A lovely thought as my daughters and I head out to one of the local restaurants here in Hawaii. I wonder if the organic, local salad that we order tonight was grown with any concern for good agricultural practices and inspected by a local government official, or if a local farmer grew it that simply
I thought I was going to be on vacation for a few days in Hawaii?
Although no one believes me, I am actually in Hawaii for a Food Safety Expo where I will be giving two speeches. OK, I admit that there might be a bit of sun and an attempt at recalling how I once knew how to surf. But when I picked up the paper this morning I
E. coli O104:H4 Fenugreek Sprout Outbreak – EU says 44 dead, WHO says 52 – if you include the US
The European Union (EU) as of today, using the new case definition that excludes 7 deaths, the cumulative number of non-HUS STEC cases in the EU is 3,041 (excludes 5 from France), including 16 deaths, and 757 HUS STEC (excludes 156) cases, including 28 deaths. The EU does not count the 4 HUS cases, 1
FSIS denies AMI’s 2005 petition for low-dose beef irradiation
It was a busy few days for FSIS getting out substantive food policy when the media and the public will likely not notice – See Press Release on Salmonella.
A few days ago, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) quietly denied the American Meat Institute’s (AMI’s) 2005 Petition to Recognize the Use of
7 – 11 Listeria Recall in Hawaii – Just in Time for my Trip
Around 1,500 pounds of 7-Eleven convenience-store meals have been recalled for possible Listeria contamination by Hawaiian company Warabeya U.S.A., Inc, the Department of Agriculture said late on Wednesday.
The recalled products include 10.3-ounce packages of 7-Eleven Fried Chicken Bento, 11-ounce packages of 7-Eleven Teriyaki Bento, 10-ounce packages of 7-Eleven Breakfast Scramble Bowl, 17.75-ounce packages of
Botulism in Georgia and Ohio Linked to Unnamed Potato Soup Companies
In January and April 2011, CDC provided antitoxin for treatment of two persons with toxin type A botulism associated with consumption of potato soup produced by two companies. On January 28, 2011, an Ohio resident, aged 29 years, was hospitalized after 5 days of progressive dizziness, blurred vision, dysphagia, and difficulty breathing. The patient required
Death in Arizona by E. coli O104:H4 Confirmed by CDC – Total Human Damage $4 Billion
E. coli O104:H4, a non-O157 E. coli, is here in the United States
According to the CDC, in the United States, six confirmed cases of STEC O104:H4 infections have been identified. Of these six cases, five recently traveled to Germany, where they were likely exposed. Bacterial isolates from four HUS cases reported in Arizona
Off to Hawaii – A little sun, a little surfing and a couple of speeches
I have been invited to speak at the Hawaiian Expo this coming week.
Salmonella Enteritidis Linked to Evergreen Fresh Sprouts in Idaho, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota and Washington
The CDC reports that as of July 5, 2011, a total of 25 persons with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis have been reported from 5 states: Idaho (3), Montana (10), New Jersey (1), North Dakota (1) and Washington (10). Among persons for whom information is available, illnesses began between April 12 and June 15
“FDA does consider any disease-causing strain of E. coli in food to be illegal”
A few days ago I posted – “The FDA and Revisionist History of its Position on non-O157 E. coli” about what seemed to be some juggling of words and sentences in a series of FDA Press Releases about the E. coli O104:H4 outbreak in Germany. This morning I got a response from the FDA clarifying that in fact the “FDA does consider any disease-causing strain of E. coli in food to be illegal.” Here is the email chain (FDA in italics):
From: “DeLancey, Siobhan” <Siobhan.Delancey@fda.hhs.gov>
Date: Thu, 7 Jul 2011 11:34:45 -0400
To: Bill Marler <bmarler@marlerclark.com>
Subject: FDA statement on E. coli
Hi Bill,
A consumer notified me of your blog post on our press release on the E. coli O104 outbreak in Europe. As is often the case in these situations, there’s a simple and not very mysterious explanation.
Back on June 3, FDA posted an early [not finalized] draft of a press release titled “FDA statement on E. coli O104 outbreak in Europe.” Less than an hour later, we posted the final release, which was the same one that went to reporters via our distribution list.
As we have been stating since the outbreak in Europe, FDA does consider any disease-causing strain of E. coli in food to be illegal.
Hope that helps to clarify.
Siobhan DeLancey, RVT, MPH
Team Leader for Food, Veterinary and Cosmetic Products
FDA Office of Public Affairs
Office: 301-796-4668
BB: 202-510-4177
FDA Press Beat List:
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/MediaContacts/default.htm
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