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USDA Documented Insects and Slime at Boar’s Head Plants, Records Show
Government inspectors documented unsanitary conditions at several Boar’s Head deli meat plants, not just the factory that was shut down last year after a deadly outbreak of listeria poisoning, federal records show.
Newly released reports from Boar’s Head plants in New Castle, Indiana; Forrest City, Arkansas; and Petersburg, Virginia, described multiple instances of meat and fat residue left on equipment and walls, dripping condensation falling on food, mold, insects and other problems dating back roughly six years. Last May, one inspector documented “general filth” in a room at the Indiana plant.
The U.S. Agriculture Department released the inspection records in response to Freedom of Information Act requests from The Associated Press and other news organizations. The problems documented at the three factories echo some of the violations found at the Jarratt, Virginia, plant linked to the food poisoning outbreak. The newly released reports describe:
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- Equipment “covered in meat scraps” in 2019.
- “Dry crusted meat from the previous day’s production” and “dark, stinky residue” left behind in 2020.
- A doorway covered in “dried meat juices and grime” in 2021.
- Green mold and flaking paint in 2022.
- “Unidentified slime” and “an abundance of insects” in 2023.
- A puddle of “blood, debris and trash” in 2024.
‘Forever Chemicals’ in Sludge May Taint Nearly 70 Million Farmland Acres
Environmental Working Group reported:
Nearly 70 million acres of U.S. farmland could be contaminated by the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, according to estimates from biosolids industry groups. This contamination stems from the widespread use of sewage sludge as fertilizer. The practice remains largely unregulated, despite mounting evidence it could contaminate food and water, creating public health risks.
State and federal policymakers need to tackle this threat with steps such as banning the use of PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge on farm fields. Sewage sludge, also known as biosolids, is the byproduct of the wastewater treatment process. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, began regulating biosolids in 1993 under the Clean Water Act. Since then, EWG and others have raised concerns about using biosolids in food production.
Using industry surveys, the National Biosolids Data Project estimates that about 18% of all U.S. agricultural lands could be using biosolids as a fertilizer, even though the sludge is often contaminated with PFAS. This creates dangers for the food supply on the almost 70 million farmland acres — equivalent roughly to the size of Nevada — where biosolids are used. The industry findings add to concerns raised in a recent EPA risk assessment of how sludge used this way might add PFAS into the food supply.
FDA Proposes Putting Nutrition Info on the Front of Food Packages
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday proposed a new rule for nutrition labels on packaged food and drinks that’s intended to help Americans make healthier choices at a glance. Under the new rule, which shoppers could see as early as 2028, food manufacturers will be required to display levels of saturated fat, sodium and added sugar on the front of the packaging, in addition to the standard nutrition labels on the back.
Packaged foods in the U.S. often come with a number of health and nutrition claims, which can make it confusing for consumers to know what’s good or bad for them, said Lindsey Smith Taillie, a nutrition epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Fruit drinks, for example, may advertise high levels of vitamin C on the front of the bottle, making them seem like a healthy choice, but at the same time, they are loaded with added sugar, Smith Taillie said. The idea is that by placing certain nutrition information directly in front of consumers, they’ll be more likely to make health-conscious decisions.
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Two Cats in California Died After Drinking Raw Milk Recalled for Bird Flu, Their Owner Says
A California man whose two cats died after drinking raw milk recalled for bird flu risk says he meant to keep his beloved pets healthy, but his efforts tragically backfired.
“It’s horrible when you realize that you’re the one that actually gave them the milk that killed them,” said Joseph Journell, 56, of San Bernardino.
Journell lost his 14-year-old tabby, Alexander, and Tuxsie, a 4-year-old tuxedo cat, in late November. A third cat, 4-year-old Big Boy, was hospitalized for a week before tests showed the animal was infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus.
The cats drank unpasteurized milk from lots recalled by Raw Farm, of Fresno, whose dairy products were pulled from California store shelves in December after health officials found the virus in milk for sale, he said. The animals’ deaths were confirmed by state and county health officials. The cats were kept indoors, with no access to potentially infected birds, and ate conventional, not raw, pet food, the owner said.
Multiple Violations Found at McDonald’s Onion Supplier After Deadly e.coli Outbreak
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials have uncovered dozens of violations at a McDonald’s supplier tied to last year’s deadly E.coli outbreak, which sickened over 100 people and led to a massive recall of onions used in the fast-food giant’s signature Quarter Pounder burgers.
The violations were listed in an FDA inspection report of Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility, obtained by CBS News through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Inspectors discovered multiple food safety issues, including equipment with biofilm and food debris, incomplete sanitation procedures, and improper handling of ready-to-eat (RTE) produce.
“Production employees handling RTE produce and food contact surfaces were not observed using any of the handwashing sinks in the facility,” the FDA’s inspectors wrote.
The inspection led the FDA to issue Taylor Farms a Form 483, citing conditions inspectors deemed “injurious to health.”
The What, How, and Why of Ultraprocessed Foods
Ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) are having a real moment. Few recent topics in public health and nutrition science have caused such a stir within the research community — and now, in the news, on social media, and in Congress — like these ubiquitous industrial formulations.
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for HHS secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has made UPFs a central focus of his agenda to “make America healthy again.” Earlier in 2024, lawmakers from the other side of the political spectrum — led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — proposed legislation to put warning labels on UPFs, restrict the way they’re marketed to children, and increase funding for scientific research on UPFs and health. It was the first time the use of the term “ultraprocessed food” was recorded in Congress (a rudimentary search within the legislative record for the terms “sodium,” “sugar,” and “saturated fat,” which are often highly concentrated within UPFs, yielded nearly 1,500 unique results since the early 1970s).
Historically, support for government interventions to reduce chronic diseases by regulating the food system was concentrated among those left of center, though it seems now that that ideological distinction may have partially eroded. Indeed, liberal Democrats and Trump nominees make unusual bedfellows, but the topic of UPF regulation may be just as irresistible as the foods it targets. Whether this will lead to any real policy change, however, is a different story.
