It would be a little bit confusing to open a microwaveable pot roast and find a microwaveable meatloaf instead. However, it could be seriously problematic for people with food allergies, since while meatloaf has bread crumbs and soybean oil, pot roast doesn’t. That’s why the incognito meatloaf has been recalled. [More]
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Chicken Skewers Sold At Costco Recalled Over Listeria Concerns
By 8.24.17
If your dinner plans include enjoying those chicken skewers you grabbed at Costco, you might want to go with plan B: More than 20,000 pounds of chicken skewers have been recalled over listeria contamination concerns. [More]
J.P. O’Reilly’s Burgers Recalled Because They’re Secretly Bacon Cheeseburgers
By 8.11.17
Many people like bacon and cheese on their burgers, but for whatever reason — allergy, religion, taste — plenty more don’t. And so the company behind the J.P. O’Reilly’s brand is recalling two tons of surprise! bacon cheeseburgers in six states for “misbranding.” [More]
USDA Says Chicago Soda Tax Puts $87M In Federal Food Stamp Funding At Risk
By 8.11.17
A controversial tax on sweetened beverages in Chicago is putting the entire state of Illinois at risk for losing millions in federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly referred to as food stamps), according to a warning sent by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to state regulators. [More]
‘Certified Angus Beef’ Brand Ground Chuck Recalled For Potential Styrofoam Pieces
By 8.2.17
People don’t want fillers in their ground beef, and they especially don’t want fillers that are not, strictly speaking, food. That’s why 4,922 pounds of ground beef have been recalled: The processor discovered that it may have chunks of the extruded polystyrene (what we commonly refer to as “styrofoam”) mixed in with the beef. [More]
Mad Cow Disease Discovered In Single Alabama Cow: What Now?
By 7.19.17
Although the words “mad cow” may strike fear deep into the center of your beef-loving stomach, there’s no need to freak out over a recent report of a single cow in Alabama that has come down with the disease. [More]
U.S. Halts Import Of Brazilian Beef Following Tainted Meat Scandal
By 6.23.17
U.S. food safety regulators have put a stop to fresh beef imports from Brazil, following earlier reports that meatpackers in the country — one of the world’s largest beef exporters — had allowed rotten, salmonella-tainted meat to be shipped abroad. [More]
Nathan’s Hot Dogs Recalled For Presence Of Metal Chunks
By 5.22.17
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]
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]
Nearly 6,000 Pounds Of Meat Recalled Over Potential E.Coli Contamination
By 5.5.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
If your weekend plans involved eating a bit of veal, beef, or pork products, you might want to check to make sure the meat in your fridge isn’t included in a recent E.coli recall. [More]
933,272 Pounds Of Breaded Chicken Recalled Over Possible Metal Pieces
By 3.24.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it plenty of times: Food with pieces of metal inside are not tasty or safe. The most recent example of extraneous metal pieces in food comes from OK Foods, which has recalled more than 930,000 pounds of breaded chicken. [More]
5 Reasons People Are Suddenly Concerned About Brazilian Beef
By 3.22.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Are you having beef for dinner? Do you know where it came from? No, not the grocery store down the street, but where the cow was raised? Most of us probably can’t answer those questions, and that’s a growing concern for health advocates, retailers, and lawmakers amid reports that some meatpackers in Brazil — one of the world’s largest exporters of beef — are shipping out rotten, salmonella-tainted beef. [More]
6 Things Consumers Should Know About The White House’s Proposed ‘Skinny’ Budget
By 3.16.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
The Trump White House has released its first big-picture public proposal on federal spending for 2018. This initial pass — the so-called “skinny” budget — is basically an outline that doesn’t get into the finer details. However, the changes that are described in the document are nonetheless wide-sweeping, recommending significant cuts or culling of a number of programs you may currently take for granted. [More]
Thanks To Policy Change, Your Ground Beef May Include More Heart Than You Think
By 2.2.17 — Updated: 2.3.17
For nearly 40 years federal food safety regulators had prohibited the use of any part of the cow heart in making ground beef. With little fanfare, that policy has changed. [More]
USDA Definition Of “Organic” Meat Revised To Include Considerations Of Animal Welfare
By 1.18.17 — Updated: 1.19.17
The current USDA requirements for “Organic” meat involve restrictions on what the animals are fed and when they can be provided antibiotics, but newly finalized rules will expand the criteria for earning an “Organic” label to include considerations of animal welfare. [More]
USDA Asks Meat, Dairy Companies To Replace Confusing Expiration & Sell-By Labels With “Best If Used By” Date
By 12.14.16 — Updated: 2.15.17
Though almost every food item you buy at the supermarket has some sort of expiration date — under the headers of “Sell By,” “Use By,” “Use Before,” “Best Before,” among others — printed on the packaging, the truth is date labels are largely voluntary and determined by the food producers. If handled properly, most foods are perfectly safe to eat after whatever date is on the label, but stores and consumers throw away an inordinate amount of food every year simply because that date has passed. In an effort to reduce food waste, the federal government is hoping to encourage meat and dairy producers to all use the same phrase: “Best If Used By.” [More]
USDA Can No Longer Hide How Much Money Stores Make From Food Stamps
By 12.1.16
All across America, families use benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP — formerly, and colloquially, known as the Food Stamp program) to buy food, but participation in SNAP varies from store to store, and the federal regulator that oversees the program has denied requests to turn over data on retailer-specific use of SNAP benefits. However, yesterday a federal court ruled that the government can no longer shield this information from public view. [More]
Have You Started Defrosting Your Turkey Yet? Don’t Wait Too Long
By 11.22.16
In a little more than 48 hours, many of us will be sitting down to a Thanksgiving meal that probably includes a turkey. Some of us will have to wait longer or just eat something else because the person responsible for said turkey didn’t take it out of the freezer until Thursday morning. [More]
