Tag Archives: E. coli

Kentucky Man’s Raw Meat Diet Sounds Insane and Dangerous

When the benefits of a raw diet started being lauded more frequently and becoming just a smidge more mainstream, this is not what anyone had in mind. Derek Nance has been consuming raw meat exclusively for five years, and the kicker is that he told Vice.com he’s never been healthier. We can’t even wrap our heads around this.

Every time we think we’ve seen it all, some stunt like this pops up and we’re educated all over again.

raw meat diet

Apparently he had some health problems and did what a lot of people do – yo-yo diet. While he wasn’t trying to lose weight, that was happening without any control of his own, he was trying to improve his health. He bounced from giving up wheat and dairy, to the Mediterranean diet, and then going, shockingly, to a vegan diet. Like most people who diet hop, he wasn’t finding anything that worked. Then someone suggested a carnivorous take on the ever-popular Paleo diet, and here we are. We’ve got a dude in Kentucky who subsists on raw meat, and even brushes his teeth with animal fat.

“This is really really hard to believe for so many reasons,” said Cheryl Forberg, RD, nutrition expert for The Biggest Loser and author of Flavor First. She claims there is nothing positive that could come from a raw meat diet. And quite pointedly shares the negatives. (more…)

Posted on October 1, 2023 by Natalie K

E. Coli 0145 Outbreak May be Tied to Ground Beef

UPDATE: 11:48 a.m.: Just announced via CNN, 14 people in six states have been effected by this strain during the past couple of months. “”Their illness onsets range from April 15 to May 12, 2024,” said Lola Russell from the CDC. Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama and Florida are the known effected states; the CDC will not reveal the other two states.

Another dangerous E. coli outbreak, centered in Atlanta, Georgia, is being investigated by health officials.

Five people have been hospitalized and a toddler has passed away. The CDC has said that they have not identified the cause and at this time no specific food is responsible for the outbreak. Food is the primary source for spreading this bacteria.

“At this time, we continue to interview new cases as we are notified of them,” Nicole Price, spokeswoman for Georgia’s Department of Public Health, told ABC News. We have detected no food items or environmental exposures that are statistically associated with illness at this time. This investigation is ongoing.” However, according to iScienceTimes.com, investigators are looking closely at ground beef for the source of this outbreak. (more…)

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Health Buzz

Ground Beef Recall Saves Georgia Schools from E. Coli

By Kesley Murray

Parents of children who attend Georgia public schools can breathe easy after the U.S. Department of Agriculture recalled 40,000 pounds of ground beef products that were headed to school cafeterias. The meat was possibly contaminated with E. coli and came from the Palo Duro Meat plant in Amarillo, Texas.

Currently, the USDA is saying that they do not believe the ground beef had been served in any school lunches. The meat was being stored in two different warehouses in Georgia and had not been shipped to the six school districts that are associated with the National School Lunch Program.

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Posted on September 26, 2023 by Health Buzz

Bisin: A New Natural Food Preservative Discovery

If you haven’t yet heard of Bisin there is a good chance that you probably will within the next couple of years. Bisin is the latest craze in the world of food-borne illness prevention. It is the first natural preservative found to kill gram-negative bacteria, and it may just be worth all the hype, especially in light of all the recent E.coli outbreaks that have occurred this summer.

Bisin can supposedly prevent harmful bacteria such as E. coli, listeria, and salmonella from growing on a wide variety of foods. These types of food include meats, processed cheeses, egg and dairy products, canned foods, seafood, salad dressing, fermented beverages, and many other foods. By using Bisin, these foods may have extended shelf-lives and ultimately reduce food waste. This is a good thing – so is the fact that bisin appears to be allergen free, non-toxic, and doesn’t appear to be one of those substances that germs build up resistance to.

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Posted on August 19, 2023 by Kati

60,000 Pounds of Ground Beef Recalled Due to E. Coli

beef-pattiesBefore you cook or grill that ground beef in your fridge for dinner tonight, beware. The USDA has recalled a whopping 60,000 pounds of ground beef due to possible E. Coli contamination.

So far the recall only focuses on the Southeast region of the United States, focusing on products sold mainly in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina and Tennessee. The ground beef was supplied by National Beef Packaging Co. of Dodge City, Kan. and was sold in Winn-Dixie, Publix and Kroger grocery stores.

