Almost one in seven American households were food insecure in 2012, experiencing difficulty in providing enough food for all their members due to a lack of resources. Food pantries assist a food-insecure population through emergency food provision, but there is a paucity of information on the food safety–related operating procedures that pantries use.

That’s what my friend and former student Ashley Chaifetz wrote in 2015.

The same words are true now.

A few years ago an outbreak linked to a Denver homeless shelter made it into the barfblog new and notable category. Forty folks who depended on the emergency food were affected by violent foodborne illness symptoms after eating donated turkey. Fourteen ambulances showed up and took those most affected to area hospitals.

Last year, while speaking at the Rocky Mountain Food Safety Conference I met one of the EHS folks who conducted the investigation and temperature abuse of the turkey after cooking was identified as the likely contributing factor.

The very folks who need food the most were betrayed by the system they trust.

I can’t imagine how hard it is to be homeless or not have enough money to feed my family. Focusing on safe, nutritious food is moot if the money isn’t available to buy groceries. Or if there’s no home to take them too.

It really sucks when food bank food is recalled.

According to KGW8 News, The Oregon Food Bank of Portland is recalling more than 22,000 pounds of chia seeds over fears that they may contain rodent droppings.

The chia seeds were donated to the food bank and distributed in Oregon and Clark County, Washington between November 1, 2017 and March 9, 2018. They were distributed in one-pound plastic bags with twist-type closure or a re-sealable pouch.