Producer Recalls 68K Pounds of Calif. Spinach

Untrained young aide also lacked protective gear, OSHA finds

(NEWSER) - UCLA has been fined $31,000 for serious safety violations linked to a fire that killed a lab assistant early this year, reports the Los Angeles Times. Sheri Sangji, 23, had not been properly trained and was not wearing protective clothing when an experiment exploded, seriously burning more than 43% of her body, concluded the California Division of OSHA. She died 18 days later. The dead researcher's sister, however, criticized the agency's report for not examining the accident carefully enough. More»

82-year-old had a passion for mushroom foraging

(NEWSER) - A California man’s passion for collecting and eating wild mushrooms has cost him his life, the LA Times reports. The 82-year-old ate a generous portion of a deadly variety and died of poisoning a week later. His family had long warned him of the risks, but the man had learned the art from his immigrant Italian parents. Last year, nearly 900 people were sickened in California after eating poison mushrooms, and one person died. More»

Moratorium proposed on unhealthy eateries in South LA

(NEWSER) - There is so much fast food in South Los Angeles, and so much obesity, that city officials are considering banning any new outlets. A two-year moratorium on new fast-food eateries has been proposed for an area where 30% of adults and 29% of kids are obese (compared with just over 20% and 23%, respectively, for the county overall). “To be honest, it’s all we eat,” one resident told the Los Angeles Times. More»

10 best gut-stretching meals around the country

(NEWSER) - Tired of picking at salads and counting out almonds? Fill up your plate with the 10 "best-tasting, most gut-stretching" meals the Discovery Channel could find.

1. Lambert's Cafe, Sikeston, MO
2. Eagle's Deli, Brighton, MA
3. Seiad Valley Cafe, Seiad Valley, CA

New outbreak forces farm quarantine, ban on livestock transport

(NEWSER) - Britain faces its first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in six years after a herd of beef cattle in Guildford tested positive, reports the Independent. The news forced Gordon Brown to cancel his vacation as the government introduced emergency measures banning all transportation of cattle and pigs and throwing up a "protection zone" in the region. More»