Overweight Employees Pay More for Health Insurance

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The source of a deadly food contamination has been identified, according to Canadian health food officials. A recent listeriosis outbreak that has been linked to 4-deaths, 21-confirmed cases and possibly 30-more cases is linked back to Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto. The Canadian company expanded the recall of its meat products over the weekend, and the Public Health Agency expects the number of reported cases to continue increasing because symptoms of listeriosis can remain dormant for up to 70-days after bacterial infection. The rare foodborne illness is most dangerous to the elderly, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems. Regular treatment of the disease is a dose of antibiotics.

Health officials in Canada and the United States are in talks of creating legal standards for written food allergy warnings. Currently, these label cautions are voluntary and officials say they are popping up on previously quote-unquote safe, non-allergenic products, causing many consumers to become confused and to ignore the labels all together. The FDA plans to hold a public hearing on September 16th to help understand consumers and their needs - it’s the first step towards developing new standards. About 12-million Americans have food allergies, and since 2006, a US-law has required companies to state when products contain highly allergenic ingredients.

And one state is forcing overweight employees to pay 25-dollars per-month for insurance that is otherwise free. Alabama warned more than 37-thousand workers one year ago of the change, and now it’s approved. There are several steps to take before an employee is actually charged. According to the CDC, Alabama is the second most obese state in America. And it’s the first state to charge overweight workers versus other states that give incentives to healthy workers.