On Jan. 20, Dr. Robert M. Califf bid farewell to his role as Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a reflective post on X, formerly Twitter, highlighting the agency’s progress and ongoing challenges. Califf’s departure comes at a time of uncertainty for the FDA, with President Donald... Continue Reading
Read the NewsResearchers at the University of Oxford are part of a team that has received a grant to develop vaccines against Campylobacter. The project also involves researchers at Centre Suisse de Recherche Scientifique in Cote d’Ivoire; the Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and... Continue Reading
Read the NewsAn Auckland food producer has been fined for failing to keep production records on four occasions. Soma & Sons, which trades as Tasty Foods, and manager Bhavesh Soma were sentenced this week in Auckland District Court on two charges under the Food Act, following a prosecution by New Zealand Food... Continue Reading
Read the News— OPINION — Tough to fill the shoes of Mitzi Baum, but the STOP Board did just that. Sandra Eskin is now the CEO for STOP Foodborne Illness. Eskin was appointed USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety on March 24, 2021. In this role, Eskin lead the Office of... Continue Reading
Read the NewsThe USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is investing $14 million to support food safety research, outreach and workforce training. The investment will fund research and efforts to strengthen the safety of our nation’s food supply. “Ensuring that all Americans have consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe,... Continue Reading
Read the NewsMore details have been shared about the process of developing models to improve knowledge about the risks associated with Listeria monocytogenes. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) revised the 2004 Listeria models. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk... Continue Reading
Read the NewsBurnbrae Farms is recalling various brands of eggs from the marketplace because of possible Salmonella contamination. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), this recall was triggered by test results. Brands of recalled eggs include: Compliments, Foremost, Golden Valley Eggs, IGA, Western Family and more. The recalled products were... Continue Reading
Read the NewsThe FDA has developed a new strategy to prevent the contamination of fresh and frozen berries with viruses such as hepatitis A and norovirus. “Collaboration between regulators, the global berry industry, and other interest holders has been critical for the development of this strategy. We look forward to ongoing collaboration... Continue Reading
Read the NewsMore than 130 people have fallen sick after eating at a restaurant in Hong Kong. The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health has recorded 138 cases linked to food served on different days at the Golden Lilies International Banquet Hall in Kowloon Bay. Four clusters are... Continue Reading
Read the NewsAs part of its enforcement activities, the Food and Drug Administration sends warning letters to entities under its jurisdiction. Some letters are not posted for public view until weeks or months after they are sent. Business owners have 15 days to respond to FDA warning letters. Warning letters often are... Continue Reading
Read the NewsAn outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis in Canada has been traced to mini pastries. The implicated pastries have been recalled nationwide. As of Jan. 19, there were 61 confirmed patients, according to Public Health Canada. Seventeen people have required hospitalization. The sick people are between age 3 and age 88. Patients... Continue Reading
Read the NewsScientists have predicted that the rate of foodborne trematode infections will remain stable up to 2030. Foodborne trematodiases, including clonorchiasis, fascioliasis, fasciolopsiasis, opisthorchiasis, and paragonimiasis, are a neglected public health problem, particularly in the WHO South East Asia and Western Pacific regions. Infections from the parasites typically occur through ingestion of... Continue Reading
Read the NewsThe Food and Drug Administration has determined that it is necessary for manufacturers of cat and dog foods who are covered by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Preventive Controls for Animal Food rule and using uncooked or unpasteurized materials derived from poultry or cattle to reanalyze their food safety... Continue Reading
Read the NewsThe Food and Drug Administration uses import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed. Recent modifications to FDA’s import alerts, as posted by the agency, are listed below. Use the chart below to view import alerts.... Continue Reading
Read the NewsThe Connecticut Department of Agricultural has issued a “stop sale” and recall on raw milk from Nature View Dairy because of two cases of illness tied to the dairy’s unpasteurized milk were confirmed. The two patients developed Campylobacter infections after drinking the farm’s raw milk. The farm is complying with... Continue Reading
