(The views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly those of the author.) Given the fact that irradiation of meat and poultry has not been widely implemented, what can be done to make this potentially important food safety technology more acceptable to the industry and to consumers? Here are 10 things that would help:

Two families who claim their children contracted salmonella food poisoning while staying at a Turkish holiday resort are among more than 140 people looking to take legal action against their tour operator.

In my last post regarding a recent recall of cantaloupes in the upper midwest due to Salmonella contamination, you can tell that I was struck by the sequence of events being reported.  Melon Acres' recall notice went up on August 27; the FDA reported the Salmonella-positive test result on which the recall was based on August 21, a full six days before Melon Acres' recall notice; and the FD

OTTAWA -- As the world waits for the second wave of the H1N1 swine flu, two Canadian infectious disease experts say the World Health Organization’s pandemic alert system has failed and must be revamped.

Barcelona, Spain -- Coffee is routinely consumed in countries within the Mediterranean basin. Coffee, an infusion of ground, roasted coffee beans, is the most widely consumed behaviourally active substance in the world. It contains several hundred different substances including, antioxidants, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, minerals, phenolic compounds and alkaloids.

The National Environment Agency has given itself a pat on the shoulder for raising the hygiene standards of Singapore’s food stalls. More than 90 per cent of Singapore’s food stalls have achieved either an A or B grading for hygiene standards, and there was no stall with D grading, it said.

A senior vice-president of the American agribusiness giant says that export curbs are no solution to global crises

If you want to combat both varieties of flu this season, keep the hand sanitizer ready and your work spaces clean, officials with the Centers for Disease Control said. Lisa Koonin of the CDC told a Newnan audience that alcohol-based hand gels work well -- in fact, the CDC keeps it handy around its Atlanta offices.

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND -- Bill Marler considers himself a “Coug — through and through.” The Bainbridge Island resident earned three degrees at Washington State University, was the first student elected to the Pullman City Council and served on the WSU board of regents after making a worldwide name for himself battling E. coli outbreaks as a food safety lawyer.