Food Safety

The latest news and insights on food contamination, pathogens, and what it's safe to eat.

Latest in Food Safety

a microscope image of a parasite. it is round and red

What to know about the rise in cyclosporiasis cases

By Brandon Brown, Iqbal Pittalwala

man in bed take a cup of liquid from another man

Beef tea was all the rage in the 1800s

By Andrew Coletti

A Raccoon walking along the edge of water fishing for food

Raccoons might be spreading diarrhea-causing bacteria in Japan

A bag of bagels for sale

Can poppy seeds actually make you fail a drug test?

By RJ Mackenzie

Close up of White person's hands holding orange cough drops on a orange background

Can you overdose on cough drops? Short answer: Yes.

By Cat Rainsford

A multiracial group of friends toasting drinks during dinner party in garden.

The science of hosting the perfect dinner party

By Clarissa Brincat

Freshly baked homemade brownies on a parchment paper. There's some sprigs of mint and a gold-colored fork resting on the left side.

The best brownie recipe, according to science

By Clarissa Brincat

Woman's hands washing red apples in kitchen sink

Biodegradable wash keeps grapes fresh for 2 weeks at room temperature

Astronaut Loren J. Shriver, Mission Commander of STS-46, attempts to eat floating sweets on the flight deck of the shuttle Atlantis during its orbit of the earth, August 1992. (Photo by Space Frontiers/Getty Images)

Artemis II astronauts will eat a lot of tortillas on their trip to the moon

A bright, high-key close-up photograph of a woman drinking from a clear glass filled with ice and water. The focus is on the glass and her hand, which features decorative nail art with small fruit patterns.

Is drinking cold water bad for you? We asked a dietitian.

By Sara Kiley Watson

A close-up photograph of a thick-cut roast of venison, sliced to reveal a deep pink, juicy interior. The meat is tied with butcher's twine and has a dark, seasoned crust. It is garnished with coarse sea salt and fresh herbs, resting on a rustic wooden carving board with a blurred kitchen background.

Why some meat tastes gamey

A vibrant culinary photograph featuring a bowl of fresh ceviche made from white fish, red onion, and herbs, surrounded by the raw ingredients used to prepare it. Several whole, striped lionfish with their distinctive venomous spines are arranged around the bowl alongside whole limes, red onions, and bright orange habanero peppers.

Should you eat invasive species? We asked an ecologist.

By Andrew Coletti

Some pieces of chocolate with white splotches on a wooden cutting board.

Why does chocolate turn white? It’s not mold.

By Clarissa Brincat

roman ruins in northern england

Diarrhea slowed down Roman soldiers

By Laura Baisas

An 1886 color illustration depicting a crowd of people, including men, women, and children, gathered around a massive wheel of cheese in the East Room of the White House. A man in a dark coat is carving into the cheese with a knife, while others eagerly reach out with their own knives and hands to take a piece. In the foreground, a small boy sits on the floor eating a piece of the cheese. This event commemorates the distribution of the "Mammoth Cheese" gifted to President Andrew Jackson in 1835.

Andrew Jackson’s White House once hosted a cheese feeding frenzy

several full fish laying on ice. the fish are orange, white, and multicolored

Afraid your fish is too fishy? Smart sensors might save your nose

By Mack DeGeurin

A shallow depth-of-field close-up of a stainless steel frying pan sitting on a black, glossy induction cooktop, with steam rising from food cooking inside the pan. The kitchen background is blurred, showing a window and a refrigerator.

Are induction stoves better? These chefs think so.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - food products manufactured by Mondelez and Coca-Cola

What are ultra-processed foods and are they bad for me?

By Katie Navarra Bradley

A colorized vintage advertisement featuring two smiling World War II-era pilots, both in flight suits. The pilot on the left is holding up a box of Milky Way candy bars, and the pilot on the right, who is leaning out of a plane cockpit, is looking down and smiling at the box.

How WWII made Hershey and Mars Halloween candy kings

By Diana Hubbell

The front and back of two bottles of Danish lactic acid bacteria from the 1800s.

130-year-old butter bacteria discovered in Danish basement