Health Law

Peter Hurley Continues Push For Food Safety Reform

Posted on April 13, 2010
Many readers of this journal will likely recall 2008 and 2009's national Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut product manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). Since news of the outbreak first hit the media, the case has been a regular fixture in the press...

Summary of Food Safety Modernization Act (Senate debate pending)

Posted on April 12, 2010
Not exactly fresh out of committee, but out of committee nonetheless, senate bill 510 (a/k/a the Food Safety Modernization Act) makes its way to the senate floor soon, possibly this week.  The full senate debate and subsequent vote is certainly timely, as just today Michael Moss was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his story on Stephanie Smiths E...

Canine Dietary Supplement Recalled due to Salmonella Contamination

Posted on April 12, 2010
 Yes, this journal typically addresses current issues related to food safety for human beings, but occasionally we stretch our purpose a bit to address a health issue more related to the human experience.  For most people, this includes dogs (mine are pictured to the left; Scout and Ryder in Eastern Montana)...

Michael Moss (NY Times) Wins the Pulitzer Prize for E. coli Story

Posted on April 12, 2010
Michael Moss has won the Pulitzer Prize for his article detailing the E. coli O157:H7 illness of Stephanie Smith and the outbreak, linked to Cargill ground beef, that changed her life forever.  Mr. Moss's article, published in October 2009 (two years after the Cargill outbreak), was titled "The Burger that Shattered Her Life...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Durbin Proposes Food Safety Modernization Act

Posted on April 11, 2010
Senate hearing on food safety legislation (SB 510) (Food Safety Modernization Act) will occur soon, maybe even next week.  Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and a group of colleagues have proposed the legislation in response to a number of recent outbreaks of food poisoning linked to Salmonella, E...

Modesto WinCo Foods Recalls E. coli O157:H7-tainted Ground Beef

Posted on April 10, 2010
WinCo Foods announced a few moments ago that it is issuing a voluntary Class I recall on all ground beef products sold at its Modesto, California store between the dates of Saturday, April 3, 2010 and Friday, April 9, 2010. The store is located at 2200 Plaza Parkway in Modesto...

Past daycare E. coli outbreaks

Posted on April 09, 2010
Yesterday, health officials announced an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak amongst children who attended a daycare in Clark County.  Daycares are a recognized setting for the transmission of disease, and frequently the transmission has nothing to do with food...

2000 Daycare E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak - Improper Sanitation

Posted on April 09, 2010
It is a fact of life that little kids get sick.  As any parent knows, there will be days when clean-up is job one.   A good parent also knows how important thorough and proper clean-up and sanitation is for preventing the spread of illness from one child to another...

Norovirus Closes the Harvard Faculty Club

Posted on April 08, 2010
The Boston Globe reported today on a large norovirus outbreak at the Harvard Faculty Club.  The Club is currently closed for deep-cleaning after 100-200 people fell ill shortly after Easter brunches held this past Sunday and Tuesday...

More Raw Milk Problems: Pennsylvania Dairy's Permit Suspended

Posted on April 08, 2010
In the wake of a campylobacter outbreak linked to raw milk from Family Farms Cooperative in Indiana, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has suspended the permit of Pasture Maid Creamery to sell raw milk for human consumption.  The suspension occurred after testing found Campylobacter in raw milk samples from the dairy...

UK Scientists Meet to Discuss Problem of Campylobacter Foodpoisoning

Posted on April 08, 2010
Worldpoultry.com reported today that UK scientists and other experts are meeting in London to identify new methods to tackle campylobacter, which has been shown to affect 75% of Britain's poultry flock. A recent study by the Food Standards Agency found 65% of 3,000 samples of chicken bought in the UK was infected with the bacterium, which causes about 300,000 cases of illness in people across England and Wales every year, reports Farmers Weekly...

E. coli O157:H7 outbreak at Oregon daycare leaves 4 children hospitalized

Posted on April 08, 2010
The Oregonian reported today that four Clark County children have been hospitalized (3 released) in an outbreak ofE. coli O157:H7 possibly linked to a daycare.  The Oregonian reports: "We don't see a whole lot of this but it can occur," said Dr...

Unpasteurized foods and pregnancy risks

Posted on April 07, 2010
Yesterday, a company called Del Bueno, of Grandview, Washington, recalled queso fresco cheese products due to potential listeria contamination.  The recall was initiated after routine samping by the Washington State Department of Agriculture detected the presence of listeria monocytogenes in the cheese products, but the Dept...

Subway Shigella Outbreak Update, and the Risk of Chronic Illness

Posted on April 07, 2010
The DuPage County Health Department now counts 125 confirmed victims of the shigella outbreak linked to a Subway restaurant in Lombard, Illinois, according to department spokesperson Dave Hass.  The restaurant voluntarily closed on March 4, and has remained shuttered ever since...

Transparency in food recalls: important on both sides of the Atlantic

Posted on April 06, 2010
In her blog at eFoodAlert.com, Phyllis Entis today discussed France's approach, or lack thereof, to letting the food-consuming public know about foodborne threats to their health.  The story arose from an outbreak of staphylococcal enterotoxin contained within three batches of cheese that were made using unpasteurized milk (aka "raw milk") from a single milk storage tank...

Kroger Endorses Rapid Recall Exchange and Encourages All Suppliers to Join Exchange

Posted on April 06, 2010
The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) today announced its endorsement of the Rapid Recall Exchange, an online service that standardizes and accelerates food and product recalls and withdrawals. Kroger will be the first national retail chain to encourage its suppliers to subscribe to this industry-leading program...

