The severity of the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to raw cheddar cheese from Raw Farm LLC continues to grow. Out of nine cases so far, more than half are in children younger than 5 years old. Although the FDA has reported that raw milk cheese from Raw Farm dairy is the most likely source of the bacteria, the company has refused to recall its product.Mexican authorities and U.S. regulators are committed to ensuring the safety of fresh and minimally processed foods as food-related trade between the two countries grows. Administrators from Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), through the National Service for Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA), and the Federal Commission for the Protection Against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS), renewed their collaboration with the FDA under the Food Safety Partnership. The initiative aims to prevent contamination in agricultural products traded between both countries through technical cooperation, traceability and preventive practices.In England, the Food Standards Agency estimates that there are 300,000 cases of foodborne Campylobacter a year with a societal and economic cost of £716 million ($959 million), compared to 32,000 foodborne Salmonella cases with an estimated burden of £212 million ($284 million). The agency identified multiple, interdependent drivers of the contamination including the expanded use of PCR testing, which may have enhanced case detection; increased imports of poultry and eggs, potentially introducing higher risk products; and travel-related exposures, particularly for Salmonella in Turkey and Spain.Food safety scientist Huub Lelieveld, from the Netherlands, has been named the 2026 World Food Prize Laureate for his efforts to build international consensus on food standards and facilitate the safe flow of trade. Lelieveld established the Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI), an organization that connects more than 1,600 volunteer experts across countries to advance science-based food safety and reduce barriers to the safe and efficient distribution of food.Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claimed that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has closed the “GRAS loophole” during a podcast, according to the New York Times. GRAS stands for “generally recognized as safe.” The process allows food companies to self-affirm the safety of additives and other substances without a review by the FDA. A 2013 Pew Charitable Trusts study estimated that 3,000 GRAS substances have evaded FDA review.
Today’s topic: Adulterants
From the time food safety became a science to the modern era, the word “adulterant” is used whenever the talk turns serious.
An adulterant is a substance that is discreetly added to another substance, posing a risk to safety or effectiveness. The history of food adulteration includes actions motivated by efforts to reduce costs or to overcome production difficulties.