Just prior to the January 2011 electronic release of “Emerging Infectious Diseases”, the Centers for Disease Control’s monthly journal that contained the story “Foodborne Illness Acquired in the United States—Major Pathogens”, the CDC issued a press release in December highlighting the new estimates of the number of foodborne illnesses occurring per year in t

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The ripeness of fruit could determine how food poisoning bacteria grow on them, according to scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin this week. Their work could lead to new strategies to improve food safety, bringing many health and economic benefits.

Walk into any Los Angeles restaurant and you're likely to see a card in the window with a letter grade for its most recent health inspection. In Sacramento, you can find a green, yellow or red sign with the same kind of information. In Fresno County, you'll see nothing of the sort.

This article is adapted from the new book "Fear of Food," from University of Chicago Press.

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Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today called for submissions on a proposal looking at possible food safety measures for producers and processors of minor meat species and wild game. FSANZ Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said species covered by the primary production and processing proposal included kangaroo, crocodile, rabbit, ostrich and emu.

Many people in the UK won't have heard of the chia seed, but if regulators give their backing this US superfood craze could be on the way. Chia, or Salvia hispanica L, is a member of the mint family from Mexico and South America. The flowering plant can sprout in a matter of days, but chia's appeal is in the nutritional punch of its tiny seeds.