WASHINGTON, DC-The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has petitioned the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to declare feces an adulterant in poultry and meat products, leaving them unfit for sale.
The petition also calls for meat to be label as a biohazard, letting consumers know that the products could be contaminated with feces, and therefore foodborne pathogens.
Mindy Kursban, PCRM's staff attorney, said factory-farming practices offer the perfect environment for pathogens such as E. coli 0157:h7, salmonella, and other disease-causing bacteria, to breed and infect.
"The USDA needs to strengthen regulations and warn consumers that poultry and meat often have traces of feces on them," she said. "Under current regulations, people can become ill and even die from eating poultry and meat that passed USDA's inspection because the current inspection system is too weak to protect consumers."
Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate there are 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths linked to foodborne pathogens.
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.