Multiple recalls to chase down ham responsible for Listeriosis outbreak in South
The country hams that some say are the quintessential dish of the South became, during this past weekend, suspects in a deadly listeriosis outbreak. Four people, three in Virginia and one in North...
View ArticleDole recalls baby spinach products after state test shows Salmonella in a sample
Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. announced a 10-state recall of baby spinach because of potential contamination with Salmonella. According to the recall notice posted on The Food and Drug Administration’s...
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Lab confirms norovirus in Chipotle customer; at least 60 sick
An announcement by local health officials that they have identified at least 60 people who became sick after eating at a Chipotle Mexican Grill location in Virginia this past weekend combined with a...
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FDA warns peanut firm about insanitary conditions, labeling
A peanut production facility in Virginia is on notice from the Food and Drug Administration for serious violations of food safety regulations regarding sanitary conditions during production, storage...
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Salmonella source at cook-off still a mystery; dozens sickened
Public health officials in Virginia continue to implore anyone who attended a chili/chowder cook-off event Sept. 30 at the Chincoteague carnival grounds to fill out an online survey to help with a...
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Virginia Republican’s raw milk bill on today’s hearing calendar
A committee hearing is set today in the Virginia legislature on a House bill that would clarify the state’s raw milk herd share law, according to the sponsor. Republican Barry Knight of Virginia Beach...
View ArticleMore patients identified in hepatitis A outbreak linked to restaurants
At least three people have been admitted to hospitals in a growing outbreak of hepatitis A linked to restaurants in Virginia. There are now 14 people confirmed infected, according to state health...
View ArticleRestaurant-related hepatitis A outbreak doubles in size; more illnesses likely
The case count in a hepatitis A outbreak linked to restaurants in Virginia has doubled. At least 30 people are now infected with the virus, which can cause life-threatening liver infections. Health...
View ArticleUPDATED: Third death reported in hepatitis A outbreak linked to restaurant chain
UPDATE: Late this afternoon public health officials reported a third patient has died in this outbreak. No further details were released on the patient. Another person has died in an outbreak of...
View ArticleVisitors at petting zoo exposed to E.coli
The Loudoun County Health Department of Virginia has notified the public that several people who came in contact with goats at Georges Mill Farm in Lovettsville, VA, between March 6 and April 20 were...
View ArticleVirginia Eyes Poultry Litter 'End-User'
Another state is tightening down on the use of “poultry litter”, that inviting mix of poop, sawdust, feathers and spilled feed that results from raising chickens and turkeys. The State Water Control...
View ArticleNew Rules for Virginia Oysters Considered
Virginia is considering new rules to ensure contaminated oysters from the Chesapeake Bay are not shipped out of the state in response to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) crackdown on oysters....
View ArticleVirginia Child Dies of E. coli O157 Illness
One child has died and at least seven others have been sickened from E. coli infections in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virgina. News reports said a 2-year-old girl from Dryden, VA. died Sunday at...
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Recall Expanded for Sprouts With Listeria Risk
Henry’s Farm Inc. of Woodford, VA has expanded the recall of its soybean sprouts to include natto soybean sprouts because they, too, may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The initial recall...
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Romney Ad Blames Obama for Closure of Restaurant with Health Violations
An ad by the Romney campaign airing in Virginia since last week blames President Obama’s economic policies on the closure of a barbecue restaurant chain known to have a history of health code...
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Virginia Bill Would Exempt Homes, Small Farms From Food Safety Laws
The cottage food movement that has gained traction in the states since about 2010 is continuing to take hold this legislative season. Current law recently crafted in Virginia permits unlicensed home...
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Legislation Would Muzzle Science Teachers in Virginia
Science teachers in Virginia with an opinion about vaccines, raw milk, or genetically modified organisms in food would be best advised to keep their mouths shut under the currently proposed House Bill...
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FDA Investigating Puffer Fish Poisoning in Virginia
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working with local officials to investigate a case of tetrodotoxin poisoning in Fairfax County, VA, which they suspect is linked to the consumption of imported...
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Food-Safety Bills Start Popping up in State Legislatures
A Republican legislator in New Mexico wants to bail out the state’s school lunch program by using tax money to purchase $1.4 million in locally grown fruits and vegetables, which would then be provided...
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Tour of State Legislatures Finds Spotty Interest in Food Safety Issues
Since 2010, there have been waves of bills involving food and food safety washing through state capitals on subjects such as cottage foods, agricultural security, raw milk, and labeling food products...
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CDC: 19 E. Coli Cases in 7 States Linked to Costco Rotisserie Chicken Salad
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Tuesday that, as of Nov. 23, there were 19 people from seven states sickened by the outbreak strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli...
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Strawberry smoothies linked to Hepatitis A illnesses in Virginia
Frozen strawberries imported from Egypt and used by Tropical Smoothie Café locations in Virginia are possibly linked to a cluster of Hepatitis A infections, spurring state health officials to issue a...
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UPDATE: Virginia offers few details about Hepatitis A outbreak
UPDATE: After this story posted, a spokeswoman from the Virginia Department of Health provided additional details about the outbreak. As of the afternoon of Aug. 26, there were 35 confirmed cases of...
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Bipartisan vote crushes Virginia bill to legalize raw milk sales
Republicans and Democrats joined forces in a committee of the Virginia House of Delegates to defeat an attempt to legalize the sale of raw, unpasteurized milk by a vote of more than two to one. The...
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Raw milk still looking for wins as legislative season nears end
Legislatures in almost a dozen states this year are considering whether to permit sales in one form or another of raw milk, which public health officials say is dangerous because it has not been...
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Chipotle customers report illnesses; one location closed
More than a dozen people have reported becoming ill after eating at a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant in Virginia, which is temporarily closed for cleaning amidst denials from corporate officials and...
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Chipotle mum on status of restaurant linked to outbreak
No one was answering the phone at the Chipotle Mexican Grill on Tripleseven Road in Sterling, VA, Tuesday evening and no one from the chain’s corporate headquarters in Denver was answering questions...
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