Pointing to weaknesses in food safety systems around the world, two United Nations agencies on Thursday urged all countries to be vigilant when dealing with traders and producers that affect the supply line.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) cited the discovery of the industrial chemical melamine in animal and fish feed and the unauthorized use of certain veterinary drugs in intensive aquaculture as examples of how a lack of vigilance can affect health and international trade

The Philippine government on Tuesday warned local consumers against eating Chinese candies and other imported products from China that are allegedly tainted with formaldehyde, and asked vendors and importers to withdraw these products from the market.

The warning issued by the Philippine Department of Health-Bureau of Food and Drugs came after China suspended the importation of allegedly unsanitary meat products from the Philippines on Friday

Three-hundred-seventy-eight people claimed they have come down with salmonella illnesses after consuming food bought at a Persian cuisine booth at Taste of Chicago, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).

The origin of the bacteria is believed to be tahini - a sesame seed paste used to make hummus - which was the core ingredient of a salad offered by Pars Cove Persian Cuisine at the popular food-tasting event

The number of children stricken with salmonella poisoning after eating Veggie Booty is growing, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The snack food - made from organic rice and corn - was taken off store shelves after it was tied to over 60 instances of salmonella, most affecting children under the age of ten.

Six children have been hospitalized since the outbreak began in March. At least eight children in New York City have contracted the bacteria strain, and several more cases have been reported in Pennsylvania. The latter incidences sickened three toddlers, as reported by the Associated Press

A pet turtle was linked to the death of a four-week-old baby in Florida earlier this year. The case demonstrates what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been saying since 1975: turtles are not safe, especially for children.

The CDC expressed concern that sales of baby turtles were on the increase, despite the 1975 federal "Four-Inch Law," that forbids the sale of turtles with a carapace length of less than four 4 inches