Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

Costco Works with Questionable Partners to Boost its Organic Supply Costco launched a new program to boost its organic produce supply. The company counts itself as a major player in organics, which have quickly crept into position as one of the fastest-growing categories in food sales. Boiled down to basics, the company will work with farmers in various ways – including loans, supply contracts, and other investment incentives – to help them produce larger quantities of organic products as the company struggles to keep pace with consumer demand. Andrew and Williamson Fresh Produce is one of the companies that finds itself on the list…

Actual Source of Contamination at Brenham Plant Remains a Muddy Mystery Blue Bell has been unable to pin down all source of the listeria contamination, particularly in its Brenham plant. It has however implemented programs to control for the bacteria, Blue Bell told federal officials. A listeria outbreak in 2013 linked to its ice cream forced Blue Bell Creameries LP to issue its first recall in 108 years of business. The company has submitted required “root cause reports” to the FDA in an attempt to explain how listeria entered its plants and, ultimately, its ice cream. “We identified and implemented specific corrective actions…

Corunna, Michigan Resident Tests Positive for Norovirus; 30 Additional Applebee’s Patrons Experiencing Symptoms Thirty restaurant-goers who dined at a Corunna, Michigan Applebee’s during the period of March 9th through 12th became sick, all showing symptoms of norovirus. The Shiawassee County Health Department (SCHD) recently confirmed the presence of the virus in samples collected from ill individuals for testing. A statement released by the SCHD Personal Health Services Division advised the public that “a total of thirty people experienced similar symptoms and have contacted the Shiawassee County Health Department. The health department became aware of the illnesses when it followed up on information from a…

Producer Announces Recall of Frozen Broccoli Cuts After Positive Tests for Listeria Alimentos Congelados, S.A. (Pinula) announced a voluntary recall of 1,800 cases of Wylwood Frozen Broccoli Cuts on Friday evening. The company issued the recall due to potential contamination with Listeria Monocytogenes. Listeria is a pathogen that poses a serious and potentially fatal health threat to certain groups of people, particularly Pregnant women and their newborns; Older adults; and People with weakened immune systems. Healthy people that do not fall under one of the high-risk categories can also contract the disease. When an otherwise health person develops a Listeria infection, they usually only…

Case Count Doubles in E. coli O157 Outbreak Linked to Oak Leaf Dairy Farm The number of confirmed E. coli outbreak cases has more than doubled in the past four days. The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) confirmed that 34 outbreak cases have been linked to Oak Leaf Dairy, a goat farm located in the town of Lebanon. The information comes after federal and state officials visited the dairy farm on March 24th. Officials from the CDC, Connecticut Department of Agriculture, Connecticut DPH and the Uncas health district conducted an onsite investigation after public health officials confirmed the existence of an ongoing outbreak…

Majority of Delis Skimp on Equipment Cleanliness Listeria is the third-leading cause of deaths due to foodborne illness in the US each year. Sliced deli meats are a major source of Listeria infections, and meats sliced at retail delis cause more infections and have a much higher rate of contamination than prepackaged deli meats. Meats sliced and packaged at retail delis are “the major source of listeriosis illnesses” because of the potential for cross-contamination, according to a CDC study released today. The study, conducted by the CDC Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net), examined how often deli slicers were cleaned at the FDA-specified minimum frequency…

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) declared on March 17th that it had concluded its investigation into the outbreak of Listeria linked to prepackaged Dole salad and leafy greens produced in the company’s Springfield, Ohio facility. Exactly two weeks later, the agency’s US counterparts decided to do the same. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement on Thursday announcing the end of the outbreak and the agency’s investigation. The FDA primarily handled the product recalls associated with the Listeria-contaminated salads. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) release stated that the outbreak “appeared to be over” and provided outbreak-specific information and statistics. “Any…

Despite warnings from California public health officials, Californians are continuing to purchase and eat illegal cheese.  On March 17th, Dr. Karen Smith warned California residents about the dangers of illegally manufactured Mexican-style soft cheeses. Smith, the Director and State Public Health Officer of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), said the cheeses are often sold by street vendors and “made with raw, unpasteurized milk and under unsanitary conditions.” The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) launched a campaign – “Illegal Cheese Can Make You Sick!” – in an attempt to steer residents away from purchasing illegal cheese and encourage them…

Rhode Island residents can once again eat at local restaurant Wright’s Farm. The establishment recently reopened after a temporary closure to conduct extensive cleaning after the Rhode Island Department of Health linked the establishment to an outbreak of norovirus that sickened at least 30. The business, which has been owned and operated by owner Frank Galleshaw for 44 years, serves more than 500,000 customers annually. The Burrillville, Rhode Island restaurant voluntarily closed its doors “out of an abundance of caution” to “continue a thorough, ongoing sanitation and cleaning process,” Galleshaw said in a prepared statement. Restaurant Dining Gone Wrong According to interviews,…

Family Farm Visit: Wonderful Time Leads to a Horrible Outcome Amanda Collins and her 18 month old daughter thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Oak Leaf Farm on March 13th. “I walked right in. Me loving farms, I held the goats, pet the goats and brought my daughter into the stall,” Collins. a Manchester resident, recounted. She also mentioned that the knowledgeable staff added to their experience. Collins saw a number of children and their parents at the farm also petting the goats. The visit “was a wonderful time that led to a horrible outcome,” she said. After a few days passed since they had visited the…