Lifestyle

Italy's Emilia-Romagna Region Bans Raw Tomatoes in Schools and Hospitals as Salmonella Outbreak Spreads Across Europe

A second Italian region has pulled uncooked cherry tomatoes from institutional kitchens as health agencies in at least ten European countries track a recurring Salmonella strain traced to Sicilian produce.

FDA warns San Francisco food maker over fermented cabbage sanitation gaps and mislabeled kvas

A warning letter made public this week says RDM Express Inc. failed to control Listeria risks in its refrigerated sour cabbage and mislabeled its kvas drink and pickles — the company has 15 working days to respond.

Salmonella outbreak linked to Virginia oysters widens as new tests confirm contamination

Genetic testing has confirmed a rare Salmonella strain in oysters harvested from a single Chesapeake Bay tributary, and Virginia health officials say additional illnesses beyond the 27 already linked to the outbreak are now under investigation.

Imperio Distribution LLC is recalling nearly 950 pounds of beef jerky sold in seven states after federal inspectors found the packages carried another facility's USDA inspection number. No illnesses have been reported.

Male supplement sold at GNC franchises recalled over hidden prescription drugs

Tonight We Ride, LLC says lab testing found undeclared sildenafil, tadalafil and dapoxetine in Ultimate Forza capsules sold at independently owned GNC stores for nearly a decade.

Flu Season Arrives Months Early, Outpacing Last Year's Numbers

Federal data and hospital reports show influenza circulating well ahead of its usual winter peak, driven by a different strain than last season, with doctors urging people to get vaccinated now rather than wait.

Male "Supplement" Pulled From GNC Shelves After FDA Finds Hidden Viagra, Cialis Ingredients

Tonight We Ride, LLC recalled all lots of its Ultimate Forza Male Supplement capsules after testing found undeclared sildenafil, tadalafil and dapoxetine — prescription-only drugs that can dangerously lower blood pressure when combined with common heart medications.

The agency says D&M Smoked Fish, doing business as Haifa Smoked Fish, made cold smoked sprats without the controls required to prevent botulism, and took the unusual step of issuing a public warning after the company declined to recall the product.

Costway recalls 3,332 convertible high chairs over entrapment and fall risk

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says the chairs lack a required passive restraint system, letting a child slip through the gap between tray and seat, in the latest of several high-chair enforcement actions this month.

Regulators warn against bed rail that violates rule meant to prevent entrapment deaths

The Consumer Product Safety Commission told consumers to stop using a Reliancer adult bed rail that fails the federal entrapment standard, the latest in a run of warnings about a product category tied to 18 deaths since 2021 even after Washington imposed a mandatory safety rule.

FDA classifies recall of Sierra Nevada raw-milk cheese as highest risk amid E. coli outbreak

The federal government's most serious recall designation applies to every Graziers-brand raw milk cheese on the market, as a multistate E. coli outbreak that has hospitalized eight people, most of them young children, remains under investigation.

Natural Grocers Recalls Organic Mung Beans Over Glass Fragments

Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets pulled bagged organic mung beans from stores in 22 states after shoppers reported sharp glass fragments inside the packages, the company and the FDA said, though no injuries have been confirmed.

FDA Approves First Generic Version of a Once-Weekly Menopause Hormone Patch

The approval of a generic combination estrogen-progestogen patch arrives as manufacturers race to meet demand that has risen 184% since federal regulators began lifting a decades-old safety warning.

New study projects hepatitis B surge if Kennedy-era vaccine policy takes effect

A modeling study finds that delaying or making optional the newborn hepatitis B shot could sharply increase chronic infections in children — but the policy remains blocked by a federal court while an appeal plays out.

Virginia's Oyster Salmonella Count Outpaces Federal Tally as Outbreak Widens

State health officials say illnesses tied to oysters from a single Virginia river are roughly double the CDC's confirmed count and span more states, underscoring how far outbreak surveillance can lag behind real-world spread.

Veterinary Pharmacy Giant Wedgewood Recalls Wide Range of Pet Medications Over Potency Concerns

Wedgewood Pharmacy says lab testing problems mean some compounded animal drugs shipped since February may be too weak or too strong, and the company cannot say which products are affected without a lot-by-lot lookup.

Lidl recalls gelato sold in 10 East Coast markets over possible Listeria contamination

The retailer pulled one lot of its Gelatelli coffee and vanilla gelato after routine testing detected Listeria monocytogenes, the second Listeria-linked food recall the FDA has posted this month.

FDA Flags 4.3 Million Tubes of Imported, Character-Branded Toothpaste Over Manufacturing Violations

Children's and adult fluoride toothpaste sold under names like Brush Buddies, evo and ARU — much of it decorated with licensed characters such as Barbie and Hot Wheels — has been recalled after federal inspectors cited manufacturing lapses at the Indian company that made it. The products were sold almost entirely through third-party listings on Amazon and eBay.

Safety Regulators Tell Owners to Stop Using Tristar Pressure Cookers After 24 Burn Reports

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says nearly 400,000 Power Quick Pot electric pressure cookers can blow their lids open under pressure, and importer Tristar Products has refused to recall them, forcing a rare stop-use warning instead.

