand restaurants include Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, A&W and Long John Silver’s. This article does not imply, however, that their food alone won’t make you sick.
That New Shower Curtain Smell Is The Smell Of Chemical Pollutants
A new report says that the smell given off by new vinyl shower curtains is chock-full of dangerous chemicals, reports the Los Angeles Times. Researchers tested PVC curtains purchased at Bed Bath & Beyond, Kmart, Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart, and found that all of them contained “high concentrations” of what’s technically known as “bad stuff”—”One of the curtains tested released measurable quantities of as many as 108 volatile organic compounds into the air, some of which persisted for nearly a month.” Update: the report is receiving criticism from some medical and science experts, including a spokeswoman for the CPSC.
Another Tomato Attack! "Topsy Turvy" Tomato Stand Recalled After 155 Injuries
QVC has recalled the “Topsy Turvy Tomato Tree” after 155 consumers reported injuries including lacerations, broken toes and bruises. The CPSC says there have been 347 reports of the planters collapsing! First the salmonella outbreak, then a “outbreak of raw tomatoes” at BW3… and now this?
BW3 Has A Nuanced Understanding Of Food Safety
Reader Dennis took this photo at a BW3 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He says:
McDonald's Refuses To Give You Sausage With Your McGriddle Happy Meal
Apparently, if you want a Sausage McGriddle Happy Meal, you’re not necessary going to get it from McDonald’s. Reader Alex says his girlfriend ordered the sausage and pancake treat for her 3 year old son, but when they got the sandwich it wasn’t actually a sandwich at all — just two small pancake-bun-things and no meat. When they went inside to ask for the meat, the manager wouldn’t budge. No sausage on the McGriddle Happy Meal! Is this normal?
Salmonella Outbreak: Which Tomatoes Are Safe?
McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, Burger King, Outback Steakhouse and Taco Bell have all pulled their fresh tomatoes after 145 people have become ill with salmonellosis, including 23 hospitalizations. The illnesses have been linked to certain types of tomatoes, but not all tomatoes, so here’s a helpful cheat sheet that will keep you salmonella-free:
FDA: If You Use The Foot Ulcer Cream Regranex, You May Die From Cancer
Bad news from the FDA: people who treat their foot and leg ulcers with the cream Regranex are five-times more likely to die from cancer.
Crocs + Escalator = Yet Another Mangled Foot
Another small child’s foot has been mangled by the combination of the especially-grippy Crocs clogs and a moving escalator, according to WSBTV:
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Seventeen people have been hospitalized because of a salmonella outbreak that the CDC is now linking to large, raw tomatoes. There have been 40 cases in Texas and New Mexico, as well as an additional 30 cases in 7 other states. The exact source of the tomatoes is still unknown. [AP]
My Wife Was Attacked In The Parking Lot And Rite Aid Won't Help!
Virginia police are unable to track down the creep who grabbed Michael’s wife in a Rite Aid parking lot because Rite Aid is refusing to hand over its security tapes. Even worse, the store manager apparently knows the creepy grabber guy and is also refusing to help. Michael wrote to Rite Aid’s corporate office begging them to cooperate with law enforcement. He hasn’t heard back in two days.
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As if you needed a reason not to wear Crocs, here’s another story of a kid whose foot got caught in an escalator while wearing the damn things. The kid was fine, the escalator was repaired, the bottom of the Croc is chewed up, and “Crocs stands by its design.” [CBS5.com]
Recalls: Scotts Caught Selling Fertilizer With Invalid EPA Registration Numbers
Apparently, Scotts forgot that they were supposed to register their fertilizer with the EPA because they were caught selling products that not only had never been registered, they had “invalid” registration numbers printed on the packages and some products had misleading labels with inadequate safety instructions. Whoooops.
