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A 31-state salmonella outbreak first detected in Utah was linked to pet frogs, U.S. health officials said Thursday, suggesting that public-health efforts to educate children about the proper handling of reptiles should be expanded to amphibians. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta started a national investigation to find the source of the outbreak this summer, after five Utahns were sickened by the Typhimurium strain of salmonella. In all, 85 people across several states became ill and nearly two-thirds had had some contact with frogs, according to a report released Thursday by the CDC. Most of the...

Global Update A new drug-resistant strain of bacteria has emerged in the last decade in Africa and is causing unusual numbers of deaths there, British and African researchers said on Monday. The strain, a variant of Salmonella typhimurium, is named ST313. Its genome was decoded by researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and researchers in Kenya and Malawi. While most salmonella bacteria cause diarrhea and are rarely fatal, this one causes death in one of four cases among children and vulnerable adults in some African regions, the researchers said. Many of its victims have been weakened by the AIDS...

Tiny Turtles Not Safe for Children Published : Wednesday, 11 Nov 2009, 10:12 PM CST Sophia Reza FOX 4 News DALLAS - They're cute, but they are trouble. FOX 4's Sophia Reza reports some local stores are selling baby turtles even though they are illegal and can carry salmonella. VIDEO at the link

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is issuing this health alert to warn consumers not to use Pig Ears and Beef Hooves pet treats manufactured by Pet Carousel because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The products were distributed nationwide in both bulk and retail packaging for sale in pet food and retail chain stores. Pet Carousel is based in Sanger, Calif. The products were manufactured under conditions that facilitate cross-contamination within batches or lots. Although no illnesses associated with these products have been reported, the FDA is advising consumers in possession of these products to not handle or...

Health officials in three Western states said Friday at least 28 people have reported illnesses tied to recalled ground beef that may be tainted with salmonella. On Thursday, Fresno-based Beef Packers Inc. recalled nearly 826,000 pounds of ground beef produced from June 5-23. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service says the beef was sent to retail distribution centers in Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah, with some sold at Safeway Inc. and Sam's Club. Friday, the department confirmed that California, Colorado and Wyoming have reported illness linked to the recalled beef. Colorado health officials said 21 people...

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Federal food safety officials are warning consumers to stop eating all foods containing pistachios while they figure out the source of a possible salmonella contamination. The Food and Drug Administration said Monday that central California-based Setton Farms is voluntarily recalling more than 1 million pounds of nuts. No illnesses have been reported, but the plant has been shut down voluntarily since late last week.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Kroger supermarkets is recalling 10-ounce packages of pistachios sold in Texas and 30 other states over fears of possible salmonella contamination.

ATLANTA (AP) - The peanut processing company at the heart of a national salmonella outbreak is going out of business. The Lynchburg, Va.-based Peanut Corp. of America filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Virginia Friday, the latest bad news for the company that has been accused of producing tainted peanut products that may have reached everyone from poor school children to disaster victims. "It's regrettable, but it's inevitable with the events of last month," said Andrew S. Goldstein, a bankruptcy lawyer in Roanoke, Va., who filed the petition. The salmonella outbreak was traced to the company's...

Washington — U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, chairman of a House subcommittee on oversight and investigation, gaveled hearings open today on the salmonella outbreak saying, “the psychological cost has been widespread.” ... • In one e-mail, Lightsey wrote Parnell discussing positive salmonella tests on its products, but Parnell gave instructions to nonetheless “turn them loose” after getting a negative test result from another testing company. • In another e-mail, Parnell expressed his concerns over the losing “$$$$$$” due to delays in shipment and costs of testing. • Parnell in another company-wide e-mail told employees there was no salmonella in its plants,...

A recent discovery at Case Western Reserve University may help keep food and drugs safer and fresher longer and electronic equipment dryer and more secure than ever before The finding involves a nanotechnology-based technique to block the transport of damaging gases through a polymer, making it stronger while using less material. It was made in the labs of the National Science Foundation-supported Center for Layered Polymeric Systems at the Case School of Engineering.

