Chemicals commonly found in microwave popcorn and several other household products are likely destroying the efficacy of childhood vaccines. According to a report at MSNBC.com, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have the ability to lower the immune system responses to common vaccines for diphtheria and tetanus. Children who had concentrated or high levels of PFC in their [...]

Food industry groups met last week to discuss generating guidelines specific to the safety of cantaloupe after a deadly Listeria outbreak linked to the produce that killed 30 people. According to a report at FoodProductionDaily.com, members of the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) hosted officials with the Western Growers Association, the United Fresh Produce Association [...]

The makers of Enfamil baby formula confirmed this week that Food and Drug Administration safety inspectors visited its manufacturing and administrative headquarters this week as part of an investigation linked to an apparent deadly bacterial outbreak. According to a Reuters report, the Mead Johnson manufacturing facility in Michigan and its record-keeping office in Indiana were [...]

The makers of Enfamil infant baby formula say its own testing has revealed no presence of the life-threatening bacteria which has recently infected two infants, killing one. According to a Bloomberg report, Mead Johnson still maintains the Enfamil formula pulled by some major retailers last week following reports that two infants who ingested a specific [...]

Walmart has pulled a specific can of Enfamil infant formula from more than 3,000 stores across the U.S. following the report of an infant death in Missouri. Press reports indicate the newborn from Lebanon, Mo., was fed Enfamil just prior to its death. The infant tested positive for Cronobacter, a sometimes fatal form of a [...]

The Food and Drug Administration is being urged to “lower its standards” regarding “safe” levels of arsenic found in apple juice. According to a recent USA Today report, several consumer groups have asked the FDA to lower the accepted level of arsenic found in apple juice from 23 parts per billion to at least 10 [...]

The growing Listeria poisoning outbreak linked to cantaloupes is expected to continue causing illnesses, hospitalizations, and worse. According to federal health officials, more illnesses and, possibly, more deaths, might be linked to Listeria-tainted cantaloupes, wrote The Associated Press (AP). To date, the outbreak has led to 72 illnesses, which resulted in 16 deaths, said the [...]

Seventy-eight cases of Salmonella poisoning, including one death and 22 hospitalizations, have been linked to Cargill Inc. ground turkey. A recall was finally issued last week, deemed Class I by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Salmonella strain involved in the 26-state outbreak  has been found to be drug resistant We previously wrote that [...]

Egyptian fenugreek seeds are suspected as the cause of at least 48 deaths in a deadly E. coli outbreak in Europe.  Authorities are scrambling to trace all the Egyptian fenugreek seeds from a large shipment that was distributed to dozens of companies in roughly 12 European countries, reported the New York Times. On Tuesday, the [...]

Potentially spoiled ground beef products are being recalled by a New Jersey Firm.  Unbelievably, the USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) says the company, One Great Burger, of Elizabeth, NJ, appears to have repackaged and recoded returned ground beef products and sent them out for further distribution to institutional customers. The problem was first [...]