In the Spring of 2016, the CDC reported that thirty-two people infected with the outbreak strains of E. coli O157:H7 were reported from 12 states – Arizona 4, California 5, Florida 2, Illinois 1, Massachusetts 1, Maryland 1, Missouri 1, New Jersey 1, Oregon 11, Virginia 2, Washington 2 and Wisconsin 1. Twelve people were hospitalized. Nine people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. No deaths were reported. Twenty-six (81%) of the…

Hy-Vee, Inc. is voluntarily recalling its cheesecakes made with Diamond Crystal Brands cheesecake mix due to the potential that they may be contaminated with Salmonella. The potential for contamination was brought to Hy-Vee’s attention today after receiving a letter from the supplier. The voluntary recall includes 32 varieties of cheesecakes in both 8-ounce and 32-ounce packages with best if used by dates of Dec. 6, 2018, through Jan. 11, 2019. No illnesses have been reported…

High priority groups for getting the hep A vaccine include: Anyone who has had close contact with someone who has hep A Food workers People who use drugs, whether injected or not People experiencing homelessness, transient, or unstable housing People who have been recently incarcerated See also, Hepatitis A cases in the U.S. have tripled this year, as our nation’s public health infrastructure continues to rot. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hepatitis-a-outbreak-america_us_5c0ecf0fe4b06484c9fd9d0c?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004 Tennessee Metro Public Health Department officials confirmed today…

Oskri Organics Corporation of Lake Mills, WI is recalling Oskri Organic Sunflower Butter Lot # 099, Oskri Tahini Butter LOT # 193 and Thrive Sunflower Butter LOT # 233, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe…

Apio Inc. of Guadalupe, California is expanding a voluntary recall of Eat Smart® Salad Shake Ups™ single-serve bowls. The recall comes after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) informed the company that another random sample of Eat Smart Salad Shake Ups Sweet Kale/Chou Frise Doux 156 gr. single-serve bowls (5.5oz) with Best Before Date of Dec 29, 2018, Lot 112 346, tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal…

The Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with provincial public health partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Health Canada, as well as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA), to investigate an outbreak of E. coli infections in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and several U.S. states. In Canada, based on the investigation findings to date, exposure to romaine lettuce has been identified as a source…

Testing to Support Prevention Under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act As part of the FDA’s risk-based and preventive approach to food safety, which is at the core of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the agency began developing a new, more robust approach to deploying its sampling resources in 2014. As the agency moves forward with this approach, it will continue to refine procedures based on lessons learned. The goals of the surveillance sampling…