09Apr / 2024

Is That Salami Safe? Charcuterie Recalls and Consumer Safety Tips

By Donna Campisano, specialist, Communications, APHL

Charcuterie is having a moment. Boards and trays loaded with cheeses, cured meats, nuts, olives, spreads, chocolates and pretty much anything your heart desires are everywhere—on restaurant menus, in grocery store deli cases and on kitchen islands from Tempe to Tampa and places in between.

But that board could be brimming with more than chevre and capicola.

In January, Fratelli Beretta, USA recalled ready-to-eat charcuterie meat products due to concerns they may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recall was initiated after the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health officials, investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella. According to CDC, 87 people in 30 states have been affected, although the number is likely higher as many people recover without seeking medical treatment.

Further investigation determined that under-processed Coppa meats, which are made from cured pork, are the likely source of the infection. The products in question include Busseto brand Charcuterie Sampler and Fratelli Beretta brand Antipasto Gran Beretta (you can find the complete list of recalled products here). Consumers should not eat, and retailers should not sell, these items.

Infection with Salmonella, which can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever, is just one of several dangers lurking on charcuterie boards. Another big one is Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that survives refrigeration and other food preservation techniques and can be found in deli meats and some cheeses. A Listeria infection can cause gastrointestinal issues, and, in severe cases, headaches, stiff neck and even convulsions. It is particularly dangerous to pregnant women, young children and the elderly.

So, can you have your charcuterie and eat it (safely) too? No food is 100% risk-free, but there are steps you can take to increase the chances your Coppa (and other charcuterie items) are copacetic.

Start with clean hands and utensils when preparing your charcuterie board.
Choose your cheeses carefully. Make sure they are made using pasteurized milk (pasteurization kills harmful bacteria). Unpasteurized cheeses are sometimes sold at places like farmer’s markets so be sure to check the labels.
Check expiration dates. Many cured meats have a long shelf life. Make sure what you’re serving hasn’t passed its prime.
Keep your charcuterie items refrigerated right up until serving (you can even assemble your board and pop it into the fridge until needed).
Replenish your board as items are eaten instead of piling it high with meats/cheeses that are allowed to sit unrefrigerated.
Discard all perishable foods that sit out longer than two hours.

APHL supports the public health laboratories that perform testing to identify the pathogens that cause foodborne diseases by training staff, improving the capabilities of member laboratories and collaborating with federal partners, such as CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Working through the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR), APHL maintains a strong role in enhancing communication and collaboration across the disciplines involved in investigating foodborne illness outbreaks.

The post Is That Salami Safe? Charcuterie Recalls and Consumer Safety Tips appeared first on APHL Blog.

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13Mar / 2024

Applesauce Tainted with Lead Chromate: What We Know and Next Steps

By Donna Campisano, specialist, Communications, APHL

Applesauce is a pantry staple and a favorite snack among toddlers.

But lately applesauce, specifically cinnamon applesauce packaged in squeeze pouches, has been making headlines—and for alarming reasons.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state and local partners are investigating a link between elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) ≥3.5 µg/dL in children consuming certain cinnamon-containing apple purée and applesauce products manufactured in Ecuador.

Consumers should be aware of these elevated levels and the potential for adverse health effects.

What’s been recalled?

Ecuadorian food manufacturer Austrofoods has voluntarily recalled its WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree Pouches, regardless of expiration date and lot code. Two additional brands of products are also subject to recall: certain Schnucks cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches and variety pack and certain Weis cinnamon applesauce pouches.

These products were sold through multiple retailers, including Dollar Tree and Amazon.

Consumers should not eat, and retailers should not sell nor serve, the recalled brands of apple cinnamon fruit pouches.

What started the recall?

This recall started with a joint investigation by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, local health departments and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services after the NC State Laboratory of Public Health identified three children with high blood lead levels in the western portion of the state.

An in-home investigator made the applesauce/lead connection after observing identical products in the pantries of two children reported to have elevated blood lead levels. The NCDHHS then identified WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches as a potential shared source of exposure and reported their finding to the FDA. As part of the investigation, NCDHHS analyzed multiple lots of the product, detecting extremely high concentrations of lead. The FDA has reviewed and supports the NCDHHS’ findings.

