Maybe these aren’t mysteries but food science problems that will be quickly solved like all the others.
Or not.
The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a highly contagious disease and often deadly in poultry and now other animals.
It is all leaving behind the feeling of mystery.
In the recent week, it has brought dead cats and mammal-to-mammal transmissions along with reports of the danger of raw milk consumption.
For example, Michigan public health officials have warned the public that unpasteurized, raw milk can harbor the virus. And, the New York Department of Agriculture told consumers that raw…
Continue Reading Keeping another pandemic at bay is now the job of food scienceAfter more than a decade of discussion, the Food and Drug Administration has published a final rule for certain agricultural water used in the production of produce.
The new rule was mandated by the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act.
The FDA says the new rule reflects science and information gleaned from several produce-related outbreaks. The rule specifically addresses potential impacts on water from adjacent and nearby land, which includes the presence of animal feedlots. Such feedlots have been implicated in outbreaks from fresh produce. However, the FDA does not have the authority to go into feedlots during investigations of foodborne…
Continue Reading FDA finally publishes ag-water rule for produce farming operationsAccording to the country’s food agency, allergens in food were the main reason for recalls in New Zealand in 2023.
Of 70 consumer-level recalls in 2023, 26 were due to allergens. Milk caused the most with 12, said New Zealand Food Safety.
Microbiological contamination led to 23 recalls, and 14 were due to physical contamination, such as glass, metal, and plastic.
Ten recalls were because of Salmonella Montevideo, and four because of Salmonella Livingstone. A dairy product was recalled because of the non-pathogenic Listeria seeligeri. One recall was because of the possible presence of Hepatitis A. Between June 2022 and…
Continue Reading New Zealand shares 2023 recall dataWhile nothing compares to attending the Food Safety Summit in person next week at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, you can still share the experience remotely. Enjoy the chance to watch select sessions streamed live from the Summit at no cost.
On Tuesday, May 7 from 12:30 – 2:30 pm CT a panel of government and industry experts will share their insights during a two-hour workshop on Traceability—Best Practice Sharing. Traceability programs are an important component of food safety and quality programs. The design and management of these programs has represented challenges and opportunities for…
Continue Reading Some sessions at Food Safety Summit available remotelyThe USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert because a consumer has reported foreign material in a raw pork chorizo product.
The FSIS is issuing the public health alert to ensure that consumers are aware that this product should not be consumed. A recall was not requested because the product is no longer available for purchase.
The FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. Consumers who have purchased this product are urged not to consume them. This product should be thrown away or returned to the place of…
Continue Reading San Antonio company recalls raw pork chorizo after consumer finds plastic, metalCargill Meat Solutions of Hazleton, PA, is recalling approximately 16,243 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS).
The establishment reported the issue to FSIS after they identified that previously segregated product had been inadvertently utilized in the production of ground beef.
These items were shipped to Walmart retail locations nationwide. FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers.
The raw ground beef items were produced on April 26-27, 2024.
Recalled products:
2.25-lbs. plastic-wrapped trays…
Continue Reading Ground beef products sold at Walmarts nationwide recalled over E. coli contamination— OPINION —
The spread of bird flu to dairy cows, along with the discovery of viral fragments in 20 percent of retail milk samples, has turned an outbreak that long vexed poultry farmers into a source of stress for consumers. The situation is fraught with uncertainty as researchers’ understanding of the virus evolves, along with the virus itself. On one point, however, the evidence is in: the U.S. needs better surveillance of pathogens on large livestock farms.
As of this writing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported confirmed cases of the highly pathogenic avian influenza…
Continue Reading Avian flu: Time to rethink on-farm surveillance?Sometimes a bill about planting potatoes is simply about planting potatoes.
In Colorado, where the Legislature ends on May 8, a bill concerning the planting of uncertified potatoes is already on the governor’s desk.
Colorado potato growers plant more than 52,000 acres annually to produce more than 1 million tons of potatoes. The crop contributes more than $335 million to the state economy.
The emergence of the Potato Virus Y is now a threat to the Colorado potato crop. Testing the seed stock of uncertified potatoes before they are planted would protect the crop and limit the spread of the…
Continue Reading Potato bill unites Colorado lawmakersThe European Commission has opened a comment period as part of plans to change the current set-up and establish EU reference laboratories (EURLs) in public health.
The call for applications covers three EURLs. The first is an EURL for food and waterborne bacteria; the second is for food, water, and vector-borne helminths and protozoa; and the third is for food and waterborne viruses.
EURLs will support national reference laboratories and promote good practice and alignment by member states on diagnostics, testing methods, and the use of specific tests for the surveillance, notification, and reporting diseases. Other duties include external quality…
Continue Reading EU Commission opens call in foodborne labs reorganizationHealth officials in a Belgian city have identified the source of pork tapeworm infections at a school.
Department Zorg said that after an extensive search, the person behind the infections at Het Molentje primary school was found.
Around 10 cases have been discovered in primary school children in the past year.
Investigations revealed this person has not been contagious since the summer of 2022 and contracted the tapeworm abroad. The pork tapeworm, also called Taenia solium, is very rare in Belgium and Europe, and cases of it are often linked to eating contaminated food in other countries.
No further risks…
Continue Reading Belgian Officials Solve Pork Tapeworm Case