Nearly a year and a half after people began falling ill from an antibiotic-resistent strain of salmonella, one chicken production company is recalling a small number of their fresh chicken products. However, some consumer advocates say Foster Farm’s recall doesn’t go far enough to protect consumers. [More]
salmonella
New Law Would Give USDA Authority To Recall Contaminated Meat & Eggs
By 6.25.14
The current, vague laws regarding what constitutes “adulterated” meat, poultry or eggs have hamstrung the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, leaving the agency unsure whether it has the authority to recall food that contains drug-resistant pathogens. A new law introduced in the House today aims to clarify what constitutes “adulterated” meat, thus giving the USDA the legal standing it needs to issue much-needed recalls. [More]
CDC Concerned That We’re All Ignoring Chia Seed Recall
By 6.17.14
While Consumerist readers are generally up-to-date on the latest recalls, most Americans aren’t. Yet we hadn’t even shared the current recall of potentially salmonella-contaminated chia seeds that have sickened at least 65 people across the United States and Canada. [More]
Egg Company Agrees To Pay $6.8M Fine In Connection To Salmonella Outbreak That Sickened 62,000
By 6.3.14
Four years after tainted eggs caused a nationwide salmonella outbreak that sickened 62,000 people, the Iowa farm responsible for those ill-fated ovules has agreed to pay $6.8 million in fines for selling old eggs under false labels for years. [More]
Costco Sliced Fruit Packs Recalled For Possible Not-Yummy Salmonella Flavoring
By 3.14.14
The FDA and the Oregon-based company that produces Kirkland Signature Real Sliced Fruit packages for Costco have issued a recall of nearly 60,000 cases of the product because the last thing you want with your freeze-dried fruit is Salmonella poisoning. [More]
Rejoice! You Probably Won’t Get Salmonella From Eating Raw Cookie Dough
By 3.7.14
Growing up, I was lucky enough to not face many food battles because I happened to like the food my parents made (most of the time). But when confronted with the remnants of a bowl of raw cake batter or a fresh batch of raw cookie dough, I’d wage a full-scale rebellion against the advice of my elders and lick/eat the heck out of those sweet treats, despite the threat of salmonella poisoning. Turns out it might not have been that risky of a business. [More]
Some Hubbard Life, Joy, QC+ Dog & Cat Foods Recalled Because Salmonella Is Not Vet-Recommended
By 2.6.14
Ohio-based Pro-Pet LLC has issued a limited recall of varieties of three of its dry dog and cat food brands — Hubbard Life, Joy, and QC+ — over concerns about possible salmonella contamination. [More]
Consumer Reports Finds Potentially Harmful Bacteria All Over Chicken Breasts
By 12.19.13
While hundreds of people around the country were getting sick from the recent salmonella outbreak, our co-workers at Consumer Reports just happened to be looking into the tiny life forms clinging to that popular poultry offering, the chicken breast. The results — that potentially harmful bacteria are lurking on and in almost every single chicken breast for sale at the supermarket — may not shock you, but they do highlight the growing concern over everything from what chickens are fed to how their meat is handled and prepared. [More]
FDA: There Are Gross Things (Like Bug Parts) In 12% Of Imported Spices
By 10.31.13
It’s never going to be a fun read when a report from the Food and Drug Administration includes the words “pathogen,” “filth” and “insects.” Unless your idea of fun includes learning that 12% of the spices we import for food purposes are contaminated. [More]
Why Did California Costco Customers Get Salmonella From Cooked Chicken?
By 10.16.13
Consumers know the drill, or should by now: you can prevent food-borne illnesses by cooking your meat to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. So how did a Costco customer end up ill from salmonella after eating a fully-cooked rotisserie chicken? The warehouse chain isn’t sure, but has recalled 40,000 pounds of chicken products sold at a single store in California. [More]
CDC Calls Back Some Furloughed Staff To Tackle Multi-State Salmonella Outbreak
By 10.9.13
On the heels of a multi-state outbreak of salmonella that has sickened hundreds, some were wondering what would happen with most of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s food-borne illness staff on furlough during the government shutdown. The CDC is now reassuring the public that it has called back many of its workers to handle the outbreak. [More]
Are CDC’s Detectives At Work During Shutdown While Salmonella Outbreak Sickens Hundreds?
By 10.8.13 — Updated: 10.9.13
Often when we hear news of a food-borne disease, the worst has passed and the government works to educate consumers on which products have been recalled. However with 278 people in 18 states sickened by a salmonella outbreak linked to raw chicken products from California, no recall has been announced and the United States Department of Agriculture says “the outbreak is continuing.” But are any of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s elite food detectives at work during the government shutdown to trace track down the source of the contamination? [More]
Tainted Guinea Pig Street Meat Suspected Of Sending 81 To The Hospital
By 8.26.13
While you might see a guinea pig and think, “Oh, I used to have one of those as a pet and it made funny grunting sounds,” there are plenty of people who see a guinea pig and think, “Mmm, dinner.” Health officials in Minnesota say 81 of the latter kind of people were felled by tainted guinea pig meat and other food at a street fair this month in big case of suspected salmonella poisoning. [More]
Tests: Ground Turkey From Antibiotic-Free Birds Less Likely To Harbor Drug-Resistant Bacteria
By 4.30.13 — Updated: 11.20.15
Most of us know that there may be potentially harmful bacteria on the raw meat we buy, but a new study appears to show a direct link between animals that have been provided antibiotics and the presence of pathogens that are resistant to drugs. [More]
Decidedly Un-Adorable Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Pet Hedgehogs
By 1.31.13
We’ve heard the usual caveats to avoid salmonella — wash your hands after handling raw meat, cook your food thoroughly, etc. — but how do you ward off cuteness? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there have been 20 outbreaks of salmonella in the last year that were all linked to pet hedgehogs. Say it ain’t so, Sonic. [More]
FDA Replies To Lawsuit Over Food Regulation Deadlines: Slow Your Roll, We’re Working On It
By 12.3.12
Back in January 2011, the government signed a law that said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would have to undertake an overhaul in food safety regulations, the first of its kind in about 70 years. Well, time’s been a-ticking and now a new lawsuit leveled at the agency claims the FDA has missed a bunch of deadlines required by the Food Safety Modernization Act. But the FDA says that’s not the case, it’s just that it’s a big job that it’ll take time. [More]
8 Horrifying Things We Learned From Bloomberg Report On Inept, Ineffective Food Inspectors
By 10.11.12
During recent mass recalls of eggs and cantaloupe because of salmonella and listeria contamination, you heard a lot about FDA inspectors not catching this or that, and “How could no one notice all that filth?” Now a new report in Bloomberg Markets Magazine sheds a huge light at the sad state of food inspection in the U.S. [More]
Tainted Smoked Salmon Blamed For Salmonella Outbreak In U.S. & The Netherlands
By 10.2.12
I remember asking my mom when I was little after being warned not to eat raw eggs, “But how can I get salmonella if I’m not even eating salmon?” The answer back then didn’t make sense, but now my 7-year-old self would nod at the inevitability of salmon actually being linked to salmonella. In this case, it’s smoked salmon that’s reportedly sickening hundreds in the Netherlands and the U.S. [More]