Early in the FDA’s investigation, it leveraged the capability and capacity of the Laboratory Flexible Funding Model (LFFM) laboratories. The LLFM is a cooperative agreement between the FDA and state human and animal food testing laboratories. The intent of the agreement is to increase the ability of states to generate actionable data and ensure the safety of the US food supply.

An email and next-day emergency call resulted in 12 LFFM laboratories pivoting their sampling efforts. In four business days, 97 samples were collected for testing. Laboratories were instructed to collect both cinnamon-containing and non-cinnamon-containing products; some laboratories were also asked to perform XRF testing (an X-ray technique that can show what elements a compound contains) on the purée packaging to help isolate the contamination source.

How big is the problem?

State health departments receive reports of potential cases from various sources, and then follow up to determine whether the case definition is met. When a case definition is met, the state health department then reports the case to the CDC.

To be considered in CDC’s case count, the person must have had a blood lead level of 3.5 ug/dL or higher measured within three months after consuming a recalled WanaBana, Schnucks or Weis brand fruit purée product after November 2022.

As of Feb. 24, 2024, the CDC has received 111 confirmed cases of elevated blood lead levels in people consuming these products as well as 320 probable cases and 37 suspected cases for a total of 468 cases from 44 different states. As of Jan. 30, 2024, the FDA has received 90 confirmed complaints/reports of adverse events potentially linked to recalled product.

The median age of those affected is one year.

It’s important to note that the CDC and FDA have different data sources, so the counts reported by each agency will not directly correspond. In addition, some people who were affected by the contaminated product might be reflected in both the numbers reported by the FDA and the numbers reported by CDC, so the numbers should not be added together.

How did the applesauce get contaminated?

The FDA completed an onsite inspection of the Austrofoods facility located in Ecuador, testing samples of the cinnamon used in the recalled applesauce pouches. The highest result was 5,110 parts per million (ppm), which was more than 2,000 times the level of 2.5 ppm being considered for bark spices (including cinnamon) by the international standard-setting body, Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex).

The FDA has identified lead chromate found in the cinnamon of these products to be the source of contamination. Lead chromate is a lead-and-chromium-containing compound with yellow, red or orange pigments, depending on the type. The FDA hypothesizes that the lead chromate was illegally and deliberately added to the cinnamon by the supplier to increase the cinnamon’s weight and enhance its color.

While the CDC reports that the health effects of chromium consumption are difficult to predict in this scenario, there is no safe level of lead.

The FDA does not need an action level or guidance to act when food contains a harmful substance, such as lead, that may render the food injurious to health. However, the agency has limited authority over foreign ingredient suppliers who do not directly ship their products to the U.S. Thus, the FDA has reduced ability to take direct action against Negasmart (the supplier of cinnamon to Austrofoods) or Carlos Aguilera (the processor of the cinnamon sticks).

Carlos Aguilera is currently not in operation.

What’s next?

Anyone who may have eaten the affected products should talk with their healthcare provider.

Lead is toxic to humans and can affect people of any age or health status. Protecting children from exposure to lead is particularly important because they are more susceptible to lead toxicity. Most children have no obvious immediate signs of lead toxicity, but when symptoms do develop, they can include:

problems with learning, behavior, hearing and/or speech
slowed growth
lower IQ
physical symptoms, such as abdominal pain, weakness, anemia, seizures and even coma

Ask your healthcare provider about having your child tested for lead. If your child has elevated lead levels, your healthcare provider will recommend next steps.

If this investigation has you wondering about the safety of other cinnamon, you aren’t alone. FDA and state LFFM laboratories have expanded cinnamon testing beyond the recalled products. FDA has determined that certain ground cinnamon products do contain elevated levels of lead. While the levels detected in other products are only slightly elevated, prolonged exposure to these products may be unsafe.

This investigation is discussed in detail in the APHL/CSTE webinar, “Collaborative Insights: Detecting Lead and Chromium in Cinnamon Fruit Pureés,” which you can access in the APHL Learning Center.

APHL has guidance available to public health laboratories implementing a lower reference value for blood lead.

The post Applesauce Tainted with Lead Chromate: What We Know and Next Steps appeared first on APHL Blog.

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04Mar / 2024

What is CIFOR and how does it prevent foodborne disease outbreaks?

