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June 2009

  • US: Cookie dough E. coli outbreak grows, CDC says

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 11:16pm

    The toll of the nationwide E. coli outbreak linked to tainted cookie dough has continued to mount, federal health authorities said Tuesday.
    Seventy-two people infected with a strain of E.
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    CNN
    E. coli  |  Comments
  • US: The enemy within: wrigglies from hell

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 11:15pm

    Let’s get the ick factor out of the way, since the producers of the show are clearly proud of it. Here are some lines from the first two episodes of “Monsters Inside Me” on Animal Planet:
    “So what was wrong with the Caesar salad?
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    The New York Times
    None  |  Comments
  • US: Man sues McDonald's over contaminated burger

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 11:13pm

    A 65-year-old man from King County is suing McDonald's after alleging that his hamburger was covered in bleach.
    The man ordered his meal from a Maple Valley McDonald's on April 4 and found his burger to be squashed and inedible.
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    MyNorthwest.com
    Wacky and Weird  |  Comments
  • How to safely cook a burger (not according to the USDA)

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 11:11pm

    Yesterday, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a largely useless, but still widely published, news release entitled “Independence Day: Drills for the Grill.” See News Release, www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_062909_01/index.asp While notable for a cheery and reassuring tone, the information provided is, at best, unhelpful, and, at worst, is dangerously mislea
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    Food Poison Journal
    E. coli  |  Comments
  • US: The perfect burger and all its parts

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 11:08pm

    The simple hamburger isn’t so simple any more.
    Over the last decade or so, there has hardly been a serious chef in America who hasn’t taken a shot at reinventing or improving it. They have trained their skills on every element, from the precise grind of beef to the ketchup and pickles.
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    The New York Times
    Thermometers  |  Comments
  • NEW YORK: Turf war at the hot dog cart

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 11:06pm

    Monday was a routine day for Grant Di Mille and Samira Mahboubian, the owners of the Street Sweets food truck, a mobile trove of croissants, cupcakes and cookies that got rolling last month.
    The couple loaded the truck by 6 a.m., parked in front of the Museum of Modern Art at 7, traded hostilities with other vendors from 9 a.m.
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    The New York Times
    Wacky and Weird  |  Comments
  • CALIFORNIA: Kroger recalls popcorn mix on food poison fear

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 11:04pm

    SAN FRANCISCO -- Grocer Kroger Co recalled three types of popcorn seasonings on Tuesday due to concerns that the products may have been contaminated with the salmonella bacteria.
    No illnesses were reported in connection with the products, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based retailer said, adding that it was recalling the seasonings after a supplier said an ingredient in
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    Reuters
    Salmonella  |  Comments
  • US: Flaws in the case against BPA

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 11:03pm

    The claims about the dangers of the chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA , get a skeptical look in a report by a nonpartisan, nonprofit group, STATS.
    The chemical is in hard, clear plastic bottles and the liners of canned goods.
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    The New York Times
    Food Safety Policy  |  Comments
  • Flavour Pict Produce Inc. fined $1,500 for an offence under the CANADA Agricultural Products Act

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 11:01pm

    GUELPH, ON -- On April 14, 2009, a conviction was registered against Flavour Pict Produce in the Ontario Court of Justice in Windsor, for an offence under the Canada Agricultural Products Act.
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    Canadian Food Inspection Agency
    Food Safety Policy  |  Comments
  • MICHIGAN: New lab-on-a-chip measures mechanics of bacteria colonies

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 10:59pm

    ANN ARBOR -- Researchers at the University of Michigan have devised a microscale tool to help them understand the mechanical behavior of biofilms, slimy colonies of bacteria involved in most human infectious diseases.
    Most bacteria in nature take the form of biofilms.
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    University of Michigan
    Other Microorganisms  |  Comments
  • US: Barbecue protests antibiotics in food animal production

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 10:56pm

    HAPEL HILL -- Organizers of an event at the Barbecue Joint in Chapel Hill highlighted what they called the misuse of antibiotics in food animal production with a protest Monday.
    They also wanted to spread awareness about the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act.
    “The PAMTA legislation strengthens the current law to
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    News 14 Carolina
    Animals, Food Safety Policy  |  Comments
  • TEXAS: Critics of open-air animal sales cite cost, safety

