Results tagged “fda”

This is such great news: the Kellogg company says that Cocoa Krispies builds your immunity! Who needs a flu shot when you can just eat Rice Krispies Treats? And not only can the sugary cereal save your life, but this news could also help bring back the school bake sale.

Forget about swine flu, the kids at Dalton are suffering from shortness. The fancy pants Upper East Side school is filled with boys battling the problem. The cause: being a child. The cure: parents armed with growth hormones. The NY Post reports on a few of the kids — one, Jeffrey, went on the Humatrope hormone at age 10. In just five years he shot up from 4'1" to 5'7" ... and still has hopes of growing more. One expert told the paper the designer drug is like "Miracle-Gro for kids."

The F.D.A. has filed a complaint seeking an injunction against Williamsburg-based Peregrina Cheese in an attempt to stop the company from manufacturing and distributing food until further action is taken by the court. During visits this year, investigators reported filthy conditions at the factory, including standing water in food processing equipment and a dead rodent. More troubling was the the detection of Listeria bacteria in a sample of the cheese products and throughout the factory. According to the Listeria Blog, Listeria monocytogenes is a potentially fatal foodborne pathogen that can cause meningitis, septicemia, and other serious illnesses. The F.D.A. says the company's owners, Javier Peregrina and his wife Isabel, have failed to correct numerous violations cited as far back as 2004. (In March the F.D.A. ordered a recall on Peregrina's Queso Fresco Fresh Cheese after contaminants were found.) No illnesses have been documented from consumers who ate Peregrina cheese, which produces several Mexican-style cheeses. But according to the F.D.A., the bacteria collected by inspectors in 2004 is the same strain of Listeria found this year, which suggests "that the strain has formed a niche at Peregrina Cheese's facility...for at least five years."

Raw cookie dough is soooo yummy, but some people with weak immune systems have gotten E. coli poisoning from it, and now we all have to suffer because Nestle is recalling their Toll House cookie dough products, even though some 66 reported illnesses haven't been linked directly to Toll House. The voluntary recall includes refrigerated cookie bar dough, cookie dough tub, cookie dough tubes, seasonal cookie dough and—it gets worse—Ultimates cookie bar dough! We don't know what that is, but it's the Ultimates so we want it in our mouth holes. The Toll House products do have warnings on their packaging about the dangers of raw dough, but with the FDA and CDC now investigating the E. coli/cookie dough connection, the company decided it would be best to just take it out of harm's way, like we're irresponsible children who'll eat whatever's in front of us. And in other corporate food product news, Pizza Hut execs would like you to start calling their company "The Hut," which they think "ties in nicely with (today's) texting generation." cu@hut l8r?

In addition to sorting out the emerging swine flu crisis, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control are today warning the public not to eat raw alfalfa sprouts (and sprout blends containing alfalfa), after determining that 31 incidents of illness across six states were linked to sprouts contaminated with Salmonella Saintpaul. This is the same kind of salmonella related to some 1300 cases of fresh produce-related foodborne illness last year. So far New York is not among the mostly Midwestern states reporting salmonella infection; the FDA and CDC have issued a general advisory, however, “because suspect lots of seeds may be sold around the country and may account for a large proportion of the alfalfa seeds currently being used by sprout growers.” More information can be found in the FDA’s news release. In the meantime, cook your sprouts thoroughly.

A month after a federal judge ruled that the Food and Drug Administration must give access to morning-after pill Plan B to 17-year-olds without a prescription, the FDA has done just that and lowered the age for the contraceptive to 17. U.S. District Judge Edward Korman had pointed out, "The record shows that FDA officials and staff both agreed that 17-year-olds can use Plan B safely without a prescription," but said the agency restricted access during the Bush years for political reasons. Now women, 17 and over, can go to pharmacies, show proof of age, and ask for and receive Plan B. The NY Times reports that while advocates have hoped the pill would help slash the teen pregnancy rate and critics have said it would lead to more abortions and unprotected sex, there's no evidence that either has happened. Princeton's Office of Population Research director Dr. James Trussell tells the Times, "This is not going to be a cheap cure to the unintended pregnancy epidemic in this country. It’s very depressing."

Some cheeses from an East Williamsburg distributor (go nuts, neighborhood nomenclature scolds!) are being recalled by the F.D.A. because they may be contaminated with listeria bacteria, which can cause Listeriosis, a bacterial infection that can cause mild flu-like symptoms and diarrhea in healthy individuals. But according to the F.D.A., meningitis and blood poisoning can occur in "immune-compromised individuals." Pregnant women are also considered a high-risk group, because Listeriosis can also result in stillbirths. The F.D.A. ordered the recall on 14-ounce plastic trays of "Peregrina Cheese Brand Queso Fresco Fresh Cheese" after routine samples by the Dept. of Agriculture turned up contaminants. Officials recommend returning it to the place of purchase. So far, no one has reported getting sick from it.

Just as fast food chains Taco Bell and Wendy's are bringing the tomatoes back to their menus, the NYC Health Department announced that there have been six more reported cases of salmonella, bringing the total of NYC area cases of the disease to seven.

In a lawsuit that’s had more back and forth than John Goodman at an all-you-can-eat Marriott breakfast buffet, a federal appeals court has ruled that, yes, city restaurants with 15 or more establishments nationwide must start displaying calorie information for all foods and beverages. In the meantime, the city has agreed not to issue any fines for non-compliance until July 18th, by which time judges are expected to rule on the National Restaurant Association’s appeal.

The FDA is blaming melons shipped from Honduras for a salmonella outbreak that’s affected at least 50 people in 16 states, including New York. No deaths have been reported yet, but 14 people have been hospitalized and the FDA is telling consumers to check with stores to see where recently purchased melons came from, specifically any from Honduran company Agropecuaria Montelibano.