July 2005

Scripps Howard News Service suggests the following tips for guarding against foodborne diseases:
– Think “YOPI.” Food scientists say consumers who are young, old, pregnant or with suppressed immune systems from using prescription drugs or from diseases like diabetes are less likely to have natural defenses to fight foodborne diseases. Because of the risk of listeria, anyone in the class of YOPIs should reheat all deli meats before eating them.
– Surveys show that 72 percent of consumers agree with the phrase “pasteurized juice will have less risk of pathogens.” But barely more than half agree that “unpasteurized juice may have more risk of pathogens.” There are more pathogens in unpasteurized products.Continue Reading How to fight foodborne diseases

Andrew Tran of The Daily Texan reports that Chipotle Mexican Grill is being sued by Thomas Engwall, a UT kinesiology graduate student, claiming the Chipotle on the Drag gave him food poisoning on June 16, 2004.
Engwall’s attorney says he got sick and lost 20 pounds, which helped prevent Engwall from qualifying for the U.S. Olympic javelin team the following month.
The manager of the Guadalupe Street Chipotle at the time of the incident, Chandler Wiley, was also named as a defendant in the suit.
Wiley was on vacation and unavailable for comment, said Ben Caton, supervisor of the Chipotle at Stassney Lane where Wiley is currently general manager.
The suit claims that a barbacoa taco gave Engwall immediate pain and discomfort in the abdomen. The Minnesota native says he suffered repeated bouts of vomiting and diarrhea followed by dehydration.
University Health Services reported seven cases of food-borne illness on June 18, 2004, prompting the Austin/Travis County Health Department to inspect the Chipotle on the Drag.Continue Reading UT student sues Chipotle, claims food poisoning

The Times-Herald reports that a good meal at a great restaurant, a good grade in a tough class: These are two rather satisfying moments in our lives. And the two, put together, could be a superb way to notify restaurant diners of an eatery’s cleanliness and safe food preparation practices.
A posted letter grade from health officials of an A, B, or C on the front window of every restaurant in Solano County is a system we may well want to adopt from counties down south.
Sunday’s “Front & Center” article detailed Solano County Environmental Health Department’s restaurant inspection system that tries to safeguard consumers from a dangerous dose or excruciating bout of food poisoning.Continue Reading A tip to avoid food poisoning: Make restaurants post a grade

Newswise reports that a healthy adult is less likely to contract a foodborne illness than a young child or an aging grandparent. And a pregnant woman, her fetus, and people battling disease are especially sensitive to illnesses that can be transmitted by food. Those in these categories who are unaware of their risks are a potentially serious consequence for the nation’s health, according to experts here at the Institute of Food Technologists annual meeting.
Scientists refer to the people in these groups as YOPI–the very young, the very old, pregnant women, and people with suppressed immune systems from HIV, diabetes, and other conditions. Their natural internal defenses against foodborne illness are not as well armed as a health adult.Continue Reading What We Don’t Know About Handling Food Can Hurt

Scott Joseph, Orlando Sentinel Restaurant Critic, reports that what people sometimes mistake for a touch of the flu, a 24-hour bug, is really food poisoning. Upset stomach, cramps and diarrhea might be some of the discomforts they experience. On occasion, these are actually indicators of a food-borne illness, and, for epidemiologists such as Dean Bodager, they aren’t symptoms, they’re clues.
Whenever there is an outbreak of food-borne illnesses, it falls to Bodager and other members of the Florida Department of Health to track down the source. Sometimes it’s simple. Most outbreaks occur at the point of preparation — a restaurant employee who didn’t wash his or her hands properly, food that wasn’t kept at the correct temperature to prevent bacteria growth, or some sort of cross-contamination.Continue Reading Food detectives

Megan Heidlberg of WNEG NewsCHANNEL 32 reports that Susan Henning, along with 14 other restaurant managers and employees, are trading in their spatulas and aprons for pens and workbooks. That training is crucial since one mistake could make thousands of people very sick, or worse.
During the two day class, instructors like Dr. Elizabeth Anders…

Greg Moberly of the Times-Herald reports that Iris Martinez’s 2-year-old daughter was shaking with a severe case of diarrhea when her mother smelled something which seemed unusual.
“The smell was like a dead dog,” said Martinez remembering the food poisoning incident in 2003. Martinez, her 2-year-old daughter, 5-year-old son and members of her sister-in-laws’ family were some of many who experienced food poisoning at a temporary food operation at Six Flags Marine World.
Despite the passage of time, the Manteca resident vividly recalled her family’s ordeal.Continue Reading Food Poisoning Served at Six Flags Marine World?

Niki Sullivan of the Associated Press reports that a weight problem caused by too much fast food would no longer be potential grounds for a lawsuit under a bill on its way to Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
The Senate unanimously passed a bill Thursday that prohibits lawsuits against restaurants and fast-food companies by consumers who develop health problems — including obesity — after eating the food over a long period.
State officials say no one in Oregon has ever filed such a lawsuit, but supporters of the bill say it would protect those businesses from frivolous litigation.Continue Reading Senate passes bill to restrict fast-food lawsuits

Concern is growing that Iowa will fall behind in inspecting restaurants and allow unsanitary operations to go unchecked. That’s enough to make Iowans lose their appetites.
State law mandates at least one inspection annually. For the sake of public health, the state must find the money to hire enough inspectors to meet that minimum requirement for the rest of this fiscal year. Then state lawmakers need to increase restaurant licensing fees to cover the cost of inspections.
The state is scrambling to keep up with inspections after Polk County, tired of losing money on conducting them, voted last month to give the job back to the state. The addition of 2,200 Polk County eateries will nearly double the workload of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. Earlier this week, Jasper County bailed on inspections, too, adding another 237 restaurants to the state’s duties. More counties could follow that lead.Continue Reading Don’t allow lag in restaurant inspections