The FDA has published the following warning: Consumers worldwide should not use any ByHeart brand infant formula as all ByHeart products are included in this recall. As we know, as of November 26, 2025, a total of 37 infants with suspected or confirmed infant botulism and confirmed exposure to ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula (various […]
ZYK Enterprises, Inc. a Duvall, WA establishment, is recalling 2,522 pounds of boneless veal trim and whole veal muscle cut products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The following boneless veal trim and whole veal muscle cuts produced from January […]
Remaining with reduced pay A couple of questions: 1. Regarding pay, does that include CEO Kruse? 2. Will a U.S. Attorney in Texas, Oklahoma or Alabama file criminal charges – (see below)? The Austin American Statesman reports this morning that Blue Bell Creameries is laying off 1,450 employees and furloughing 1,400 others (remaining workers will […]
Foodborne pathogens impose over $15.5 billion (2013 dollars) in economic burden on the U.S. public each year. Just five pathogens cause 90 percent of this burden. Estimates of economic burden per case vary greatly, ranging from $202 for Cyclospora cayetanensis to $3.3 million for Vibrio vulnificus. Fifteen pathogens cause 95 percent or more of the […]
According to the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), there were a total of 19,542 infections, 4,445 hospitalizations and 71 deaths reported in 2014. Some types of infections declined, some increased, and some stayed the same. FoodNet is a collaboration between CDC, 10 state health departments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service […]
California, New Mexico and Arizona weigh in so far. The New Mexico Department of Health, the City of Albuquerque Environmental Health Department, and the New Mexico Environment Department announced that they are jointly investigating a cluster of illness caused by Salmonella paratyphi. There have been six confirmed cases reported in New Mexico residents, with onsets […]
From a Blue Bell press release: Due to the extended timeline required to ensure the highest quality and safety of Blue Bell’s products when the company resumes production, and because supply and distribution will be limited for some time to come, Blue Bell Creameries CEO and President Paul Kruse today announced “the agonizing decision” that […]
Question: What will the Office of Criminal Investigations and the U.S. Attorneys in Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama do? I really need to get more cynical – why would you risk a 108 year old company – not to mention jail time, fines, recall costs, business loss and customer lawsuits – by failing to follow simple […]
According to ABC’s Gillian Mohney, some enterprising ice cream fans are now to turning to the black market to sell gallons of Blue Bell ice cream online after a listeria outbreak prompted a recall of the company’s products. Multiple listings for Blue Bell ice cream were posted on Craigslist with a far higher price than […]
I was proud that many of my clients played a large role is telling this sad story – The first one below is the long version, but all the links below are worth the viewing. The Trouble with Chicken Are You Handling Raw Chicken The Wrong Way? Can We Get to Zero Salmonella in Poultry […]
After rereading the FDA’s inspection reports (483’s) of the three Blue Bell ice cream plants this weekend, it made me wonder – other than the random inspections done by state departments of agriculture – if Blue Bell had been required to be inspected – audited – by a private auditor – the so-called third-party audit? […]
Clyde Haberman sets the table in his Op-ed in today’s New York Times – “Action and Dysfunction in the U.S. Food Safety Effort.” And, Retro Report serves up the video about what is still wrong with food safety in the U.S.: https://youtu.be/hRT4kxc0LhM
Food Safety News writer Cookson Beecher won five awards, all of them in the daily news category, during the May 9 Washington Press Association awards banquet at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Four of the awards came in first place and one came in third. Here are the awards she took home: First place, […]
After watching the Blue Bell Listeria Outbreak unfold over the last months – especially after reading the FDA’s 483’s, I think it is time for the President and CEO of Blue Bell to consult with criminal counsel. True, perhaps he did not know that his Broken Arrow Plant had Listeria positives going back over years, […]
The three Blue Bell “483’s” – Inspection Reports landed in my inbox an hour ago. Here are the low lights: Broken Arrow, OK Observation #1: Failure to manufacture and package foods under conditions and controls necessary to minimize the potential for growth of microorganisms and contamination. Observation #2: Failure to perform microbial testing where necessary […]
One would think Steinbeck, but it is Yiannas, as in Frank, VP of Food Safety at Walmart. I am off to give a speech on supply chain liability.