When an individual thinks they have the stomach flu or a stomach virus, they may really have Norovirus.  Norovirus goes by many names. It has been called Calcivirus as well as Norwalk virus. Norovirus is contracted when a person ingests food which is contaminated with the virus. Shellfish can harbor Norovirus. In addition, Norovirus can be passed from an infected person to a well person. People transfer... [more]

Days after two companies recall their Granola Bars and Peanut Crunch products for possible Salmonella contamination, Thumb Oilseed Producers’ Cooperative of Ubly, MI., the producers of soy grits believed to be the reason for contamination, finally recall their products. A little slow on the draw, right? Here’s their official release: Thumb Oilseed Producers’ Cooperative of Ubly,... [more]

 With the rise in food imports comes an added risk related to food safety. Ensuring that exporting countries maintain the same standard of food safety as the United States is difficult. Imported food has been the source of recent food recalls. One such recall was that of Italian Sausage products by Daniele International, Inc. which was possibly linked to imported pepper used in the making of the sausage... [more]

As the 2010 Winter Olympic Games come to a close, I must admit, it has been very exciting watching these competitions. Millions of people world-wide cheered as these athletes sought to fulfill a life-long dream of winning a gold medal. A fortunate few were able to visit Vancouver and watch the games in person. With people from all over the world descending on Vancouver, scientists prepared for these... [more]

    Wholesome Spice of Brooklyn, NY, who has been mentioned the the Daniele International Salmonella Recall, is now recalling lots of Crushed Red Pepper.  Here’s the company’s release:     Wholesome Spice of Brooklyn, NY is recalling all lots of 25 lb boxes of Crushed Red Pepper sold between 4/6/09 and 1/20/10, because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an... [more]

Salmonella is again in the news.  More granola bars, produced by an entirely different company, are now being recalled.  Recently, Lovin Oven, LLC of Irwindale, CA recalled their products, Health Valley Organic Peanut Crunch, Dutch Apple and Wildberry Chewy Granola Bars for this same risk.  Now its   fresh&easy™ Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.  The contamination in both instances is... [more]

Queseria Bendita ofYakima, Wash., is recalling three types ofcheese, Queso Fresco, Panela, and Requeson, because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms... [more]

The South Dakota Argus Leader recently published an article entitled “Officials Wary of Agri-Terrorism,” which discussed the state’s readiness for an agri-terrorism attack. When people normally think of terrorism, they think of 9-11 scenarios. However, terrorists could potentially utilize the U.S. food supply as a weapon of mass destruction. The article describes how South Dakota has developed... [more]

Lovin Oven, LLC of Irwindale, CA announced that it has taken the precautionary measure of voluntarily recalling certain Health Valley Organic Peanut Crunch, Dutch Apple and Wildberry Chewy Granola Bars because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The bars contain organic toasted soy grits supplied by Thumb Oilseed Producers Cooperative of Ubly, MI. No other types of Health Valley... [more]

Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) is a potentially fatal disorder that can follow contraction of  E. coli O157:H7 food poisoning. HUS is a disorder that typically wreaks havoc on an individual’s kidneys and the body’s red blood cells. Interestingly, HUS is not only associated with post E. coli infections. It has also been linked to foodborne illness cases of Shigella and Salmonella. Children are... [more]