On August 20, McDonald’s was compelled to shut down four of its Moscow restaurants amid reports of alleged food safety violations. The Rospotrebnadzor agency, a Russian watchdog organization, ordered the closures, claiming it identified several breaches of food safety certification at four separate chains. The closings include the first McDonald’s location to be opened in Russia, near Pushkin Square, which is the largest in the country, as well as one near the Kremlin. In total, the international chain has over 400 outlets in Russia, and has been in operation across the country for the past 24 years. Serious Charges Rospotrebnadzor has.. READ MORE »
Toronto’s Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is known for its wacky “franken-foods” – enthusiasts come from far and wide to enjoy the latest deep-fried and fast food creations. But last year, things went too far when more than 200 fairgoers were sickened by contaminated cronut burgers. It was revealed that the distributors of the much-anticipated treat failed to follow basic food safety training protocols, which resulted in the growth of staphylococcus aureus, a well-known food borne offender. Toronto Public Health said the cause of the contamination was likely poor refrigeration. The burger was later voluntarily pulled off the menu of all.. READ MORE »
Many people don’t realize that through cross-contamination, even vegetarians can contract food poisoning from animal-carried pathogens – as was the case with Listeria-tainted Sweet 2 Eat products.
Jack Decoster, the Iowa “Chicken King” faces felony charges in connection with the 2010 salmonella outbreak that sickened almost 2000 people and forced the recall of 500 million eggs. DeCoster and his son, Peter, have been indicted with fraud for misbranding eggs, and with the attempted bribery of a USDA official.
Is fresher always better? Advocates of the increasingly popular agri-food movement tell us to buy organic, protest GMOs, and always favour the least processed foods. All of this certainly sounds healthy – that is until you look closer at the science, which when it comes to raw milk, doesn’t always favour the farm-to-table theorists. What the science says Anyone who’s taken a food safety course will confirm that raw milk contains seriously harmful bacteria. Science-based evidence has revealed that unpasteurized milk plays host to an array of well-known invaders, such as Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, and Campylobactor. These germs have.. READ MORE »
Forensic lab tests conducted by Natural News health advocate Mike Adams reveal that many of our trusted health foods are actually toxic. Select rice protein powders, gingko biloba supplements and cacao powder were all found to contain poisonous levels of lead, cadmium and tungsten – heavy metals that cause cancer, heart disease and impaired brain function.
Anyone who has experienced a bout of food poisoning thinks twice about where they eat out. They peek into kitchens, scan dining rooms for cleanliness, scrutinize how often food handlers wash their hands… But, the reality is that danger often lurks behind closed doors and from a consumer perspective, it can be difficult to see the contamination coming. According to Health Canada, up to 4 million people suffer from foodborne illnesses every year. A recent CBC Marketplace investigation looked at some of Canada’s most popular restaurant chains, examining just how careful the professionals are when it comes to protecting the.. READ MORE »
The safety debate over food colouring is nothing new. Most of us recall the recent Kraft dinner debacle that resulted in a widespread crusade against the retailer’s use of yellow dye #5 – the chemical that puts the neon in the noodles. Clinical research has linked the dye, otherwise known as tartrazine to numerous health problems, including migraines, anxiety, blurred vision, and hyperactivity in children. Tartrazine is considered to be the most allergenic of the dyes – and consumers have learned to avoid its telltale yellow glow. But now, recent tests have focused scrutiny on a new potentially dangerous colourant… READ MORE »
Most of us can relate to food label confusion. We’re already overwhelmed with the sheer number of options staring out from overstuffed grocery store shelves – and the chorus of instructions in our heads to watch out for gluten, dairy, soy, this fat, that sugar, and to quickly calculate how one serving would translate into amounts a real person actually eats…it’s exhausting. For the most part, consumers just end up giving in, throwing the can in the cart and moving on. It’s no wonder North America is plagued by epidemics of obesity, diabetes and general malnutrition – no one really.. READ MORE »
Contaminated carts, sweaty eggs, bacterial citrus – these aren’t concerns most shoppers have when blazing down supermarket aisles, eagerly checking items off their lists. But according to food safety certification expert Peter DeLucia (who was recently featured on the Dr. Oz show), we need to be much more proactive when it comes to protecting ourselves from grocery store grime. To better inform consumers, the New York World created an interactive map of the city, where users can search specific stores in their neighbourhood to check for violations. The results are eye-opening. Torontonians are urged to check their favourite market on.. READ MORE »