StateFoodSafety Resources

Last month, consumers in Taiwan were shocked by a massive recall of lard oil and products made with lard oil, including a variety of pastries and prepackaged foods. As it turns out, the lard oil in these products may have been contaminated with “gutter oil”—substandard cooking oil gathered from sources like kitchen and slaughterhouse waste. […]

Written by Dr. Lee-Ann Jaykus, Scientific Director for the NoroCORE, and Dr. Liz Bradshaw The human norovirus (from here on called simply “norovirus”) is the most common cause of foodborne illness in the US. Most of us have heard of it as the “stomach flu,” and people with the virus usually get better after a […]

“Gluten-free” has become a food marketing buzzword in the last few years, and restaurants and grocery stores offer an increasing variety of gluten-free food options on their menus and shelves. For those who suffer from celiac disease, a gluten-free diet is a necessity to stay healthy. That’s because when a person with celiac disease eats […]

All of us know that we need to wash our hands regularly to keep germs at bay. But do we ever stop to think about cleaning our cell phones? According to Seattle Times journalist Bobby Caina Calvan, your phone is covered in germs: 25,127 bacteria per square inch, to be precise. This makes cell phones […]

You wouldn’t want to prepare a meal with bugs crawling on your hands, so why would you skip the soap and water? In this first-ever Food Safety Talkabout, StateFoodSafety took to the streets to ask people questions about the single most important hygiene habit—proper hand washing. There is no more essential habit for you to […]