Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

Avoiding Cross-Contamination in the Summer Season It’s grilling season and so families, friends and neighbors gather in backyards and at parks to share food and conversation. Popular favorites for BBQs include grilled cuts of meat, potato and fruit salad as well as grilled vegetables and chips. When you dine communally, you trust that your family member, your best buddy and your neighbor practiced safe food handling in preparation of that potluck dish. Because if they didn’t – you and everyone gathered run the risk of food poisoning. Cross-contamination, i.e. when bacterium, parasites or viruses from one source come in contact…

Summertime Parasites: Parasites in our Foods – an all  too Common Ingredient. As we enjoy the fleeting days of summer, gobbling up the bounty of summertime fruits and vegetables, we may be ingesting more than we bargained for. Parasites, microscopic in size and undetectable to the human eye, are often linked to imported produce such as berries, herbs, lettuce and sweet peas. One of the most common of the parasitic intestinal illnesses is Cyclospora. A parasite most commonly found in tropical or subtropical regions, Cyclospora is not spread from human to human but rather from ingesting contaminated foods or water.…

Imported vs. Domestic Foods: Eating Cheap Whether for pride of country or a want to see economic growth, Americans see value in buying local. It feels good to support a local business owner, wearing a ‘Made in America’ tag, dining at a non-chain restaurant, splurging on a farm to table meal. But sometimes, in fact quite often, our equal want to save money and indulge in what we want, when we want it, trumps the farm, fuzzy, buying local feels. In fact, unless we are making a conscious decision to buy local, we probably aren’t even thinking   where the food…

Pets and Disease: Pets Make us Happier and Healthier, Most of the Time. Social isolation, loneliness, depression and anxiety are just a few of the conditions that a pet can help ease. Pets provide support, unconditional love and comfort and what’s more, especially for children, an opportunity to learn compassion and responsibility. Even people who aren’t dealing with stress or emotional imbalance find that pets can be an extension of their family, a fun companion and a motivation to lead a healthier lifestyle – including exercise and increased activity. We love our pets and often humanize them, however, and can…

Pig Ear Salmonella Outbreak: An Escalating Issue Since the Center For Disease Control’s (CDC) last report (July 3, 2019), another some 82 people have fallen ill with Salmonella poisoning linked to pig ear dog treats. This brings the running count to 127 people who have fallen ill from 33 states with 26 hospitalizations, not to mention pet illnesses as well. The recorded states affected by the Salmonella outbreak are as follows: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico,…

Listeria Found in Leafy Greens Out of 284 samples of leafy greens that were tested, 6 returned positive for listeria monocytogene contamination. While a small percentage of contamination among greens is expected, these leafy greens raise particular concern since they are consumed raw. The greens associated with the contamination were sold between June 3-19, 2019 in supermarkets including Whole Foods, Costco, Hannaford, and Acme located in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. Consumer Reports provides the list of greens sold which are of concern as follows: Acme—unbranded, unbagged red leaf lettuce Costco—bagged spinach from Boskovich Farms (marked “triple washed”) Hannaford—unbranded,…

Maryland Cyclospora Outbreak: Maryland Not Immune to Multi-State Cyclospora Outbreak Like every state, Maryland has a nickname or two. The recent Cyclospora outbreak hitting Maryland aggressively, calls to mind the nickname ‘The Old-Line State’ lending to a Revolutionary event wherein Marylanders heroically held off a much larger British army, allowing General Washington to evacuate his troops. Now, I am not comparing a parasitic infection to that of a British invasion, yet, both require a degree of resiliency, wouldn’t you say? Especially considering that with 42 cases of this intestinal illness popping up in the first half this year, 37 of…

Taco seasoning salmonella recall Thinking tacos for dinner? Taco seasoning by Williams Foods LLC, sold at Walmart and other stores across the United States, is recalling certain packets due to a potential salmonella contamination. The company has issued a voluntary recall and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted the notice on their website. The FDA makes a practice of publishing these alerts – whether it be a recall or safety alert, as a service to the public. No reports of illness have surfaced so far, this recall is a precautionary measure. The two packages suspected to possibly be…

Basil Imported from Mexico linked to Cyclosporiasis Ocimum basilicum, or, Basil, the popular herb most often associated with sauces and pasta, is part of a far-reaching Cyclospora outbreak. A member of the mint family, basil shows up in Italian cuisine, Thai cuisine and Vietnamese dishes. With roughly sixty varieties, however, it hardly ends there. Not surprising then, that nearly a dozen different states have reported cases of illness linked to this latest outbreak related to basil. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the basil contaminated with Cyclospora was imported from a Mexican company called Siga Logistics de RL…

Four Restaurants Linked to Minnesota Cyclospora Outbreak More than 30 states have been impacted by a recent Minnesota Cyclospora Outbreak. The microscopic parasite known as Cyclospora, which invades the intestinal tract of those infected, has been introduced through consumption of contaminated foods. Of the hundreds of cases reported to public health officials most do not have a definitive source. However, in some cases, as in a cluster having surfaced in Minnesota, basil imported in from Mexico is the culprit. In all, thirty-five Minnesotans have been diagnosed with Cyclospora after having ingesting this particular basil import at a handful of Minnesota…