The use of good cleaning and sanitizing practices is crucial during production and distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables to reduce the risk of microbial contamination. The implementation of such practices is standard in most production facilities because soil, compost, water, personnel, and/or harvesting/processing equipment can all be sources of harmful microbes that could result

Listeria is a gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that is ubiquitous and can grow under either anaerobic (without oxygen) or aerobic (with oxygen) conditions. 

The Prevalence of Listeria in Food and the Environment

Listeriosis is one of the most important bacterial infections worldwide that arises mainly from the consumption of contaminated food.[1] The disease is caused

I wrote this blog a decade ago – some things have not changed.

What do Cantaloupes and Baseball have in Common?

At Least Baseball Won’t Kill You.

I stopped being a fan of Alex Rodriquez years ago when he left the Mariners, so I was not that particularly bothered when he was banned from baseball

The HMC Group Marketing, Inc., which does business as HMC Farms, is voluntarily recalling peaches, plums and nectarines sold in retail stores between May 1 and November 15, 2022 and between May 1 and November 15, 2023. The fruit is being recalled because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an

As of November 17, 43 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 15 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from October 17, 2023, to November 6, 2023. Of 30 people with information available, 17 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Canada is also investigating a Salmonella outbreak linked

I new journal article on the polony tragedy was just published: “Cost estimation of listeriosis (Listeria monocytogenes) occurrence in South Africa in 2017 and its food safety implications.”

Some main points:

Estimate the loss of 204 that died was at least $240,000,000 US

Hospitalization costs were at least $10,400,000 US

Loss to businesses was at

And, why does the FDA consider Salmonella an adulterant in all foods and the USDA/FSIS does not?

According to the FDA, “[p]athogenic bacteria (e.g., Salmonella or Listeria monocytogenes) are considered adulterants in both human and animal food. Although many animals consuming this food may not become sick themselves, they can become carriers and expose their human family

Real Kosher Ice Cream, of Brooklyn, NY, is recalling soft serve on the go ice cream and sorbet cups, because of potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

The recall is the result of an individual becoming ill and reporting to have eaten this product. Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture tested samples of product and one sample tested positive