November 2006

Brae Surgeoner Commentary from the Food Safety Network, Brae Surgeoner

Like on MTV’s My Super Sweet 16, the mesmerizing show that follows Christian Dior-obsessed rich kids about to come-of-age as they plan their own outlandish birthday parties, and which has teenagers (and adults) across America questioning whether their parents really do love them.

Or, apparently, for independent restaurant owners in Topeka, Kansas, where rumors of biased restaurant inspections and critical violation drama have appeared following the popularity and apparent influence of publicly posting inspection reports — a practice that is growing across North America. Since 1998 when Los Angeles began requiring restaurants to display letter-grade cards corresponding to the result of their most recent food safety inspection, over 100 North American jurisdictions have started to disclose inspection results using an array of methods.

Last month, Dean Yee, the owner of China Inn, the oldest Chinese restaurant in Topeka, announced that he would be shutting down on Nov. 19 — the result of an ongoing dispute with fussy health inspectors.

Mr. Yee alleges the health department put an end to his food preparation with unwarranted fines and a notice of intent to suspend his license. For the health-conscious, restaurant-going public who cut-off their patronage, the slaps on the wrist did not go unnoticed.Continue Reading Super sweet — and safe — 16

Worldwide Fish logoThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that it is seeking a permanent injunction against Worldwide Fish & Seafood, Inc. (Worldwide Fish), Suzanne Weinstein, its president and owner, and Timothy A. Lauer, its general manager. Worldwide Fish does business as Coastal Seafood, a seafood processor located at 2330 Minnehaha Avenue, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The…

The Washington Times printed commentary written by Henry Miller, who made an interesting point about produce contamination today:

“It has also become painfully clear we can’t rely on processors to always remove the pathogens from food. This most recent outbreak of illness demonstrated that our faith in processor labels such as ‘triple washed’ and ‘ready

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An article in the New England Journal of Medicine, which was written by Dr. Dennis Maki, underscores the importance of the use of irradiation technology as a measure to improve food safety. Consumeraffairs.com posted about Dr. Maki’s article today, and highlighted arguments made by Dr. Maki, who pointed out some important issues surrounding foodborne illness…

Say, this lettuce tastes funny!

The Associated Press reports:

"Two police officers sued Burger King Corp., claiming they were served hamburgers that had been sprinkled with marijuana.

The lawsuit says Mark Landavazo and Henry Gabaldon, officers for the Isleta Pueblo tribal police, were in uniform and riding in a marked patrol car when they bought

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FDA USDA FSISAJC reports that with many Americans switching to a more health-conscious diet that includes fresh vegetables, the nation must do a better job against food-borne illnesses.

The most recent outbreak — salmonella poisoning linked to contaminated lettuce and tomatoes — sickened 171 people in 19 states, including Georgia, and came not long after a deadly…

agricultureThe TCS daily (Technology Commerce Society) has an interesting article on making our food safer:

Americans are wondering who will protect us from future outbreaks of contamination and food-borne illness.

First, it’s clear we can’t rely on growers of fresh produce to protect us 100 percent of the time. Modern farming operations – especially the

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tomatoesFox News reports that contaminated fresh tomatoes served in restaurants were the cause of a recent salmonella outbreak that sickened dozens of people in 21 states, health officials said Friday.

The outbreak, now over, sickened at least 183 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were no reports of deaths, although…