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December 2, 2008 10:12:49 PM CST

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E. coli

E. coli news stories

15 Stories

 Farmers Hunt Wildlife 
 to Keep Greens Clean 

E. coli scare prompts extreme measures in 'America's Salad Bowl'

Associated Press Associated Press Sep 2, 08 12:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - 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. More »

More about:  wildlife • cattle • food contamination • E. coli • farmers • spinach

 FDA Approves Irradiation 
 of Spinach, Lettuce 

Practice common in meat coming soon to produce aisle

Associated Press Associated Press Aug 21, 08 3:47 PM CDT
(AP) - Consumers worried about salad safety may soon be able to buy fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce zapped with just enough radiation to kill E. coli and a few other germs. The Food and Drug Administration will issue a new regulation tomorrow allowing spinach- and lettuce-sellers to take that extra step, a long-awaited move amid increasing outbreaks from raw produce.   More »

More about:  FDA • outbreak • food safety • E. coli • produce

Beef Recall Expands
to 5.3M Pounds

Nebraska Beef cited for unsanitary conditions by feds

Associated Press Associated Press Jul 3, 08 7:00 PM CDT
(AP) - Nebraska Beef is expanding a recall to include all 5.3 million pounds of meat it produced for ground beef between May 16 and June 26. Federal investigators have linked the company's products to an outbreak of E. coli illnesses affecting 40 people in Michigan and Ohio. Some Nebraska Beef products were sold by grocer Kroger Co., which has recalled ground beef products in more than 20 states. More »

More about:  food safety • E. coli • beef recall • ground beef

 Sudden Infant Death
 Linked to Bacteria 

Key research on baby deaths

Washington Post Washington Post May 30, 08 3:01 AM CDT
(Newser) - Some cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may be caused by staph and E. coli infections, a new study finds. British researchers saw significant levels of both bacteria in 470 of 546 SIDS victims ranging in age from 7 days to one year. But scientists don't yet know what the findings mean for medical care. Some 2,500 infants die of SIDS each year in the US. More »

More about:  E. coli • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome • SIDS

 Keyboards 
 'Dirtier Than
 Toilet Seats' 

Microbiologist warns that filthy keys can make people ill

Guardian (UK) Guardian (UK) May 1, 08 7:01 AM CDT
(Newser) - A microbiologist studying computer keyboards discovered that some of them harbored more bacteria than the average toilet seat, the Guardian reports. The dirtiest—which had to be removed from an office—had 150 times the level of acceptable bacteria, putting the user at risk of catching bugs that cause diarrhea and vomiting. "It was off the scale," the researcher said. More »

More about:  computer • bacteria • E. coli • hygiene • computer hardware • cleaning • dirt

New Methods Help Make Beef Jerky Safer

Longer drying, higher temps kill off more
E. coli, salmonella

LiveScience LiveScience Mar 27, 08 3:08 PM CDT
(Newser) - 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. More »

More about:  salmonella • food contamination • USDA • beef • E. coli • beef industry

New E. coli Strains Could Spell Epidemic

Drug-resistant bacteria may rival MRSA threat, researchers warn

Daily Telegraph (UK) Daily Telegraph (UK) Feb 19, 08 12:57 PM CST
(Newser) - New drug-resistant strains of E. coli have doctors worried that the mutant bacteria could become a superbug to rival MRSA, the drug-resistant form of staphylococcus that kills hundreds hospital patients each year, the Daily Telegraph reports. The spread of the new E.coli strains must be carefully tracked to avoid an epidemic, Canadian scientists write in a new paper. More »

More about:  epidemic • E. coli • superbug • MRSA • food poisoning • drug-resistant bacteria • stomach bug

Food Poisoning Can Mean Long-Term Trouble

Health effects can resurface years later, doctors say

Associated Press Associated Press Jan 22, 08 8:01 AM CST
(Newser) - People who catch food-borne illnesses such as salmonella and E. coli can suffer related health problems years later, the AP reports. The numbers are small, and the research still growing, but doctors and health advocates are beginning to sound the alarm. "Folks often assume once you're over the acute illness, that's it, you're back to normal and that's the end of it," said one doctor. More »

More about:  salmonella • E. coli • recalls • food poisoning

Wisc. Firm Recalls 96K Lbs. Beef Over E. Coli Fears

Two reports of illness from contaminated meat prompt state investigation

Associated Press Associated Press Nov 25, 07 2:33 PM CST
(Newser) - 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. More »

More about:  food contamination • E. coli • beef recall • ground beef

Cargill Recalls 1M Pounds of Ground Beef

E. Coli contamination
is the company's
second in a month

Reuters Reuters Nov 3, 07 2:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - E. coli fears led to a recall today of more than 1 million pounds of ground beef from Cargill Inc., Reuters reports. The USDA found the potentially deadly bacteria after testing meat produced October 8 in Pennsylvania and sold in 10 states at stores including Giant, Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, Wegmans, and Weis, the AP says. The recall is Cargill's second in a month. More »

More about:  Pennsylvania • USDA • E. coli • beef recall • ground beef • Cargill

Totino's and Jeno's Pizzas Recalled Over E. coli 

Associated Press Associated Press Nov 1, 07 7:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - General Mills today recalled 5 million frozen pizzas sold under the brand names Totino's and Jeno's because they have pepperoni that might be contaminated with E. coli. Health officials discovered the problem while investigating 21 E. coli illnesses in 10 states. They found that at least nine of those people ate the pizzas, and four developed a type of kidney failure, the AP reports. More »

More about:  E. coli • General Mills

The Beef Stops Here, but Why?

Health agents ask
why E. coli outbreak toppled Topps and
led to huge recall

Newsweek Newsweek Oct 7, 07 7:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - The latest E. coli outbreak, which toppled Topps Meat and led to millions of recalled burgers, has stumped health agents. Muckrakers blame feedlots and abattoirs, saying bad animal diets increase infections when the meat mingles with innards, but others aren't so worried: "The reality is if you cook the meat you’ll never have a problem," says one industry consultant. More »

Company in Beef Recall Folds

Economic strain of E. coli contamination was too much for firm to bear

Star-Ledger Star-Ledger Oct 5, 07 4:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - Citing its inability to "overcome the economic reality of a recall this large," Topps Meat Co. announced today it will fold. The nation's largest producer of frozen hamburgers, a stalwart in Elizabeth, NJ, for 67 years, laid off 77 workers, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. A skeleton crew of 10 will remain to aid the USDA investigation of E. coli contamination. More »

More about:  E. coli • beef recall • Topps Meat Co.

Topps Recalls Millions of Patties

E. Coli outbreak leads to recall of about 21.7 million pounds of meat

CNN CNN Sep 29, 07 1:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Fears of E. coli contamination drove Topps Meat Co. to recall 21.7 million pounds of frozen hamburger patties today. The recall affects all Topps products with a sell-by date between Sept. 25, 2007, and Sept. 25, 2008. More than two dozen people in eight states have reported infections, and yesterday the USDA shut down Topps’ meat grinding operation after finding unspecified safety problems. More »

More about:  outbreak • USDA • E. coli • burger • Topps Meat Co.

Tracking Toxic Greens Is Growth Industry

Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal Mar 14, 07 7:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - Still smarting from this fall's E. coli outbreaks, the produce industry is trying to coax Americans into eating their greens again with high-tech solutions. Companies like Dole and Western Growers are using radio-frequency tags and GPS surveillance to track veggies as they move from farm to grocery store. More »

More about:  food • agriculture • consumer • food contamination • E. coli • contamination • produce

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