Food safety

WILMINGTON, Del., July 1, 2008 – The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) has specified the BAX® system as an official method for pathogen detection in food imports and exports.

AQSIQ is a government agency responsible for monitoring the safety and quality of food in China. The agency recently published a new professional standard for entry/exit inspection and quarantine in the PRC. Standard SN/T1869-2007describes the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for rapid pathogen detection and names the automated BAX® system as an approved PCR method for detecting Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni and E. sakazakii in food.    » read more »

New York State First to Achieve FDA National Food Safety Standards; Consistent Regulations from Feds and State Will Help Reduce Food-Borne Illness

May 30, 2008 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced that New York is the first state in the nation to meet, and in many areas exceed, nationally recognized food protection program standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

New York Governor David Paterson

New York was among five states asked by the federal government to pilot a new federal program designed to achieve uniformity and consistency between state and federal regulatory agencies for manufactured foods.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today applauded the decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue a rule closing a loophole in current law that can result in animals that are too sick to stand entering the food supply.

Cattle at sunset: Photo by Brad Smith (CC)    » read more »

Minnesota has identified one possible case; other states have more cases

April 11, 2008 -- State health and agriculture officials are investigating whether there are any cases of illness in Minnesota that may be linked to recalled cereal from the Malt-O-Meal company after at least 21 cases of Salmonella agona have been identified in at least 13 states.

Salmonella bacteria

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has identified one case of Salmonella agona in the state that matches the genetic fingerprint of the other states’ cases and the strain of Salmonella found in the cereal that was recalled April 5.    » read more »

Statement Of CFA’s Carol Tucker-Foreman

April 11, 2008 -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control report on foodborne illness rates for seven pathogens in 2007 looks depressingly like the reports for the last six years. The U.S. is no closer to reducing the toll of foodborne illness today than it was in 2001.

Incidence of foodborne illness: Chart by CFA

Graphs portraying the record show a flat line stalled far above the National Health Objectives. Even the CDC acknowledges little or no progress since 2001 in combating illnesses caused by these pathogens.    » read more »

April 10, 2008 -- A 10-state report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed little change in the incidence of some foodborne infections after a period of decline.

The findings are from 2007 data reported to the CDC as part of the agency′s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, FoodNet.

Poultry products on store shelves: Photo by Jill (CC)    » read more »

April 10, 2008 -- On April 5, 2008 the Malt-O-Meal Company of Minnesota announced a recall of unsweetened puffed rice and unsweetened puffed wheat cereal. In addition to Malt-O-Meal’s own brand, these cereals are sold under multiple labels, including the store brands for Hannaford and Shaw’s Supermarkets.

Salmonella invades human cells: Photo by Rocky Mountain Laboratories,NIAID,NIH (CC)    » read more »

March 28, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to promptly issue regulations to give consumers a list of establishments that sold tainted meat during a recall. Current USDA policy does not allow consumers access to this information.

A similar disclosure requirement was included in legislation introduced earlier this month by Senator Feinstein to improve food safety at slaughterhouses. This will help distributors, retailers and consumers to better identify and more quickly get recalled meat products off their shelves and out of their homes.    » read more »

Consumers urged to cook raw chicken products thoroughly and to avoid using microwave

March 28, 2008 -- State health and agriculture officials said today that two recent cases of salmonellosis in Minnesota have been linked to raw, frozen, breaded and pre-browned, stuffed chicken entrees. The implicated product is Milford Valley Farms Chicken Cordon Bleu with a stamped code of C8021. This product is sold at many different grocery store chains.

This the fifth outbreak of salmonellosis in Minnesota linked to these types of products since 1998. The findings prompted the officials to urge consumers to make sure that all raw poultry products are handled carefully and cooked thoroughly, and to avoid cooking raw chicken products in the microwave because of the risk of undercooking.    » read more »

2/17/2008 -- Statement from Sen. Hillary Clinton:    » read more »

February 18, 2008, Chicago, IL -- Senator Barack Obama released a statement on the Department of Agriculture's decision to recall 143 million pounds of frozen beef that came from "downed" animals. The consumption of downed cattle can pose a higher risk of contamination from E. coli, salmonella or mad cow disease.

Senator Barack Obama released the following statement:    » read more »

2/18/2008 -- Following the largest beef recall in our nation’s history, Hillary Clinton highlighted a series of food safety proposals she would pursue as President. This recall is not an isolated case – it is yet another troubling reminder that our food supply is at risk. Each year, tens of millions of Americans contract food-borne illnesses every year; hundreds of thousands are hospitalized; and thousands die. And the risks are only growing.    » read more »

January 30, 2008 -- [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent two letters today; one to the new Secretary of Agriculture and one to the head of the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), asking for an immediate investigation into the safety of ground beef being used in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).    » read more »

January 23, 2008 -- BURLINGTON – The Vermont Department of Health is warning consumers about a product recall of all canned green beans and garbanzo beans distributed by New Era Canning Company during the past five years, due to possible Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum) contamination.

The products were distributed nationwide.

No one, to date, has been reported ill. The recall is the result of a routine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection.    » read more »

Coalition Condemns Food and Drug Administration Plans for Cloned Foods as Irresponsible, Calls on FDA to Respect Will of Congress and Maintain Cloning Moratorium

December 18, 2007— This holiday season, people have more to fear than the dreaded fruitcake.    » read more »