Why Ground Beef, Coffee and Cookies Keep Costing More — but Eggs and Butter Don't

A look at five grocery staples shows how drought, avian flu, tariffs and shifting diets are pulling food prices in opposite directions at once.

Kayem Foods recalls more than 1.5 million pounds of meat and poultry nationwide

A cooling system failure at a Chelsea, Massachusetts, warehouse let more than 1.5 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry sit at unsafe temperatures before reaching stores and restaurants nationwide and in Hong Kong, prompting the maker of Fenway Franks to issue one of the year's largest food recalls.

2027 Obamacare premiums set to rise double digits nationwide as insurers scale back

State regulators are finalizing 2027 ACA marketplace rate increases averaging around 15 percent, with some states approving hikes above 20 percent as major insurers exit several markets ahead of November's open enrollment.

Trump signs order creating a women's health division at NIH, with no funding figure attached

A Rose Garden order directs HHS and the NIH to stand up a new Women's Health Division and task force led by Susie Wiles and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but unlike the last such effort, it names no dollar figure or deadline.

U.S. Measles Outbreak Climbs Past 4,400 Cases, Its Worst Toll in Years

Federal data released this week show confirmed measles cases nationwide have climbed 93 percent above all of last year, as Pennsylvania reports a sixth outbreak-linked death and New York's emergency declaration over the disease remains in force.

A wave of recalled Amazon bed rails exposes a persistent elder-safety gap

Federal regulators pulled an unbranded bed rail and an infant bedside sleeper off the market this week, the latest entries in a string of 2026 recalls of no-name products sold on Amazon that failed mandatory U.S. safety standards written to prevent fatal entrapments.

3M Recalls 53,600 Scotch Laminators After Reports of Overheating and Fires

The company has logged 63 reports of laminators smoking, melting or catching fire, the second fire-hazard recall of the popular office product in four years.

Trial Finds Glucose Monitors Help Diabetes Patients Who Don't Use Insulin, Reopening Insurance Debate

A federally registered 283-person trial, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found continuous glucose monitors meaningfully improved blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes who are not on insulin — a population insurers have largely excluded from coverage.

ACOG issues first full menopause treatment update since 2014, strengthens hormone therapy recommendation

The new clinical guideline moves away from "lowest dose, shortest time" caution and toward individualized, potentially longer-term hormone therapy for hot flashes, sleep disruption and mood symptoms.

Social Security benefits to rise 3.6% in 2027, the largest increase in four years

The Social Security Administration's cost-of-living adjustment will lift the average retirement check by about $75 a month starting in January, but advocacy groups say a year of higher energy and grocery prices has already eaten into the gain.

Scammers buy their way to the top of search results as Medicare enrollment opens

Federal and state officials say fraudulent sites mimicking Medicare.gov are now paying for premium placement in search results, complicating a 54-day window in which tens of millions of beneficiaries are comparing 2027 coverage and premiums.

Diets heavy in ultra-processed food linked to silent brain damage, study finds

A study of nearly 9,000 middle-aged Canadians found those eating the most ultra-processed food were 40 percent more likely to show hidden signs of brain injury on MRI scans than those eating the least, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open.

Obstetricians' group says hormone therapy should be the default treatment for menopause symptoms

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued its first full update to menopause guidance in more than a decade, recommending hormone therapy as the primary option for hot flashes and related sleep problems for most women under 60.

Flu season arrives weeks early across the US, with the West Coast hit hardest

A new CDC report shows influenza activity climbing well ahead of its usual winter schedule, led by Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska and Hawaii, as doctors urge people not to wait until Thanksgiving to get vaccinated.

Workers' Financial Security Hits 7-Year Low as Many Skip Care Over Cost

A survey of 6,000 U.S. employees finds financial confidence has fallen sharply even as insured workers put off doctor and dentist visits — with workers in their 40s hit hardest.

Insurers are seeking a median 15% rate increase for 2027 marketplace plans, and the expiration of enhanced subsidies means more shoppers will pay closer to full price when open enrollment begins Nov. 1.

Pennsylvania's measles outbreak, the nation's largest in decades, tops 1,200 cases as a sixth death is reported

State health officials have confirmed 1,222 measles cases and sent an urgent request for federal help, as a Franklin County coroner reports a sixth death and researchers warn the broader U.S. outbreak could cost the country its 26-year-old measles-elimination status.

Mortgage Rates Hold at 7.40%, Matching Highest Level Since 2023

Freddie Mac's weekly survey shows the 30-year fixed rate stuck at its highest mark in nearly three years, as a Middle East conflict and stalled Fed rate cuts squeeze buyers ahead of the November midterms.

Airlines no longer owe meals or hotels for 10 types of delays, starting Monday

A Transportation Department rule taking effect Oct. 19 removes ten causes, including hard-to-defer maintenance and unruly-passenger removals, from the delay category that triggers airlines' meal, hotel and rebooking commitments. The agency's own analysis calls the change "a transfer of value from consumers back to air carriers."

