The “do not swim” signs are back up at Sycamore Pool.
A year ago, four children who swam and waded in Chico’s Bidwell Park were in hospital beds. Three developed hemolytic uremic syndrome. Two spent fifteen days on dialysis and blood transfusions. CDC pulled E. coli O157:H7 out of the Sycamore Pool sediment, out of
Phyllis Entis got there first, the way she always does when the subject is pet food. Her post at eFoodAlert lays out the complaint the Department of Justice filed on August 7 in the Western District of Washington, on behalf of FDA, against Arrow Reliance Inc., doing business as Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, and against
Four people got sick from romaine lettuce in November 2021. Two ate at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants in Rochester, Minnesota. Two ate lunch at Panera Bread in Washington State on the very same day — November 19 — one in Tacoma and one in Federal Way. All four carried the same strain of E. coli
Eighty-nine people in fifteen states got sick in November 2024. Thirty-six of them went to the hospital. Seven developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is the polite clinical way of saying that a child’s kidneys shut down. One person died. On January 15, 2025, the CDC and the FDA closed the file, recorded the vehicle as
Frozen is not sterile, and organic is not a promise of safety — a bag of blueberries grown in Chile and sold under a trusted store brand has now put four people in the hospital.
Here is where things stand. The FDA and CDC, with state and local partners, are investigating a multistate outbreak of
E. coli O145:H28 is a Shiga toxin–producing E. coli — a STEC, in the shorthand. The number-and-letter name is just how microbiologists fingerprint the bug: “O145” describes the sugar coat on the outside of the cell, and “H28” describes its flagella, the little whip it swims with. Put them together and you have one specific
If there is one sentence every family kept taped to the freezer door, it is this: when in doubt, throw it out. I honestly do not know who coined the phrase. But whoever it was understood something a lot of companies still don’t: a bag of contaminated food is never worth a child’s kidneys.
On
Another organic product, another Shiga toxin-producing E. coli outbreak, and another family who did nothing wrong except buy blueberries at their neighborhood grocery store.
The FDA and CDC, along with state and local partners, are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli O145:H28 infections linked to frozen GreenWise-brand organic blueberries recalled by Frutas y Hortalizas
Location on Illnesses – Florida and Georgia.
The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating illnesses in a multistate outbreak of E. coli O145:H28 infections linked to frozen GreenWise brand-organic blueberries recalled by Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A, of San Carlos, Chile.
On July 1, 2026, the Florida Department
Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., San Carlos, Chile is recalling frozen GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries 10 oz. Because it may be contaminated with Escherichia coli O145:H28 (E. coli O145).
E. coli O145 is a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) that can cause illness characterized by severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (which may be
