Foodborne illness victims may suffer reactive arthritis (also known as Reiter’s Syndrome or RS) following an infection with Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, or Campylobacter bacteria. It appears that a person’s body reacts to a bacterial infection…. apparently the bacterial infection leads to joint pain, conjunctivitis, and urinary track inflammation. These three symptoms in combination or... [more]

As summer approaches, people are beginning to get their grilling equipment ready. When grilling, barbequing, and cooking meat in general, certain minimum temperatures should be reached. FoodSafety.gov provides a handy table which lists proper minimum cooking temperatures for meats.    According to the website located at foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html, the following are recommended temperatures: Category Food Temperature... [more]

A 2008 study published by the Agricultural Research Service examined E. coli O157:H7 and beef tenderization.  The article  discussed the concerns that E. coli bacteria is frequently associated with ground beef, but has also been seen in mechanically tenderized beef products. The study examined the depth into which the tenderizing blades could insert E. coli bacteria into the meat. This was done in... [more]