Foodborne illnesses take a back seat to other issues at Kennedy’s meeting with food leaders

After a meeting with representatives from some of the country’s mega food producers, the Secretary of Health and Human Services said he focused on food safety.

However, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly did not bring foodborne pathogens or traceability of foods to the table. 

The meeting on Monday, March 10, included representatives from Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Tyson Foods, WK Kellogg Co., The J.M. Smucker Company and PepsiCo, along with the Consumer Brands Association.

“Great discussion today … advancing food safety and radical transparency to … Read the rest

Restitution, medical malpractice, and a capital appeal

Restitution, medical malpractice, and a capital appeal

Share

The Relist Watch column examines cert petitions that the Supreme Court has “relisted” for its upcoming conference. A short explanation of relists is available here.

Once again this week, the Supreme Court has been busy sifting through the relists. The court granted review of one of last week’s new relists raising a double jeopardy question about a federal sentencing enhancement for using a firearm during a violent crime. (Grants are now filling in the 2025-26 term, which will … Read the rest

Researchers search for microbes that offer protection against Salmonella

Scientists have identified how a bacteria in the gut can act as a protective species against Salmonella infection.

A team at the University of Cambridge in England revealed a novel role for the commensal bacterium Enterocloster clostridioformis as helping to protect against salmonellosis.

Virginia Pedicord, Benjamin Beresford-Jones, and researchers at the University of Cambridge found Enterocloster clostridioformis could protect the host against bacterial pathogens like Salmonella by inducing protective responses in gut cells and increasing anti-inflammatory immune cells in the gut. Findings were published in the journal Microbiome.

The gut … Read the rest

The morning read for Friday, March 7

The morning read for Friday, March 7

Share

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Friday morning read:

  • Texas tells Supreme Court it shouldn’t be ‘left holding the bag’ for US nuclear waste (Maureen Groppe, USA Today)
  • Oklahoma’s ‘dirty political laundry’ on full display as U.S. Supreme Court takes interest in state (Emily Stacey & Christine Pappas, Oklahoma Voice)
  • MAGA world turns against Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett (Lawrence Hurley, NBC News)
  • What Alito’s
Read the rest

Supreme Court denies Trump request to block $2 billion foreign-aid payment

Supreme Court denies Trump request to block $  2 billion foreign-aid payment

Share

A divided Supreme Court on Wednesday turned down a request by the Trump administration to lift an order by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., that had directed the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to pay nearly $ 2 billion in foreign-aid reimbursements for work that has already been done.

In a brief unsigned opinion, the court noted that the Feb. 26 deadline for the government to make the payments had already passed. It instructed … Read the rest

New Listeria outbreak detected; other outbreaks remain under investigation

Inspectors with the Food and Drug Administration are tracking a new outbreak of infections from Listeria monocytogenes.

So far there are three confirmed patients. The FDA has not reported the ages of the patients or where they live. 

There are likely many more sick people than have been confirmed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that for every patient confirmed in a Salmonella outbreak there are 29 patients who go undetected. This is because some patients do not … Read the rest