In 2018, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) approximated the economic burden of foodborne illness to be $17.6 million. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year one in six Americans get sick – with 128,000 becoming hospitalized and 3,000 dying – from foodborne illness.

The Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR) helps lessen these health and economic burdens by improving outbreak detection methods, laboratory testing efficiencies, investigation tools and procedures, and control strategies. These improvements allow for the rapid detection of sick individuals and connect those illnesses to contaminated food products, thereby preventing the spread of foodborne disease outbreaks or even stopping them from happening.

What is CIFOR?

CIFOR is a multi-disciplinary group of public health professionals formed in 2006. The council includes federal agencies and national professional organizations whose staff and members have an interest in and responsibility for controlling foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States.

CIFOR was formed to identify barriers to the rapid detection of and response to foodborne disease outbreaks and develops projects that address these barriers. CIFOR members work collaboratively to develop model programs and products that facilitate investigation and control of foodborne disease outbreaks. They also work to improve performance and coordination in foodborne disease investigations across all levels of government.

CIFOR’s flagship product is the Guidelines to Improve Foodborne Disease Outbreak Response, otherwise known as CIFOR Guidelines.

Initially published in 2009, the CIFOR Guidelines are a comprehensive source of information on foodborne disease investigation and control for local, state, territorial, tribal and federal health agencies. The guidelines describe model practices for preparing for, detecting, investigating and controlling foodborne disease outbreaks and define the roles key organizations play in these activities.

The Third Edition of CIFOR Guidelines for Foodborne Disease Outbreak Response was released in the fall of 2020. This version incorporates several changes regarding disease surveillance, laboratory testing and outbreak detection practices since the first and second editions were published. The CIFOR Toolkit was updated in 2020 to reflect the changes in the third edition of the guidelines.

What is APHL’s role in CIFOR?

The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) is a founding member of CIFOR. APHL represents the state and local government laboratory perspective within the council and provides key insight on the barriers to rapid laboratory detection and response to foodborne illness.

The focus of APHL’s work is to help strengthen laboratory systems. One way in which APHL accomplishes this is by providing necessary training to laboratory personnel and other key partners.

Working closely with CIFOR members, APHL created the CIFOR Learning Modules to provide a high-level overview of the concepts and best practices covered in the CIFOR Guidelines. Here are five things you should know about the CIFOR Learning Modules:

Based on the Third Edition of the CIFOR Guidelines to Improve Foodborne Disease Outbreak Response, published in 2020.
Designed for any public health practitioner involved in the detection, investigation, control or prevention of foodborne illness outbreaks.
Free!
Can be found in the APHL Learning Center. Log in with your APHL account, or if you don’t have one, create one quickly for free!
Provide 2.5 contact hour(s) of continuing education for laboratorians who successfully complete this training by October 23, 2025.

The post What is CIFOR and how does it prevent foodborne disease outbreaks? appeared first on APHL Blog.

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08Feb / 2024

APHL Receives Funding to Strengthen Public Health Laboratory Systems to Improve Food Safety

Photo showing cups of beans and seeds for testing.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bethesda, MD, February 8, 2024 — The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) recently received an award from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help build an integrated laboratory system to advance the safety of human and animal food.

The three-year grant will enable APHL to support the critical role of state public health and agriculture laboratories in identifying, containing and preventing hazards in the food supply. APHL’s work will include assessing national testing capability and capacity; developing best practices and other guidance manuals; and offering trainings, meetings and other educational resources. APHL will also support ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory accreditation to ensure laboratories have quality management systems and testing competencies in place and can produce defensible data for regulatory and public health action, among other activities.

“Public health and agricultural laboratories are on the front lines helping assure the safety of our nation’s food supply,” said Scott J. Becker, MS, chief executive officer of APHL. “They are essential to our nation’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks of foodborne illness. We look forward to working with FDA, state laboratories and partners to strengthen our laboratory capacity to improve food safety.”

This project is supported 100% by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cooperative agreement Number 1U2FFD008200 totaling $1.8 million.

To learn more about APHL’s food safety work, visit www.aphl.org/foodsafety.

