Food Safety News

The Food and Drug Administration uses import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed.

Recent modifications to FDA’s import alerts, as posted by the agency, are listed below.

Click here to go to the FDA page with links to details on specific alerts. See chart below for a list of the most recent alerts.

Click on chart to enlarge. Use link above to go to FDA page with links to specific alerts.

Canada has announced support for a program designed to strengthen food safety and plant and animal health.

Funding of CAD $500,000 (U.S. $366,000) to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) will go toward improving the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacity of the public and private sector in developing and least-developed countries.

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for meat and poultry products containing FDA-regulated dairy ingredients that may be contaminated with Salmonella. 

FSIS expects additional downstream products will be identified as this ingredient recall progresses. As more information becomes available, FSIS will update this public health alert. 

The list of products subject to the public health alert is available here, including information such as the establishment numbers and states where the products were distributed. The labels are available here.

The problem was discovered when FDA notified FSIS that multiple FSIS-regulated establishments received FDA-regulated ingredients formulated with dry milk powder that had been recalled.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ or retailers’ refrigerators or freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. Retailers who have purchased these products are urged not to serve or sell them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

About Salmonella infections
Food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria does not usually look, smell, or taste spoiled. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection. Infants, children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile.

Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled products and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention. Sick people should tell their doctors about the possible exposure to Salmonella bacteria because special tests are necessary to diagnose salmonellosis. Salmonella infection symptoms can mimic other illnesses, frequently leading to misdiagnosis.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Otherwise, healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that patients require hospitalization.

Older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, are more likely to develop a severe illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions.

Some people get infected without getting sick or showing any symptoms. However, they may still spread the infections to others.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared that an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to raw milk cheese from RAW FARM LLC is over.

The outbreak sickened nine people across three states — California, Texas and Florida. Three of the patients were hospitalized and one of them developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) which can cause kidney failure, brain damage and death. The patients became ill from Sept. 1, 2025 through Feb. 20, 2026. More than half of the patients were younger than 5.

Of seven people interviewed who knew a brand, all seven reported consuming RAW FARM-brand raw milk dairy products. In 2026, five people reported consuming or being served RAW FARM-brand raw cheddar cheese. In 2025, two sick people reported consuming RAW FARM-brand raw milk.  

The Food and Drug Administration first reported the outbreak on March 15 and requested RAW FARM LLC to recall its cheddar cheese products. The company refused to initiate a recall for three weeks, but finally did so after repeated requests from the FDA.

During the course of the outbreak investigation, the FDA and state agencies completed onsite inspections and collected samples from RAW FARM LLC’s farm and processing facilities. 

FDA collected and analyzed 19 samples of RAW FARM brand raw cheddar cheese products. One sample of RAW FARM-brand cheddar cheese tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. The FDA performed further testing and analysis through whole genome sequencing (WGS), or DNA fingerprinting. 

According to CDC, the strain of E. coli found in the cheese was related to sick people’s isolates from a different 2025 outbreak, that was not ongoing. CDC and states followed up to determine if there was any epidemiologic information that showed whether people in the 2025 outbreak consumed any RAW FARM-brand products.  

The raw cheddar cheese that tested positive for E. coli in relation to the earlier outbreak in 2025 was not shipped to stores and was not available for sale. There are no additional FDA or state samples pending analysis at this time. 

An outbreak of hepatitis A has spurred the FDA to issue a public alert about fresh-frozen blood clams imported from Ecuador and sold under the La Serranita brand.

The outbreak is under investigation by the New York State Department of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The first illness related to the clams was reported in July 2025, with the most recent case of hepatitis A being reported in February this year. The threat is ongoing because of the long shelf life of the frozen blood clams, which are also referred to as concha negra (black shell) shell meat.

The implicated clam meat was shipped to a New York dealer from a New Jersey dealer/importer and distributed within New York state. The product may have been further distributed.

Consumers can use the following label information to determine whether they have the implicated clams:

• La Serranita
• Concha Negra
• Shell Meat
• Fresh Frozen
• Net Weight 16 oz (454 g)

About hepatitis A infections
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable, liver infection caused by the Hepatitis A Virus (HAV). People can become infected by contaminated food, sick food handlers and person-to-person contact

Not everyone with hepatitis A has symptoms. Adults are more likely to have symptoms than children. If symptoms develop, they usually appear two to seven weeks, at an average of 28-30 days, after infection. Symptoms usually last less than two months, although some people can be ill for as long as six months.