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 10:54pm

    CANTON -- Amid the flea-market sprawl of used crockpots, 12-packs of men's work socks, rhinestone-studded cowgirl boots and outgrown tricycles are crates, cages, boxes and pens with thousands of nearly every creature imaginable.
    Baby alpacas, litters of kittens, squealing pot-bellied pigs, calves and ponies, hundreds of rabbits, geese, ducks, chick
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    USA Today
    Animals  |  Comments
  • EU scraps ban on wonky fruit and vegetables

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 10:51pm

     Europe will end a two-decade ban on wonky fruit and vegetables by scrapping standards that keep misshapen mushrooms and curvy cucumbers out of supermarkets.
    The European Union said on Tuesday dropping rules that only allow beautiful-looking produce to hit shop shelves would reduce waste and allow farmers to sell more of their crop.
    Date Published: 
    01.jul.09
    Source Title: 
    TheAge.com.au
    Plants  |  Comments
  • US: Dunkin’ drinks pulled over salmonella concerns

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 5:22pm

    BOSTON -- Salmonella concerns have prompted Dunkin' Donuts to temporarily stop serving Dunkaccinos and hot chocolate.
    The coffee chain is withdrawing all hot chocolate and Dunkaccino beverages because equipment used at a supplier's facility was contaminated with salmonella, the company said in a statement.
    "We have confirmed that no
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    TheBostonChannel.com
    Salmonella  |  Comments
  • MISSOURI: Plaza restaurants suffer fire, health-inspection trouble

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 5:21pm

     Tomfooleries on the Plaza was shut down yesterday by the Kansas City Health Department for a multitude of infractions, many of them critical.
    After a routine inspection last week, the Plaza mainstay had 25 citations, 17 of them for critical actions such as employees eating, drinking or smoking around food, employees not washing hands, raw chicken stored n
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    The Pitch
    Restaurant Inspection  |  Comments
  • AUSTRALIA: Safety recalls take food off shelves

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 5:19pm

    The number of food safety recalls has surged in the past six months, with 29 products having been recalled.
    Large manufacturers, including Cadbury, Campbell's Soups Australia and Smith's Snackfoods, have been among those recalling products.
    Microbial contamination such as listeria and salmonella, failure to declare common all
    Date Published: 
    01.jul.09
    Source Title: 
    Brisbane Times
    Food Safety Policy, Listeria, Salmonella  |  Comments
  • Trade is an important tool in the food security tool kit

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 5:16pm

     Washington, DC -- G8 leaders must keep food security at the forefront of their meeting next week in Rome.  “The economic crisis has not eclipsed, but rather exacerbated the food crisis,” states IPC Member Joachim von Braun, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute.  One year after the G8 endorsed the formation of a Global Partnership for
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    International Food & Agricultural Trade Policy Council
    Food Safety Policy  |  Comments
  • US: FDA’s draft guidance on addressing the risk of contamination of food containing a pistachio-derived ingredient available for comment

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 5:14pm

    The U.S.
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    FDA
    Food Safety Policy  |  Comments
  • GERMANY: Identifying diarrhea causing bacteria by tiny difference in genes

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 5:10pm

    Every year, diarrhea causes around five million fatalities worldwide. Most people die due to pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria or viruses, which were ingested into the gastro-intestinal tract through contaminated drinking water or food. Determining which bacterium is causing the illness in those cases is sometimes very complex.
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    ScienceDaily
    Other Microorganisms  |  Comments
  • EU agency confirms safety of Monsanto GM maize

    Posted: June 30th, 2009 - 5:07pm

    Scottish pig producers will soon be able to offer their pork to consumers with a seal of approval from animal welfare leaders, thanks to a historic deal.
    The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has joined forces with Quality Meat Scotland to offer an independent approval for its farm assurance scheme.
    Date Published: 
    30.jun.09
    Source Title: 
    Reuters
    Animal Welfare  |  Comments