Foodborne Illness News and Research

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Commonly referred to as food poisoning or foodborne disease, foodborne illnesses (FIs) are gastrointestinal (GI) tract infections that arise with the ingestion of contaminated food. The main culprits are usually microorganisms or chemical agents.

American College of Gastroenterology offers resources on foodborne illness, tips for food safety

For consumers in the United States concerned by the outbreak of E. coli in Europe, the American College of Gastroenterology offers background on foodborne illness, tips for food safety, and expert insight from its resources on digestive health on what to do in the case of foodborne illness.

4 Jun 2011

VIDAS TOXO IgG Avidity assay to test for recent Toxoplasma gondii infection receives FDA clearance

On May 18, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the first test to help determine whether a pregnant woman or a person with swollen lymph nodes testing positive for toxoplasmosis, sometimes known as cat scratch disease, developed the infection within the past four months.

20 May 2011

AquaStar granted U.S. Patent for Portable Capillary Sensor technology used in Capwave ELISA platform

AquaStar Holdings, Inc. is pleased to announce that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued patent number 7,708,944 for the Ultra-Sensitive, Portable Capillary Sensor technology utilized by the Capwave Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA) platform.

28 Apr 2011

Next-generation sequencing provides important clues to traceback foodborne illness outbreak

FDA scientists successfully used a new genome sequencing test to retrospectively examine a 2009-10 foodborne illness outbreak to help trace the source of the infection.

25 Feb 2011

GE Healthcare, CDC collaborate to explore efficacy of actionable health alerts

After a full year of feasibility studies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking a significant step toward providing public health information at the point-of-care. CDC is collaborating with GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company, to explore the efficacy of actionable health alerts, delivered instantly to a physician's electronic medical record.

21 Feb 2011

FDA stops operations of N.Y.-based beverage company

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Justice today filed a complaint for permanent injunction against a Jamaica, N.Y.-based beverage company to prevent it from processing and distributing juice and other products.

14 Jan 2011

FDA's determination of equivalency validates Neogen's rapid test for Salmonella enteritidis

Neogen Corporation today announced that its rapid test for Salmonella enteritidis (SE) has been determined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be equivalent to the FDA's traditional testing method in accuracy, precision, and sensitivity for detecting SE.

13 Jan 2011

FDA warns against consumption of Tiny Greens brand Alfalfa Sprouts or Spicy Sprouts

The FDA is advising consumers not to eat Alfalfa Sprouts and Spicy Sprouts (which contain alfalfa sprouts mixed with radish and clover sprouts) from Tiny Greens Organic Farm of Urbana, Ill. The sprouts were distributed in 4 oz. and 5 lb. containers to various customers, including farmers' markets, restaurants and groceries, in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and possibly other Midwestern states.

28 Dec 2010

AOAC approves Neogen's rapid test for Salmonella enteritidis

Neogen Corporation today announced that its rapid test for Salmonella enteritidis (SE) has received approval from AOAC International.

9 Nov 2010

FDA awards 84 grants worth $18.5 million to boost food and feed safety initiatives

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration awarded 84 grants worth $18.5 million in fiscal year 2010 to help state and local regulatory agencies defend against and respond quickly to threats to the food supply and to outbreaks of foodborne diseases.

29 Oct 2010

FDA to improve food safety practices in retail establishments

The Food and Drug Administration called today for stepped up efforts to improve food safety practices in retail food establishments, specifically pointing to the need for the presence of certified food safety managers to oversee safety practices

25 Oct 2010

Fresh salsa and guacamole may be important vehicles of foodborne infection, says ORISE researcher

Nearly 1 out of every 25 restaurant-associated foodborne outbreaks with identified food sources between 1998 and 2008 can be traced back to contaminated salsa or guacamole, more than double the rate during the previous decade, according to research released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.

13 Jul 2010

Federal food safety agencies commended for supporting Food Safety Working Group

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius today commended federal food safety agencies for their accomplishments supporting the charge of President Obama's Food Safety Working Group, which advises the President on how to upgrade the U.S. food safety system for the 21st century.

12 Jul 2010

New food safety requirements for large-scale egg producers: FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that as many as 79,000 illnesses and 30 deaths due to consumption of eggs contaminated with the bacterium Salmonella Enteritidis may be avoided each year with new food safety requirements for large-scale egg producers.

9 Jul 2010

Video study shows need for new food safety-focused messages, methods targeting food handlers

How safe is the food we get from restaurants, cafeterias and other food-service providers? A new study from North Carolina State University -- the first study to place video cameras in commercial kitchens to see how precisely food handlers followed food-safety guidelines -- discovered that risky practices happen more often than previously thought.

10 Jun 2010

FDA should implement risk-based approach to tackle food safety problems: Report

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's abilities to discover potential threats to food safety and prevent outbreaks of foodborne illness are hampered by impediments to efficient use of its limited resources and a piecemeal approach to gathering and using information on risks, says a new report by the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council.

9 Jun 2010

Small molecule ramps up interferon production in host cells, launching potent immune response

Many disease-causing microbes carry pumps that expel antibiotics, making the bugs hard to kill with standard drugs. Ironically, these same pumps could be the bugs' Achilles heel.

28 May 2010

Rice University researcher receives 2010 Glycerine Innovation Award

Escherichia coli - E. coli for short - is often identified as a bacterium that contributes to foodborne illness. But research led by a Rice University scientist has discovered ways to use a safe, non-pathogenic E. coli to convert glycerine into high value fuels and chemicals.

21 May 2010

FDA, CDC confirm connection between romaine lettuce and E.coli 0145 foodborne illness outbreak

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its state health partners have confirmed that the strain of E. coli O145 detected by the New York State Public Health Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, in Albany, in an unopened bag of shredded romaine lettuce distributed by Freshway Foods, matches the outbreak strain of E. coli O145.

11 May 2010

FDA publishes guidance to prevent Salmonella Enteritidis in shell eggs

On April 13, 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published guidance for small egg producers to help them comply with a 2009 federal egg safety regulation designed to prevent Salmonella Enteritidis in shell eggs during production, transportation, and storage.

16 Apr 2010