Tag Archives: food safety

Food Labels Lead to Confusion, Waste

Open your fridge, and examine the labels on your food. No, not the nutrition labels, the ones that indicate if your food is still safe to eat. Based on the information you find, is your food still safe? Depending on which label your food carries, this may be a harder question than you think.

milk

Many of us assume the three main labels (Sell by Date, Expiration Date, and Best if used by Date) mean the same thing. However, each of those three labels has a distinct meaning that may or may not tell you when you should throw out the food.

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Posted on June 25, 2023 by Elizabeth

WiFi is a Plant Killer. Should We Quit Nuking Our Veggies?

A Danish high school science experiment is gaining recognition again after going viral earlier this month. Though first reported in May, the experiment has garnered worldwide popularity as a warning against our tech-filled lives. According to the experiment, WiFi could be killing plants. In case you missed it — fruits and vegetables are plants.

plant and wifi experiment

A group of 9th-graders from the Hjallerup Skole in Denmark noticed after sleeping with their cell phones near their heads they had trouble concentrating the next day. Though they didn’t have the resources to test their cell phone theory, they tried to do the next best thing.

Taking garden cress seeds and placing them on wet paper towels, the girls set one plate next to a WiFi router that emitted about the same microwave radiation as mobile phones, and the other in a separate room away from routers. They controlled all other variables — water, sunlight and room temperature — to the best of their abilities to keep the experiment consistent.

When the seeds were checked in 12 days, the seeds from the room without routers had thrived, while the seeds next to routers were brown and shriveled. (more…)

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Elizabeth

Chickity China the Chinese Processed Chicken: Americans on Alert for Frozen Processed Chicken Imports

http://youtu.be/-URbU-U1dg4

  • The USDA has agreed to let four Chinese chicken processing companies begin to ship meat to the United States, sparking debate about food safety.
  • Just seven months ago, thousands of American dogs either died or became sick after eating jerky treats with chicken from Chinese food processing plants.
  • China, a country that has had outbreaks of avian flu in recent years, has a nightmarish track record with food manufacturing. Animals are mistreated and processed in filthy conditions, and just this summer a Chinese poultry plant caught fire and killed 120 people.
  • As of now, China will only be allowed to process cooked meat from birds that were raised in the U.S. How does that make sense from an efficiency standpoint? The birds will be raised and cooked in the US, sent to China for processing, only to be shipped back again.
  • Chinese chicken will not be labeled, so the next time you have a nugget or frozen chicken finger, it very well could have been made in a sketchy Chinese factory. That’s fowl play. (more…)
Posted on September 5, 2023 by Patrick

23,000 Pounds of Kansas Beef Recalled, May Have E. coli

  • 23,000 pounds of Kansas beef has been recalled after it was discovered it might contain E. coli bacteria.
  • The E. coli strain was found after a routine test on Tuesday morning; no illnesses have been reported.
  • Most E.coli strains are harmless, but some strains of the gut bacteria can cause severe food poisoning when ingested.
  • The beef was produced in late May and shipped to 12 states, including Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arizona and Arkansas.
  • With a limited release shipped only to wholesale distributors and military bases, the beef should be easily found and destroyed. The sell/use by date is June 14. (more…)
Posted on June 20, 2023 by Patrick

RECALL: Whole Foods’ Whole Catch Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon

  • Whole Foods expands its recall of Whole Catch Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon because of possible listeria contamination.
  • Consumers should check package codes for UPC code 0 99482 40880 0 sold in 18 states.
  • The original recall was for lot code 7425A2298B, sold in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and Utah.
  • This extended recall includes lot code 7425A2297A, sold in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah. (more…)
Posted on January 30, 2024 by Natalie K

Trader Joe’s Peanut Butters Recalled Due to Salmonella Risk

If peanut butter is your jam, be on the lookout for some recalls this week. Last Friday, Trader Joe’s made headlines when it announced a voluntary recall of its Salted Valencia Peanut Butter on suspicioun of it containing a rare strain of salmonella. 

Since then, Trader Joe’s peanut butter producer, Sunland Inc., has followed suit after several people were reported sick.

The company recalled all of the nut-based spreads it sells to other companies, including Target’s Archer Farms and Earth Balance.

The nut butter recall initially included only peanut and almond butter, but was extended to include cashew butter, tahini, and roasted blanched peanut products manufactured between May 1, 2024 and September 24, 2024.

As reported by the NPR’s ‘The Salt,’ the recall was initiated after Sunland learned that 29 people were reported having the illness Salmonella Bredeny PFGE in approximately 18 states. Those states included Washington, California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey and Maryland, according to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (more…)

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Dana

RECALL: Cantaloupe from Burch Equipment

UDATED August 23, 2024: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has identified the southern Indiana farm responsible for producing the cantaloupes linked to the deadly salmonella outbreak that has reportedly infected 178 people in 21 states. Chamberlain Farms of Owensville has been named as one potential source for the outbreak that has killed two people and hospitalized 62 more, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a result, the farm has voluntarily recalled its melons, although the FDA nor the farm have released any information regarding the cause of the contamination. 

