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.

Researchers develop handheld device for rapid bacterial detection

Hear the words E. coli or salmonella and food poisoning comes to mind. Rapid detection of such bacteria is crucial in preventing outbreaks of foodborne illness.

5 Apr 2024

Study offers insights into E. coli contamination on leafy greens

Leafy green vegetables are important sources of dietary fiber and nutrients, but they can harbor harmful pathogens.

29 Feb 2024

How foodborne illness outbreaks can cripple restaurant stocks

As demand for food from restaurants soars in the U.S., so does the importance in understanding the impacts of foodborne illness outbreaks.

5 Feb 2024

Microgravity may make space veggies more prone to bacteria

Lettuce and other leafy green vegetables are part of a healthy, balanced diet -; even for astronauts on a mission.

22 Jan 2024

California is poised to protect workers from extreme heat — indoors

The stifling heat inside some warehouses where workers might spend 10-hour days isn't just a summer problem. In Southern California, it can feel like summer all year.

3 Jan 2024

Fresh risks in ready-to-eat produce: Study reveals how common pathogens lurk in our salads

This research paper delves into the risks of contamination in ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables by enteric pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria, which can lead to foodborne illnesses. It also explores the contamination sources and plant-pathogen interactions, emphasizing the importance of improved safety measures in the food supply chain.

6 Nov 2023

Meridian Bioscience announces FDA clearance for innovative Curian® Shiga Toxin Assay

Meridian Bioscience, Inc., a leading global provider of diagnostic testing solutions and life science raw materials.

From Meridian Bioscience, Inc. 18 Sep 2023

Research finds bacteria in kitchens to be mostly harmless

Bacteria found in 74 kitchens spread among 5 European countries were mostly harmless according to new research published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

11 Jul 2023

More states legalize sales of unpasteurized milk, despite public health warnings

Babe the goat is trendier than she looks. Babe lives a quiet life on a hillside farm in southern Iowa, where she grazes on grass with a small herd of fellow goats. Her owner, Stacy Wistock, milks her twice a day.

5 Jul 2023

Stalled progress: Enteric infection reduction efforts slowed in 2022 despite pandemic easing

The research paper focuses on the lack of progress in reducing enteric infection incidence in 2022 despite the subsiding influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. It emphasizes the need for collaborative efforts among food stakeholders and regulators to mitigate pathogen contamination during poultry slaughter and prevent contamination of leafy greens.

3 Jul 2023

National experts explore public health information system's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats

The pandemic has placed a spotlight on public health -- its workforce, infrastructure and underlying information systems designed to collect, analyze and manage public health data.

8 Jun 2023

The National Environmental Assessment Reporting System: reporting foodborne illness outbreaks at retail food establishments during 2017–2019

Researchers summarized environmental health data collected by the United States (U.S.) state and local health departments.

1 Jun 2023

New technique for early detection of foodborne bacteria

Produce such as lettuce and spinach is routinely tested for foodborne pathogenic bacteria like salmonella, listeria monocytogenes and pathogenic types of E. coli in an effort to protect consumers from getting sick.

18 May 2023

How inert, sleeping bacteria spring back to life

Solving a riddle that has confounded biologists since bacterial spores -; inert, sleeping bacteria -; were first described more than 150 years ago, researchers at Harvard Medical School have discovered a new kind of cellular sensor that allows spores to detect the presence of nutrients in their environment and quickly spring back to life.

27 Apr 2023

Exploring antibiotic resistance in the EU

Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to global human health and to development.

22 Nov 2022

Total formulation impacts a surface sanitizer's efficacy against norovirus, finds study

A new study by North Carolina State University, in partnership with GOJO, found that total formulation (the active ingredients and non-active ingredients) significantly impacts a surface sanitizer or disinfectant's efficacy against norovirus – the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States.

13 Sep 2022

Researchers receive grant to develop portable biosensors for detecting noroviruses, mycotoxins in foods

An international team led by a University of Massachusetts Amherst food and environmental virologist has received a $750,000 USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) partnership grant to develop and test portable, rapid biosensors capable of detecting noroviruses and mycotoxins in foods and agricultural products.

3 Jun 2022

Disease-causing amoebas that live on organic leafy vegetables could be a threat to public health

New research to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in Lisbon, Portugal (23-26 April), suggests that disease-causing amoebas that live on organic leafy vegetables can shelter human pathogens like Pseudomonas, Salmonella, and Helicobacter and are a potential risk to public health.

23 Apr 2022

More than a quarter of participants contaminated salad with raw poultry in a food safety study

In a study aimed at assessing the impact of washing poultry on kitchen contamination, researchers found that more than a quarter of study participants contaminated salad with raw poultry – including many study participants who did not wash the poultry.

5 Apr 2022

Researchers analyze young people’s views on food hygiene and safety

Researchers from SafeConsume conducted a study in 4 European countries (Portugal, France, England, Hungary) interviewing 156 11 to 18-year olds about their food hygiene education, attitudes towards foodborne illness and their existing food safety behaviors.

29 Mar 2022