A recent article by USA Today reported that school aged children may be at a significant risk of food poisoning from the foods served in school cafeterias. The newspaper looked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics between 1998 and 2007 regarding reported foodborne illness outbreaks related to school cafeteria foods. According to the paper, 470 school related food poisoning... [more]

Here is the continuation of yesterday’s post about the worst foodborne illness complications. Today we cover the top five nastiest complications. 5. Organ Damage Most “simple” food poisonings are anything but simple. While most food pathogens are not considered a serious threat to a normal healthy person, foodborne pathogens can infect and threaten the life of anyone unfortunate enough to... [more]

Thrive Foods, a Lindon, Utah, establishment, is recalling approximately 3,790 pounds of assorted meat and poultry products because they were produced without the benefit of federal inspection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The following products are subject to recall: 17-ounce cans of “THRIVE PREMIUM FREEZE DRIED Diced... [more]

For most people who get a foodborne illness, it is a 2 or 3 days of sickness followed by a quick recovery with no serious long term effects (except for the memories of how intense a food poisoning illness can be). But for an unfortunate few and their families, a foodborne bacteria, virus or parasite can change everything in an instant. There are quite a few pathogens that use food as a transmission... [more]

Fairbury Steaks, Inc. a Fairbury, Nebraska, establishment, is recalling approximately 90 pounds of fresh ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The products subject to recall include: 10-pound packages of “BULK FRESH GROUND BEEF.” The packages were placed... [more]

Some kinds of E. coli cause disease by making a toxin called Shiga toxin. The bacteria that make these toxins are called Shiga-Toxin-producing E. coli or STEC. You might also hear them called verocytotoxic E. coli (VTEC) or enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC); these all refer generally to the same group of bacteria. STEC cause the illness, hemorrhagic colitis, an intestinal illness that usually manifests... [more]

Pregnancy can bring about quite a few dietary changes. Whether it’s which foods to seek out and which foods to avoid, new mothers are overwhelmed with information. One of the bigger dietary concerns is avoiding the foodborne illness, listeriosis. Listeriosis is an infection of Listeria monocytogenes, an often food borne bacteria that has an ability to cross the placenta and infect unborn babies.... [more]

The time between ingesting a Shiga toxin-producing E. Coli (STEC) bacteria and feeling sick is called the “incubation period.” The incubation period is usually 3-4 days after the exposure, but onset of illness may be as short as 1 day or as long as 10 days. The symptoms often begin slowly with mild belly pain or non-bloody diarrhea that worsens over several days. Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)... [more]

The holidays are approaching and that means, families, fellowship fun.  Yes, and food.  When preparing food for the holiday festivities, food safety needs to be considered.  To help you prepare for the holiday feasts, here are some helpful tips from the law firm Neblett, Beard & Arsenault. The goal is to keep your family and guests safe from the tiny food pathogens that pack a powerful punch. “Foodborne... [more]

Here is an interesting response to Representative George Miller’s request that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate E. coli and school lunches by John Maday, an editor for Drovers Magazine, a periodical devoted to the cattle industry. The editorial is a below:  It’s difficult to argue against protecting students from food-borne illness, but this investigation seems excessively... [more]