If symptoms develop, they can include yellow skin or eyes, not wanting to eat, upset stomach throwing up, stomach pain, fever, dark urine or light-colored stools, diarrhea, joint pain, feeling tired.

Even if no symptoms are present people can still spread the infection. In addition, a person can transmit hepatitis A to others up to two weeks before symptoms appear.

The FDA needs to better communicate with state and local officials to improve food safety efforts, according to testimony heard by a House of Representatives subcommittee.

Steven Mandernach, executive director of the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), on Wednesday delivered the testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing “Healthier America: Legislative Proposals on the Regulation and Oversight of Food.” 

Before joining AFDO in 2018, Mandermach spent more than15 years in state government, most recently as Bureau Chief for Food and Consumer Safety at the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, where he oversaw the regulation of tens of thousands of food manufacturers and retail establishments. He has a law degree from Drake University Law School and has completed graduate coursework in food safety at Michigan State University. 

AFDO is a nonprofit association of food safety professionals across state, local, federal, tribal, territorial, academic, and industry sectors. Its members are the state and local regulatory agencies responsible for most day-to-day food safety oversight in the United States, including inspections, laboratory testing, outbreak response, and recall verification. The association was founded in 1896 — predating the country’s major food laws — when it advocated for a strong federal food safety system, including the founding of what became the Food and Drug Administration.

Mandernach told the subcommittee that the U.S. food safety system works because it is a shared effort between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and state and local agencies. However, red tape keeps the federal body from sharing key information with state and local entities, hampering safety efforts.

“States and FDA do not operate in parallel silos; they function as a connected system, relying on mutual trust, clear roles, and timely coordination,” Mandernach said. “When that partnership works well, the food safety system can respond quickly and effectively to emerging risks. When it does not, the consequences are felt by consumers, regulators and industry alike.”

The system also places unnecessary burdens on businesses, which are forced to respond to multiple, duplicative requests from different agencies.

Mandernach provided the subcommittee with bullet points to illustrate the breakdown of responsibilities between the federal government and state and local agencies:

• 100 percent of retail inspections at restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores are conducted by state and local inspectors;
• 100 percent of Grade A milk and shellfish inspections are conducted by states;
• More than 93 percent of produce safety inspections are conducted by states;
• Nearly 90 percent of the food processing inspections in the United States are conducted by state agencies;
• State laboratories conduct more than 600,000 analytical tests of food and food-related samples each year; 
• More than half of all foodborne illness outbreaks in this country are associated with retail food establishments, schools, and other institutions, and 100 percent of these food service providers and events are inspected by state and local governments; and
• States also conduct nearly all inspections of food manufacturers nationwide. That’s typically 400 percent more domestic manufactured food inspections a year than the FDA conducts.

“We do believe that the United States’ food safety system succeeds because it is a shared enterprise,” Mandernach told the subcommittee. “State and local agencies exercise substantial independent authority to conduct inspections, enforce food safety laws, respond to outbreaks, and oversee recalls within their jurisdictions, while working in coordination with FDA to support national standards, consistency, and shared public health goals. 

“But when timely, actionable information — especially product distribution information — is not shared during an outbreak, that partnership is strained. Delays in information sharing slow the removal of unsafe food from commerce, make it harder for state and local agencies and consumers to take action to prevent illnesses and deaths, and ultimately undermine confidence in the response.”

Mandernach said a positive action on the part of the FDA is the agency’s BRIDGE Project (Better Regulatory Inspections for Dynamic Government Efficiency), which is slated for national implementation by the end of 2030. The project is designed to respond to gaps in domestic inspection coverage and followup.

The project will integrate state programs into FDA’s domestic inspection strategy, increasing reliance on state capacity to carry out federal priorities. That reliance must be matched with sustained federal investment in training, staffing, and program support; without resources following responsibility, BRIDGE will be difficult to implement effectively or equitably across states, Mandernach told the subcommittee members.

Roadblocks to communication
Mandernach cited two examples where the FDA refused to share crucial information with states while asking them for help.

In one example, a state was asked by the FDA to follow up on a grocery store complaint that the federal agency had received. The complaint documentation was completely redacted except for the grocery store name and location. When the state asked for more information, the FDA responded simply with a lengthy explanation of why it couldn’t share anything further. 

In another example, a state was asked by the FDA to take enforcement action on a facility. The FDA frequently makes such mutual-reliance requests because states can often act more quickly under their own authority. However, in the documentation shared with the state, the FDA redacted the very things that were out of compliance, leaving the state with no evidence to act on.

