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NEWS ABOUT: food contamination

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Feds Knew of Cargill Salmonella in 2010

Interagency bumbling, lax regulations let problem go unaddressed

(Newser) - Mammoth meat packer Cargill recalled a whopping 36 million pounds of ground turkey last week, but federal officials knew of salmonella contamination at a Cargill plant dating back to last year, reports the Wall Street Journal . It seems that a USDA inspection turned up three instances of salmonella Heidelberg at... More »

Deadly European E. Coli Outbreak Hits Americans

Strain found in 2 who had traveled to Europe

(Newser) - The strain of E. coli that has killed at least 17 people in Europe has been found in two people in the US, both of whom had recently traveled to Germany. Both are expected to survive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The source of the outbreak—... More »

Deadly MRSA Bacteria Found in Supermarket Meats

22.5% of tested meat was contaminated

(Newser) - The potentially deadly, antibiotic-resistant MRSA bacteria has been found in supermarket meats. Cooking kills the bacteria, but consumers risk infection when they handle raw meat. MRSA has been found increasingly in hospitals and nursing homes, where it can cause serious illness and death. But it has also been spread among... More »

India Bans All Japan Food Imports

US eateries installing radiation detectors

(Newser) - India has slapped a ban on all food imports from Japan out of fear of radiation from the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant. The ban will last for three months or until "credible information is available that the radiation hazard has subsided to acceptable limits," the Indian government says. Many... More »

Condom-in-Soup Lawsuit Settled

Revolted plaintiff wins undisclosed amount

(Newser) - A California man who says he was horrified when the chewier-than-usual cheese in his French onion soup turned out to be a condom has settled his lawsuit with a restaurant chain. The agreement between Claim Jumper restaurants and the plaintiff, for an undisclosed amount, "is not to be construed... More »

Gulf Seafood Tested, Results 'Immaculate'

But industry still battered by low demand

(Newser) - In a rare spot of good news, an analysis of seafood from the Gulf of Mexico came black clean of oil or chemical dispersants—in one word, "immaculate." The Daily Beast commissioned a lab to test shrimp, lump crabmeat, and red grouper and found that all three, like... More »

That Ballpark Hot Dog Could Kill You

ESPN gives more info than you wanted on stadium food safety

(Newser) - If you’d like to enjoy the next hot dog you eat at a baseball game, don’t read on. ESPN reviewed health department inspection reports for the North American MLB, NFL, NHL, and NBA venues and found that 28% had been cited for a “critical” or “major”... More »

Beware Salsa, Guacamole: Food Safety Experts

Made in big batches and left sitting out, dips can cause trouble

(Newser) - As guacamole and salsa become more popular, they also account for a rising number of cases of food poisoning, new statistics show. The dips once represented 1.5% of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurants and delis, but between 1998 and 2008, that fraction climbed to nearly 4%. Part of the... More »

Ground Beef Rife With E. Coli Risk

NYT investigation shows industry practices that leave lots to be desired

(Newser) - A nausea-inducing feature in the New York Times tells you more than you wanted to know about what's actually in commercially produced hamburger, and why it's especially vulnerable, despite FDA regulation and several fatal outbreaks in recent years, to E. coli contamination. The Times follows the case of a 22-year-old... More »

Test Finds Mercury in Every Fish

A quarter contaminated beyond EPA safety limit

(AP) - Catch a fish in one of America's streams, and there's a good chance it will have at least trace amounts of mercury. The most comprehensive survey to date from the US Geological Survey tested more than 1,000 fish from nearly 300 streams around the nation—and found mercury in... More »

Houses Passes Sweeping Food Safety Bill

(Newser) - The FDA would gain broad new powers to oversee food safety under a far-reaching bill passed by the House yesterday, the Washington Post reports. The measure—representing the first major changes to food safety laws since the 1930s—would give the agency vastly increased oversight of the nation's food chain... More »

Feds Confirm E. Coli in Cookie Dough

FDA still has no idea how bacteria made its way into Nestle dough

(Newser) - The FDA has confirmed the presence of E. coli in cookie dough from Nestle's Virginia plant, reports the Washington Post. The plant's refrigerated cookie dough was the prime suspect in an outbreak of E. coli-related illness that sickened 69 people in 29 states. But investigators remain confounded as to how... More »

Salmonella Triggers Pistachio Recall

Huge pistachio recall issued after salmonella found at processor

(Newser) - Consumers have been warned to steer clear of pistachios and any product containing them until the FDA probes the extent of salmonella contamination, reports WebMD. A million pounds of possibly tainted pistachios from a California processor have been recalled and authorities expect that more recalls will follow. Affected products range... More »

Food Hazards Elude Private Inspectors

Food poisoning outbreaks traced back to dangers cut-price auditors missed

(Newser) - The job of monitoring America's food plants is falling more and more to private inspectors who often miss hazards, a New York Times investigation finds. Plants hire such auditors to reassure customers and reduce liability, but the companies often pick the cheapest and least rigorous audits available. Some of the... More »

Pay for Soup, Enjoy Insects, Mold Free

FDA's classification of food 'defects' a slippery slope

(Newser) - If you're eating, stop reading now: The FDA's rules on foreign matter in food products are a veritable entomology lesson. Maggots, fly eggs, rodent droppings, grit, mold, burlap, cigarette butts, and parasites are all OK with the agency in limited quantities, writes EJ Levy in the New York Times, adding,... More »

Warnings Crunch Peanut Butter Biz

Sales take a dive as wary shoppers steer clear of old favorite

(Newser) - Peanut butter makers are struggling to deal with the public relations nightmare caused by the salmonella outbreak, reports the New York Times. Many shoppers have started avoiding all brands of peanut butter and sales are down almost 25%. Companies not affected by the recall are buying ads stressing that their... More »

Peanuts Known Tainted Supplied to School Program

Agency meant to ensure food safety bought contaminated nuts

(Newser) - The peanut firm behind the recent salmonella outbreak sold 32 truckloads of peanuts and peanut butter to a federal lunch program for poor children even after internal tests revealed that they were contaminated with the bacteria, the Washington Post reports. Schools in California, Minnesota, and Idaho received the food in... More »

Honey Packers Fail to Report Tainted Imports

Companies often simply send honey back to importer

(Newser) - US honey packers often don’t tell authorities about imports contaminated with banned antibiotics or other chemicals, and instead simply send the products back, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports after a lengthy investigation. Importers can then get the tainted honey into the American market through another packer, as two Chicago businessmen... More »

Mercury Found in Corn Syrup

Researchers believe contamination comes from corn syrup

(Newser) - A test of some of America's most popular processed foods has turned up trace amounts of mercury, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Researchers believe that the mercury, found in levels far lower than in seafood, comes from plants that use caustic soda laced with mercury to produce high-fructose corn syrup, widely... More »

Ireland Recalls Tainted Pork, Warns 25 Countries

Contaminated meat may have been exported to 25 countries

(Newser) - Ireland has issued a massive pork recall after sending contaminated meat to about two dozen countries, Reuters reports. France, the Netherlands, and Belgium have all complained of dioxin-contaminated products, and Britain has told people to lay off pork for now. However, a British government body said it did "not... More »

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