Just landed in Norway, and the first thing I read off the plane was Tom Gremillion’s new piece for the Consumer Federation of America, “Food Safety and Corruption.” Read the whole thing. Nobody in Washington connects the dots on food safety better than Tom, and nobody says it more plainly. Thank you, Tom — for the piece, […]
Over 200 sickened and at least 4 deaths are attributed to eating E. coli contaminated spinach. Now we are seeing the results as consumers turn away from a product that the Spinach/Lettuce industry could have made safer. Salad plant will close after spinach scare; 200 out of job (Associated Press) A northern Indiana salad-processing plant […]
I flew from Seattle to Yakima in the storm and fog to give a presentation to the Washington State Department of Health on how to manage the risk of E. coli O157:H7 infections in petting zoos. I have posted the PowerPoint at www.fair-safety.com.
This article at the Monterey Herald gives a comprehensive assessment on the problems faced by the lettuce and spinach industry of Salinas over the next year – a solution needs to be found. From the article: Bill Marler, a partner in the Seattle law firm Marler Clark, who has represented victims in high-profile foodborne illness […]
Listen to this story… NPR – News & Notes, October 13, 2006 Spinach, tainted by E. coli bacteria, has reportedly made about 200 people in two dozen states sick. At least three people are said to have died from the outbreak. Lawmakers and advocates are demanding federal authorities do more to eliminate the contamination. Farai […]
I am not surprised that they found cows and cow poop near spinach fields – I found the same a week ago traveling through Salinas: From AP story of this morning: E. coli Find Shows Difficult Mix Of Cattle, Spinach Bill Marler, a Seattle lawyer representing 93 people who got sick eating spinach and […]
According to FREDERIC J. FROMMER of the Associated Press, Federal officials refused to tell Minnesota authorities which of two beef plants were linked to a fatal E. coli outbreak last summer, according to a state report. One woman died and at least 17 people were sickened from the E. coli outbreak in the Longville area, […]
FDA Statement on Foodborne E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak in Spinach Positive Test Results FDA and the State of California announced today that test results from the field investigation of the outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in spinach are positive for E. coli O157:H7. Samples of cattle feces on one of the implicated ranches tested positive […]
More thoughts on yesterday’s hearing: I have concerns despite the 4 deaths and over 200 illnesses that some politicians may simply fiddle while more spinach and lettuce is grown and more customers are sickened and more businesses go bankrupt (watch for that next). Yesterday’s hearing was more telling by who did not attend – most […]
Kudos to Senator Dean Florez – If we ever needed a smart politician, here he is. As reported today by ABC TV: A Central Valley lawmaker says state and federal food and health agencies had ample warning but didn’t do enough to prevent E. coli outbreaks like the ones that have sickened nearly 200 consumers, […]
This company should not be pointing fingers at anyone but itself. After all, who is more to blame? The person who sold the juice or the person who drank the juice? I know where I stand. Tim Warner, spokesman for Bolthouse Farms, the company whose carrot juice has been traced as the source of botulism […]
The Associated Press reported today that the Mexican government banned imports of U.S. lettuce on Monday after a California company recalled some of its lettuce when irrigation water tested positive for the E. coli bacteria. In a press statement, the Health Department also said the government had ordered stores to remove U.S. lettuce from their […]
Tomorrow I’ll be in Sacramento for a hearing on this latest spinach E. coli outbreak. The hearing is being held by the California Senate Committee on Governmental Organization and is titled, "Unraveling the E. coli Outbreak: Are State Emergency Response Systems Prepared for Outbreaks of Foodborne Illnesses?" The hearing will be held at 9:30 a.m. […]
From KCBS Television: “The industry is in high gear to do this, and we know that the future of the spinach and vegetable industry generally depends on regaining consumer confidence,” said Bob Perkins, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau. The produce inspection system also needs a kill switch, said Andrew Starbird, a food […]
Update from CBC News: Toxic carrot juice paralyzes 2 in Toronto. My guess is that soon Mexico and Canada will ban the sale of everything from the United States. From the article: Two Toronto residents are paralyzed after drinking carrot juice that tested positive for a botulism toxin, according to the city’s public health department. […]
According to Canadian News reports over the last 24 hours: “While officials believe the bacteria likely came from fresh produce – most likely lettuce – the food inspection agency said there’s little hope it will be able to determine the source of the outbreak…. Two separate E. coli outbreaks in Ontario, with a total of […]