PALMETTO, Fla. -- Florida tomato growers and packers remain on the forefront of food safety practices. To help assure the tomatoes they ship remain free of contamination, Florida tomato industry leaders in 2008 persuaded state lawmakers to institute state-mandated food safety practices and laws.

US plans to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to six new strains of E.coli have come under fire from industry bodies at home and governments abroad. The American Meat Institute along with the Australian and New Zealand Governments are among those that have attacked proposals by US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) to ban non-O157 strains of E.coli in beef.

A report published by the Food Standards Agency highlights improvements in hygiene on poultry farms in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Consistent application of hygiene measures on farms is important to prevent farmed poultry from becoming infected with campylobacter.

Traditional media is starting to pick up on the food safety nonsense coming out of the Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal’s signature restaurant that sickened 529 with norovirus from raw oysters – and staff – in 2009. The Guardian reports today the Fat Duck fiasco was the largest restaurant-related norovirus outbreak, ever.

ABC News (the Australian one) reports four people have been treated in hospital after an outbreak of salmonella poisoning in Canberra. The majority of victims presented to hospital on Friday. ACT health authorities are investigating the source of the outbreak. Cultures are being checked to determine if the salmonella cases are linked. No other details were available.

It only seems like there’s a new restaurant opening every week in Rapid City. But with all the options for dining out that are available, how do consumers know which restaurants have failed a health inspection by the state Department of Health?

DNA’s hygiene-for-kitchens campaign has forced educational authorities to take food safety very seriously. Going one step ahead, the University of Mumbai has fired the warden of the KBP boys’ hostel, Kalina. Dr Manohar Mane was dismissed on Friday due to a surge of student grievances regarding unhygienic and low-quality food being served at the mess.

ORANGEVILLE, ON, -- Today, footage and photos captured by an anonymous source at Les Viandes de la Petite-Nation Inc. in St. Andre-Avellin, Quebec, are being released by the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC): http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/lpn.html.

Fox Sports is reporting legendary Brazilian soccer captain Socrates died Sunday at the age of 57 after suffering an intestinal infection. The star of the 1982 World Cup was rushed to Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital late Thursday after suffering food poisoning and was said to be in critical condition in its intensive care unit Saturday.