Another Recall: queso fresco contaminated with listeria

Posted on April 06, 2010
Another recall today (actually, the queso fresco recall was announced yesterday, but expanded upon today by the FDA).  This one concerns cheese (queso fresco soft mexican cheese) due to potential contamination by listeria monocytogenes.  The FDA's cheese recall announcement states as follows: Del Bueno of Grandview, WA is recalling all size packages of Queso Fresco Fresh Cheese because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems...

Whole Foods Recalls Tuna Due to Histamine Contamination, Potential for Scombroid Poisoning

Posted on April 05, 2010
The FDA has announced that Whole Foods Market is recalling its frozen "Whole Catch Yellow fin Tuna Steaks" with a best by date of Dec 5th, 2010 because of possible elevated levels of histamine.  The elevated levels histamine may cause symptoms within minutes to an hour after consumption...

Wierd recall of the day: cow tongues contaminated with . . . tonsils?

Posted on April 05, 2010
No it's not a "foodpoisoning" issue in the classic sense of the word, but it still involves food, it still involves food that was manufactured according to specs, and it still involves a resulting risk, I guess, to the consuming public.  The USDA's food safety and inspection service announced today that: North American Bison Co-Op, a New Rockford, N...

Easter Recall: Minnesota ham potentially contaminated by listeria

Posted on April 04, 2010
The USDA's food safety and inspection service announced this morning the recall of ham products (bad timing) that are potentially contaminated by listeria.  The USDA's statement reads as follows: Lorentz Meats, a Cannon Falls, Minn., establishment, is recalling approximately 100 pounds of ham products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U...

Salami/pepper outbreak and recall summary

Posted on April 03, 2010
The CDC updated its statement on the large Salmonella outbreak linked to now-recalled salami and red and black pepper.  According to the CDC's April 1 statement, the outbreak has sickened 252 people in 44 states and the District of Columbia...

Chick pea salad recalled due to potential Listeria contamination

Posted on April 03, 2010
The FDA announced today another food recall.  Today's is by NY Gourmet Salads, Inc., of Brooklyn NY, which is recalling 50 pounds of its 5 pound tubs of chick pea salad due to potential Listeria contamination.  NY Gourmet Salads had contacted their customers today and has retrieved 40 lbs of the distributed product...

Hawaii restaurant reopens after E. coli scare

Posted on April 03, 2010
KITV.com reports that Peppa's Korean BBQ in Honolulu has reopened after several E. coli O157:H7 illnesses were linked to the restaurant.  The station reports that "the State Health Department said they found no signs of E. coli in an investigation of the Peppa's Restaurant on South King Street," and as a result, gave the restaurant clearance to reopen, which the restaurant did for lunch today...

As clues trickle in, Hawaii E. coli outbreak likely caused by foodhandling errors

Posted on April 02, 2010
Lawsuits frequently turn on circumstantial evidence.  Juries are instructed that there is no qualitative difference between circumstantial evidence (i.e. an inference reasonably drawn from the existence of another fact or circumstance) and direct evidence...

Marler Clark Seeking Comments on Foodborne Illness Outbreak Database

Posted on April 02, 2010
Well, the "bugs" are nearly all worked out, but we are still looking for ways to improve the database.  Please take the time to search it and send us comments on how we can improve it.  Click on image below: Love to get feedback of any kind...

Marler Clark Creating Searchable Foodborne Illness Outbreak Database

Posted on April 02, 2010
Over at the Des Moines Register, Phil Brasher has written a great piece on Marler Clark's efforts to create a searchable foodborne illness outbreak database. The nation's top private food regulators, otherwise known as the Marler Clark law firm out of Seattle, are putting together a database for tracking food-borne illness...

Federal Government Seeks Permanent Injunction Against Texas Egg Roll Manufacturer

Posted on April 01, 2010
Failure to correct violations prompts FDA to seek court action against Chung's Products LP The U. S. Department of Justice, in an action initiated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is seeking a permanent injunction against Chung's Products LP ("Chung's"), an egg roll manufacturer in Houston, Charlie A...

Black pepper rolling recall continues

Posted on April 01, 2010
The FDA announed recently yet another secondary recall in the larger salmonella outbreak/recall linked to pepper manufactured and sold by Mincing Overseas Spice Company and Wholesome Spice.  As the result of a recall of Black Pepper by Mincing Overseas Spice Company, Binell Bros...

Daniele International Sues Suppliers Over Salmonella Outbreak

Posted on March 31, 2010
According to Katie Mulvaney at the Providence Rhode Island Journal, meat producer Daniele International has filed suit against the spice companies who supplied the Salmonella-contaminated pepper that led to Daniele's recall of nearly 1.2 million pounds of meat and $1...

Black pepper and HVP rolling recalls continue

Posted on March 30, 2010
The outbreak linked to salami and pepper, and the recall linked to hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), have sparked additional food recalls.  First, the pepper.  The FDA's recall notice posted today (it is dated March 25th--from a consumer health standpoint, shouldn't these notices be going up a little closer in time to the day they occurred) states as follows: As a result of a nationwide recall of Black Pepper by Mincing Overseas Spice Company and by Dutch Valley Food Distributors, Perfect Candy & Packaging Co is joining in this product recall due to the possibility of contamination with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems,...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.