foodborne illness

Health & Safety

To Rinse Or Not To Rinse: How Washing Some Foods Can Help You Avoid Illness

10:21am June 13, 2018

by Jill Neimark

Rinsing foods doesn't always prevent foodborne illness and can sometimes make the risks worse. Here's what the science says about which foods you should run water over and why.

The Food and Drug Administration has started testing randomly selected fresh herbs and prepared guacamole. So far, the agency has found dangerous bacteria in 3 percent to 6 percent of the samples it tested.

FDA Finds Hazards Lurking In Parsley, Cilantro, Guacamole

8:35pm February 23, 2018

by Dan Charles

The Food and Drug Administration has started testing randomly selected fresh herbs and prepared guacamole. So far, the agency has found dangerous bacteria in 3 to 6 percent of the samples it tested.

Patrick Quade launched iwaspoisoned.com after he visited a deli and later became ill. Today, his site contains more than 75,000 food-borne sickness reports from 90 countries and 46 U.S. states.

National

'I Was Poisoned': Can Crowdsourcing Food Illnesses Help Stop Outbreaks?

7:00am November 30, 2017

by Jill Neimark

People can use the website to report restaurants, symptoms and whether they notified health department officials. But there are potential downsides — like mistaken culprits and malicious accusations.

In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration sent an advisory about an outbreak of listeria linked to cantaloupes killed 33 people.

FDA Not Doing Enough To Fix Serious Food Safety Violations, Report Finds

7:06pm September 27, 2017

by Allison Aubrey

The health department's inspector general says FDA often fails to follow up in a timely way when it uncovers big problems, like unsanitary conditions or the presence of pathogens, at food facilities.

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For the first time, scientists have carefully analyzed all the critters in a kitchen sponge. There turns out to be a huge number. Despite recent news reports, there is something you can do about it.

So Your Kitchen Sponge Is A Bacteria Hotbed. Here's What To Do

10:25am September 11, 2017

by Michaeleen Doucleff

For the first time, scientists have carefully analyzed all the critters in a kitchen sponge. There turns out to be a huge number. Despite recent news reports, there is something you can do about it.

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A typical label includes safe cooking instructions. This label on blade-tenderized beef sold at Costco recommends 160 degrees as the minimum internal temperature, which doesn't require a three-minute rest time.

New Labels Warn That A Tender Steak Could Be A Little Dangerous

4:39pm May 20, 2016

by Lydia Zuraw

Mechanically tenderized meat — which has been punctured with needles to break down the muscle fibers and make it easier to chew — has a greater chance of being contaminated and making you sick.

The CDC has announced an outbreak of deadly Listeria monocytogenes bacteria --- and frozen vegetables and fruits are believed to be the cause.

Frozen Food Fears: 4 Things To Know About The Listeria Recall

5:23pm May 04, 2016

by Lydia Zuraw

The FDA issued a massive recall of frozen fruits and vegetables this week. Here's what you need to know about the nasty bug that's causing all the problems.

USDA Imposes Stricter Limit On Salmonella Bacteria In Poultry Products

2:24pm February 04, 2016

by Dan Charles

The USDA says it will prevent 50,000 cases of illness each year. Skeptics say the agency needs to take a different approach to the salmonella problem because the current one has not worked very well.

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Dole has voluntarily withdrawn from the market all of its Dole-branded and private label packaged salads processed at a Springfield, Ohio plant because the plant has been linked to a Listeria outbreak.

The Mystery Of The Listeria That Lurked In Bags Of Dole Salad

4:28pm January 25, 2016

by Allison Aubrey

Foodborne illness investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies have identified the source of a Listeria outbreak that sickened 12 people and led to one death.

A woman washes dishes on the street in Hanoi, Vietnam. The World Health Organization says the burden of foodborne disease in Southeast Asia is one of the highest in the world.

1 In 10 People Around The World Gets Sick From Food Every Year

4:54pm December 16, 2015

by Angus Chen

For the first time, researchers have estimated how much illness and death unsafe food causes worldwide. Their report finds the most common culprits are norovirus, Campylobacter and E. coli.