More than 15,000 tons of food and drink worth $60 million has been seized globally in operations targeting fake and potentially dangerous products. Operation Opson X involved 72 countries between December 2020 and June 2021. The annual drive is coordinated by Interpol and Europol and featured police, customs, national food regulatory authorities and private sector companies. In total, 15,451 tons of illegal products were found with an estimated street value of €53.8 million ($63.3 million). Nearly 68,000…

The FDA has initiated traceback efforts in an investigation of an E. coli outbreak and updated the patient toll in a Cyclospora outbreak. The agency did not name a commodity in the traceback announcement related to the E. Coli outbreak. A checkmark in the traceback column on the Food and Drug Administration’s weekly outbreak table is the only information available to the public. As of this past week the E. coli outbreak had sickened…

The number of people diagnosed with a foodborne illness in Denmark fell sharply in 2020, according to an annual report on infections. The report by the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Statens Serum Institut (SSI) and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) found Coronavirus pandemic restrictions played a role in the decline. A significant reduction in travel was listed as the primary reason for the sharp decrease in patients. It was also…

The table below shows outbreak investigations being managed by FDA’s CORE Response Teams. The investigations are in a variety of stages. Some outbreaks have limited information with investigations ongoing, others may be near completion or concluded. The Food and Drug Administration will issue public health advisories for outbreak investigations that result in “specific, actionable steps for consumers — such as throwing out or avoiding specific foods — to take to protect themselves,” according to the…