Recent infant botulism outbreaks have been linked to powdered infant formula contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. Most recently, Nara Organics voluntarily recalled all lots of its Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula after three cases of infant botulism were reported in multiple states. The recalled product was sold nationwide at Target stores, Target.com, and Nara.com from July 2025 to June 2026. The FDA and CDC advised consumers to stop using the product immediately. The formula was manufactured in Germany by Milchwerke Mittelelbe GmbH, a subsidiary of the Krüger Group, and packaged in Denmark by Advanced Nordic Nutrition. The incident highlights vulnerabilities in...
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Boar’s Head plans to reopen troubled deli meat plant, but reports of sanitation problems persist
The Listeria monocytogenes outbreak in the Boar’s Head product, which began in May of 2024 with a few isolated cases, quickly escalated in severity. The outbreak had resulted in 60 hospitalizations and 10 fatalities. Boar’s Head issued a recall on July 30, 2024. Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback data showed that meats sliced at deli counters, including Boar’s Head brand liverwurst, were contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and caused illness in people. In July 2024, Boar’s Head recalled all deli products made at the Jarratt, VA, facility. Numerous problems were found in the Jarratt facility, including Product residue on equipment, blocked drains,...
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Bird Flu and its impact on humans
Avian influenza H5N1 is a type A bird flu virus, typically, it does not infect people. Human infections have most often happened after close or lengthy unprotected contact with infected birds. The spread of bird flu viruses from one infected person to a close contact is very rare. Six main hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes of bird flu viruses have infected people to cause acute respiratory illness. Among these, H5N1 and H7N9 viruses have caused the majority of infections. The first description of avian influenza dates to 1878 in northern Italy. In 1997 the first human case related to the H5N1 virus...
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Are food outbreaks and recalls rising? It apper as if we hear about new outbreaks very frequently
There has been a barrage of bad news about food safety lately. Ten people died after eating Boar’s Head deli meat connected to a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak and dozens were hospitalized. An E. coli outbreak linked to onions served on McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. A massive egg recall that thickened 93 people with 34 hospitalizations and a large outbreak attributed to Salmonella Typhimurium cucumbers with 100 people sickened. The recalls came one after the other and dominated the news. Data from the CDC shows that the number of outbreaks has increased from last year, but not by much. When a food...