Food Safety News and Research

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Majority of New Hampshire voters support food safety legislation

An overwhelming majority of New Hampshire voters - 90 percent - support food safety legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new authority to ensure the food Americans eat does not make them sick, according to a new poll commissioned by the Pew Health Group and conducted by Hart Research and Public Opinion Strategies.

13 Nov 2009

89% voters support food safety legislation, reveals new poll

An overwhelming majority of North Carolina voters - 89 percent - support food safety legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new authority to ensure the food Americans eat does not make them sick, according to a new poll commissioned by the Pew Health Group and conducted by Hart Research and Public Opinion Strategies.

13 Nov 2009

Exposure to deadly bacteria can result in stillbirths

A new study shows the risk for severe effects of exposure to Listeria monocytogenes among susceptible populations may occur at doses lower than suggested by previous studies.

13 Nov 2009

Updated WHO data finds deaths caused by tainted food are underestimated

New WHO data finds that unsafe food kills an estimated 1.2 million people over the age of five in Southeast Asia and Africa each year, including three times more adults than previously thought, Reuters reports. "It is a picture that we have never had before," WHO Food Safety Director Jorgen Schlundt said. "We now have documentation of a significant burden outside the less than five group, that is major new information."

12 Nov 2009

Obama nominates Senior USDA official to lead USAID

President Barack Obama Tuesday announced the nomination of Rajiv Shah - a medical doctor who is currently a senior official at the Department of Agriculture focusing on food security - to lead USAID, the Boston Globe reports (Smith, 11/11).

12 Nov 2009

Adolescents less likely to wash hands and more susceptible to cross-contaminate raw foods while cooking

A Kansas State University study has shown that when preparing frozen foods, adolescents are less likely than adults to wash their hands and are more susceptible to cross-contaminating raw foods while cooking.

11 Nov 2009

New cookbook from NHLBI

The health of your heart has a lot to do with the foods you eat. To help busy people and families shop for, prepare, and serve healthy meals, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health created and published Keep the Beat Recipes: Deliciously Healthy Dinners. The new cookbook features 75 simple and delicious recipes influenced by Asian, Latino, Mediterranean, and American cuisine that are good for your heart and taste great too.

11 Nov 2009

New FDA Food Code published

The Food and Drug Administration today announced the publication of the new FDA Food Code, a model code and reference document that provides a scientifically sound technical and legal basis for regulating the retail and food service segment of the food industry. The 2009 FDA Food Code is a key component of the President's overall public-health-focused food safety framework for maintaining a safe food supply.

10 Nov 2009

Varian launches its 325-MS triple-quadrupole liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer

Varian, Inc. announced today the release of the 325-MS triple-quadrupole LC/MS (liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer) for the efficient detection and identification of chemical compounds in high-throughput laboratories performing environmental, food safety, and toxicology analyses.

6 Nov 2009

FDA and FSIS announce joint public meeting to prevent foodborne illness

A joint public meeting focused on improving the system for tracing of food products and ingredients that are causing illness outbreaks or presenting other risks to the health of consumers was announced today by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

5 Nov 2009

Puricore reports increase in sales of 25% in Q3

PuriCore, the life sciences company focused on developing and commercializing proprietary, green solutions that safely, effectively, and naturally kill infectious pathogens without causing harm to human health or the environment, today issues an Interim Management Statement covering the three-month and nine-month periods ending September 30, 2009.

3 Nov 2009

Response and investigation of the outbreak of foodborne illnesses vary greatly

A survey of state health departments regarding their capacity to track produce-related foodborne illnesses found that the response and investigation of outbreaks varies greatly and can lead to delays in public-health response.

31 Oct 2009

RESPOND program to improve global perspective on emerging diseases

Experts from the University of Minnesota will soon be on the frontlines working to help developing countries better respond to emerging animal diseases that pose a threat to human health.

31 Oct 2009

FDA and WebMD Health collaborate to provide increased access to consumer health information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and WebMD Health Corp. today announced an expansion of their partnership to provide increased access to FDA's consumer health information.

30 Oct 2009

SSSP software to detect spoiled food

Let's start with an example: You have just picked up a pack of cold-smoked salmon from the supermarket chill cabinet to serve for your family lunch on Sunday. On its way from the factory to the lunch table, the salmon product has been exposed to varying temperatures. Now, how can you be sure the product is still good to eat when you take it out of the refrigerator to make sandwiches?

28 Oct 2009

Coverall Health-Based Cleaning System partners with Ecolab

Coverall Health-Based Cleaning System, a leading franchisor of commercial cleaning businesses, today announced a strategic alliance agreement with Ecolab Inc., a global leader in cleaning, sanitizing, food safety and infection prevention products and services. The agreement comes at a critical time, as businesses take steps to protect against the H1N1 virus and other germ-related illnesses.

27 Oct 2009

New Trace Express Viewer software from CDC Software

CDC Software Corporation, a global provider of enterprise software applications and services, today announced the availability of Trace Express Viewer, a new solution for its Ross ERP Lot Trace application that enables easier use, faster access and immediate forward and backward trace functionality to identify suspect materials and assist in the disposition of finished goods in the event of a product recall - key functionalities for product safety and compliance.

27 Oct 2009

FDA awards grants to boost food and feed safety initiatives

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that it has awarded 83 grants in FY2009 totaling $17.5 million to state and local regulatory agencies to boost food and feed safety initiatives among federal, state, and local partners.

27 Oct 2009

Pritzker Olsen to represent 3-year-old child sickened with an E. coli O157:H7 infection

Pritzker Olsen law firm has been retained to represent a 3-year-old child sickened with an E. coli O157:H7 infection and hemolytic uremic syndrome. The child is believed to have contracted the illness at a local apple orchard/ petting zoo in the Twin Cities (MN) area. Preliminary testing indicates that the genetic fingerprint of the E .coli O157:H7 obtained from the child’s stool sample matches the genetic fingerprint of E. coli from llama feces tested at the petting zoo.

26 Oct 2009

E. coli outbreak highlights the importance of food safety

Two students from Lincoln Middle School in Lincoln, Rhode Island were hospitalized several days after a field trip to Camp Bournedale in Plymouth, Massachusetts earlier this month. Several other students were also sickened.

24 Oct 2009