March 2005

Regulators said consumers should avoid eating "Ziyad" brand plain tahini after routine testing by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture found the sesame seed paste tainted with potentially dangerous salmonella bacteria.

The Associated Press reports that the USDA had issued the warning for the Middle Eastern food found in specialty stores and some major grocery store

In an effort to limit acute gastroenteritis, or food poisoning, the second most prevalent household illness, Cornell professors from the department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences have joined a research team which aims to identify the origin and transmission of pathogens that cause food-related illnesses.

Earlier this month, the United States Department of Agriculture

Salmonella is one of the most common enteric (intestinal) infections in the U.S. In some states (e.g. Georgia, Maryland) it is the most common, and overall it is the second most common foodborne illness (usually slightly less frequent than a Campylobacter infection). The reported incidence of Salmonella illnesses are about 17 cases per each 100,000 persons.1
Salmonella is a type of bacteria that causes typhoid fever and many other infections of intestinal origin. Typhoid fever, rare in the U.S., is caused by a particular strain designated Salmonella typhi. But illness due to other Salmonella strains, called “salmonellosis,” is common in the U.S. Today, the number of known strains (technically termed “serotypes” or “serovars”) of this bacterium total over 2,300.Continue Reading What is Salmonella?

John Gunn, of the OSU Medical Center, is looking for a way to protect people and he may have found it. The vaccine is made from salmonella. It’s combined with parts of other food borne bacteria. Gunn hopes this vaccine could someday protect us from several illnesses at once. So far, lab tests are promising.

These days, eating healthy foods is a top priority for most families. "But there are some hidden dangers in some of the healthiest foods," warns Debra Holtzman, JD, MA, a nationally recognized safety and health expert. According to the CDC, about 76 million Americans will suffer from food-borne illness and at least 5,000 will die

Douglas Powell of the Food Safety Network talked about basic hygiene and good and bad practices in the food production/preparation and fast food service industries, when he addressed a crowd of about 50 people at a recent Canadian Federation of University Women-sponsored meeting.

Powell is an associate professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture at

State agriculture officials have dispatched a team of veterinarians and inspectors to test farm animals that may be linked to life- threatening cases of kidney failure among children and at least one adult who attended recent fairs in Orange and Hillsborough counties.

First stop was Ag-Venture, a Plant City-based farm show that operated petting zoos

Marler Clark, the Seattle foodborne illness law firm, and Martinez & Potter, a respected Los Angeles law firm, have filed a lawsuit on behalf of seven people who became ill with salmonella infections after eating Paramount Farms raw almonds.

Paramount Farms recalled roughly eighteen million pounds of almonds after the CDC traced the salmonella illnesses

Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE, has written a comprehensive guide for foods to avoid during pregnancy:

Salmonella
This is usually traceable to eggs and chicken meat. This means no more licking the cake batter spoon! You should always ensure that your eggs and meats are cooked thoroughly. When using a cutting board for chicken be sure

A new toll-free Food Safety Consumer Complaint Hotline (1-800-843-7890) was launched in January by the Washington State Department of Agriculture.n Their goal is to reduce the risk of food-borne illness by making it easier for consumers to lodge complaints and for officials to address them.

Many government agencies — local, state and federal — deal