Food expert Lynette Johnston, PhD, provides some context around the ongoing outbreak, discusses prevention, and compares 2026 food recalls with previous years.
News|Videos|September 21, 2026
How The Food Safety Surveillance Infrastructure Works in the US
Author(s)John Parkinson, Lynette Johnston, PhD
In the first episode of our news series looking at the food safety network, Lynette Johnston, PhD, offers insights into how the federal government surveillance infrastructure operates, and how epidemiologists serve as food detectives in determining bacterial pathogens and potential foodborne outbreaks.
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Last week, seed supplier Everything Sprouts agreed to initiate a recall of the alfalfa seed lot linked to a foodborne outbreak that sickened people during this summer. This recalled seed lot was sold directly to sprout growers and wholesale distributors and may have been sold at the retail level. Sprout growers and wholesale distributors who received the recalled seed lot have been contacted directly by the common seed supplier.1
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