Latest Posts
E. coli Outbreak Tracing Problem Haunts Schools
A USDA public meeting today in Washington, D.C., will focus on how to quickly identify suppliers of source material in products testing positive for E. coli O157:H7.
Such tracing difficulties have created a huge gap in food safety and participants in today’s meeting have a very…
HUS is Leading Cause of Kidney Failure in Children
World Kidney Day is March 11 and part of raising awareness about the importance of our kidneys to our overall health is understanding that food poisoning is a major contributor to kidney failure in children.
The worldwide leading cause of kidney…
Better Tracing of E coli in Hamburger
As the United States heads into warmer months when outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 become more prevalent, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is holding public meetings for input on strengthening the E. coli tracing system.
Of particular concern is improving record keeping at…
Vet’s Testimony on Oversight Sheds New Light on Beef E. coli
Years of ground beef E. coli outbreaks will be put in new light today by a slaughterhouse veterinarian’s testimony that supervisors shelved citations written by front-line government safety personnel for dangerous and cruel practices.
The vet says writers of citations were threatened with transfers. It is…
Fighting HUS E coli by Studying How to Kill it in Cattle
A microbiologist at Washington State University has received a $1 million grant from USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative to study if previous research into stopping the bacteria at its source – cattle – may be more effective once different…
Fresh Produce E. coli and Salmonella Targeted by New FDA Rulemaking
Fresh produce E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks have prompted a review by the Food and Drug Administration that will lead to a proposed new safety regulation for the produce industry.
The rule-making process has been launched with four public meetings to elicit feedback…
Three of Largest Meat Recalls in History Tied to Beef E coli
A new study of the largest recall of meat in U.S. history shows that three of the top six meat recalls ever were caused by E. coli O157:H7 in beef.
The information was compiled by The Food Industry Center at the University of…
New Research Exploring Drug-Resistance in E. coli
No one really knows exactly how E. coli O157:H7 and other bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. But new research suggests that low levels of antibiotics might potentially increase the random chance that bacteria might mutate into resistant forms.
The new theory was published in…
USDA Should Ban More Types of Shiga-Toxin E. coli From Meat
Dana Boner lost her 14-year-old daughter to E. coli O111 in 2007.
Now she is a member of Chicago-based S.T.O.P.-Safe Tables Our Priority, which is renewing its plea to the USDA to declare disease-causing E. coli types other than E. coli O157:H7 as adulterants in beef and …
Food Safety Experts Want USDA to Dig Deeper When Tests Find E coli 0157:H7 in Meat
Food safety advocates have asked Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for a policy change when routine inspections turn up positive tests in meat for E. coli O157:H7.
They are calling for a shift to deeper investigations — a reform supported by national food…
