What to know: Whole cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers Inc. and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Inc. are linked to a new multistate Salmonella Montevideo outbreak, with 26 confirmed illnesses across 15 states.

This marks the second consecutive year Bedner cucumbers have been implicated in a major Salmonella outbreak, prompting CDC and FDA warnings and an ongoing investigation.

The number of food safety alerts exchanged between European member states went up in 2024.

The Alert and Cooperation Network (ACN) includes the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and the Administrative Assistance and Cooperation networks (AAC). According to the European Commission, notifications reached 9,460 in 2024, an 8 percent increase compared to 2023.

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Louisiana is one vote away from banning kratom, a $2 billion herbal product industry with millions of users, under Senate Bill 154, which would criminalize its possession and distribution.

If passed, the law would impose serious penalties, including prison time and fines, as kratom opponents cite safety concerns while advocates push back with a last-minute lobbying effort.

Scientists from the DTU National Food Institute in Denmark have helped develop a method that predicts how well bacteria such as Listeria can tolerate disinfectants. 

A study published in Scientific Reports showed that machine learning can predict whether a bacterial strain will survive cleaning.