Quick bites from around the food safety arena this week
Another new outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis is under investigation by the FDA. Although the source has not been identified, there are already 62 confirmed patients. As usual, the FDA is not reporting where the patients are located or what food is being traced as a possible source.The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Stanley which was initially detected in Denmark. A total of 83 cases have been confirmed between December 2025 and May 2026. At least 20 people have been hospitalized. Related cases have been identified in Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The source is thought to be chicken-flavored instant noodles and/or processed chicken products.Colorado governor Jared Polis has signed the “Tamale Act” into law. It makes Colorado a “food freedom” state by expanding the state’s Cottage Foods Act to include refrigerated foods such as tamales, burritos, tortas, sandwiches and salads made in home kitchens and offered for sale.Additional documents released by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service reveal that dozens of problems threatening food safety at the Boar’s Head plant in Jarrett, VA, date back to at least 2019. The problems included standing and dripping water – locations where Listeria could thrive – presence of insects and a variety of insanitary conditions such as mold, damaged floors and algal growth. Ten people died in 2024 from an outbreak of Listeria infections traced to products from the plant.
Today’s Topic: Shrooms
An Executive Order signed by President Trump in April promotes psychedelics, including psilocybin, to treat mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. The order gives a boost to the handful of jurisdictions that have legalized psilocybin.
Denver and Oakland in 2019, Oregon in 2020, the state of Colorado in 2022 and New Mexico in 2025 all legalized the use of psilocybin – also known as “magic mushrooms,” or “shrooms,” and “boomers” – under certain conditions.
Washington D.C. and several California cities have also decriminalized magic mushrooms at the local level.