I am losing track of the outbreaks and having a hard time keeping track of the countries that the body counts are coming from. I suggested before that it was time for a warning on sprouts, now it is a time to do it on seeds as well. Here is what should be put
Office of Inspector General finds FDA recall oversight lacking
From the OIG: Our review found that FDA’s guidance for developing and implementing food recalls was not adequate to ensure the safety of the Nation’s food supply because it was not enforceable. In addition, FDA did not always follow its own procedures for ensuring that the recall process operated efficiently and effectively. FDA has established
The Summer of Reading (and Eating) Dangerously
A few weeks ago a book, two years in the making, “Poisoned; The True Story of the Deadly E. coli Outbreak That Changed the Way Americans Eat,” by Jeff Benedict came out and is climbing the New York Times Best Seller’s List. A few days later one of the largest and, now most deadly, E.
Buget Cuts, bad for consumers, bad for business, but good for lawyers
A few months ago, Food Safety News, reported that budget reductions have forced local health departments to cut programs and staff, resulting in the loss of 6,000 public health jobs 2010 alone, according to survey and preliminary report released by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). The report found that
Really? Scientist Creates Shit Sandwich?
I was just finishing up my speech this morning at the National Environmental Health Association Conference in Columbus, Ohio when I got this video via one of my followers on twitter:
I can only assume that this is not a joke – although it should be. This is disturbing at several levels.
Is cutting government always a good idea?
I get a lot of emails and comments, most saying things that I tend not to print. However, this email I got this morning is one of the more disturbing one I have received lately:
There is a program run by USDA called the microbiological data program (MDP) (www.ams.usda.gov/mdp).
This program collects fresh
E. coli Outbreak – 2 year old dies and farmers get $304 million
Think about it.
According to German news, the death toll hit 37 on Tuesday after a 2 year old boy from Celle in northern Germany died from kidney failure caused by the infection. He was the first child to die. Until Tuesday, the youngest victim had been 20.
Over at Bloomberg it was announced that
What if there was a foodborne illness outbreak and nobody came?
In 2010 “Team Diarrhea’s” funding was jeopardized by funding cuts. Now the Minnesota Government may just shut them down instead of raising taxes on millionaires and billionaires to support foodborne illness investigations. This is what landed in the mail boxes of Minnesota’s public servants last week:
Cutting staff and funding for this group, not only
Off to the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists – “Canaries in the Coal Mine”
I am off this morning to speak Monday at the annual Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Conference in Pittsburgh. My Speech is entitled: “Consumers, Canaries in the Coal Mine.”
Consumers place great trust in our food supply. Since foodborne pathogens are generally odorless and tasteless, consumers cannot fully evaluate the quality of the
Update – “Poisoned” to be Delivered to House and Senate Friday Afternoon
On Friday, June 10, every member of Congress will receive a copy of the newly released book Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. Coli Outbreak that Changed the Way Americans Eat. The books are supplied courtesy of food safety attorney Bill Marler, who hopes to spur lawmakers to fund The Food Modernization Act