Salmonella Outbreak Victims Unite: $6.8 Million Lawsuit Makes History

On June 2, 2014 a court decision shocked the nation as one of the largest egg manufacturers in the U.S. was charged with almost $7 million in fines for their responsibility in a nationwide salmonella breakout in 2010. The owner and chief operating officer of Quality Egg LLC, 79 year old Austin DeCoster and his son, 50-year-old Peter DeCoster, are charged with knowingly selling unapproved food to commercial businesses. The act earned them each a misdemeanor. Both DeCosters were charged $100,000 fines, each, and may be convicted for up to a year in prison.

Safety First: Combating Salmonella One Test at a Time

Food contaminants are wide spread concerns which affect the health and safety of millions of Americans annually. Whether food is mishandled at the manufacturing level or unclean conditions between the factory and home are involved, the outcome can be minor to severe, depending on the actual cause of the contamination.

Microbial Food Trends

Every year seems to end with its own share of food-related scares and scandals. And 2013 made its own mark on both ends. With the recent and ongoing bacteria-laced scares, as well as the European-based horse meat scandal, Americans have spoken out and expressed their unwillingness to take anymore. It’s about time. As such, food trends for 2014 focus more on microbial testing and elimination of specific pathogen-based contaminants.

Another Salmonella Outbreak Courtesy of Foster Farms

If you've watched or read the news lately, you’re likely familiar with the name Foster Farms. The California-based business is famed for its farm-raised poultry… and salmonella scares, of course. Since March, 2013, the company has been blast beaten with continual health-related infestations (obviously they’re unfamiliar with microbiological testing). But it seemed as though the salmonella situation was contained… until it wasn’t.

Eat Safely: 10 Ways to Know If Food Has Spoiled

Although the five human senses cannot always detect food spoilage, there are a few easy ways to know whether or not food is still consumable. If you have ever doubted the quality of food, whether inside your fridge or on the store shelf, you need to know how to tell if food has spoiled. Here are the top 10 ways to know whether or not food has gone bad:

Cooking Chicken? Safeguard Against Salmonella

A recent outbreak of salmonella linked to Foster Farms chicken, discovered in October, has resulted in more than 300 people becoming ill across the country. This alarming incident has spurred calls for people to be extra careful when handling and preparing the raw chicken they purchase in order to minimize the risk of infection.