# # #

The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) works to strengthen laboratory systems serving the public’s health in the US and globally. APHL’s member laboratories protect the public’s health by monitoring and detecting infectious and foodborne diseases, environmental contaminants, terrorist agents, genetic disorders in newborns and other diverse health threats. Learn more at www.aphl.org.

Contact: Michelle Forman at 240.485.2793 or michelle.forman@aphl.org

The post APHL Receives Funding to Strengthen Public Health Laboratory Systems to Improve Food Safety appeared first on APHL Blog.

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12Aug / 2020

Five food safety tips to keep your family healthy

By Kirsten Larson, manager, Food Safety, APHL, and Robyn Randolph, senior specialist, Food Laboratory Accreditation, APHL

In this time of COVID-19, the ways in which we get and consume our food likely look much different from a year ago. Whether it is takeout, delivery, meal kits or homemade, meals at home are occurring much more frequently. Some of you might be using this time to brush up on your cooking skills, hoping to become a competitor on Chopped. But before you can become the next Chopped champion, it is important to know the basics of food safety–serving raw chicken to a judge (or a family member) can have serious consequences. Here are five food safety tips to help keep your meals safe:

Keep your space clean

No one wants to eat food from a dirty kitchen. Make sure you are washing your hands before cooking, especially after handling raw meats, poultry or eggs, as these items can carry foodborne pathogens. Sanitize your cutting boards, utensils and countertops with a bleach solution or hot, soapy water to kill any bacteria that might be lingering. Wash your fruits and veggies with water, even before peeling as this can help rid them of bacteria-containing debris that might be lingering on the surface. However, you should not wash raw meats, poultry or eggs since potential pathogens can be aerosolized and spread around your kitchen.

Separate food items

Like the Real Housewives on a reunion special, foods need to be kept separate for the safety of others. Cross-contamination is a huge source of foodborne illness, but it can be avoided by using different utensils and surfaces when preparing your meal. When making chicken fajitas, for example, you should use a dedicated cutting board for slicing your chicken and other raw meats and a different cutting board for slicing your peppers and onions. When grilling hamburgers, do not use the same plate to transfer the raw and cooked burger patties.

Cook foods to the correct temperature

The food thermometer is a critical kitchen tool that will not only help prevent overcooked pork chops, it will ensure that you are cooking foods to a safe temperature. USDA provides guidance on the safe internal temperature for foods, including:

- Steaks, chops and roasts (Beef, pork, lamb, veal, fish) – minimum 145°F (62°C)
- Ground meats – 160°F (71°C)
- Poultry – 165°F (73°C)

Be sure that you take the temperature of each food item you prepare. Reheat all leftovers to 165°F. Know your microwave’s wattage so that you can follow cooking instructions on frozen food items.

Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold

“Hot” means 140°F (60°C) or warmer, while “cold” is 40°F (4.4°C) or colder. Do not keep food out for more than two hours at room temperature or for more than one hour above 90°F (32°C), as this will become a breeding ground for pathogens. If you are eating outside this summer, consider dishes that include no eggs or dairy to decrease the risk of foodborne illness.

Store your food safely

Food safety is not just about how you prepare the meal, it’s also about how the food is stored. Be sure to cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish and ground meat within two days of purchase–other meats should be used within 3-5 days. Use cooked leftovers within four days or throw them away. Ensure meat and poultry packaging is not leaking, and keep thawing meat or poultry away from fresh foods like fruits or veggies in the refrigerator (on the bottom shelf to prevent drips).

Being a great cook is not just about making delicious food. A great cook avoids intestinal mayhem by ensuring that food is safe to consume. With these food safety tips, you will be ready to create a pathogen-free feast for your friends and family…when you’re ready to have folks over for dinner.

The post Five food safety tips to keep your family healthy appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

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03Jun / 2020

Beyond COVID-19: How public health laboratories keep us safe every day

by Jody DeVoll, advisor, Communications, APHL

Public health laboratories have figured so prominently in media coverage of coronavirus (COVID-19) testing that one might assume that this was their sole function. In fact, they protect our health and safety through a multiplicity of programs and services that touch us at all stages of our lives. The examples below represent a mere fraction of public health laboratories’ wide-ranging activities on our behalf.

