Porca Food

The J.M. Smucker company has five working days left to respond to an FDA warning letter about conditions in its Jif peanut butter plant that was the source of a Salmonella outbreak in 2022.

If the Valentine’s Day deadline is not met, the iconic company will be in the crosshairs of the Food and Drug Administration, but the agency wouldn’t tell Food Safety News what actions it may take or where it is in the investigation process. The boilerplate language in the Jan. 24 warning letter states:

“Include an explanation of each step being taken to prevent the recurrence of violations, as well as copies of related documentation. If you cannot complete corrective actions within 15 working days, state the reason for the delay and the time within which you will do so. If you believe that your products are not in violation of the Act, include your reasoning and … Read more

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans were last updated just as the pandemic got underway and they got very little attention. This time, it’s likely to be different when the public process gets underway. next week.

The inaugural meeting of the advisory Committee (See the list of members here) is scheduled for Feb. 9-10 and will be open for the public to view virtually via live webcast. Meeting information, including how to submit public comments, is available at www.DietaryGuidelines.gov.

The first Dietary Guidelines for Americans were issued in 1980 and they’ve been updated every five years since 1990 to serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition programs and policies, providing food-based recommendations to help prevent diet-related chronic diseases and promote overall health.

The Dietary Guidelines inform a variety of federal activities, such as updating nutrition standards for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Federally funded nutrition education … Read more

As part of its enforcement activities, the Food and Drug Administration sends warning letters to entities under its jurisdiction. Some letters are not posted for public view until weeks or months after they are sent. Business owners have 15 days to respond to FDA warning letters. Warning letters often are not issued until a company has been given months to years to correct problems.

Bainbridge Beverage West, LLC
West Sacramento, CA

A food firm in California is on notice from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after not identifying Hepatitis A and Cryptosporidium parvum as hazards in their written hazard analysis, among other violations.

In a Nov. 28, 2022, warning letter, the FDA described a June 9, 10, 22, 24 and 29, 2022, inspection of Bainbridge Beverage West, LLC’s juice manufacturing facility in West Sacramento, CA.

The FDA’s inspection revealed that the firm had serious violations of the … Read more

Colorado became the first in the nation in 2012 to make the recreational use of marijuana legal. In the following year when recreational marijuana sales got underway, Colorado’s General Assembly mandated the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) to produce a report every two years by Jan. 31 on the health effects of marijuana use and trends in marijuana use among Coloradans.

The 2022 summary and report were released this week and delivered to the General Assembly, the Colorado Department of Revenue, and the state Board of Health. The decade of recreational marijuana use by the Mile High states shows a few positive trends.

-13.3 percent of youth used marijuana within the past month- a decrease from 20.6 percent in 2019

-60.4 percent of youth think regular marijuana use is risky – an increase from 50.1 percent in 2019

-Students driving after using marijuana decreased from 11.2 percent … Read more

Researchers have estimated the burden of foodborne disease caused by certain hazards in two African countries and the role of specific foods.

The work covered illnesses from beef, dairy, poultry meat, and vegetables because of Campylobacter, E. coli, and Salmonella in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.

Scientists demonstrated how World Health Organization (WHO) data from 2010 can be used with estimates from the Global Burden of Disease study to update foodborne disease figures for Burkina Faso and Ethiopia to 2017. Attribution data from WHO was complemented with another study to estimate the burden from specific foods.

Results show a considerable disease burden associated with Campylobacter, enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), and non-typhoidal Salmonella. The burden of Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) was lower but scientists said data on incidence in Africa is very limited.

“Developing estimates of the national burden of foodborne disease and attribution to specific food products will inform decision-makers about … Read more