Severe foodborne disease outbreaks occurring in the school setting are a major public health issue. On June 17, 2021, Toyama City Public Health Center received a report of a suspected outbreak of food poisoning from the Board of Education of Toyama City. The board reported that 459 students and 5 teachers were absent from school or left early on June 17. We investigated the suspected outbreak and examined the implementation of control measures in a small-scale milk processing company linked to the outbreak. In particular, we performed an epidemiological investigation involving a traceback and traceforward investigation, an inspection of the processing company, a microbiological analysis, a hazard analysis, and an evaluation of critical control points. In total, 1,896 individuals developed at least one gastrointestinal symptom and were absent from school and/or left early. In total, 25 schools and childcare facilities were affected. The epidemiological investigation showed that consumption of school lunch milk from a specific milk company was significantly associated with absence from school on June 16–18, with odds ratios ranging from 2.2 to 21.7. No cases were linked to other distribution facilities. Milk and stool samples yielded Escherichia coli of undetermined pathotype. The milk processing facility had 20 hazards, including the heat treatment machine. The facility did not undergo routine checks and maintenance. The temperature detector sensor was manufactured to have 20 copper wires, but just 2 wires were intact, leading to a possible overestimation of temperature. We recommended that the facility routinely measure direct temperature and implement checks and maintenance of the heat treatment unit.

Plant-based protein sources are increasingly incorporated into human diets as the search for more sustainable and nourishing food sources arises. Numerous fungal plant pathogens that impact pulses and plant-based proteins, namely Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium oxysporum and certain Penicillium species, have been studied widely in corn, peanut and cotton previously. We review reports of these fungal genera and their infections in pulses, as well as other pathogenic and mycotoxigenic fungi reported to infect and contaminate pulses. Overall, plant-based protein sources have been understudied in the United States (US) and abroad. This review captures current research (through 2025) to reveal how pulse crops, an emerging source of plant-based proteins, are impacted nutritionally by fungal infections and their subsequent mycotoxin contamination. The major findings are 1) that fungal infections tend to decrease nutritional composition of pulse seeds and 2) that there are consistent gaps in current pulse research that need to be addressed.

Following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011, Japan implemented extensive monitoring of radioactive materials in foods and established strict regulatory limits based on an annual effective dose of 1 mSv/year from artificial radionuclides. This review summarizes long-term surveillance data on radioactive cesium (r-Cs) in commercial foods and long-term assessments of dietary intake of r-Cs and strontium-90 (⁹⁰Sr) using the total diet study (TDS)/market basket (MB) method. Monitoring of commercial foods demonstrated that pre-shipment inspections and production controls are highly effective for cultivated agricultural products and livestock products, with regulatory exceedances occurring almost exclusively in wild mushrooms, wild edible plants, and wildlife-derived foods. No r-Cs has been detected in any infant food sample since monitoring began. TDS-based assessments show that the committed effective dose from r-Cs declined rapidly during the first few years after the accident and has remained at a very low level (generally below 0.001 mSv/year) nationwide since around 2017, while ⁹⁰Sr levels exhibited no clear regional differences and remained comparable to pre-accident background levels. These findings confirm that Japan’s long-term food safety controls have kept internal radiation exposure far below international safety limits. The integration of surveillance, TDS monitoring, and risk management provides a robust evidence-based model for ensuring food safety following nuclear events.