Infectious Diseases

In the spring of 2020, public health laboratories’ communicable disease divisions are operating at full steam. In addition to testing for the coronavirus, they are conducting testing and surveillance for diseases ranging from HIV, hepatitis and TB, to rabies and vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and mumps. They also are monitoring influenza viruses to aid in selection of strains to be included in next year’s flu vaccine. As the weather warms, they will begin testing and surveillance for West Nile Virus and other mosquito-borne diseases.

Environmental Health

Environmental health divisions are balancing routine functions, such as oversight of drinking water quality, with readiness for emergencies. Any day could bring a chemical spill on the Interstate, PFAS contamination of a playground, flooding that leads to drinking water contamination or a toxic algae bloom.

A select group of laboratories, members of the National Biomonitoring Network, test human fluids for potentially harmful chemicals and their metabolites. This test data, when correlated with environmental studies, can help to pinpoint the location of health threats and assess the need for remedial action. In addition, many public health laboratories are involved in testing the quality of cannabis products, analyzing opioids common to their region and identifying the contents of locally available e-cigarette and vaping products.

Newborn Screening

Since babies continue to be born even during a pandemic, newborn screening divisions are screening newborns for heritable conditions not visible at birth. These conditions often require immediate treatment to prevent a lifetime of disabilities or death. Public health laboratories are responsible for screening of 97% of the more than four million newborns born in the US each year.

Food Safety

Food Safety teams continue to sleuth for pathogens causing outbreaks of foodborne disease. As members of PulseNet, the national laboratory network for foodborne disease surveillance, they identify the genetic signature of pathogens implicated in cases of foodborne disease. They compare these signatures with those from other cases and share the data with epidemiologists to identify and stop outbreaks before they spread. Food safety teams may also test foods suspected to have caused an outbreak and search for harmful contaminants and adulterants in human and animal food.

Public Health Preparedness and Response

Emergency Response teams are supporting the COVID-19 response while detecting and responding to other biological, chemical and radiological threats and natural disasters. Because public health laboratories form the backbone of the Laboratory Response Network (LRN), emergency response teams are veterans of the 2009 H1N1 Influenza outbreak, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related Coronavirus (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Ebola, Zika and other events. A team from the Texas Department of State Health Services Public Health Laboratory was the first to detect Ebola in the US.

Global Health

In addition, selected public health laboratory staff are assisting stakeholders from other countries to develop national laboratory systems, laboratory infrastructure and trained laboratory personnel. Their contributions include strategic planning, design of informatics systems, managerial and technical training, mentoring and other technical assistance.

The post Beyond COVID-19: How public health laboratories keep us safe every day appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

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16Dec / 2019

Lab Culture Ep. 21: 2019 Year in Review

Collage of photos depicting APHL's 2019 year in review

Are we already at the end of 2019?! While to many of us it felt like the year flew by, APHL staff, members and partners accomplished a LOT in an effort to protect the public’s health. In this episode, Scott Becker, APHL’s executive director, reviews some of the highlights of the year along with Gynene Sullivan, APHL’s manager of communications, who is finalizing our Annual Report.

Follow APHL on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram so you don’t miss anything!

Links:

APHL: Lung Injury Response Associated with Vaping

CDC: Outbreak of Lung Injury Associated with the Use of E-Cigarette, or Vaping, Products

APHL work on opioids

Data: Elemental to Health advocacy campaign

Supporting rapid exchange of public health data is urgent, crucial and laden with challenges

APHL AIMS Platform

Lab Matters (Fall 2019): Making Data Fly

NewSTEPs Data Repository

APHL Newborn Screening Systems Quality Improvement Projects Award Recipients Announced

APHL Public Health Laboratory Fellowships

APHL Emerging Leader Program

Lab Culture Ep. 9: What is the APHL Emerging Leader Program?

CDC: US Measles Cases and Outbreaks in 2019

“Launching Whole Genome Sequencing in the Public Health Realm” Lab Matters (Fall 2013)

Accreditation for Human and Animal Food Labs

APHL Conferences

Lab Culture Extra: Progress in Sierra Leone

APHL Global Health Program: Countries we serve

Global Laboratory Leadership Programme (GLLP)

Laboratory Response Network (LRN)

Lab Culture Ep. 20: 20 Years of the Laboratory Response Network

“Two Decades of Preparedness Excellence: The Laboratory Response Network” Lab Matters (Fall 2019)

The LRN’s job is to prepare, detect and respond. But what exactly does that mean?

