An unlikely pairing of food sellers are in the news today for questions surrounding the quality of the products they're serving to New Yorkers. Local Whole Foods Markets joined in the voluntary recall of ground beef that was sold during the last two months by the high end grocer. Almost fifty people have fallen ill from potential E. coli contamination. Meanwhile foodies are also out of luck if they're looking for snacks at the......

When salmonella first ruined the tomatoes, some carnivores laughed at the distraught vegetable lovers; now an E. coli outbreak has prompted a nationwide beef recall, and the only ones left to laugh are the breatharians. 530,000 pounds of beef have been pulled from supermarkets nationwide; over 40 people may have been sickened in Michigan and Ohio by contaminated beef sold by the Kroger chain. Symptoms to watch out for at tomorrow’s barbecues include stomach cramps......

The California based Westland/Hallmark Meat Company is recalling all its raw and frozen beef products distributed since Feb. 1, 2006 – a total of 143 million pounds of ground beef. The largest beef recall in history was announced after an undercover Humane Society video showed workers kicking sick cows, jabbing them in the eyes and using forklifts to force them to walk to slaughter. (See the video here.) Federal regulations require meat companies to keep......

Yesterday we pointed out WCBS tip-sheet that reminded vacationers that the beach is a deadly minefield of hazards, potentially littered with actual explosives. Now, local ABC affiliate WABC has a piece pointing out the dangers of Memorial Day grilling. Salmonella, e. coli bacteria, and other causes of food poisoning tend to proliferate when people get relaxed about cooking cleanliness while grilling. The CDC reports that food-poisoning illnesses necessitate 300,000 hospitalizations a year and cause 5,000......

You know what's awesome in high definition TV? Seeing images of huge, fat rats run around a fast food restaurant in the Village! WABC, WCBS, and WNBC descended on a Taco Bell-KFC location on Sixth Avenue at 4th Street. The restaurant had been open until 11PM last night, and someone called in a tip when they saw rats running around. While people have seen rats in restaurants, they probably haven't seen something that looked......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a stabbing on East 17th Street, a pedestrian struck by auto in Borough Park, and a police-involved shooting in East Flatbush. A "greedy fisherman" faces up to four years in the clink for lifting "872 pounds of striped bass, 32 pounds of fluke and numerous crabs" out of the heavily contaminated waters off the coast of Rockaway Beach in Queens. Attention local gourmands: an upscale French bistro has opened......

It seems that the e. coli that's been hanging out at a few New Jersey Taco Bells this week has joined the bridge and tunnel crowd, making its way over to New York. At least 14 people in Suffolk and Nassau Counties in Long Island are being treated for the infection, bringing the New Jersey/New York total to at least 39. While there is no definite link between the incidents in both states, eight Taco......

Patrons at the South Plainfield, NJ Taco Bell may be in for more than just a gordita these days. The AP reports that almost 20 people in the Central Jersey town have become infected with e. coli, a common bacteria associated with mild illnesses like traveler's diarrhea as well as the deadly hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a condition that can lead to kidney failure. Most of the victims are under the age of 18,......

Since the e. coli scare began, our spinach and leafy green consumption has gone from zero servings a day to, well, zero servings a day. But our more herbivorous readers may be sad to see that officials still haven't found how a bacteria that normally romps around our bowels made its way to our favorite iron-filled flora. The Times reports that the outbreak of the past few weeks, which may have killed as many as......

Remy Stern, New Yorkish...