Food Illness Archive

Pet Turtles, Salmonella and the Ban No One Knows About

October 30th, 2009. By Hunter West

Hey, they're not as cute but at least they don't come with salmonellaThere’s a ban on small pet turtles? 

Really? 

Okay, so the ban is only on pet turtles less than four inches in diameter. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enacted the ban after reports surfaced that children were putting the cute little things in their mouths. However, it wasn’t a choking hazard that seemed to drive the ban. 

No, it was the fact that children became sick after coming into contact with their pet turtle in such an intimate fashion. 

Sick with salmonella from turtles.  

Turtles carry salmonella, it seems—originating in their feces, according to a recent MSNBC report. So children, by placing the baby turtles in their mouths, were coming into direct contact with salmonella. 

So they were banned 34 years ago. 

Just the small ones, mind you. In 1975.

Oh, you didn’t know either? Join the club. Few consumers know about the ban—and fewer vendors appear to be enforcing the ban, or complying with it. According to MSNBC small turtles

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10 High-Risk Foods…most right in your Produce Aisle

October 6th, 2009. By AbiK

Say it isn’t so! But alas, there’s a new study that’s been released by the Center for Science in the Public Interest—a nutrition advocacy group. According to the study, which reviewed data of foodborne illness outbreaks going back to 1990, the top 10 riskiest foods were responsible for more than 1,500 outbreaks, resulting in close to 50,000 reported illnesses. As CNNMoney.com reports today, the study lists these 10 foods as the riskiest in terms of foodborne illness outbreaks:Spinach: risking the bad to get the good

  1. Leafy Greens
  2. Eggs
  3. Tuna
  4. Oysters
  5. Potatoes
  6. Cheese
  7. Ice Cream**
  8. Tomatoes
  9. Sprouts
  10. Berries

The top culprits for foodborne illness are pathogens such as E.coli, Norovirus and Salmonella—resulting from food being either improperly washed, undercooked or not refrigerated properly.

**A bit surprised by this one? The culprit’s the eggs that are used—they may be undercooked, resulting in Salmonella contamination.

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