“One consequence of this restrictive posture is that state partners may be forced to use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) processes to obtain routine inspection reports that were previously shared more directly, undermining real-time coordination and efficiency,” Mandernach said. “This restricted information-sharing also contributes to duplicative work, where federal and state inspectors unknowingly cover the same ground, and it increases the burden on industry by forcing repeated contacts and repeated requests for the same underlying information — challenges that will only intensify as federal-state inspection integration increases.

“Simply put, federal and state regulators have to be able to tell each other exactly what’s wrong in a food facility.”

Mandernach used two more examples to drive home his point about the importance of open sharing of information between the FDA and its state and local partners.

Lead-contaminated cinnamon applesauce
The 2023-2024 investigation into lead chromate contamination of cinnamon applesauce pouches for children showed how limitations on federal-state information sharing can complicate response during a rapidly evolving public health emergency. 

The investigation began when the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services identified elevated blood lead levels in young children and linked illnesses to a commonly consumed snack product. State investigators quickly shared laboratory findings showing extraordinarily high lead levels with FDA, triggering a public health advisory and recall of a widely distributed, shelf‑stable product intended for young children.

As the investigation expanded across jurisdictions, state and local agencies were responsible for identifying affected products at retail, verifying removal from commerce, and protecting consumers.

However, timely access to complete product distribution information was limited, making it difficult for states to determine where recalled products had been shipped or sold within their jurisdictions, particularly given the product’s long shelf life and distribution through secondary markets. 

“States stepped in to close critical information gaps, conducting their own investigations and engaging in direct peer‑to‑peer communication,” Mandernach said. “While this cooperation reflects the strength of the integrated food safety system, it also highlights how legal and operational barriers to information sharing can slow response, fragment efforts, and reduce efficiency during emergencies affecting vulnerable populations.”

Infant botulism outbreak traced to ByHeart infant formula
In late 2025 an uptick on infant botulism cases was detected by California public health officials. It was found that ByHeart brand infant formula was to blame and a recall was initiated.

Ultimately, the outbreak included 48 confirmed and probable cases of infant botulism across 17 states.

State and local agencies played a critical role in verifying product removal and protecting consumers at the point of sale. According to a real-time AFDO survey, states reported 1,986 recall effectiveness checks completed during the first week of the response, and 4,459 by the end of the third week, finding recalled infant formula still for sale in 7 percent of the retail locations they visited. During that same first week, FDA reported completing 21 recall checks.

“Despite this level of state activity, the overall response was constrained by limited access to key information,” Mandernach said. “FDA indicated that access to full retail distribution lists was limited to states operating under a 20.88 information-sharing agreement, which many states currently have, but few of the nearly 2,200 local agencies have. In practice, these agreements take time to negotiate and approve, are not intended to be initiated in the midst of an emergency, and do not scale efficiently for a nationwide response that requires rapid access by many jurisdictions at once.” 

The FDA suggested that states without the agreements conduct recall audit checks by visiting major retailers and reporting findings back, despite offering no information about where affected products were actually distributed. FDA also described developing a 20.91 memo to authorize sharing the retail distribution list to effectuate the recall, underscoring the need for workarounds due to current statutory constraints. 

“Notably, the very information FDA is constrained from sharing often originates with state agencies that gathered and first provided it to FDA,” Mandernach said.

“Taken together, these experiences underscore a central reality of today’s food safety system: state and local agencies are already carrying out the frontline work that protects consumers, and FDA is taking important steps through initiatives like BRIDGE to strengthen efficiency and coordination, but when information cannot move quickly and seamlessly across that partnership, it is ultimately consumers who remain at risk when the system cannot act as swiftly or effectively as public health demands.”

Horse meat was the likely source of an E. coli outbreak in Japan but investigators have been unable to identify the contamination route.

Nestlé has revealed the financial impact of the cereulide in infant formula incident.

According to Nestlé, the infant formula recall affected first quarter 2026 growth but product availability was now back to normal.

There should be wider recognition of the food safety burden caused by a type of Group B Streptococcus (GBS), according to scientists.

Food safety leaders from across industry, government and academia are set to gather in Norway this fall for the Aquatiq Food Forum, a two-day conference focused on risk, accountability and the future of global food systems.

The event, scheduled for Sept. 23 and 24 at the Clarion Hotel Oslo in Norway, will bring together experts to discuss topics ranging from pathogen control and regulatory changes to digitalization, sustainability and crisis preparedness.

Focus on accountability and leadership
Among the featured speakers is food safety attorney Bill Marler, founder of Marler Clark and publisher of Food Safety News, who is expected to address the consequences of foodborne illness outbreaks and the importance of corporate responsibility. His presentation, titled “Why It Is a Bad Idea to Poison Your Customers,” will draw on decades of legal experience representing victims of foodborne illness outbreaks.

