Land

Ohio tries to prevent foodborne Illnesses

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Nearly a quarter of foodborne illnesses in the United States are cause by fresh produce, according to Ohio State University researchers. Research shows that leafy greens and sprouts cause the most illnesses, said Sarah Klein, senior attorney in Food Safety Program at the Center of Science and Public Interest in Washington D.C. Leafy greens and sprouts cause the most illnesses. She explained that leafy greens are grown in soil where manure can be used and it is fertilized with irrigation water. Sprouts can carry bacteria in their seed. Sprouts are normally grown in warm and moist conditions that cause the bacteria to grow.

Echo

Examining food security in Detroit, Lansing

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Last week, the Michigan-based retailer, Meijer, opened its first Detroit location. MSU associate professor of sociology Craig Harris, an expert in the sociology of food, discusses food security in Detroit and in mid-Michigan.

Land

New website posts food safety inspection reports

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The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has a lunched an online system that enables consumers to easily access inspection results from more than 19,000 groceries and other retail food establishments. MiSafe gives consumers access to inspection results for grocery and convenience stores, including violations since September 2011.

Land

Foodborne illnesses cost billions

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Americans spend $152 billion for medical and pain and suffering costs related to foodborne illnesses.

Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan rank in the top 10 states for the number of cases and money spent on them.

Nationwide there are 76 million cases a year resulting in 300,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.

Land

Rising threat of food-borne illness lurks in packages of leafy greens

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(IL) Chicago Tribune – A growing threat for food-borne illnesses comes attractively packaged, is stunningly convenient and is increasingly popular with shoppers looking for healthy meals: ready-to-eat leafy greens that make putting together a green salad as easy as opening a bag. Though beef and poultry are a more frequent source of food-related outbreaks than produce, the number of outbreaks tied to lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens, whether fresh-cut or whole, has been rising over the last two decades, according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. On Tuesday, researchers with the group called leafy greens the riskiest food regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, with 363 outbreaks linked to those foods from 1990 to 2006. (Meat is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.) More

Echo

Midland’s main drag to become farm market on summer nights

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(MI) Bay City Times – Downtown Midland will become a Farmers Market from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday evenings in July and August. Main will close to through-traffic from Rodd to Townsend to allow farmers to sell produce from the backs of their vehicles in the angled parking spaces. More