March 2011

4d3f1278670ee.preview-300.jpgWe have been working on ways to keep consumers informed on issues of Food Safety.  That is why we have all the below “bug” websites and why I sponsor specifically Food Safety News (FSN) and the Foodborne Illness Outbreak Databse.  It is ultimately the free market – consumers being aware of companies with good and bad food safety histories – that will help make food safer in the long run by having consumers vote with their pocketbooks.

We thought we would add one more portal of information (it will likely be placed over at FSN) for consumers by listing all the websites we (my staff) could find on restaurant scores.  It is still a work in progress, and I would love any feedback on places that have been missed.  It is clear some states, counties and cities are more interested in inspections and more willing to put the information on the web.

Happy eating – links below:Continue Reading Restaurant Inspection Report Score Cards – State by State, City by City Portal

I just landed from a 10-hour flight from Istanbul to New York and I have a few moments to update my blog.   On the plane I read the interesting CDC study from Scotland on the prevalence of “Secondary Cases” (person-to-person transmission from a primary E. coli O157:H7 infection).  The study found that secondary cases constituted…

Unilever United States, Inc. today announced a limited recall of Skippy® Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy® Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread, because it may be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune…

According to AP, a Miami couple and their company face federal charges of importing cheese and other dairy products into the U.S. that were contaminated with Salmonella and other bacteria.

jail.JPGFederal prosecutors say 41-year-old Yuri Izurieta and 46-year-old Anneri Izurieta are charged with smuggling and conspiracy. Their company Naver Trading Corp. was also charged.

An…

Screen shot 2011-03-04 at 7.27.36 PM.pngBeing up early here in Istanbul (Morning Prayer call is 5:30 AM and the Minaret is 100 meters away), this press release from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) dropped into my inbox:

MDH and MDA are working with counterparts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and federal agencies to investigate…

Aya Sofya, built by Emperor Justinian, is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, and right outside my window on the Europe side of the Bosphorus. From the date of its dedication in 360 A.D. until 1453, it served as the cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and…

fong.bmpAccording to press reports, in a testimony before the food agency subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations Phyllis K. Fong, Inspector General of the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) discussed its budget request and recent audit and investigative activities. In a focus on USDA, Fong questioned beef trim sampling practices, recommending that the agency…