With at least two people dead and 178 sick from Salmonella linked to cantaloupe in 21 states, Jim Howell of the Indiana Department of Health told growers improper food handling procedures may be to blame for a good portion of the illnesses.

Tim Chamberlain seems like a nice enough guy.

It’s sometimes fun to jibe at health types – local, state, federal – but they have a tough job and I’d be lousy at it.

"We were finding that deaths, for example, from foodborne illness or intestinal infections goes up from anywhere between 50% and 100%, so a doubling in some instances."

The newest food safety infosheet, a graphical one-page food safety-related story directed at food businesses, is now available

Food Safety Infosheet Highlights:

- Outbreak has led to 2 deaths and 178 illnesses and is associated with cantaloupes sold by Chamberlin Farms, located in Owensville IN.

 “I know who grows the product and how it’s cared for, so that eliminates any concern, any danger or quality issues.”

That’s a farmer defending the quality of his cantaloupe at a farm stand in Indiana, and it’s included in the video accompanying a USA Today story tomorrow.

Lots of people make great-tasting homemade foods like dips, pickles or salsa. But, just like opening a restaurant isn't as simple as throwing good dinner parties, moving a good product into commercial production takes a lot of work - including recognizing hazards and controlling them.

Yesterday we joined over 70,000 for our second People’s Day at the Ekka.

The petting zoo was a mess.

Yesterday we joined over 70,000 for our second People’s Day at the Ekka.

The petting zoo was a mess.

A colleague at the vet college shared a story with me about restaurant grades a couple of months ago. He and his son went into a local sushi place and it was dead - they had no problem getting a seat during the usually busy lunch rush.