Organizers say the forum is designed as a “leadership arena” for professionals seeking to strengthen food safety culture while adapting to a rapidly changing risk landscape. And that, “the importance of transparency, responsibility and learning from past incidents has never been greater.”

Regulation, technology and emerging risks
Sessions will include discussions on the European Union’s evolving regulatory framework, new packaging requirements, and the role of data and artificial intelligence in improving food safety outcomes. Speakers from major companies and organizations, including Nestlé, McDonald’s Nordic operations and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, are scheduled to present.

Other topics on the agenda include emergency preparedness in food systems, ethical decision-making in business operations, and technological innovation in food production, such as automated processing and vertical farming.

Collaboration across the supply chain
The conference will also emphasize collaboration across the food supply chain, with organizers highlighting the need for shared standards and stronger communication between industry and regulators.

Aquatiq officials say the event aims to provide practical insights while fostering dialogue among stakeholders facing increasing complexity in global food production.

Early registration discounts for the forum are available through April 30, with additional details and the full program released online.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has released two reports on food safety and called for a broader and more long-term view of investments.

The first report evaluates the return on investment (ROI) of food safety management systems (FSMS) and the second shares lessons from IFC-supported clients.

Ghirardelli has recalled certain powdered beverage mixes. The recall was initiated following a recall initiated by California Dairies Inc. because of a concern of potential Salmonella contamination in milk powder, which was supplied to a third-party manufacturer and used as an ingredient in powdered beverage mixes.

Neither Ghirardelli, its third-party manufacturer, nor the milk powder supplier have received reports of illness or injury related to this issue to date.

Ghirardelli has taken steps to identify affected powdered beverage mixes, which are in large packages intended for use by restaurants and other institutional customers, but could be available for purchase by consumers on e-commerce platforms. 

Ghirardelli has put a material share of impacted powdered beverage mixes on hold at its warehouse facilities and is working with its partners to return or dispose of potentially impacted powdered beverage mixes distributed to customers who have been informed of the recall. The company also alerted the FDA and has been in close contact with the agency.

For a list of products subject to recall, click here.

About Salmonella infections
Food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria does not usually look, smell, or taste spoiled. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection. Infants, children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile.

Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled products and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention. Sick people should tell their doctors about the possible exposure to Salmonella bacteria because special tests are necessary to diagnose salmonellosis. Salmonella infection symptoms can mimic other illnesses, frequently leading to misdiagnosis.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Otherwise, healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that patients require hospitalization.

Older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, are more likely to develop a severe illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions.

Some people get infected without getting sick or showing any symptoms. However, they may still spread the infections to others.

We did it with E. coli in hamburger. The sky didn’t fall. Here’s why we must do it again — and finish the job.

I have spent more than thirty years suing food companies on behalf of people who got sick — and died — from contaminated food. I started in 1993, representing Brianne Kiner, the most critically injured survivor of the Jack in the Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that changed American food safety forever. That disaster killed four children and hospitalized hundreds. It also, eventually, produced a precedent that has saved tens of thousands of lives. In 1994, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) did something bold: it declared E. coli O157:H7 an adulterant[1] in raw ground beef. Zero tolerance. No E. coli in hamburger. Period.

The meat industry howled. They said the sky would fall, that beef prices would skyrocket, that the rule was legally indefensible and practically impossible. None of that happened. From about 1993 to 2002, roughly 95 percent of my law firm’s revenue came from E. coli cases linked to hamburger. Today, it is near zero. The adulterant designation worked. Science, law, and industry ingenuity came together and made hamburger safer. It is one of the genuine success stories of American food safety regulation.

The Numbers Are Staggering — and They Haven’t Moved

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that Salmonella causes approximately 1.35 million illnesses, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year. Over 23 percent of those illnesses are attributed to poultry consumption — nearly 17 percent from chicken alone. Chicken is, right now, the single leading source of Salmonella illness in America. And the incidence of salmonellosis — at roughly 15.3 cases per 100,000 people — sits well above the CDC’s Healthy People 2030 target of 11.5 cases per 100,000. We have not made substantial progress in two decades. Two decades.

Think about that. 

