MMWR reported the 2013 FoodNet data today and it was a bit depressing.

FoodNet conducts active, population-based surveillance for laboratory-confirmed infections caused by Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Listeria, Salmonella, Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 and non-O157, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia in 10 sites covering approximately 15% of the U.S. population.  For information on those bugs,

The email in my inbox this morning enclosing a questionnaire asking about the possible link between foodborne illnesses and last weeks Food Safety Summit was tempting enough.  The dozens of emails from attendees from around the world that followed made the irony complete – a potential foodborne illness outbreak at the Food Safety Summit –

This just landed in my inbox:

Dear Food Safety Summit Attendee,

The Baltimore City Health Department and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Division of Outbreak Investigation are investigating illnesses among people who were at the Baltimore Convention Center from April 8-10, 2014.  We have not yet determined how people became ill, and

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today that it is allowing ionizing radiation on crustaceans like crab, shrimp, lobster, and crayfish to control foodborne pathogens and extend shelf life.

The agency said it based its decision on a “rigorous safety assessment” that considered potential toxicity, the effect of irradiation on nutrients, and the

Politico covered my short talk at the Food Safety Summit:

Every step of the food chain — from manufacturers to auditors (Retailers too) — should be on its toes because who ultimately bears responsibility in foodborne illness outbreaks is a moving target, Bill Marler, a plaintiff’s attorney specializing in foodborne illness cases, warned yesterday.

Being

The BBC reports that Guinea has banned the sale and consumption of bats to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, its health minister has said.  Bats, a local delicacy, appeared to be the “main agents” for the Ebola outbreak.  People who eat bats often boil them into a spicy pepper soup.  The soup