Author: Kit Redwine

The journey of a hamburger patty from pasture to plate is one of the most complex food safety challenges in modern agriculture. E. coli O157:H7, a bacterium that lives harmlessly in the intestinal tracts of healthy cattle, becomes a potentially deadly contaminant when it transfers to meat during processing. Unlike a whole steak, where bacteria typically reside only on the surface and are easily killed by direct heat, the grinding process distributes any contamination from the surface throughout the entire batch of meat. This fundamental difference makes proper cooking temperatures not merely a matter of taste or preference, but a…

The Outbreak at a Glance On June 4, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health partners, announced an investigation into a multi‑state outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to soft requesón cheese produced by Clover Hill Dairy in Mechanicsville, Maryland. As of the initial announcement, eight people across three states, Maryland, New York, and Virginia, had been infected with the same outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes. Among those eight patients, seven required hospitalization and one person in Maryland died. The Maryland Department of Health reported…

The journey of food from field to fork is a complex, multi‑stage process involving dozens of hands, pieces of equipment, and environmental conditions. At each step, from the planting of a seed to the slicing of a melon on a kitchen counter, there exists a potential entry point for dangerous microorganisms. The pathogens that cause foodborne illness, including Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Campylobacter, and hepatitis A virus, do not appear from nowhere. They originate in specific environmental, animal, or human reservoirs and are then introduced into the food supply through well‑understood pathways. Understanding these pathways is essential for designing effective prevention strategies at every…

The Outbreak at a Glance Between August 2025 and February 2026, a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to moringa leaf powder has sickened 97 people across 32 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Twenty-six (26) people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. The outbreak involved two strains of Salmonella, Typhimurium and Newport, and is linked to multiple dietary supplements containing moringa leaf powder, including Live it Up Super Greens powders and Why Not Natural Pure Organic Moringa Green Superfood capsules. The illnesses started on dates ranging from August 22, 2025 to April 26, 2026. A total of 67 people were…

A single package of frozen clams from Ecuador, processed months earlier and thousands of miles away, sat in a restaurant freezer waiting to be thawed and served. This is the reality of the global food supply chain, and in 2025 and 2026, it led to a hepatitis A outbreak that sickened people across multiple states over a period of at least eight months. In April 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety alert advising restaurants, retailers, and consumers not to eat, serve, or sell La Serranita‑brand concha negra (black shell) fresh frozen shell meat from Ecuador. The product…

The Outbreak at a Glance From December 2025 through early 2026, a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections linked to imported cantaloupe sickened 70 people across 25 states, according to federal health officials. The outbreak investigation, led by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), traced the contaminated fruit to imported shipments from Guatemala distributed by Ayco Farms Inc., a Florida‑based supplier. Although the implicated cantaloupe was likely past its shelf life by the time the source was confirmed, Ayco Farms initiated a voluntary recall on March 24, 2026,…

A History of Recurring Outbreaks The 2026 outbreak of Salmonella Newport linked to Guatemalan cantaloupe is far from the first time this fruit has been associated with widespread illness. A review of melon-associated outbreaks in the United States between 2012 and 2021 found a median of two outbreaks per year involving melons, with more than half of the Salmonella outbreaks linked specifically to cantaloupe. The most severe recent event occurred in 2023, when a Salmonella outbreak traced to Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes grown in the Sonora region of Mexico resulted in 407 confirmed illnesses, 158 hospitalizations and six deaths…

On May 9, 2026, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert for a traditional pork product known as headcheese due to potential contamination with the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Produced by Crawford Sausage Co. and sold under the DAISY BRAND label, the ready-to-eat deli meat had been distributed to retail locations in Illinois and Indiana, where at least three people had already been sickened. By the time the alert was issued, the affected products, carrying a “USE BY” date of March 26, 2026, were no longer available for purchase, yet FSIS remained…

The past two years have seen a series of significant foodborne illness outbreaks across the United States and Europe, involving everything from ready-to-eat pasta meals and raw cheese to fresh produce and oysters. These outbreaks were driven by pathogens including Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, hepatitis A virus, and Vibrio vulnificus and have resulted in hospitalizations, deaths, and major product recalls. The following summary examines the major outbreaks of 2025 and early 2026, their causes, and their outcomes. Listeria in Prepared Pasta Meals The most severe outbreak of 2025 involved Listeria monocytogenes contamination of prepared pasta meals sold at…

Foodborne illness in the United States is most frequently associated with familiar names: Salmonella, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes. These pathogens dominate public health messaging, outbreak headlines, and consumer awareness campaigns. Yet the landscape of foodborne disease is considerably broader. Several other pathogens cause substantial illness, hospitalization, and long-term complications, yet remain comparatively obscure to the general public. Understanding these lesser-known threats is essential for comprehensive food safety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks foodborne illness through multiple surveillance systems. While Campylobacter and Salmonella consistently rank as the top causes of gastrointestinal infections monitored by FoodNet, other…