According to the CDC’s Escherichia Coli General Information webpage, there are different forms of E. coli bacteria. Some are harmless, others can be potentially fatal. E. coli O157:H7 is a unique form of E. coli bacteria.  This form of E. coli is capable of generating Shiga toxin.  When the toxin are produced from E. coli bacteria, complications can result. The E. coli bacteria itself can cause... [more]

A Montebello, California meat packing plant is under criminal investigation. According to the Food Safety Inspection Service, Huntington Meat Packing, Inc., which has previously had to recall beef products due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination is in violation of certain Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. Because of these violations, an added 4.9 million pounds of beef and veal products are... [more]

Data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s FoodNet Facts and Figures website shows that children under four have the highest number of cases of bacterial and parasitic infections when compared to older individuals.  Per 100,000 individuals, there were over 28 children younger than four who contracted campylobacter, nearly 75 diagnosed with Salmonella, and 27 infected with Shigella.... [more]

As today’s food marketplace becomes increasingly international, consumers profit from a culturally diverse array of food items as well as lower prices.  U.S. consumers benefit from imported shellfish, meat, poultry, eggs, as well as fruits and vegetables.  According to the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), in 2008, the U.S. imported over 3 billion pounds of meat and poultry.  Additionally,... [more]

The FSIS has just announced this recall: Huntington Meat Packing Inc., a Montebello, Calif. establishment, is recalling approximately 864,000 pounds of 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 problem was discovered during a Food Safety Assessment (FSA) by FSIS personnel. The... [more]

Nestlé’s ready-to-bake Toll Hose cookies recently tested positive for E. coli bacteria.  They’ve assured the public that the E. coli product was not shipped and that the current supply of Toll House ready-to-bake cookie dough that is currently on store shelves is safe.  Apparently, the factory where the cookie dough is made in Danville, VA will be closed for two weeks to allow the company... [more]

Yesterday, the FDA named Michael R. Taylor as the new Deputy Commissioner for Foods. This is a newly created position within the brand new “Office of Foods”.  Mr. Taylor will be responsible for overseeing the FDA’s various food and nutrition programs. No doubt qualified for this position, Taylor is a nationally recognized food safety expert, author, lawyer and professor who has held various... [more]

Adams Farm Slaughterhouse, LLC., an Athol, Mass., establishment, is recalling approximately 2,574 pounds of 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. This recall was initiated after the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) confirmed a positive ground beef sample for E.... [more]

CDC Map of E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak CDC is collaborating with public health officials in several states and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to investigate a multistate outbreak of human infections due to Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli 0157:H7). Monday, January 4, 2010, 21 persons infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 had been... [more]

The American Meat Institute (AMI) was quick to respond to concerns about mechanically tenderized beef after a recent outbreak related to mechanically tenderized beef processed by National Steak and Poultry had sickened dozens across the country with E. coli O157:H7 food poisoning.  The AMI is a special interest group that often comes to the defense of beef and this following press release response... [more]