Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

University of Queensland Lab Discovers New Way To Target Listeria According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeria infections are the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States today. It is estimated that about 1,600 people fall ill with listeria each year with 260 of those cases resulting in death. Listeria infection is known for posing a particular risk to expectant mothers and their babies, as well as the elderly and other people with weakened immune systems. Since the woman’s immune system undergoes extreme changes during pregnancy, they are 10 times…

Texas has the most illnesses, followed by Oklahoma, but nation-wide Salmonella Lawsuits are beginning to pile up for the importers, restaurants, and grocery outlets who sold the tainted onions. According to WEBMD, an authoritative source for medical information and advice, fresh red, white and yellow onions have been linked to a national salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds in at least 38 states. According to the latest CDC report, issues in mid-November of 2021, nearly 900 victims have been identified. The victims range in age from under one year of age to more than ninety-seven years of age, and are…

Widespread Recalls Due to Rodent Infestation and Salmonella Contamination of Bistak Inc. Foods The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced a recall on all Bistak Enterprises Inc. food products at their Saskatoon-based companies, Bistak Enterprises Inc. and Bistak Groceries Inc., sold through December 29, 2021, due to a rodent infestation which caused salmonella contamination. The current list of recalled products include, but are not limited to, Bistak’s dry foods such as grains, beans, flour; grocery canned goods; fats and oils; drinks; meat products; fish products; baked goods; spices; and milk powder. For the complete list of details regarding the recalled…

FSIS Issues Public Health Alert Concerning Ineligible Meat and Poultry From China The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently issued a public health alert regarding an undetermined amount of meat and poultry products imported from China that have not gone through U.S. import inspection. FSIS is unable to request a recall because the importers of the uninspected meat have not been found. Though the amount of meat and poultry imported without inspection is still unknown, the current products which have been identified as part of the concerned lot are listed here. The issue was realized…

USDA Announces Ground Beef Recall For Potential E. Coli Contamination On January 6, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall of 28,356 lbs. of ground beef produced by Interstate Dist., of Clackamas, Oregon, due to suspected E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The products of concern were produced on December 20, 2021. The recalled ground beef can be identified by the establishment number “EST. 965” which can be found inside the USDA mark of inspection or printed next to the time stamp and use or freeze by date. The recalled ground beef was distributed…

Better Testing Needed to Address Listeria Outbreaks Just in the past year, 2021, there were four different major multistate listeria outbreaks, as well as numerous food recalls related to listeria contamination. When two or more people are determined to have gotten the same illness from the same contaminated food or drink, health officials qualify this as a foodborne illness outbreak. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 1,600 people become infected with listeria each year and 260 of those cases result in death. Though listeria infection is not the most common pathogenic cause of foodborne…

Save on Foods Announces Recall and Salmonella Contamination Prevention Save on Foods just announced a recall on several of its combo meals due to a possible salmonella contamination. Save on Foods is a grocery store chain with locations in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Yukon. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the products included in the recall include Save on Foods brand lemon chicken, sweet and sour pork, ginger beef and honey garlic chicken combo meals. The recalled items’ “Best if Used By” dates are between December 31, 2021, and January 2, 2022. The products of concern…

Consumption of Nature’s Basket Organic Power Greens and Simple Truth Organic Power Greens has been Linked to E. Coli Poisoning On the 30th of December, 2021, the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) announced an official investigation was underway regarding the link between certain packaged salads and the recent nationwide E. coli outbreak. The investigation at this time entails public health and safety officials working to understand just which products are involved in the E. coli outbreak. So far, the following products have been linked to the E. coli outbreak, responsible for 13 illnesses, including 4 hospitalizations: Nature’s Basket Organic…

Voluntary Recall of Dole Fresh Vegetables Due to Listeria Concern On December 22, 2021, Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. announced a voluntary recall on all its Dole-brand and private brand packaged salads processed at either its Bessemer City, NC or Yuma, AZ facilities, due to a concern regarding listeria monocytogenes contamination. Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc., in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), issued the recall to include all Dole-brand and private brand packaged salads from these facilities. The recalled products may be identified by having a lot code beginning with…

As one holiday celebration ends and leads to another, food remains the centerpiece of many festivities across the world. Due to this, the topic of food poisoning and how to prevent such a holiday damper, is a hot one – no pun intended. The following list is an accumulation of nationally recognized health policies and guidelines, most having to do with cross contamination (the bane of most food poisoning in the home) for the prevention of food poisoning: Storage To prevent contamination due to poor storage, keep all meats such as turkey, seafood, chicken and beef separate from other…