The CDC reports: Shigellosis is a nationally notifiable diarrheal illness caused by gram-negative bacteria. Shigella infection is spread through fecal-oral transmission and sexual contact. Although most infections are self-limited, antibiotics are indicated for severe illness or to reduce transmission in settings with high risk for spread. Since 2015, a growing proportion of cases has been caused by […]
QSR Magazine – Special Online Feature – by Fred Minnick Fred Minnick and I spoke a few weeks ago about what and why I do what I do. Here is his story: Bill Marler has won more than $300 million from food companies. In this QSRmagazine.com exclusive, Marler talks about how to prevent him from […]
E.J. Schultz of the Frezno Bee Capitol Bureau wrote today: “Food-safety bills introduced” California lettuce and spinach growers would pay license fees to fund a state crop inspection program under a package of food safety bills introduced Thursday by Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter. The long-anticipated legislation is aimed at reducing E. coli outbreaks, which in […]
According to United Press International customers remain leery because the Spinach E. coli outbreak, which killed three (possibly as many as 5) people and sickened at least 200 others. U.S. sales of fresh packaged spinach remain way down four months after an E. coli outbreak ended, a fresh-food market researcher reported. Packaged spinach sales were […]
Students at Risk of Deadly Food-Borne Pathogens, Report Warns Ask any kid what they think of their school cafeteria. Then ask the scientists at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The answers are likely to be similar. A report issued by the CSPI warns that conditions in America’s school cafeterias could trigger […]
Tainted Spinach May Be Responsible Family members of two elderly women — one from Washington and another in Maryland — said spinach tainted with E. coli may be at least partly responsible. The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control are investigating the deaths. If confirmed, the cases would bring the number killed […]
John K. Wiley of the AP wrote today: “Wash. woman sickened by E. coli dies” An 83-year-old Richland woman sickened by tainted spinach in September has died. Betty Howard died Friday of heart failure in a Richland rehabilitation facility, nearly five months after she was hospitalized with symptoms of sickness caused by eating contaminated spinach, […]
An E. coli outbreak last year sickened about 81 people who had eaten at Taco John’s restaurants in Austin, Albert Lea and Cedar Falls, Iowa, in November and December. Among those sickened, 26 were hospitalized. Tim Engstrom, managing editor of the Albert Lea Tribune and I spoke last week about the Taco John’s lawsuit specifically […]
I posted some research on E. coli, illness and death in the elderly that may be of use to those interested in these deaths – the post is “The E. coli O157:H7 Bacteria and the Significance of Age: Elizabeth, “Betty” Howard, 83, of Richland, Wash., died of heart failure in a rehabilitation facility today, after […]
From the Monterey Herald today – you have to give me some credit – “Daniel in the Lion’s Den” comes to mind. The National Steinbeck Center will kick off the fourth season of its Ag Forums with the presentation of Bill Marler, a Seattle-based lawyer who has represented clients in litigation with companies such as […]
According to Jacob Adelman of the Associated Press, State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, is butting heads with farmers over proposed regulations. The regulations would: 1. force growers to protect their crops by monitoring water quality 2. restrict wild animals from farm areas 3. call for a system to track produce from fields to store shelves […]
Paul Dailing of the Kane County Chronicle wrote this morning about our client who is considering filing suit against the Geneva Houlihan’s. I have repeatedly encouraged and warned restaurants that it is the customers and their own interest to vaccinate all employees for Hepatitis A BEFORE they are allowed to serve food. Had Houlihan’s required […]
E. coli O157:H7 is one of hundreds of strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli.[1] Most strains of E. coli are harmless and live as normal flora in the intestines of healthy humans and animal.[2] The E. coli bacterium is among the most extensively studied microorganism.[3] The combination of letters and numbers in the name of the E. […]
I found this map on the web this weekend – click on the below map and see all the disasters occurring in the world today – including bacterial and viral outbreaks tied to food:
Sanford Nax of The Fresno Bee wrote a story last week entitled: Florez gets tough on produce Senator Dean Florez, D-Shafter has been the only consistent political figure over the last several months focusing on the E. coli crisis in leafy greens grown in California. He held a hearing in October following the Dole spinach […]
Mary Engel and Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers published an article this morning citing that: “Some food safety experts say the mixing of greens for packaging may increase the risk of contamination…. In particular, the centralized processing of fresh greens can increase the risk of more widespread contamination, just as tainted beef […]