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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local officials are investigating an outbreak of E. coli infections.Update: December 4, 2015 Three additional states have reported people infected with the outbreak strain of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26 (STEC O26) since the last update, Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.Fifty-two people infected with the outbreak strain of STEC O26 have now been reported from a t …

Posted on December 1, 2015 by FDA VoiceAs my colleagues at FDA can attest, I like to grow tomatoes in the summer. I often bring portions of the harvest to the office each week of the growing season. Though the total volume is modest, I still like to think of myself as an environmentally conscious and responsible “farmer.” o I was glad to spend some time on food safety issues last month while in Mexico attending the 10th International Summit of Heads of Medicines Regulatory Agencies. In addition …

Posted November 20, 2015 2:15 PM ETWhat's New?3 additional states have reported people infected with the outbreak strain of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26 (STEC O26) since the last update.45 people infected with the outbreak strain of STEC O26 have now been reported from a total of 6 states: California (2), Minnesota (2), New York (1), Ohio (1), Oregon (13), and Washington (26).The epidemiologic evidence available at this time suggests that a common meal item or ingredient served at …

FDA Releases Groundbreaking Food Safety RulesFDA took major steps to prevent foodborne illness by finalizing rules implementing the bipartisan Food Safety Modernization Act that, for the first time, establish enforceable safety standards for produce farms and make importers accountable for verifying that imported food meets U.S. safety standards. The Agency also issued a rule establishing a program for the accreditation of third-party certification bodies, also known as auditors, to conduc …

November 17, 2015The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today released a proposed rule to establish requirements for fermented and hydrolyzed foods, or foods that contain fermented or hydrolyzed ingredients, and bear the “gluten-free” claim. The proposed rule, titled “Gluten-Free Labeling of Fermented or Hydrolyzed Foods,” pertains to foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, pickles, cheese, green olives, vinegar, and FDA regulated beers.In 2013, the FDA issued the gluten-free final rule, which a …