The USDA says that the tainted beef may be contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria, a particularly troubling strain of E. coli. This strain of E. coli can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and, in the most severe cases, kidney failure. As with any foodborne illness, the very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible, according to the USDA.

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Posted on August 17, 2023 by Jennipher

3 Easy Ways to Protect Your Family from E. Coli Contamination

A deadly E.coli outbreak that has afflicted Germany and other parts of Eastern Europe has sickened nearly 2,000 people to date. According to the New York Times, the deadly outbreak has been traced to tainted domestic sprouts and forced the closure of several farms in the Northern part of the country.

While this news might send some people running to empty their produce bins and avoid green vegetables, some public health experts are skeptical of these claims.

“We would want either epidemiological evidence or confirmed laboratory evidence,” Dr. Robert Tauxe, deputy director of food-borne diseases for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, told the New York Times.

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Posted on June 7, 2023 by Maris

Rare Burgers Banned in North Carolina Restaurants

North Carolina may be a red state politically, but many meat eaters are blue in the face crying foul over a state ban on rare burgers in restaurants. The state now requires restaurants to cook their hamburgers to a temperature of 155 degrees, which health officials say is enough to kill unhealthy bacteria such as E. coli.

While North Carolina’s citizens are still allowed to eat their hamburgers anyway they wish at home, restaurants can’t go any lower than medium on the cooking chart. Word has it that this legislation has created somewhat of an underground red meat-eating movement, a bit like the speakeasies of Prohibition days, I suppose.

North Carolina restaurants can still serve steaks rare to customers since they don’t pose the same threat as ground meat. If contaminants exist on a piece of steak they are usually on the outside and killed during the cooking process. However, when beef is ground up the bacteria is mixed inside.

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Posted on May 24, 2023 by Jason

RECALL: Ground Beef in Southern California

gound beefMore than 3,000 pounds of ground beef patties are being recalled by a California company for potential E. coli contamination, and other ground beef products may also be affected. The U.S.  Department of Agriculture made the announcement this weekend after the American Food Service of Pico Rivera recalled the products.

The recalled beef was produced on January 31, and carries the establishment number “EST 1913” inside the USDA inspection mark. The beef was sent to restaurants in the southern region of California. The USDA fears packages of the contaminated beef are still in the freezers of many restaurants.

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Posted on February 7, 2024 by Health Buzz

Protect Your Family Against Food Borne Illness

I’m terrified of food borne illnesses and rightly so. E. coli, salmonella and hepatitis are only a few of the diseases that can be contracted from food that is improperly prepared. I’ve compiled the following tips for safe food handling from the CDC, USDA and FDA websites.

When you prepare:

  • Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling food. Also be sure you wash your hands when switching from meat to produce.
  • Freezing meat (raw or cooked) is perfectly fine but be sure to thaw it properly. Plan ahead so that it can be thawed slowly in the refrigerator, as opposed to on the counter at room temperature.
  • As a general rule, rinse all fresh produce.
  • Do not rinse your chicken. Rinsing chicken is unnecessary and only spreads bacteria from the raw meat to your sink where it so easily travels to other areas.

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Posted on December 10, 2023 by Theresa

E. Coli Outbreak Forces Lettuce Recall

According to the Associated Press “the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that 12 people had been hospitalized and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was looking at 10 other cases probably linked to the outbreak. Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio, said it was recalling romaine lettuce sold under the Freshway and Imperial Sysco brands.”

The FDA is currently investigating the E. Coli outbreak, which seems to be focused on lettuce grown in Arizona as a possible source. According to some sources, the lettuce causing the outbreak was not packaged in bags to be sold directly to consumers, but instead is lettuce used at supermarket and restaurant salad bars.

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Posted on May 12, 2023 by Amy

Government Plans to Improve Food Safety

biden and sebeliusVice President Joe Biden is known for his verbal gaffes. But this time, he’s spot on – it’s tough enough to afford food in these uncertain economic times, people should not have to worry about the safety of that food.

Biden co-chairs the Food Safety Working Group along with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The theme will be contamination prevention.

“The focus is to have a completely different emphasis than we’ve had in the past,” Biden said. “We’re going to make our new priority preventing (food contamination) from happening in the first place.” (more…)

Posted on July 15, 2023 by Jason