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 […]
I was reading the Seattle Times today – “China: Food Poisoning Deaths Up in 2007.” Seems like a big admission from the Chinese Government in the run-up to the Olympics. In contrast in the US according to the CDC, “an estimated 76 million cases of foodborne disease occur each year in the United States. CDC […]
Stephen J. Hedges of the Chicago Tribune has written once again about the dysfunctional relationship between the meat industry, FSIS and consumers in his article this morning, “Meat recall alerts retailers, not consumers.” The largest meat recall in the nation’s history was bound to reverberate through the food-manufacturing world. So far, four major food manufacturers […]
Barbara Feder Ostrov of the Mercury News reported on Organic Pastures – Again: State agriculture officials have temporarily banned the sale of raw cream from the Organic Pastures dairy in Fresno, citing bacteria levels of up to 150 times the legal limit. They also have warned a Watsonville dairy, Claravale Farm, that it faces a […]
Jamie Hartford from QSR Magazine and I spoke over the last few days as I was mediating the Wendy’s 2006 E. coli O21:H19 outbreak in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although Jamie and I primarily talked about how restaurants can protect themselves from contaminated product received from suppliers, some of what we talked about is why […]
After spending a few days at the Argibusiness Executive Conference, I am off to Salt Lake City to a Court ordered mediation of cases stemming from the E. coli O121:H19 outbreak linked to an Ogden Wendy’s. I represent five of the victims. Two cases were settled yesterday, so we will be mediating three – all […]
In what appears to be three separate recalls due to Listeria, several firms are recalling chicken products sent to several states. Gourmet Boutique LLC of Jamaica, N.Y., recalled 6,970 pounds of 12 meat and poultry products, which each bear the production code GBD 08058 on the package. These products, which are mostly chicken but also […]
The Quaker Oats Co. announced the products in the recall are Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix: Original, Original Complete and Buttermilk Complete, which may have potential salmonella contamination. No other Aunt Jemima, frozen Aunt Jemima or Quaker products are affected. The products, sold in 2 pound and 5 pound boxes with Best Before dates […]
This is the land of capitalism. So, we all know that when it comes to using Downers, or non-ambulatory cows, there has to be that raw underbelly of profit or, perhaps more accurately, the illusion of profits. Let’s examine if the use of downers makes good economic sense. First some background: In the U.S., we […]
I leave for Monterey in the morning to attend Tuesday’s General Session – Food Safety. The instructor is Roberta Cook who wrote a brilliant paper for the session. I will be on the Panel Discussion with: Dr. Robert Brackett, Senior Vice President and Chief Science and Regulatory Officer, Grocery Manufacturers Association William Marler, Managing Partner […]
I am thinking about the reasons, ethically, medically and financially why we allow "downer" cattle into our food supply – at any level. Over the next few days I will give you my thoughts. Please feel free to weigh in. To put things in context, The USDA suggested, and Westland/Hallmark issued, the largest beef recall […]
The first paragraph of the North County Times article says it all: “A Murrieta couple says it was raw milk tainted with a strain of E. coli that nearly killed their son. The owner of Organic Pastures Dairy in Fresno, where the raw milk came from, and the Sprouts store in Temecula, where the milk […]
Taking a "break" from the testimony, food safety conferences and upcoming legal work in California and Utah, I took a great hike today to a "falls" outside of Phoenix in the desert. Well, you should all be thankful that I am a far better lawyer that walker. Thankfully, there was a great Urgent Care Center […]
Carrie Peyton Dahlberg of the Sacramento Bee and I spoke yesterday about the fallout of the nations largest meat recall. As she has said “from soup to jerky, the list of products made with recalled beef has been growing, and messages to consumers have gotten ever more confusing. Makers of kitchen standbys like Hunt’s spaghetti […]
The Associated Press story caught my eye – “Several sick with E-Coli after "Beast Feast" at Mobile church.” Several people, including a 7-year-old boy, have been hospitalized when they became sick with E. coli after eating food at a cookout known as the "Beast Feast" at a Fairhope church. As many as 20 others reported […]
I am at the Food-Borne Illness Litigation Conference being sponsored by the American Conference Institute. So far the conference has been very informative. Here is the description of the conference: 2007 was the year of the recall, with e-coli contamination increasing sharply in 2007 over the previous two years. And it’s not just beef recalls […]