The outbreak of infant botulism linked to ByHeart infant formula has grown to 23 confirmed cases in 13 states. All infants have been hospitalized, with no deaths reported. The company has issued a recall of all formula products sold nationwide.
ByHeart Inc., the infant formula manufacturer implicated in an ongoing, multistate botulism outbreak, has a history of food safety and hygiene violations at its production facilities, as well as an inadequate root cause analysis in previous incident, per FDA inspection records and warning letters.
Researchers have developed a new, farm-to-fork quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) model to evaluate the risk of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in fresh-cut cantaloupe.
As of November 11, 15 infants have been hospitalized with botulism in 12 states after consuming ByHeart-brand powdered infant formula. The 15 infants who were confirmed to have consumed ByHeart are part of a broader outbreak comprising 84 total cases. A recall has been issued.
A UK-based study, led by Quadram Institute researchers, underscores the limitations of traditional enumeration methods for foodborne pathogen surveillance and highlights the need for whole genome sequencing (WGS) to better assess the food safety risk posed by commensal or opportunistic Escherichia coli lineages.
Wageningen University researchers conducted an experimental evolutionary study to explore the genetic and phenotypic mechanisms that drive the enhanced biofilm formation ability of evolved L. monocytogenes strains, identifying the overexpression of a certain protein as a key contributor.
This episode of Food Safety Five discusses hoses as reservoirs for biofilms in food processing facilities, the presence of Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter on retail beef and chicken, a new Salmonella serovar database, and microplastics release from food contact materials.
Despite increased regulatory efforts, Salmonella outbreaks linked to chicken remain a significant public health threat in the U.S., reaffirms a new study by CDC and USDA-FSIS researchers. The majority of outbreaks involved chicken parts and five serotypes of concern.
FAO published a report that encourages the application of risk-based tools to ensure the safety of water used in production and processing in fisheries and aquaculture operations.
During an October 29 Senate confirmation hearing, Dr. Mindy Brashears, the presidential nominee for USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety, has provided insight into what her priorities will be if she is confirmed for the position—with Salmonella topping her list, followed by Listeria.
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