Another product recall has happened, so be on the look out for fruit you may have purchased on July 15 or later. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning to consumers to avoid eating whole cantaloupes from Burch Equipment LLC, of Faison, North Carolina, because of possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono).

What You Need to Know
The company shipped 580 cases of whole cantaloupes on July 15 that were delivered to retail stores in New York, Maine, and possibly other states. If you have a cantaloupe with a red label and the words “Burch Farms” and referencing PLU #4319, discard it immediately.

The cantaloupes tested positive for L. mono during sampling carried out in New York by the USDA Microbiological Data Program. Following the positive result, on July 28, Burch Equipment issued a voluntary recall of 580 cases of cantaloupes. As of yet, no illnesses have been reported that would be linked to the cantaloupes. (more…)

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Dana

The Chinese Consider McDonald’s One of Their Safest Food Options

We have a lot of drama surrounding our food more so now than ever before. The news is littered with talk of pink slime, GMOs, organic, hormone-free, and local. And this is just the start of all the details we get caught up in regarding what we eat.

While these are serious issues to consider, a little perspective makes me happy that these are my most common food concerns. In China, people deal with so many issues of contamination and unsanitary cooking conditions that they have gone so far as to raise McDonald’s on a pedestal. In fact, the Chinese see McDonald’s as a trusted, safe and healthy food option.

Shaun Rein is the founder of China Market Research, and recently spoke to NPR about this perspective contrast. In America, McDonald’s really gets a bad rap. We blame them on contributing to childhood and adult obesity. We accuse them of using highly processed “nearly meat” products. All around, Americans tend to believe McDonald’s is unhealthy. But that’s not the case in China; not at all. The Chinese trust the American and Western brands far more than their own and feel that they are safest. (more…)

Posted on July 30, 2023 by Lacy

Cargill Beef Recall Issued after Salmonella Contamination

Cargill Beef Solutions announced a recall of nearly 30,000 pounds of fresh ground beef. The beef came from a Pennsylvania plant and is being recalled due to potential salmonella contamination.

The beef was sold to wholesalers in 14 pound packages and eventually repackaged by stores into smaller containers with new labels. All potentially dangerous packages should still bear the establishment number “EST. 9400” and a use-by date of May 25. If consumers still have this beef, it’s assumed it is frozen in their freezers as the expiration date has long past for fresh meat.

This information can all be found in the news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS). The release comes after the government has connected five cases of illness to the same strain of salmonella found in the Cargill beef. Other cases are being investigated as well to determine if the illnesses are related to the beef. (more…)

Posted on July 23, 2023 by Lacy

Listeria Contamination Forces Recall of 325,000 Pounds of Frozen Meat

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced over the weekend a recall of nearly 325,000 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat meat products manufactured by Buona Vita Inc. because of a possible listeria contamination. Listeria bacteria can cause listeriosis, a potentially fatal bacterial infection.

Buona Vita Inc., based out of New Jersey, makes precooked, frozen Italian food products. Products affected include meatballs, dinner loafs, salisbury patties, breakfast patties, and burger patties made with chicken, pork, beef, and turkey.

Brand names included in the recall are:

  • Buona Vita Inc.
  • Cupino
  • Mama Isabella
  • Vincent Giordano
  • Dirusso
  • Silver Lake
  • Argenta Pride
  • Whitsons Food Service
  • M&R Frosted Food Co.
  • Orefresco
  • Bullpen
  • Napoli
  • Whorle’s
  • Buonamici
  • Monabella (more…)
Posted on July 9, 2023 by SarahS

California’s Push for Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods

Californians seem to be doing everything right these days. Achieving the tall and slender beach-body look, eating less than kids in other states, and now likely voting to enforce a new law that would require labeling of genetically engineered food. Is there anything they aren’t doing right? Well, maybe.

If approved, California would be the first state in the nation to require GMO labeling. And according to a recent poll by California Right to Know, it’s likely to happen as nine out of 10 California voters want the labeling to be enforced.

However, new research on the effectiveness of food labeling suggests it may not be the one-cure-fix-all solution Californians, and other health-conscious Americans, are looking for. This is because a labeling initiative may end up making it harder for consumers to know what’s in their food, since it makes the definition of ‘natural’ food very unclear.

When we think of the word natural when it relates to food, we think organic, healthy, and no artificial preservatives, flavorings or ingredients. But apparently the term natural is becoming much harder to define, especially since the federal government has refused to make the term any clearer, allowing food companies to continue labeling their food as ‘natural’ when it may very well not be. (more…)

Posted on May 15, 2023 by Dana