It's been a month of cheers and jeers for the American meat industry. The good news? According to a recent study by the American Meat Institute Foundation, meat producers have significantly reduced listerosis outbreaks, a foodborne illness, by sharing effective food safety practices and research within the industry. The bad news? Where to begin?
A bad cold or the flu can stop you in your tracks. Each year, Americans catch an estimated 1 billion colds, and up to 20 percent get the flu. And most of us turn to medicine to relieve symptoms; but it is important that you read the label on your medicines to check for acetaminophen and don’t double up.
For decades, NCL has tracked trends about the Internet and telemarketing scams plaguing consumers through its Fraud Center and Fraud.org. But there's another kind of fraud on the rise, and you'll find it in your grocery store: food fraud.
Now that the election is over, advocates in Washington, DC and the Obama administration can refocus their energy on pressing policy issues. One of the biggest issues facing the food safety community right now is the modernization of the food system. New rules meant to modernize poultry inspection has advocates from many areas concerned -- is 1/3rd of a second enough to properly inspect a chicken? We don't think so.
A multistate fungal meningitis outbreak has occurred among patients who received an injectable steroid. The New England Compounding Center (NECC) based in Farmingham, MA, distributed contaminated steroid medication, used in spinal epidural injections and to treat joint pain, to outpatient facilities across the country. Upwards of 14,000 patients have been exposed to these contaminated injections, resulting in 328 cases and causing 24 deaths across 23 states.