BLAKELY, Ga., Feb. 3, 2009 (CBS) A former employee of the Georgia peanut plant at the center of a criminal investigation in a nationwide salmonella outbreak says he saw a rat dry-roasting in a peanut area. Jonathan Prather was one of 50 people who lost their jobs last month when the Peanut Corporation of America shut down its plant in Blakely. The outbreak is blamed in as many as eight deaths and has sickened some 500 people, authorities say. Many products made with peanut paste from the plant have been recalled.

Do you know why the FDA is in charge of keeping America's food supply safe?Because no other nation would have them.That's the thought I'm left with after learning… and this was no big surprise… that the FDA played a larger role than we thought in allowing a salmonella outbreak to sweep through the nation, sickening hundreds and possibly killing 8 people.I told you a couple weeks ago there would be more to this story.By now you know that the salmonella outbreak has been tied to Peanut Corp.'s peanut processing facility in Georgia. I was surprised that our normally-bungling FDA was...

A combination of epidemiological analysis and laboratory testing by state officials in Minnesota and Connecticut, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have enabled FDA to confirm that the sources of the outbreak of illnesses caused by Salmonella Typhimurium are peanut butter and peanut paste produced by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) at its Blakely, Georgia processing plant. Peanut butter is sold by PCA in bulk containers ranging in size from five (5) to 1,700 pounds. The peanut paste is sold in sizes ranging from 35-pound containers to product sold by...

The following recalls have been announced:

FDA inspectors found many problems at Georgia peanut plant Federal officials say an often-cited Georgia plant sold products tainted with salmonella. The Georgia peanut butter plant linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak had deficient cleaning programs and sometimes shipped products that initially tested positive for the bacteria, the federal official in charge of the investigation said Tuesday. Michael Rogers, director of regional investigations for the Food and Drug Administration, said government tests at the processing plant in Blakely, Ga., also found salmonella present on surfaces in the plant. It has been closed during the investigation, which began Jan. 9. He...

Ohio has taken the lead in race to have the most cases of salmonella. As of 9PM EDT, Wednesday, January 22, 2009, 491 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 43 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (1), Arizona (10), Arkansas (4), California (62), Colorado (12), Connecticut (9), Georgia (6), Hawaii (3), Idaho (11), Illinois (6), Indiana (4), Iowa (2), Kansas (2), Kentucky (3), Maine (4), Maryland (8), Massachusetts (42), Michigan (25), Minnesota (35), Missouri (9), Mississippi (3), Nebraska (1), New Hampshire (11), New Jersey (19),...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2009 – A long holiday weekend usually means a new flood of care packages to troops serving overseas, and traditionally those boxes include snack foods such as peanut butter crackers or candy. In light of the growing salmonella outbreak linked to products containing peanut butter, servicemembers are being urged to use caution should they receive these types of snacks. “The ongoing commitment and efforts of citizens to remind the troops that America supports them is phenomenal,” a Defense Department community relations spokeswoman said. “Based on my knowledge of the nonprofit groups that send care packages, I'm...

(Eating plant-based meals conserves natural resources and slows global warming) Looking for small ways to make a big difference for the environment? Why not start by making yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? As members of the PB&J Campaign1 (no, I’m not kidding) like to say, “You don’t have to change your whole diet to change the world. Just start with lunch.” Eating a plant-based lunch (such as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a bean burrito, vegetarian chili, or a hearty salad) instead of an animal-based lunch (such as a hamburger, a tuna or grilled cheese sandwich, fish...

<p>Kellogg had recalled 16 products last week because of the possibility of salmonella contamination.</p> <p>On Monday, the company based in Battle Creek, Mich., said the Food and Drug Administration confirmed contamination in a single package of Austin Quality Foods Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter.</p>

The Food and Drug Administration is asking consumers to temporarily stop eating all foods containing peanut butter - this, as investigators work to find the source of a deadly salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter and peanut butter paste. So far, more than 470 people in 43 states have gotten sick. At least 90 people have been hospitalized and six have died. Investigators are focusing on bulk tubs of peanut butter produced at the Peanut Corporation of America's Georgia facility. Its products were distributed to nursing homes and to food companies.