Food Safety
More Problems For The Lunch Lady
Two months ago a provider of school lunch meals in Canada, called The Lunch Lady, was identified as the source of a Salmonella outbreak that sickened 50 children.
Now the Ottawa outfit, which serves meals to 5,000 children in the Ottawa area, has been cited by Ottawa Public Health (OPH) officials for a food safety violation during a  May 14 inspection. The facility did not keep foods cooled to a proper temperature of 40 degrees F or less. The problem had been corrected by the time a re-inspection was conducted the following day.
State Lifts Quarantine on Organic Pastures’ Raw Milk, Raw Milk Products
Hepatitis A Infects Worker at NC Donut Establishment
An employee at a North Carolina donut store has contracted a hepatitis A infection, prompting health officials to recommend vaccination for those who may have purchased food handled by the worker.
For Safety, Pasteurize Raw Milk At Home
Home pasteurization is a food safety measure used by some raw milk drinkers and advocated by some raw milk providers, because even if it’s produced on clean, organic farms, raw milk can contain pathogens.
So far this year, there have been five foodborne illness outbreaks linked to raw milk and five raw milk recalls:
- Frisia Dairy in Washington state recalled raw milk on January 17, 2012
- Family Cow Farm raw milk was recalled in January 2012 in Pennsylvania
- In California, Claravale raw milk products were recalled on March 23, 2012
- On April 4, 2012, raw milk and raw cheese were recalled from the Sauder farm in Pennsylvania
- Organic Pastures raw milk products were recalled on May 10, 2012
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Recalls
Foster Farms Recalls Turkey Burgers for Undeclared Allergen and Misbranding
Foster Farms of California is recalling about 15,040 pounds of turkey burgers because of misbranding and an undeclared allergen. A seasoning mix with hydrolyzed soy protein was included in the product and not declared on the label. Soy is one of the major food allergens.
Bagged Salad Recalled for Listeria Contamination
The California Department of Public Health warned California residents not to eat certain bagged salads manufactured by River Ranch Fresh Foods, LLC due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes on Friday.
According to a news release from CDPH, Salinas, California-based River Ranch Fresh Foods initiated a voluntary recall of bagged salads after routine sampling detected Listeria monocytogenes in two packages of shredded iceberg lettuce purchased from retail locations in California and Colorado. The recalled salad products were distributed nationwide to retail and foodservice outlets under various sizes and packaged under the brand names of River Ranch, Farm Stand, Hy-Vee, Marketside, Shurfresh, The Farmer’s Market, Cross Valley, Fresh n Easy, Promark, and Sysco.
Ground Beef Recalled Due to E. Coli Risk
Articles of Interest
US Department of Labor’s OSHA Establishes Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee
This week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the establishment of a Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee. This body will make recommendations to the Secretary of Labor on ways to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of OSHA’s administration of whistleblower protections.
Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health said in the news release, “Workers who expose securities and financial fraud, adulterated foods, air and water pollution, or workplace safety hazards have a legal right to speak out without fear of retaliation, and the laws that protect these whistleblowers also protect the health, safety, and well-being of a
FDA Explains Ban on Korean Shellfish
California food police gone wild: LA County health enforcers conduct door-to-door raw milk confiscation operations
(NaturalNews) In a bombshell revelation of the depth of the food police state that now exists in LA County, California, NaturalNews has learned that the LA County health department has unleashed door-to-door raw milk confiscation teams to threaten and intimidate raw dairy customers into surrendering raw milk products they legally purchased and own. According to Mark McAfee (see quotes below), both LA County and San Diego county have attempted to acquire customer names and addresses from Organic…
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