This story was first published by our sister publication Consumer Reports. [More]
food safety
Colorado’s Pot Edibles Might Come Stamped With A Red THC Stop Sign
Stop, in the name of not accidentally getting stoned and losing your mind a la Maureen Dowd: In order to keep Colorado residents from mistaking marijuana edibles for non-drug-laced food, the state might slap stickers with red stop signs with the letters THC on them to warn folks before they ingest. The stop signs would also be stamped on the food itself. [More]
Florida Domino’s Shuts Down Because Live Roaches Shouldn’t Be Near Food
If the thought of bugs crawling around in a restaurant kitchen near food terrifies you, it’s best to stop reading now. A Florida Domino’s had to shut down temporarily after inspectors say they witnessed more than 20 lives roaches crawling on a table on the cook’s line and hanging out in a bin of onions. [More]
Walmart And Kroger Pull Cilantro From Stores
After the Food and Drug Administration announced a seasonal ban on cilantro imports from the Puebla state of Mexico, Walmart and Kroger are pulling cilantro grown in that region from store shelves as a precaution. Evidence points to the cilantro as a culprit in outbreaks of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness, and an FDA investigation turned up evidence of sanitation problems in the fields where cilantro is grown. [More]
Wish-Bone Recalling Some Bottles Of Ranch Dressing Because They’re Full Of Blue Cheese
One of the worst tricks you could pull on a ranch dressing devotee? Filling a bottle labeled as such with blue cheese instead. It could also be quite the problem for anyone allergic to eggs, as that known allergen isn’t declared on bottles of Wish-Bone Ranch Dressing, some of which were accidentally filled with blue cheese dressing instead. Pinnacle Foods has issued a voluntary recall of the mixed up bottles, after a consumer noticed the mistake. Yet another reminder why it’s good to speak up. [via FDA.gov] [More]
Customer Claims California KFC Served Him Deep-Fried Rat
UPDATE: KFC gave Consumerist an updated statement on the situation saying the company believes the whole thing is a hoax. [More]
CDC Links Salmonella Outbreak Reported in 9 States To Sushi Made With Raw Tuna
Raw seafood might be delicious, but there’s always that chance that it could make you sick: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that while it hasn’t conclusively determined the cause of a recent salmonella outbreak that’s spread to nine states and infected up to 53 people, it could be linked to sushi made with raw tuna. [More]
Mechanically Tenderized Beef To Finally Be Labeled
More than a quarter of all beef sold in the U.S. is mechanically tenderized, meaning that machines with tiny little blades have been used to make the raw product more tender. But this step can also have the effect of driving surface pathogens deeper into the meat where they might not be killed during the cooking process. Since 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has received reports of six outbreaks attributable to these products. Two years ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it was going to require labels for mechanically tenderized beef. Those labeling rules have now been finalized and will go into effect a year from now. [More]
4 Children Who Visited Dairy Festival Now Sick From E. Coli
When you visit animals at a fair or a petting zoo, there are usually hand-washing or hand sanitizer stations at every entrance and exit. There’s a very good reason why these exist. That’s been proven in Washington state, where a handful of first-graders are sick from E. coli, a potentially dangerous pathogen that’s transmitted in, um, poop. [More]
Ohio Health Officials: Home-Canned Potatoes To Blame For Botulism Outbreak
Canning your own food at home is a fantastic idea for anyone who wants vegetables on-hand all year-round. But health officials are warning people to make sure they stick to proper canning techniques, after a batch of home-canned potatoes used to make potato salad was linked to an outbreak of botulism in Ohio that’s killed one person. [More]
Egg Executives Sentenced To Three Months In Jail For Role In 2010 Salmonella Outbreak
Last year, an Iowa egg company linked to a 2010 salmonella recall that sickened more than tens of thousands of people agreed to fork over $6.8 million in fines for shipping old eggs under false labels. Now, two former executives at Quality Egg have been sentenced to three months in prison, after facing up to a year for the parts they played in the outbreak. [More]
Researchers Find That Some Breast Milk Sold Online Contains Cow’s Milk
Many parents choose to buy breast milk to feed their babies, for various reasons, but those folks are under the belief that the stuff is coming from humans. Researchers published a report into the online breast milk industry that said despite the expectation that the milk comes from women, some samples tested positive for cow’s milk. [More]