Strengthening Lab Biosafety & Biosecurity

“Ensuring Readiness for Rabies in Puerto Rico” Lab Matters (Spring 2019)

“Public Health System Recovery in Full Swing: Hurricane Response in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands” Lab Matters (Spring 2019)

In Puerto Rico, a new molecular bacteriology lab allows better control of foodborne outbreaks

APHL Publications

“US officials identify ‘strong culprit’ in vaping illnesses” Associated Press (video interview)

The post Lab Culture Ep. 21: 2019 Year in Review appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

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13Nov / 2019

In Puerto Rico, a new molecular bacteriology lab allows better control of foodborne outbreaks

Public health laboratory scientist performing tests

Sometimes a new facility is more than just four walls and a roof. In Puerto Rico, it was the springboard to improving foodborne outbreak response on the whole island.

In May 2019, Puerto Rico inaugurated a new molecular bacteriology laboratory at the Puerto Rico Department of Health’s laboratory (PRDOH) in San Juan. The original laboratory had been out of commission since Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017, and was rebuilt with APHL contracting support for repair and redesign. Today, the new laboratory boasts additional space for laboratory instruments, supplies and staff, as well as a reliable roof.

With the molecular bacteriology laboratory up and running, the PRDOH could take on a top goal: implementing whole genome sequencing (WGS) for foodborne outbreak response. WGS provides faster detection of pathogens than alternative methods, leading to rapid implementation of prevention and control measures and speedier investigation of foodborne outbreaks. Like other members of PulseNet, the US network for detection of foodborne outbreaks, the PRDOH needed to add WGS as another detection tool. Now, with a bit of assistance, it could.

APHL helped the PRDOH by procuring Illumina’s MiSeq Sequencing Platform and supporting installation and hands-on training for laboratory staff. The association also facilitated staff travel to CDC headquarters in Atlanta for a deeper dive into WGS methodology and procured BioNumerics software to upgrade the laboratory’s database so it could support WGS data.

To date, the molecular bacteriology laboratory has made excellent progress toward implementing WGS methods for foodborne pathogens. The laboratory is now working toward validation of these methods; once validation is completed it will apply for certification under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments Program, which oversees standards and certification for human testing in the US. The laboratory also plans to introduce a new tool—matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization – time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry—as a complement to WGS in the effort to detect foodborne outbreaks.

The post In Puerto Rico, a new molecular bacteriology lab allows better control of foodborne outbreaks appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

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13Nov / 2019

In Puerto Rico, a new molecular bacteriology lab allows better control of foodborne outbreaks

Sometimes a new facility is more than just four walls and a roof. In Puerto Rico, it was the springboard to improving foodborne outbreak response on the whole island.

The post In Puerto Rico, a new molecular bacteriology lab allows better control of foodborne outbreaks appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

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29May / 2018

New Lab Matters: When the water comes, be prepared

According to a study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the volume of rainfall from storms will rise by as much as 80% in North America by the end of the century. Not only do storms and floods threaten public health laboratory facilities, but receding floodwaters pose serious public health risks. As our feature article shows, the best weapon in a public health laboratory’s arsenal is preparation for inundation…from any source.

Here are just a few of this issue’s highlights:

Subscribe and get Lab Matters delivered to your inbox, or read Lab Matters on your mobile device.

The post New Lab Matters: When the water comes, be prepared appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

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Category Archives: food safety

Is That Salami Safe? Charcuterie Recalls and Consumer Safety Tips

Applesauce Tainted with Lead Chromate: What We Know and Next Steps

What is CIFOR and how does it prevent foodborne disease outbreaks?

APHL Receives Funding to Strengthen Public Health Laboratory Systems to Improve Food Safety

Five food safety tips to keep your family healthy

Beyond COVID-19: How public health laboratories keep us safe every day

Lab Culture Ep. 21: 2019 Year in Review

In Puerto Rico, a new molecular bacteriology lab allows better control of foodborne outbreaks

In Puerto Rico, a new molecular bacteriology lab allows better control of foodborne outbreaks

New Lab Matters: When the water comes, be prepared

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