 In 1994, FSIS declared E. coli O157:H7 an adulterant, and we bent the curve of foodborne illness. Today, despite decades of performance standards and HACCP requirements and industry pledges, Salmonella in chicken keeps hospitalizing and killing Americans at a rate we would never tolerate in any other context. There is no zero-tolerance standard. There is no adulterant designation for the serotypes of Salmonella that cause the most harm. A poultry processing plant can have up to 24 percent of its ground chicken test positive for Salmonella and still be following federal standards. In what universe is that acceptable?

The Petition: Following the E. coli Playbook

On January 19, 2020, Marler Clark filed a formal petition with USDA-FSIS on behalf of Rick Schiller, Steven Romes, the Porter family, Food & Water Watch, Consumer Federation of America, and Consumer Reports. The petition asked FSIS to declare 31 Salmonella serotypes — specifically the outbreak serotypes that scientific data and epidemiology have linked again and again, to illness, hospitalizations, recalls, and death — as per se adulterants in meat and poultry products.

Those serotypes include Salmonella Enteritidis, Typhimurium, Newport, Heidelberg, Infantis, Javiana, and 25 others with a documented track record of harming people. Each one has a demonstrable history associated with either a foodborne illness outbreak or a product recall. Each one is proven to be injurious to human health. 

We were not asking FSIS to invent new law. We were asking FSIS to do exactly what it did with E. coli in 1994 — and what it did again in 2012, when it expanded the adulterant designation to cover the “Big Six” non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains, after a petition from this firm.

The legal framework is clear and has been upheld in court. The Federal Meat Inspection Act gives FSIS the authority to declare substances adulterants through interpretive rule making — no notice-and-comment rule making required. The U.S. District Court upheld exactly this power when the beef industry sued to block the 1994 E. coli O157:H7 declaration. USDA won that case. The authority exists. It just needs to be used.

The E. coli Precedent: A Blueprint That Works

 The E. coli story is the best argument for declaring Salmonella an adulterant in chicken, and it comes from my own career. I have watched, over thirty years, what happens when the government takes a pathogen seriously enough to call it an adulterant. It happens in stages — and it works.

In 1994, Michael Taylor, then FSIS Administrator, had the courage to say that ground beef contaminated with E. coliO157:H7 is adulterated under the Federal Meat Inspection Act. The industry sued and lost. Testing programs followed. HACCP systems were overhauled. Cooking temperatures were revised — for restaurants, for consumers. Interventions were developed at slaughter. The whole system, over time, reoriented around the goal of keeping O157:H7 out of hamburger. By the mid-2000s, major E. coli outbreaks linked to ground beef had become rare.

Then, in 2009, Marler Clark petitioned FSIS again — this time to extend the adulterant designation to non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains. Non-O157 STECs were causing more illnesses than O157:H7 itself, and FSIS was doing nothing about them. We filed on behalf of three seriously injured victims and documented the science. FSIS resisted for years. Then, in 2012, they acted: six additional non-O157 strains — O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145 — were declared adulterants. The same industry warnings about economic catastrophe followed. And the same thing happened: the system adapted, illnesses declined, and the sky did not fall.

The adulterant designation is not a magic wand. It does not instantly eliminate a pathogen. What it does is force the industry to treat the pathogen as something that must not be in the final product, rather than something to be managed and tolerated at some acceptable level of contamination. That shift in framing — from “how much is too much” to “none” — is what drives real reductions in illness.

 The Chicken Industry’s Arguments Are Recycled — and Already Defeated

The National Chicken Council and its allies have raised the same objections to declaring Salmonella an adulterant that the beef industry raised about E. coli in 1994. I have heard them in regulatory comments, in press statements, and in courtroom arguments. Let me address them directly.

They say Salmonella is naturally occurring in chickens and therefore cannot be an “added substance” under the FMIA. The FMIA, however, has two adulteration standards: one for added substances and one for naturally occurring ones. The naturally occurring standard asks whether the substance, at the levels found, “ordinarily renders” the product injurious to health. When a Salmonella strain has caused documented outbreaks, hospitalizations, and deaths — when it is present in quantities sufficient to cause illness under normal handling and preparation conditions — the answer is yes. The USDA itself has repeatedly rejected the inherency argument, and its own court victory in the E. coli context was built on precisely this analysis.

They say consumers should just cook their chicken properly. But we already know that this approach has failed. The breaded stuffed raw chicken products that FSIS finally moved on in 2022 and 2023 — products like chicken Kiev and chicken cordon bleu — were linked to 14 outbreaks and approximately 200 illnesses since 1998, despite decades of labeling improvements and public education campaigns. Telling people to cook their food more carefully is not food safety policy. It is an excuse to do nothing.

