Author: Kit Redwine

Boar’s Head, the 120-year-old premium meat and cheese producer, recently announced comprehensive food safety reforms following last year’s unprecedented liverwurst recall due to Listeria contamination. The Listeria outbreak spread across 19 states, resulted in 61 illnesses, and 10 deaths between late May and mid-September of 2024. Yesterday, the company designated a company-wide “Boar’s Head Food Safety Promise Day,” during which all facilities will pause operations to focus on newly enhanced safety and sanitation protocols. The company is implementing several new safety measures and has established an independent Food Safety Advisory Council to oversee quality control efforts. Frank Yiannas, former Deputy…

The New York City Health Department has issued a public health advisory after confirming a case of hepatitis A in a food handler at ilili Restaurant on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The department is taking preventive measures, though no additional cases have been reported. Health officials are advising customers who dined at or ordered takeout from ilili between January 31 and February 9, 2025, to receive a hepatitis A vaccination if they haven’t previously been immunized. Those who consumed food from the restaurant between January 17 and February 9 are advised to monitor for symptoms for seven weeks after their…

Founded in 2011, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Coordinated Outbreak Response & Evaluation (CORE) Network combines medical, public health, and scientific expertise to fight foodborne illness outbreaks. In that time, it has identified nearly 1,000 potential outbreaks and issued over 400 public safety alerts. This specialized network has responded to 234 outbreaks linked to FDA-regulated food products. In 100 of these cases, CORE successfully identified specific foods as the source of contamination, leading to targeted consumer warnings and recalls. CORE’s operational structure consists of several specialized teams working in concert to detect, respond to, and prevent foodborne illness outbreaks.…

Earlier this week, Food Poisoning News reported on a multi-state recall of various canned tuna products due to potential risk of contamination with Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism. Today, there was even another recall linked to botulism, this time for bamboo shoots. Other stories have covered botulism infections linked to unlicensed Botox injections in China, Australia, and the United States. However, while botulism has featured heavily in the news, many may not know just what it is, what symptoms to look for, and best practices for how to avoid a botulism infection. Botulism is a rare but serious…

A major clinical trial testing a vaccine against E. coli has been discontinued following an interim analysis that showed insufficient efficacy, pharmaceutical companies Sanofi and Johnson & Johnson announced today in Paris. The phase 3 E.mbrace study, which began in June 2021, was evaluating a vaccine candidate’s ability to prevent invasive E. coli disease, including sepsis and blood infections, in adults aged 60 and older with a history of urinary tract infections. The trial spanned more than 250 sites across five continents. The majority of E. coli strains are not harmful and play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Common Sense Soap, based in North Walpole, New Hampshire, is recalling over 30,000 pounds of beef tallow. The recall was initiated after it was discovered that the products were processed, packaged, and labeled without required federal inspection oversight. Background FSIS was notified by a local health department who found that Lady May Tallow had contracted Common Sense Soap, a company without a federal grant of inspection, to process, package, and label the recalled product. The presence of nutrition facts labels on the products could mislead consumers into…

AKT Trading Inc, based in Torrance, California, has issued a voluntary recall of 120 packages of Choshiya-brand Menma Ajitsuke Prepared Bamboo Shoots due to potential risk of Clostridium botulinum contamination. Clostridium botulinum is a bacterium that causes botulism, a type of food poisoning that can cause severe or fatal illness. Background The recall was initiated after the product was found at the Tokyo Central store in Costa Mesa, California being sold under non-refrigerated conditions. The impacted product did not have a “Keep Refrigerated” label. The product has since been removed from sale at this store. Distribution The specific recalled packages…

West Java CIANJUR – Nine Dead After Consuming Dangerous Homemade Alcohol Mix A food poisoning incident in Cianjur, West Java has claimed nine lives after a group of villagers consumed a dangerous homemade alcoholic mixture at a local gathering last Thursday. Three additional victims were hospitalized, with one currently still receiving medical treatment and two others having been discharged, according to Channel News Asia. The victims, all residents of Pademangan Village ranging in age from 29 to 55, had reportedly mixed 96 percent ethanol with soda and bottled drinks for consumption at the gathering. The ethanol, which was purchased through…

University Health Services (UHS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison notified approximately 4,000 students and staff on Friday about a potential hepatitis A exposure linked to Rheta’s Market, a campus dining facility, according to dailycardinal.com. The alert was issued after a student employee at Rheta’s Market tested positive for hepatitis A. The student was reportedly infectious while working at the facility, which led the university to contact anyone who may have visited the dining hall during the exposure period. The school’s Environment, Health and Safety team conducted a thorough cleaning of Rheta’s Market, which has since been cleared to reopen and…

Another day, another outbreak aboard a cruise ship. Earlier, Food Poisoning News reported on an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on Royal Caribbean International’s Radiance of the Seas that affected over 90 passengers and crew. This time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that it’s a Holland America LIne cruise ship that is dealing with a significant norovirus outbreak that has sickened 119 people during its current Caribbean voyage. According to the CDC, when passengers or crew members experience stomach-related symptoms during a cruise, it’s vital they report them to the ship’s medical center immediately. Quick reporting helps…