For more than thirty years I have represented the families on the other end of a foodborne outbreak — the parents of children on dialysis with hemolytic uremic syndrome, the survivors of a contaminated hamburger or a bag of spinach, the people left planning funerals. I built a career holding companies accountable when the food
For over thirty years, I have been beating the same drum, and the last few days were no exception (some argue a bit too loudly and self-serving). I have been posting about public health officials — and the FDA — sending out outbreak documents with the names of companies, growers, processors, and retailers blacked out
A little over a year ago, in January 2025, I wrote in this space asking a simple question about the November 2024 E. coliO157:H7 romaine outbreak: why would the FDA not tell the public who grew, processed, and sold the lettuce that sickened 89 people across 15 states, hospitalized 36, gave 7 of them hemolytic uremic syndrome, and
When ten people die in a Listeria outbreak traced to a single plant with a documented, years-long record of filth, I pay attention to what the government promises to do about it. And I keep a calendar. By that calendar, it has now been roughly twenty months since the Department of Justice was formally asked
Cantaloupe is almost perfectly designed to make people sick Published: May 22, 2026, 12:06 am I’ve been suing people over cantaloupe for years. I’m not happy about it. But here we are — again. Let me walk you through what three decades of depositions, hospital visits, and funerals have taught me about this fruit. The
4 min read This column first appeared in the Men’s Health email newsletter. The Optimized Man is a biweekly series from our editorial director as he tries out the latest, greatest, and weirdest health and wellness innovations so you don’t have to. Sign up here to get the next one. I’VE TRIED TO build a
Published: November 06, 2026, 10:41 pm Last updated: November 07, 2026, 12:20 am A California pumpkin patch and petting zoo associated with an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections reopened Nov. 6 with the owners saying environmental tests for the pathogen had come back negative. The San Luis Obispo county health department has not posted
Healthcare affordability. Abortion access. “Medicare for All.” Healthcare was a major force behind the big wins for Democrats in this week’s midterm elections. But the debate over what the Democratic Party will do next is just getting started. KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner appeared on WAMU’s Health Hub on Nov. 4 to