Entis’s lab with Canada’s Health Protection Branch was responsible for checking all of the suspect chocolate stored in warehouses in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In January 1974, a Salmonella Eastbourne outbreak was linked to Regent Chocolate. She pointed to the Regent Chocolate episode. “Tainted” often reads like a true crime novel, where laymen and authorities uncover clues to save the public from future poisonings and reveal the culprits of past poisonings.Īfter reading “Tainted,” I asked Entis if she has a particular story from the novel that she finds most memorable. Writing mystery novels prepared her well to write “Tainted,” as food safety illnesses often function as mysteries. She is known for the Damien Dickens Mysteries series, which includes “The Green Pearl Caper,” “The White Russian Caper,” “The Chocolate Labradoodle Caper,” “The Gold Dragon Caper,” “The Blue Moon Caper,” and “The Silver Star Caper.” Her debut novel, “The Green Pearl Caper,” was a Library Journal SELF-e Selection. In recent years, Entis has honed her storytelling abilities as she has been working as a mystery writer. “Tainted” is the update of her 2007 book, “Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives.” The original version had an academic bent, but “Tainted” is more in line with Entis’s original vision of making food safety accessible to the lay reader. Phyllis Entis is a retired food safety microbiologist. Entis shows that everyone - government regulators, farmers, ranchers, food processors, food service workers, retailers, educators and consumers - are needed to accomplish this herculean task. Whether it’s Salmonella in eggs, Listeria in deli meats, melamine in milk or Cyclospora in lettuce, “Tainted” illustrates that everyone has a responsibility to ensure that the food we eat is as safe as we can make it. I had the chance to read the book this past December and talk with Entis about it. As Entis puts it, “the food preparation skills we learned from our parents and grandparents are no longer good enough to keep us safe.” “Tainted” tells readers that when it comes to food safety, conventional wisdom isn’t always enough. The Cronobacter outbreak has sickened at least five infants, killing two, and has been linked to Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare infant formulas recalled Abbott Nutrition. The book is particularly topical as the first chapter talks about Cronobacter sakazakii, a dangerous bacterium that has caused an ongoing outbreak. Phyllis Entis’s new book “Tainted” is now available as an audiobook. “Tainted” by Phyllis Entis is available in book, digital and audiobook formats.

THE GREEN PEARL CAPER by Phyllis Entis