Posts by ruth

As we enter a new decade, the lingering question is how we can assure safe produce. The fresh produce industry has come under intense scrutiny in the past three years, due to several recent high profile outbreaks of romaine lettuce. Due to minimal processing and absence of thermal treatments before consumption, pathogenic bacteria on fresh produce are a particular concern. In the US, foodborne illnesses caused by pathogens in fresh produce account for 46% of the cases, compared with 22% attributed to meat and poultry, 20% to dairy and eggs, and 6% to fish and shellfish. Much emphasis has been...

On December 20, the CDC reported Listeria illnesses and a death in five states, linked to Almark Foods’ hard-boiled eggs. These products were packaged in plastic pails for use nationwide by foodservice operators and were used in a variety of commercial products. In this investigation, WGS showed that bacteria isolated from ill people are closely related genetically. On December 23, 2019, Almark Foods expanded its recall to include all hard-boiled eggs. These eggs were used as an ingredient in a variety of products resulting in a ripple effect causing numerous additional recalls. The recall now includes hard-boiled eggs sold at...

The CDC, FDA, and public health officials are investigating a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to romaine lettuce harvested in the Salinas area in California. As a result, like last year, romaine lettuce will be absent from the Thanksgiving table. The CDC advises consumers to void all types of romaine lettuce harvested from Salinas, such as whole heads of romaine, hearts of romaine, and packages of precut lettuce and salad mixes, which contain romaine, including baby romaine, spring mix, and Caesar salad. The current recall is connected to the Maryland Department of Health investigation of a cluster of...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its 2019 report on Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States. The report shows that antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi cause more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections and consequently more than 35,000 people die each year in the US. The data in the report indicates that the original data of the 2013 report on antibiotic resistance in the US did underestimate the problem. The 2019 report shows, using data sources not available in the past, that there were almost twice as many annual deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections as reported initially in 2013....