They say the economics are prohibitive. They said that in 1994, too. As USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Sandra Eskin noted, the scientific and economic arguments being made against a Salmonella adulterant designation today are “exactly the same language that was used in 1994 when FSIS declared O157 an adulterant.” The sky was going to fall. Meat prices were going to skyrocket. None of it happened. The National Chicken Council does not exist to protect public health. It exists to protect the poultry industry. Those are different missions.

A Baby Step Is Not Enough

I was pleased when FSIS, in August 2022, proposed to declare Salmonella an adulterant in breaded stuffed raw chicken products and then finalized the determination in April 2024. I said at the time: it is a baby step, but it is a step. I meant it. After years of inaction, movement matters. 

And, the current Administration killed it.

But even if it had not, breaded stuffed chicken products represents a tiny fraction of the chicken Americans eat. They account for a small slice of the 1.35 million annual Salmonella illnesses. 

The FSIS petition we filed in January 2020 was not an all-or-nothing demand for perfection. It was a carefully documented, serotype-specific request grounded in outbreak data and legal precedent. It named 31 Salmonella serotypes. FSIS, in its response, addressed three. The agency offered a “laundry list of reasons not to regulate,” in the words of our subsequent filings, without engaging the merits of the other 28 serotypes. That is not a response. That is a delay.

Five Salmonella serotypes alone account for 60 percent of illnesses linked to USDA-regulated products, according to FSIS’s own data. Five serotypes. Sixty percent of the harm. And FSIS has not declared a single one of them an adulterant in raw chicken.

The Faces Behind the Numbers

I do not litigate abstractions. I represent people. People like Amanda Craten, whose 18-month-old son was seriously injured and permanently disabled after eating Salmonella-contaminated chicken. Like Rick Schiller, Steven Romes, and the Porter family — the petitioners who put their names on our 2020 FSIS filing because they believe no one else should go through what they went through.

When I sued Jack in the Box in 1993 on behalf of Brianne Kiner, food safety was not a concept that most Americans associated with a fast-food hamburger. It is now. That change came because government, industry, advocates, and lawyers forced a reckoning with what was in the food. We need that same reckoning with chicken and Salmonella. It is long overdue.

The Ask Is Simple

FSIS has the legal authority to declare outbreak-linked Salmonella serotypes adulterants in chicken right now. It does not need new legislation. It does not need years of additional study. The science is there. The epidemiology is there. The legal precedent — upheld in federal court, extended by FSIS itself in 2012 — is there.

Anything that can poison or kill a person, like Salmonella in chicken, should be an adulterant. FSIS has the authority. It just needs to use it.

The E. coli story proves the model works. The Salmonella story proves that without it, nothing changes. One and a half million Americans get sick every year. Four hundred and twenty die. 

The numbers have not moved in twenty years.

Get the S*%! out of chicken. FSIS — finish the job.

Bill Marler is the managing partner of Marler Clark, Inc., PS the nation’s leading food safety law firm. He began litigating foodborne illness cases in 1993 when he represented Brianne Kiner, the most seriously injured survivor of the Jack in the Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. Marler Clark filed petitions with USDA-FSIS to declare non-O157 STECs as adulterants (2009, granted 2012) and to declare 31 Salmonella outbreak serotypes as adulterants in meat and poultry (January 19, 2020, denied without prejudice). Marler is also the publisher of Food Safety News.

[1] The Federal Meat Inspection Act’s (FMIA's) definition of "adulterated" is broad and covers harmful substances, unsanitary conditions, diseased animals, and improper additives or packaging.

A multi-country outbreak of Salmonella has sickened nearly 50 people with suspicions again falling on sprout seeds from Italy.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the outbreak is affecting at least six European countries and the United Kingdom.

Ireland, Finland and the UK have reported 48 patients infected with genetically closely related bacterial isolates of Salmonella Bovismorbificans from January to April 2026.

All cases are adults and the majority are female. At least five people have been hospitalized.

First report from Finland
Patients have no recorded travel history and outbreak investigations in all three countries point to the consumption of sprouted seeds of different sorts.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto) previously reported 32 people were sick in Finland. The average age of patients was 45 and the range was 17 to 77 years old. In total, 23 patients were women.

In the UK and Ireland, specific batches of Good4U Super Sprouts Super Greens were recalled because of Salmonella. The affected sprouts come in a 60-gram packs with dates of April 22, 26, 29 and 30 as well as May 3, 2026.

A total of 15 infections have been identified in England and Wales since January 2026.

Amy Douglas, lead epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “We are working closely with public health agencies to investigate an international Salmonella outbreak which has been linked to consumption of sprouted seeds.

