Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

Food Borne Disease and Sepsis: When bacteria poison the body’s bloodstream, the condition is known as septicemia or sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency, for depending on the bacteria involved, death rates are reported to be as high as 50 percent, according to John Hopkins Medicine. [1] The most common three bacteria attributing to cases of sepsis are Staphylococcus aureus (staph), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and specific strains of Streptococcus (primarily Streptococcus pyogenes). When there is an overgrowth of food borne pathogens in your body from contaminated foods, the most common response is diarrhea and abdominal cramping. Nausea, vomiting,…

Diabetes and Food Safety: the risk of contracting a foodborne illness increases when diabetic. Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which your body’s blood sugar levels are too high due to impaired production or use of the hormone known as insulin. Insulin is crucial for the cellular uptake of glucose, and when there are insufficient quantities for the cells, the blood glucose levels elevate and negatively affect other elements in the body. Diabetes increases the risk of developing a foodborne illness from contaminated food, so patients with diabetes must be extra vigilant and safe when eating/preparing food. For example, high glucose…

Food Poisoning from Staph: Quick Onset of Vomiting Common Most commonly, staph infections are found on the skin as a minor infection from staphylococcus bacteria. Staph infections can be deadly if the bacteria “invade deeper into your body, entering your bloods treading, joints, bones, lungs, or heart,” according to the Mayo Clinic.[1] Treatment of a skin staph infection usually requires antibiotics, but there is an increasing number of strains becoming resistant to antibiotics leading to life-threatening infections. Food poisoning from staphylococcus bacteria is very common. Symptoms typically develop within a few hours of eating a food contaminated with the bacteria.…

 As of June 7th,  Pennsylvanian-based food company, Tyson Foods, Inc., has had to recall 190,000 pounds of chicken that was shipped out to 29 different states across the country. A recent article by CNN explains that three separate schools in America found hard plastic in their school lunch meals, each coming from Tyson Foods’ Chicken Fritters. These packages of chicken, labeled as “Fully Cooked, Whole Grain, Golden Crispy Chicken Chunk Fritters – CN” come in packages of 4 individual 8.2 pound packs. There have not yet been any reported injuries, sicknesses, or related health issues in direct link to these…

Kroger recalls multiple food products for e. coli and hepatitis A The Kroger Company has announced it is recalling select beef products and berries because they could potentially pose a health hazard to consumers. Ribeye steaks and certain ground beef products sold by Kroger, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, are suspected of being contaminated with e. coli. The beef recall includes bone-in ribeye steaks, boneless ribeye steaks, and in-store produced ground beef. These beef products were sold from April 23 to June 7, 2019, at Kroger stores in the Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Southeast Indiana, and Dayton areas. In addition, Kroger…

Marine Recruit E. coli Outbreak source of permanent health issues Permanent brain damage and permanent kidney damage continue to plague Marine Corps recruits who ate on base at Camp Pendleton in October 2017 following an e. coli outbreak. An outbreak of e. coli infections, linked to undercooked ground beef served by food service company Sodexo, caused the health issues that the young recruits will have to deal with for the rest of their lives. Approximately 244 Marines were impacted by the Marine recruit e. coli outbreak. Fifteen of those were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. According to the Centers…

Do not eat lunch meat of hot dogs with mold on them: Toss all luncheon meats, bacon, or hot dogs that have visible mold. Unlike most foodborne bacteria, molds thrive in carbohydrate-rich, acidic environments. Because molds from spores, these dry spores can spread through the air extremely easily. Mold can easily grow on certain foods, so below are some tips for staying safe. The best way to prevent mold contamination is by preventing contaminated foods from entering your household in the first place. Do not purchase foods if there is visible mold. Check by looking through glass jars and checking…

How to Handle Mold We have all returned home after a long vacation to an extremely moldy loaf of bread in our cabinets. The loaf is fuzzy and blue. What should you do? The first time I saw a ridiculously moldy loaf of bread, my family had just got back from the lake for Memorial Day. I wanted to make myself a peanut butter jelly sandwich, so when I pulled out the bread I was mesmerized by the transformation. Less than a week earlier, the loaf was normal, but after a week’s time, the mold grew throughout the entire loaf,…

Preventing Potentially Deadly Cholera The acute intestinal infection from toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 is known as cholera. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), symptoms of cholera include “profuse watery diarrhea, circulatory collapse, and shock.”[1] Although many infections consist only of mild diarrhea, the CDC states that severe cases of cholera have a 25-50% fatality rate if left untreated. Ingesting contaminated water or food with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae O1 leads to a cholera infection. Epidemics are usually linked to contaminated water sources, but occasionally, a person can become ill from eating raw or undercooked shellfish, for Vibrio naturally…

How to Store Nut Butters to Prevent Food Poisoning It’s no mystery. Americans love nut butter. The National Peanut Board claims about 94% of American households keep a jar of peanut butter in their home. [1]  Consumers are also venturing to almond and cashew nut butter. But how do you safely store these key staples in our homes? First, read the label to determine the best storage method. Based on the other additives, the shelf-life and storage methods will vary. Nut butter with added sugars and other oils are more likely to have a more stable shelf-life. A sealed jar…