According to the San Diego Union Tribune, the Pew Charitable Trusts is conducting research regarding the correlation between food safety and environmental protection. This trust is a nonprofit organization which conducts research and surveys in order to better understand emerging policy issues, including food safety and the environment. Recently, the organization surveyed dozens of California farmers... [more]

Parents love the convenience offered by bagged salads. Prepackaged leafy greens and vegetables provide a quick and easy alternative to making a salad the old-fashioned way. However, I became concerned when I read a recent report published on ConsumerReports.org. The title of the article, “Bagged Salads: How Clean?” says it all. Published in the March 2010 issue of Consumer Reports Magazine, the... [more]

Questions: True or False: Freezing kills the bacteria that cause foodborne illness? True or False: Thorough washing of contaminated leafy greens or vegetables is effective at eliminating the threat of foodborne pathogens? True or False: Cooking food to its recommended temperature will protect you from foodborne illness? True or False: When it comes to foodborne illness, organic foods are no safer... [more]

So, what’s “bench trim” and why should we care?  Well, they are meat scraps left over from the steaks and roasts typically used to make ground meat …and they will now be included in testing for E. coli O157:H7. This represents an addition to the testing arsenal since in the past; ground beef has been the primary sampling cut of meat. Government inspectors are currently not testing bench trim... [more]