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.

Novel composite could help to reduce foodborne illness outbreaks

A novel composite film -- created by the bonding of an antimicrobial layer to conventional, clear polyethylene plastic typically used to vacuum-package foods such as meat and fish -- could help to decrease foodborne illness outbreaks, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

21 Jan 2020

Bile acids help norovirus to infect cells of the small intestine

A new study led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that human noroviruses, the leading viral cause of foodborne illness and acute diarrhea around the world, infect cells of the small intestine by piggybacking on a normal cellular process called endocytosis that cells use to acquire materials from their environment.

31 Dec 2019

Simple precautions to avoid food poisoning during the holiday season

Preparing a holiday feast can begin as soon as you get home from the grocery store. But if you want to serve family and friends a delicious meal that keeps them coming back for more, food safety guidelines need to be part of the recipe.

26 Nov 2019

New technology developed to more quickly detect and trace foodborne disease

University of Massachusetts Amherst food scientist Matthew Moore has received two grants from the USDA to apply new technology in an effort to more quickly detect and trace foodborne disease caused by noroviruses and bacteria.

1 Nov 2019

Robust replication model of human noroviruses may pave way for effective therapeutics

Zebrafish larvae can serve as a robust replication model of human noroviruses, according to a study published September 19 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Joana Rocha-Pereira, Peter de Witte and Johan Neyts, of KU Leuven in Belgium, and colleagues.

From PLOS ONE 25 Sep 2019

Whole genome sequencing could give officials a powerful weapon to track disease outbreaks

Whole genome sequencing technology may give epidemiologists and healthcare workers a powerful weapon in tracking and, possibly, controlling outbreaks of serious diseases, according to a team of researchers.

8 Aug 2019

AI used to find unsafe foods using consumer product reviews

A new program can track all recalled foods based from Amazon customer reviews. Called BERT, the AI program identified thousands of recalled products with an accuracy rate of 74 percent.

6 Aug 2019

FDA, EPA, and USDA announce strategy to address food waste

Today, as part of the Trump Administration's Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the release of a federal interagency strategy to address food waste.

10 Apr 2019

Widespread confusion among consumers on food date labels lead to unnecessary discards

A new survey examining U.S. consumer attitudes and behaviors related to food date labels found widespread confusion, leading to unnecessary discards, increased waste and food safety risks.

20 Feb 2019

Whole-genome sequencing and sharing real-time data could limit spread of foodborne bacteria

Employing advanced genetic-tracing techniques and sharing the data produced in real time could limit the spread of bacteria -- Bacillus cereus -- which cause foodborne illness, according to researchers who implemented whole-genome sequencing of a pathogen-outbreak investigation.

14 Feb 2019

Scientists develop machine-learning approach to identify source of Salmonella

A team of scientists led by researchers at the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety in Griffin has developed a machine-learning approach that could lead to quicker identification of the animal source of certain Salmonella outbreaks.

12 Feb 2019

University of Cincinnati professor awarded $1.6 million NIAID grant to study Hamburger E. coli

Alison Weiss, PhD, professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology in UC College of Medicine, has been awarded a four-year grant of $1.6 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli 0157:H7, also sometimes referred to as Hamburger E. coli.

9 Jan 2019

‘Don’t wash that bird!’ and other (often unheeded) food safety advice

Rinsing chicken or turkey before cooking it is an ingrained step for many home cooks — passed down through generations and reinforced by cookbooks. Recipes like the "Perfect Roast Chicken" in 1999's "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook" advise cooks to "Rinse the chicken inside and out." But that doesn't reflect the science.

21 Dec 2018

New computer model more accurate in identifying potentially unsafe restaurants

A new computer model that uses machine learning and de-identified and aggregated search and location data from logged-in Google users was significantly more accurate in identifying potentially unsafe restaurants when compared with existing methods of consumer complaints and routine inspections, according to new research led by Google and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

7 Nov 2018

Ways to stay safe while camping and hiking

When the weather heats up, many nature lovers head to a national park or forest for a summertime hiking or camping trip. A little preparation and an understanding of safety can go a long way to avoid potential pitfalls that come with enjoying Mother Nature.

19 Jul 2018

Study examines practitioner views on twitter-based food borne illness reporting tool

Foodborne illness is a serious and preventable public health problem, affecting one in six Americans and costing an estimated $50 billion annually.

7 Jun 2018

Students propose revision of listeriosis guidelines for safer pregnancy

In an effort to sustain and educate the next generation of food safety experts in the United States, Dr. Bob Buchanan of the University of Maryland has served as a scientific mentor to a pair of academically accelerated high school students who are challenging the current food avoidance recommendations for pregnant women as established by the CDC and ACOG.

25 May 2018

Few parents use simple strategies to protect kids from food poisoning, reports study

No parent wants to come home from a picnic or restaurant with a little one whose stomachache turns into much worse.

21 May 2018

UGA scientist creates system for efficient detection of foodborne pathogens

Quick, efficient pathogen detection and fingerprinting is essential and often lifesaving when it comes to preventing foodborne illness. Now, University of Georgia food scientist Xiangyu Deng has created a system that can identify foodborne pathogens in a fraction of the time taken by traditional methods.

18 Apr 2018

Single foodborne outbreak can have large ramifications for restaurants

A single foodborne outbreak could cost a restaurant millions of dollars in lost revenue, fines, lawsuits, legal fees, insurance premium increases, inspection costs and staff retraining, a new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests.

16 Apr 2018