Routine testing of the cabbage-based Kimchi by company representatives has revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in product that had been delivered in a three-state region, including Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.   The company notified the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which ordered a halt on distribution of the product until the source of [...]

New Traceablity Rules for Diseased Livestock Announced US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced earlier today new proposed rules for tracing diseased livestock, including cattle, poultry, and other farm animals. The proposal would require animals to be certified as disease-free prior to interstate transport. Participation in the current traceability program is voluntary, and unfortunately, fewer than [...]

5 Tons of Chicken Recalled from Pilgrim’s Pride’s Texas Production Facilities Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation has recalled more than 11,240 pounds, or approximately 5 tons, of 2 ready-to-eat chicken made in Texas.  On-site inspections indicate that the products could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a type of bacteria that can cause food poisoning.  Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation has [...]

Eight People Ill from Drinking Raw Milk in North and South Carolina The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working with officials in North and South Carolina to investigate an outbreak of campylobacteriosis in eight people who consumed raw milk from Tucker Adkins Dairy in York, S.C. There are three confirmed cases and another five [...]

Multiple Outbreaks Linked to Contaminated Sprouts According to a University of Illinois researcher, sprouts are ideal reservoirs of dangerous bacterium that often lead to food poisoning.  Nowhere has this been more clear that in the recent food-related E. coli and salmonella outbreaks in the U.S. and Europe, all of which point to sprouts as the [...]

Queso Fresco from Quesos CentroAmericano in New York Recalled New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine today warned consumers not to consume certain Queso made by Quesos CentroAmericano Corp.,  New York  at 35 Hansen Avenue, Freeport, New York (formerly located at 900 S. Second Street, Ronkonkoma, New York) due to possible Staphylococcus aureus contamination.  The warning [...]

Serratia Marcescens Sickens 19 and Kills 9 in Alabama:  Human Error Blamed For Faulty Sterilization The Alabama Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have determined that the Serratia marcescens bacteremia in 12 hospitalized individuals who received TPN (total parenteral nutrition) has the same genetic fingerprint as the organism isolated [...]

Fresh Express Voluntarily Recalls 2,939 cases of 9 oz. Bagged Spinach Fresh Express has announced a recall of bagged spinach, following positive results for Salmonella in the random testing of the product headed for market.  As no reported illnesses have yet been linked to the Spinach, this is a “precautionary recall” at this time. The identified 9 [...]

Serratia Marcescens Outbreak Claims 9 Deaths in Alabama The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) are investigating an outbreak of the bacteria Serratia marcescens at five Birmingham-area hospitals and one in Prattville.  So far, 19 patients have tested positive for the [...]

Six Alabama Hospitals Hit in Bacterial Outbreak – 19 Sickened and 9 dead  Today the Alabama Department of Public Health (“ADPH”) announced an ongoing investigation of an outbreak of Serratia marcescens bacteremia in six Alabama hospitals: Baptist Princeton, Baptist Shelby, Baptist Prattville, Medical West, Cooper Green Mercy and Select Specialty Hospital in Birmingham.  Thus far, 19 victims have fallen ill [...]