I am at the 100th meeting of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) in Milwaukee (See our booth). All the talk of course was about food safety as I gave the opening speech this morning about the Food Safety Modernization Act and handed out $40,000 in scholarships to local, state and international health departments this evening.

However, the talk was also about yet another health advisory by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) that was issued Friday night due to concerns about illnesses caused by Salmonella Heidelberg that may be associated with use and consumption of ground turkey. The alert was initiated after there was an association between consumption of ground turkey products and an estimated 77 illnesses reported in 26 states. Yet, the name of the manufacturer was not named by the FSIS.

Interestingly, just a few months ago Jennie-O Turkey Store, a Willmar, Minn. Establishment (owned by Hormel), recalled 54,960 pounds of frozen, raw turkey burger products. At the time the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services notified FSIS of a patient diagnosed with salmonellosis caused by Salmonella serotype Hadar. The investigation expanded to include 12 people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illincarois, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Washington, and Wisconsin who also have been diagnosed with Salmonella Hadar infection.

Well, Monday is just around the corner.