There are three different agencies in the federal government that handle different types of foodborne illnesses and separate aspects of those illnesses. While two outbreaks might be caused by the same pathogen, which agency handles them depends on whether the food contains meat or not. This is sort of inefficient. [More]
usda
Proposed Bills Would Revamp Food Safety Agencies & Recall Protocols
By 2.6.15
Last year a group of legislators introduced a bill that would have given the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture the legal backbone to get unsafe meat, poultry and eggs off store shelves. While that bill died in Congress, two new measures seek to pick up the pieces, establishing a single, independent federal food-safety agency and providing new recall procedures. [More]
USDA Introduces New Maple Syrup Grading System To Clear Up Consumer Confusion
By 1.28.15
If you think people don’t take maple syrup seriously, clearly you have never been to Vermont. While that state already switched up its grading system for the sweet stuff, the rest of the country is set to change as well with new categories introduced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture this week. [More]
More Than 48,000 Pounds Of Beef, Pork Recalled Because Pieces Of Metal Aren’t Edible
By 1.9.15
Finding a piece of metal in your frozen pork or beef might be enough for you to rethink your dinner plans. To ensure that doesn’t happen in your kitchen, a Los Angeles company is recalling more than 48,000 pounds of frozen meat that may be contaminated with metal. [More]
Today In Sad Food News: 80,000 Pounds Of Bacon Recalled For Misbranding
By 12.23.14
Let’s all pour out a little bacon grease on the ground for our fallen pork comrades, delicious bits of savory umami that will never reach the lips of consumers: More than 80,000 pounds of bacon have been recalled after a Florida company says the products were misbranded. [More]
Ranchers Legacy Meat Co. Recalls 1,200 Pounds Of Ground Beef Over E.Coli Contamination
By 11.24.14
Sure, it’s Thanksgiving week and we’re all preparing to devour our fair share of turkey. But some consumers prefer a main dish that’s a little more beefy. If you’re part of that camp, you might want to check the label after a Minnesota firm recalled ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli. [More]
90,000 Pounds Of Caesar Salad Kits Sold At Sam’s Club Recalled Because Listeria Isn’t A Tasty Ingredient
By 8.22.14
When you’re in a rush and don’t have time to gather all the ingredients to a salad, grabbing a pre-made kit might seem like a convenient and healthy idea. That is unless that salad kit comes with a little something extra – let’s say, maybe, listeria. Doesn’t sound so appetizing, now does it? [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]
USDA Changes Up The Way It’s Been Inspecting Poultry Plants For The Last 50 Years
By 8.1.14
In an effort to stem the tide of foodborne illnesses hitting the country every year via chicken and turkey, the Obama administration has announced new rules for poultry plants, revamping the rules its used for inspections for the first time since 1957. But critics are crying foul, calling the government out for failing to address the role antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria plays in the poultry industry. [More]
How Loophole In Tainted Food Recalls Bit Chicken Company In The Butt
By 7.10.14
For more than a year, chicken producer Foster Farms has been tied to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people, resulted in the shutdown of a Foster plant and the destruction of more than a million pounds of meat. But a loophole in USDA guidelines meant that that the company didn’t issue any recalls until just last week. Now it’s that same loophole that appears to be coming back to bite Foster in the derriere. [More]
Foster Farms Recalls Chicken After USDA Inspectors Finally Link It To Salmonella Case
By 7.7.14
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]
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]
Kraft Recalls 96K Pounds Of Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs Because You Shouldn’t Be Surprised By Cheese Filling
By 4.21.14
While I’ve been known to enjoy the occasional hot dog with cheese, I’ve never quite understood the appeal of those hot dogs that come pre-loaded with cheese inside the wieners. And while I’d be a bit annoyed to find out that someone at the factory had goofed and put cheese dogs in the packaging of regular ol’ hot dogs, it would be a much bigger problem for those who are allergic to dairy. [More]
Court Shoots Down Big Meat’s Challenge To USDA’s Country-Of-Origin Labeling Rules
By 3.28.14
Last year, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture enacted new rules requiring meat producers to provide more specific details on the country or countries of origin for their products. Saying the new mandate placed too onerous a burden on them, suppliers sued to block the rule change, but that challenge has been shut down by a federal appeals court. [More]
Chick Fil-A To (Eventually) Stop Using Antibiotic-Filled Chicken
By 2.11.14
In a move that could (hopefully) have a positive ripple effect on the rest of the fast food industry, Chick fil-A announced today that it will phase out the use of chickens raised using medically unnecessary antibiotics over the next five years. [More]
California Plant Shuts Down After Recalling 8.7 Million Pounds Of Beef “Unfit For Human Food”
By 2.10.14
In what sounds like the perfect storm of awfulness and complete inedibility, a Northern California plant has announced it’s voluntarily closing after issuing a recall for 8.7 million pounds of beef. Why? Because federal officials say the plant “processed diseased and unsound animals” without a full federal inspection, resulting in products that are “unfit for human food.” Yum. [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]
USDA Shuts Down Chicken Processing Plant Because Gross, Cockroach Infestation
By 1.9.14
When you hear about a big salmonella outbreak that’s sickened hundreds, you know there’s got to be a problem somewhere along the supply chain. But hearing the words “cockroach” and “infestation” linked to a chicken processing plant is just so… real. And gross. Which is why the U.S. Department of Agriculture has shut down a plant in California, saying live cockroaches running around at such a place are not good for public health. [More]
