Sales of candy made with contaminated milk halted as crisis spreads
BBC Sep 26, 08 4:09 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Dozens of countries are hopping to get China-made White Rabbit candy off store shelves after the milk-based treat was found to contain melamine, the BBC reports. The company has halted sales worldwide, and issued warnings about candy remaining in stores. The chemical has also been found to have sickened two baby orangutans and a lion cub raised on tainted infant formula in a Chinese zoo, the Telegraph reports.
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Outrage over escalating scandal as 3 die
BBC Sep 17, 08 3:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The toll from contaminated infant formula in China continues to mount alarmingly, with more than 6,000 babies poisoned and at least three killed, reports the BBC. Another 158 are suffering from acute kidney failure. The chemical melamine—which caused widespread pet deaths in contaminated food last year—has now been discovered in 22 brands of powdered milk. The chemical is used in plastics manufacturing, but it also makes the protein content of food appear higher.
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E. coli scare prompts extreme measures in 'America's Salad Bowl'
Associated Press Sep 2, 08 12:21 PM CDT
(Newser)
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To please cautious companies, farmers have turned hunters in California's Salinas River Valley, where 60% of the nation's lettuce grows. They’re stalking wild pigs, poisoning ponds and erecting fences—disrupting wildlife and destroying habitats in the process—to avoid another E. coli contamination, the AP reports. But some question the drastic steps, given limited evidence that wildlife caused previous outbreaks.
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More than 1,000 cases reported; tomatoes and hot peppers still the main suspects
LiveScience Jul 9, 08 7:30 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The number of salmonella cases has surpassed 1,000, making it the nation's largest food-borne outbreak, says the CDC. Despite the volume of cases, investigators still can't quite pinpoint the exact cause or source, LiveScience reports. Certain types of tomatoes, hot peppers and cilantro—the main ingredients of salsa—remain the main suspects.
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Investigators eying other salsa ingredients for source of outbreak
Wall Street Journal Jul 5, 08 5:37 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Jalapeno peppers have pushed tomatoes off the top of the FDA's suspect list in the recent salmonella outbreak, reports the Wall Street Journal . Investigators believe salsa may be the culprit in the rash of illnesses, and after a drop in tomato consumption failed to halt a rise in cases, they switched focus to other ingredients—especially peppers. The agency says tomatoes aren't in the clear yet, but the hunt is on for tainted jalapenos.
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Mistakes can be made at any size operation, scientists warn
Newsweek Jun 15, 08 10:02 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Salmonella-tainted tomatoes that sickened 228 people in 28 states may be a boon to the local-food movement, but Newsweek takes a look at whether "locavores" should be so smug. Equating smaller farms with safer practices—and long-distance shipping with more time for bacteria to infect food—more produce-lovers are turning to farmers’ markets. Sales rose almost 20 percent in recent years, but scientists warn that local doesn’t guarantee safe, and mistakes can be made at any size—or distance.
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Agency stepping up efforts to track contamination
Wall Street Journal Jun 13, 08 4:40 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The Food and Drug Administration is focusing Florida and Mexico as sources of the salmonella outbreak that has afflicted 228 people in 23 states, the Wall Street Journal reports. The “vast majority” of tomatoes imported at the time of outbreak appear to have come from those areas. Officials have increased sampling of tomatoes, but so far have not found any additional tainted produce.
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OPINION
Feds' 'confusing, back-assward' bumbling can't explain how insides got contaminated
Gourmet Jun 12, 08 2:50 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Food-safety experts continue to scratch their heads over the recent salmonella outbreak in tomatoes—and Barry Estabrook, in Gourmet , is peeved that he can't get any explanation on how the intestinal bacteria actually gets inside. One expert from a produce trade group speculates that contaminants enter through cuts in the fruit’s skin as it spends months ripening on the vine.
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Longer drying, higher temps kill off more
E. coli, salmonella
LiveScience Mar 27, 08 3:08 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Good news for meat lovers in a time of massive beef recalls: Researchers at Kansas State have found a way to make beef jerky safer from E. coli and salmonella, LiveScience reports. They found that a longer drying time would eliminate the pathogens in contaminated beef samples, offering a low-cost way for producers to comply with federal standards.
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Cruelty charges follow video of Calif. meat packers abusing cattle
Press-Enterprise Feb 16, 08 8:26 AM CST
(Newser)
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Prosecutors hit a slaughterhouse manager with what they say are unprecedented felony charges yesterday after a video released last month showed abusive methods being used to push ailing cattle into a slaughter box, the Press-Enterprise reports. Daniel Ugarte Navarro, 49, faces over 8 years in prison if convicted of five felony counts of animal cruelty and three misdemeanor counts of illegal movement of a non-ambulatory animal.
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Two reports of illness from contaminated meat prompt state investigation
Associated Press Nov 25, 07 2:33 PM CST
(Newser)
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American Foods Group voluntarily recalled 96,000 pounds of ground beef after two people in Illinois were sickened from possible E. coli contamination, the AP reports. The affected beef was distributed to companies in Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Virginia. Some of the recalled goods, produced on Oct. 10, have already expired.
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Citing safety worries, China puts the brakes on meat imports from some US processors
Associated Press Jul 14, 07 8:19 AM CDT
(Newser)
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In an apparent retaliatory move, China has addressed concerns about food safety—by halting imports from several American meat processors. The country's inspection agency posted a notice on its website late yesterday saying that salmonella-contaminated chicken produced by Tyson and products from several other large US firms had flunked inspection, the AP reports.
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FDA stats on food alerts show China has
plenty of company
New York Times Jul 12, 07 10:40 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Contaminated Chinese seafood is the latest high-profile export turning American consumers off their feed, but they might want to save some caution for Dominican produce and Danish candy, FDA stats suggest. Inspectors stopped more food shipments from India and Mexico than from China in the past year, the Times reports, and the flood of imports is overtaxing the agency's enforcement system.
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Bribery conviction signals pharmaceutical industry crackdown
BBC May 29, 07 3:03 PM CDT
(Newser)
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China's former top food and drug watchdog was sentenced to death today after being convicted of corruption and dereliction of duty. In the midst of an international uproar over food and pharmaceutical standards, the government found that Zheng Xiaoyu, 63, who was forced out in 2005, accepted more than $850,000 in bribes to approve questionable drugs and medical licenses.
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