Only a few weeks into 2015, this past weekend created some early buzz in terms of food safety as USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) reported four high-risk recalls Saturday for a variety of meat and poultry products.
Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry have teamed up to provide four one-day food safety training events for businesses and small farms this year.
Results of FDA tests performed on samples collected from the Bidart Bros. apple processing plant confirmed two strains of Listeria monocytogenes were found at the facility and are believed to be the same strains associated with a multi-state outbreak of infections that led to multiple deaths.
An emergency quarantine zone for avian influenza has been initiated in Washington where it has been identified in flocks of mixed poultry and other birds.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) established an emergency quarantine zone for avian influenza over an area roughly 20 miles in size where avian influenza has been identified in flocks of mixed poultry and other birds.
USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service posted the data from the 2013 Pesticide Data Program (PDP) annual summary, which confirmed the overall pesticide chemical residues found on the tested foods are at levels below the tolerances established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and do not pose a safety concern.
Canadian officials confirmed the presence of avian influenza on two additional farms and another barn in British Columbia, bringing the total number of infected premises to eight. Avian influenza is highly contagious between birds and can spread rapidly.