Broccoli sprouting seed recalls widen as FDA traces salmonella outbreak to a seed supplier

The FDA has now linked recalls from five seed and sprout brands to one contaminated seed lot behind a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 32 people in six states, and it still won't name the supplier at the source.

Hospitals Told to Pull Blood Thinner Argatroban Over Contamination Risk

Par Health has recalled 22 lots of the injectable blood thinner argatroban after finding particulate matter in some vials, a hospital-level recall the FDA says carries a risk of life-threatening clots.

Medicare's 2027 enrollment window opens as private plan premiums are projected to fall

Open Enrollment runs through Dec. 7 as federal officials project lower average Medicare Advantage premiums even as a drug-plan subsidy program winds down, leaving some stand-alone prescription plans facing narrower choices.

Social Security Benefits Will Rise 3.6% in 2027, the Biggest Jump in Four Years

The Social Security Administration said nearly 76 million beneficiaries will see a cost-of-living increase next year, driven by higher energy prices, with the typical retiree gaining about $75 a month.

AI Is Catching Breast Cancer Years Earlier, but Access Remains Uneven, Doctor Says

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month winds down, a George Washington University radiologist says AI-assisted mammograms are flagging risk years before a tumor is visible, even as screening guidelines and access to the technology remain inconsistent nationwide.

Aurobindo recalls more than 112,000 bottles of Amazon-brand acetaminophen over discolored caplets

Aurobindo Pharma has pulled more than 112,000 bottles of Amazon's private-label Extra Strength Acetaminophen after shoppers found discolored caplets, the second time in under two years the same house brand has been recalled for the same complaint.

Cellular cleanup, long blamed for aging alone, turns out to vary by sex and cell type

A new study of healthy adults aged 23 to 72 complicates the long-standing idea that autophagy, the process cells use to clear out damaged proteins, simply declines with age — and finds a 12-week exercise program nudged the process toward more youthful patterns in a small group of older adults.

Brooklyn distributor recalls smoked salmon trio sold in six states over Listeria risk

Krasnyi Oktyabr Inc. is pulling one lot of its Starfish Seafood cold-smoked salmon, halibut and trout after New York inspectors flagged possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination, with no illnesses reported so far.

Walmart pasta recall widens to all lots after Listeria found in testing

Gias Foods expanded a September recall of its bettergoods Lemon Alfredo Fettuccine sold at Walmart to cover every lot after state lab testing detected Listeria monocytogenes, prompting the FDA to assign its highest-risk classification.

Brooklyn seafood distributor recalls smoked salmon, halibut and trout over Listeria risk

Krasnyi Oktyabr Inc. pulled its Starfish-brand smoked seafood trio from six East Coast states after New York state testing flagged possible Listeria monocytogenes, the latest in a long-running pattern of contamination risk tied to ready-to-eat smoked fish.

Another no-name baby bath seat is pulled from Amazon, and regulators say it won't be the last

The federal government recalled its third nearly identical infant bath seat of 2026 this week, highlighting a persistent loophole in which unsafe, Chinese-made products reappear on Amazon under new throwaway brand names faster than regulators can act.

Salmonella outbreak tied to broccoli sprouts widens into seed-industry recall

Federal investigators have traced a six-state salmonella outbreak back from a single Idaho sprout grower to a contaminated seed lot, triggering recalls from three seed companies within the past week.

Global Pain Study of 6 Million People Finds Sharpest Rise Comes Before Age 55

An analysis spanning 118 countries finds women report more pain than men at every body site studied, and that prevalence climbs fastest in the decades before 55 rather than in old age — with a widening gap between richer and poorer nations later in life.

DASH Diet's Potassium Load Found Safe Alongside Blood Pressure Drugs, Study Suggests

A new analysis presented at a major cardiology meeting finds that a potassium-rich DASH diet did not push blood potassium to unsafe levels in people also taking common blood pressure medications, addressing a long-standing clinical question about combining diet and drug therapy for hypertension.

Cash Rewards Nearly Double Smoking Quit Rates in Trial of Underserved Patients

A four-year randomized trial testing incentives alongside lung cancer screening found that payments of up to $600 outperformed free quitting medication alone, researchers reported this week.

Study Finds Food Processing Itself, Not Just Nutrients, Alters Insulin and Brain Response

A tightly controlled Virginia Tech trial matched two meals down to the gram on calories, fat, protein, sodium and water. The only difference left was processing — and it was enough to shift insulin levels and brain activity in regions tied to reward.

Long sleep tied to higher risk of kidney damage in people with type 2 diabetes, study finds

A six-year study of adults with type 2 diabetes found that those who habitually slept longer were more likely to develop or worsen kidney disease, researchers reported — though they caution the finding is observational and sleep itself may be a marker of vulnerability rather than a cause.

Study links for-profit hospital ownership to higher death rates, points to nurse staffing

A study of more than 1.17 million patients across 941 hospitals in 10 states found higher mortality and readmission rates at for-profit facilities than at nonprofits — and traced a meaningful share of the gap to thinner nurse staffing.