As you start your Memorial Day cookout preparations, you may want to look extra carefully at that package of hot dogs: The company that makes Nathan’s hot dogs is recalling 210,000 worth of beef franks over concerns that they may contain metal fragments. [More]
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Not Thrilled That Restaurant Served Raw Horse Meat
By 5.17.17
While you might be such a foodie that you scoff at those who freak out when they hear “horse tartare,” the fact is that serving horse meat at a restaurant is currently illegal in the U.S. And the federal government is advising one Pittsburgh-area restaurant to not put this item on the menu again. [More]
USDA Proposes Importing Avocados From Colombia Amid Shortage
By 10.27.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
Amid a recent avocado shortage linked to a growers’ strike in Mexico and a drought in California affecting crops, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing an amendment to existing fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the country to import Hass avocados from Colombia. [More]
USDA Buying 11 Million Pounds Of Surplus Cheese For Food Pantries
By 8.23.16
Earlier this year, we shared the news that there’s too much cheese in this country: enough that every person in the United States would have to eat three pounds to get rid of it all. Instead of distributing it that way, the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to distribute it to people in need of nutritious food through pantries and through its own programs. [More]
Food Scientists Working On Edible Alternative To Plastic Wrap
By 8.22.16
In the future, instead of throwing away plastic packaging and film covering our food, we might just eat it. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture are working on a few alternatives to plastic wrap, including an edible film that’s also biodegradable. [More]
Pilgrim’s Pride Expands Recall Of Contaminated Chicken Products
By 5.9.16
If you’ve already checked the list of products affected by a recent Pilgrim’s Pride recall involving chicken items possibly contaminated with bits of plastic, metal, wood, and rubber, you might want to check it again. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety & Inspection service has expanded the nearly five million-pound recall list to include additional products. Check the full list here. [More]
Pilgrim’s Pride Recall: 4.5M Pounds Of Chicken Products May Contain Plastic, Wood, Rubber, Metal
By 4.27.16
In yet another example of unexpectedly crunchy, contaminated food, Pilgrim’s Pride is busy getting the news out about a recall of more than four million pounds of pre-cooked poultry products that could contain unwanted additions like plastic, wood, rubber, or metal bits. [More]
Whole Foods Recalling Frozen Pork Pepperoni Pizzas For Masquerading As Beef Pepperoni Pizzas In New England
By 1.26.16
Labels are very important when it comes to food, considering most of us do not have X-ray vision that allows us to scan products with our eyes and know exactly what ingredients those items contain. That’s why Whole Foods is recalling a bunch of frozen pizzas on the East Coast: some pies labeled as containing “uncured beef pepperoni” are actually covered in pork pepperoni. [More]
Your Wrapped Meat Leaks Bacteria-Laden Juice Everywhere
By 8.11.14
The poultry that you buy at the grocery store is securely wrapped up specifically so consumers don’t spread traces of chicken juice on everything that they touch, right? Well… about that. For a new study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the government agency in charge of making sure that our meat doesn’t kill us, scientists followed shoppers around and checked surfaces that they touched for poultry proteins. Guess what they found? [More]
1.8 Million Pounds Of Ground Beef Recalled For Possible E.Coli Contamination
By 5.19.14
Planning to get a juicy hamburger for lunch today? Some of you may change your mind after reading this. Nearly two million pounds of ground beef products were recalled today because of possible E.Coli contamination. [More]
Chicken Plant Draws Ire Of Advocacy Groups, Shutters For Second Time In One Week
By 1.13.14
Chicken processing company Foster Farms is not having a good year. Just two days after the U.S. Department of Agriculture lifted last week’s suspension for a cockroach infestation, Foster voluntarily shut down operations at its Livingston, CA, plant Sunday, while continuing to come under fire from consumer advocates. [More]