Read the NewsThe Food and Drug Administration this week banned the use of Red Dye No. 3 in foods, meeting requirements of the 1960 Delaney Clause of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The action comes after years of public requests for the FDA to take action against harmful chemicals added to... Continue Reading
Read the NewsMore than 40 people have fallen sick in Spain with a type of sandwich served at a restaurant suspected of causing illness. The Regional Delegation of Health and Consumption of the Andalusian Government confirmed it is investigating 44 cases of food poisoning from the beginning of January. A woman in... Continue Reading
Read the NewsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking public and industry comments on poppy seeds and high-protein yogurt. Poppy seedsThe RFI for poppy seeds seeks to provide the FDA with a better understanding of whether certain practices increase or reduce the presence of opiate alkaloids on poppy seeds. The agency... Continue Reading
Read the NewsExperts have suggested reasons why a reduction of Campylobacter in chicken meat has not led to a decrease in infections in the United Kingdom. Ideas include the selected meat contamination target being the wrong one to focus on as well as the role of other sources of infection and imported... Continue Reading
Read the NewsColorado’s next 15 wolves will be coming to Eagle, Pitkin, and Garfield counties in the next 2 two weeks There is speculation that some of the wolves are already in the state. Colorado’s next wolves are from British Columbia. Some reports suggest that the first of the transplants may already... Continue Reading
Read the NewsA new Listeria monocytogenes outbreak from an unknown source has been detected by the Food and Drug Administration. At least 34 patients are confirmed in the outbreak, which was first posted by the FDA on Jan. 15. The agency has begun traceback but has not reported what foods are being... Continue Reading
Read the NewsAt least a dozen people have been sickened in the Netherlands after eating blueberries contaminated with hepatitis A. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) received reports of patients with hepatitis A from two Municipal Health Services (GGD) in the south and southwest of the Netherlands. Patients became ill... Continue Reading
Read the NewsInvestigations into E. coli outbreaks often fail to find the outbreak strain in food or environmental samples, according to a review. Scientists used Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) as a model pathogen to investigate the success of outbreak strain isolation from food or environmental samples during investigations. The main reasons why the... Continue Reading
Read the NewsBy Roger Hancock, CEO of Recall InfoLink — OPINION — Food recalls are often described as safeguards for public health, but in reality, they reveal cracks in our food safety systems. Take the recent deadly Boar’s Head outbreak which involved more than 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat deli meats contaminated... Continue Reading
Read the NewsTo help combat the nation’s chronic disease crisis, the FDA has announced a proposal for a rule that would require front-of-package labeling for nutritional information. If finalized, the proposed rule would give consumers readily visible information about a food’s saturated fat, sodium and added sugars content —three nutrients directly linked... Continue Reading
Read the NewsOne USDA program is going down to the wire with changes. The Food Service and inspection Service of the USDA has announced that it is extending its modified poultry line speed waivers so a study measuring the impact of increased line speeds on worker safety could be completed. The FSIS... Continue Reading
Read the NewsEuropean auditors have identified a potential conflict of interest risk related to the monitoring of bivalve mollusks in New Zealand. The audit by DG Sante took place remotely and onsite in April and May 2024 to evaluate the control system for live bivalve mollusks. New Zealand has 68 classified growing... Continue Reading
Read the News— OPINION — I grew up in the Los Angeles area and have been living here again for the past few years. The multiple wildfires are devastating in so many ways and the past week has shown an overwhelming amount of community donation sites, volunteering and engagement to support those most... Continue Reading
Read the NewsHealth officials have issued a warning after two people fell sick with Listeriosis following consumption of soft cheese from Austria. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) said no confirmed cases have yet been reported in Austria. One person in Germany and one person in the Czech Republic... Continue Reading
Read the NewsBy Steven Grossman Chuck Jolley of Food Safety News recently wrote to me and several others asking: With so many high-profile recalls in 2024, have the federal, state, and local institutions responsible for oversight suddenly failed us? Or is something else happening? I imagined that he would get a range... Continue Reading
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