Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

Boyd Specialties Recall of Jerky Follows Finding of Potential Listeria Contamination On March 4, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall of around 1,634 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) jerky products produced by Boyd Specialties, LLC, due to their potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The contamination was discovered after a routine FSIS product safety testing during a follow-up procedure when one of their jerky products tested positive for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. The consumption of food which is contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause food poisoning. For healthy individuals, you may only…

On February 23, 2022, Golden Medal Mushroom Inc. recalled its Enoki Mushrooms due to a concern that they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Golden Medal Mushroom recalled all of its cases of 200g/7.05-ounce packages and 150g/5.25-ounce packages of Enoki Mushrooms. As of January 4, 2022, the products of concern had already been distributed to various wholesalers and retail stores in Chicago, Illinois, Los Angeles, California, and Dallas, Texas. The distribution of this product has since been suspended. All of the recalled Golden Medal Enoki Mushrooms are contained in 200g/7.05-ounce packages with the UPC number: 6953150100684 and in the 150g/5.25-ounce…

Abbott Powdered Baby Formula Believed to have Caused 5 Illnesses, Two of Which are Fatal On the 17th of February, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (F,DA) announced that the company at the center of the contaminated baby food scare, Abbott’s, has voluntary recall of their baby powder formula due to complaints and/or concerns of Salmonella and Cronobacter Sakazakii contamination. The recalled products included powder formulas under the labels Similac, EleCare and Alimentum that were manufactured in one of Abbott’s facilities located in Sturgis, Michigan. Thus far in the formula poisoning investigation, at least five infants have contracted symptoms…

Inspection of Abbott’s facility in Sturgis, Michigan, identifies Cronobacter – Salmonella Contamination also Suspected in Baby Formula On February 17, 2022, Abbott, a widely popular baby formula brand, announced a voluntary recall of its powder formulas, Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare, which were manufactured at one of the company’s facilities located in Sturgis, Michigan. This recall was declared in response to four customer complaints of infant illnesses which began after having consumed powder baby formulas produced at this facility. The infant illnesses are believed to be caused by Cronobacter sakazakii or Salmonella Newport infections. During a routine environmental testing at Abbott’s…

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a foodborne illness outbreak occurs when two or more people become sick with the same illness from the consumption of the same food. While the CDC coordinates the investigation of multistate foodborne illness outbreaks, state and regional/local public health surveillance provide the essential information for their investigation. The process of investigating a foodborne illness outbreak begins with the detection of it. The detection of a foodborne illness outbreak depends on the information collected and provided by different state and local health surveillance agencies’ methods, employing PulseNet, formal reports of…

How the CDC Traces Food Poisoning in what is Called a Traceback Investigation According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when a foodborne illness outbreak is detected, a traceback investigation is conducted, in order to “determine the distribution and production chain for [the] food…implicated” in the outbreak. Public health and regulatory officials collect as much information as possible, as quickly as possible, in order to determine the source of the outbreak and put an end to it. There are three types of information collected in a traceback investigation: epidemiological, traceback, and food and environmental testing. The…

Development of Food Safety in the U.S. Food safety has been a concern since the beginning of human history. It is believed that Alexander the Great may have died from typhoid fever caused by Salmonella infection in 323 B.C. In the year 1202, King John of England declared the first food protection law in England: the Assize of Bread. This law prohibited the adulteration of bread with ingredients such as ground peas and beans. During early colonization, in the 17th century, the U.S. established its first food safety standards and regulations. In the year 1862, President Lincoln appointed a chemist…

How does the FDA Work to Protect Food Safety in America The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plays a key role in the protection and assurance of American food safety. According to the FDA’s mission statement, they are “responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security…of our nation’s food supply…”. The FDA has regulatory jurisdiction over the following foods (though this does not represent the entirety of the food products they have jurisdiction over): dietary supplements, bottled water, food additives, infant formulas, and other food products. It is noteworthy that when it comes to…

Listeria Outbreaks Linked to Packaged Salads Seem All Too Common The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are currently investigating two separate Listeria outbreaks that are linked to packaged salads. One of the listeria outbreaks is linked to packaged salads produced by Dole and the other listeria outbreak is linked to packaged salads produced by Fresh Express. Listeria monocytogenes are a type of bacteria which can cause severe gastrointestinal illness which may spread throughout the body. For most people, a listeria infection, known as listeriosis, causes food poisoning symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach cramps, and fever. However, listeriosis…

Onion Salmonella Lawsuits, However, Just Beginning FDA and CDC Announce End of Salmonella Oranienburg Onion Outbreak Just yesterday, February 2, 2022, the FDA and the CDC announced that the multistate Salmonella Oranienburg Outbreak linked with whole, fresh onions sourced from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico is officially over. According to the CDC, the Salmonella Oranienburg Outbreak linked to onions affected 1,040 people, though this number is likely much lower than the real number, as many people who become infected never get tested or report their case. Of the 1,040 people affected by the outbreak, 260 people were hospitalized, however, there…