Food safety
USDA specialty crop program offsets up to $200 million in food safety costs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing specialty crop growers up to $200 million to offset certain expenses incurred to receive food safety certification. The USDA’s new Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program... more »
UGA study looks to lettuce microbes for food safety solutions
Often referred to as leafy greens, lettuce and other similar vegetables are a common source of foodborne illnesses. The contamination of lettuce with Escherichia coli O157:H7, also known as EcO157, has been a grave concern... more »
Project seeks bio-based coatings to minimize cross-contamination
Nitin Nitin, Ph.D., with the University of California, Davis, doesn’t want to reinvent the wheel when it comes to ways to minimize potential pathogen cross-contamination with produce. As a result, he is leading research into... more »
IFPA comments on proposed ag water changes
Support for regulations with flexibility that allow fruit and vegetable growers to manage risks unique to their production environment as well as calls for a final rule were among the key messages delivered by the... more »
E. coli linked to national outbreak traced to organic baby spinach
The Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Agriculture are working with the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and public health agencies in other states on an... more »
CPS continues to fund research into listeria
Unless one counts Korean-grown Enoki mushrooms, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control have not tied fruits or vegetables to a major outbreak of listeria infections since 2016. And yet, the pathogen is deadly enough to... more »
FDA: E. coli outbreak likely came from California
The FDA has released the results of an investigation into an E. coli outbreak last fall that led to 40 illnesses across the country. Inspectors traced the outbreak to a cattle pasture uphill from a farm.... more »
FDA links fall E. coli outbreak to leafy greens
The FDA and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in collaboration with state and local partners, have completed the investigation on two of three multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections in the U.S. this fall.... more »
FDA announces investigation of a third outbreak of E. coli O157:H7
The following quote is attributed to Frank Yiannas, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response: “The FDA is investigating a third outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 illnesses that matches the E. coli O157:H7 strain... more »
Tanimura & Antle recalls romaine; Michigan reports E. coli cases
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is advising residents not to eat Tanimura & Antle brand romaine lettuce packed as single heads, and the company has issued a recall of the lettuce. MDARD issued... more »