"Investigations into the source of the contamination are ongoing, however the risk to the UK public is low given a voluntary recall has been initiated for the affected product. If you have bought the recalled product, please do not eat it. If you have handled the recalled sprouted seeds you should wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water and clean any contaminated kitchen utensils."

Four other countries have identified 10 cases with closely related isolates of Salmonella Bovismorbificans in the same period and another country reported a slight increase in infections with this Salmonella serotype. Food and travel exposures are not yet available with investigations ongoing.

According to a Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) alert, the suspected sources are alfalfa seeds, clover seeds, broccoli seeds and radish seeds from Italy.

Past problems
A Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG Sante) audit in May and June 2025 in Italy found sprouted seeds being produced by unregistered companies and a lack of enforcement by authorities.

In response to the findings, Italian officials said more detail would be included in regional databases on the activities performed by operators, with specific reference to seed producers. This would help improve the planning of risk-based controls.

From 2023 to 2025, a major outbreak linked to sprouted seeds had 509 confirmed cases in 10 countries. The focus was North Europe with 94 cases in Finland, 110 in Sweden, and 257 in Norway. The incident involved eight Salmonella serotypes but not Salmonella Bovismorbificans.

Epidemiological investigations, including whole genome sequencing and food tracing, pointed to a supplier in Italy which sourced seeds from three growers in the same region.

Two members of the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced bipartisan legislation to allow the Food and Drug Administration to share food safety information with states.

Representatives Deborah Ross, D-NC, and Rep. Michael Rulli, R-OH, say they introduced the Federal and State Food Safety Information Sharing Act of 2026 to help keep Americans safe from food contamination and foodborne illnesses. 

A Salmonella outbreak has been reported in Denmark with eight young people sick so far.

Since January 2026, the Statens Serum Institut (SSI) has recorded eight cases of Salmonella Stanley.

SSI, the Danish Veterinary, Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Agency, and the National Food Institute are investigating the outbreak. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration merged with the Danish Agricultural and Fisheries Agency in January 2026.

Patients are seven males and one female. They are between 5 and 22 years old with a median age of 11.5.

Three cases live in Sjælland, Midtjylland and Nordjylland both have two, and one person is sick in Syddanmark.

SSI is responsible for the analysis of isolates from patients and case interviews to try and identify a possible source of infection.

Whole genome sequencing of the bacteria isolated from patients shows they are closely genetically related, and all belong to sequence type 2045. This means it is likely that there is a common source of infection.

In 2024, 10 Salmonella outbreaks were reported in Denmark. There were 1,266 infections, up from 1,207 in 2023. This includes 33 Salmonella Stanley patients with almost two-thirds affected abroad.

About Salmonella infections
Food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria does not usually look, smell, or taste spoiled. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection. Infants, children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile.

Anyone who has developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention. Sick people should tell their doctors about the possible exposure to Salmonella bacteria because special tests are necessary to diagnose salmonellosis. Salmonella infection symptoms can mimic other illnesses, frequently leading to misdiagnosis.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Otherwise healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that patients require hospitalization.

Older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, are more likely to develop a severe illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions. Some people are infected with Salmonella without getting sick or showing any symptoms. However, they may still spread the infections to others.

We R Nuts of Port Washington, NY, is recalling Uncle Giuseppe’s branded 11-ounce containers of milk chocolate bridge mix, because it may contain undeclared milk, soy and cashews. 

People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk, soy and cashews run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.

The bridge mix was distributed in New York and New Jersey though Uncle Giuseppes retail stores

The recalled products are packaged in clear rectangular 11-ounce tamper resistant plastic containers. The sell by dates, located at the top left corner of the label range from Sept. 4 to Nov. 6. All packages state that they were Distributed by We R Nuts at the bottom of the label.

The recall was initiated after a discrepancy in the label’s ingredient list was discovered during an inspection of the facility’s products. Once We R Nuts management was made aware of the allergens missing from our ingredient label, we started a formal recall.

No injuries or illness have been reported by this recall to date.

Backyard poultry flocks are infecting people with antibiotic resistant Salmonella, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of April 13, there have been 34 confirmed patients infected with the outbreak strain on Salmonella Saintpaul. The patients are spread across 13 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from Feb. 26 to March 31. Of 27 people with information available, 13 have been hospitalized, meaning the outbreak strain is particularly virulent.

There are likely many more sick people in the outbreak because some people do not seek medical attention and others are not specifically tested for Salmonella infection, which can mimic other diseases. The CDC estimates that for every confirmed patient in a Salmonella outbreak there are 29 who go undetected.

The patients in this outbreak range in age from younger than 1 to 78 years old. Almost half, 41 percent, of the patients are children younger than 5 years old.

Public health investigators are interviewing sick people about the animals they came into contact with during the week before they became ill. Of 23 interviewed so far, 23 reported contact with backyard poultry.

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) from patient samples show that the strain of Salmonella involved in the outbreak is closely related. This suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from contact with the same type of animal.

Investigators in Ohio collected samples from backyard poultry. WGS showed that the Salmonella Saintpaul found in these samples were the same strain as those found in sick people.

Based on WGS analysis, bacteria from 34 people's samples predicted resistance to fosfomycin. Of these, eight patients’ samples also predicted resistance to one or more of the following antibiotics: chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfisoxazole, and tetracycline.

Salmonella outbreaks from backyard poultry flocks have become an annual hazard, with some outbreaks sickening more than 1,000 people. An outbreak in 2025 sickened 559 people, killing two.

Salmonella outbreaks traced to backyard poultry2025

Salmonella Outbreaks Linked to Backyard Poultry

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Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Backyard Poultry -May 2024

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Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Backyard Poultry - May 2023

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Backyard Poultry - Salmonella

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Backyard Poultry - Salmonella

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Backyard Poultry - Salmonella

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Backyard Poultry - Salmonella

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Poultry at Poultry Slaughter Plants - PsittacosisBackyard Poultry - Salmonella

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Backyard Poultry - Salmonella

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Backyard Poultry - Salmonella

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Backyard Poultry - Salmonella

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Backyard Poultry - Salmonella2013 Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Live Poultry

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Chicks and Ducklings - Salmonella

By Sarah Sorscher, Director of Regulatory Affairs for the Center for Science in the Public Interest

If you’ve ever picked a shiny red apple off a tree and turned it over to find it crawling with juicy worms, you know how safety advocates felt when Rep. Kat Cammack, R-FL, published a draft bill, entitled the “FRESH Act” promising “FDA Review and Evaluation of Safe, Healthy, and Affordable Foods.”  

While promising to strengthen food safety, the bill has two big rotten worms at its core: provisions that would broadly block state food safety policies while weakening current FDA authority over premarket safety review for substances used in foods. 

The bill contains industry-backed preemption provisions that would broadly wipe out state protections “related to the use, labeling, sale, or marketing” of food or dietary supplements. This effort squarely targets recent progress on food policy in the states, which includes new bans on harmful chemicals, requirements for heavy metal testing, restrictions on the sale of harmful dietary supplements to children, and new allergen and nutrition menu disclosures. This extreme preemption language will hurt consumers but serves as a major win for big food companies, which last year launched a multimillion dollar effort to broadly preempt state safety and labeling laws. 

The version of preemption in the FRESH Act would be catastrophic for food safety, much of which is regulated by states and local health and agriculture agencies. Congress and FDA have so far failed to deliver meaningful chemical safety reform, leading state legislators to take up the slack. For example, in recent days, the New York legislature passed a bill that would require notification and scientific substantiation for claims now shielded by the federal GRAS loophole.

The FRESH Act doesn't close the GRAS loophole, it replaces GRAS with astro-turf. Contrary to its title, the bill would not require FDA premarket review of new food chemicals. In fact, it would make permanent, and even widen in some ways, the current loophole in federal law that allows food companies to introduce new food substances without submitting safety data for FDA review.  

The bill does this by forcing the FDA to rubber stamp decisions made in secret by review panels paid by the food industry. One of those industry panels would be the Flavor Extract Manufacturers Association, an industry-funded group named specifically in the bill. FDA will have only limited oversight over these industry panels, a vague accreditation authority not fully clarified in the current draft of the bill.  

American consumers broadly support strengthening food chemical safety laws and would welcome meaningful solutions. But this bill’s core provisions don’t make us safer. Instead, they weaken FDA oversight over new food chemicals and preempt state law, undermining consumer protections. 

There is something deeply rotten about a bill that promises to put FDA in charge of “review and evaluation” of safe food but hands the real safety decisions over to the food industry.  

Combine that with blocking states, counties and cities from carrying out their historic role in protecting the health of their own citizens, and this policy really starts to stink.

A restaurant in an Australian state has been fined for failures that contributed to a foodborne outbreak.

Consumer complaints about illness after dining at the restaurant in 2023 prompted an inspection by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) compliance officers who found poor conditions, including unclean floors, fixtures, fittings and surfaces, rodent excrement, uncovered food and inadequate sanitizing methods.