Douglas Powell and Ben Chapman of the Food Safety Network report that on Nov. 4, 2005, Dr. Robert Brackett, director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, wrote California lettuce producers, packers and shippers, urging them to re-examine and modify operations from the farm through to distributors to ensure that consumers were provided with a safe product.
The letter followed a nationwide warning to consumers in early October 2005 against eating certain pre-packaged Dole salad products because the lettuce had been associated with an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in Minnesota; to date, 18 people have fallen ill in Minnesota and Oregon.Continue Reading Stop blaming consumers
Fresh produce can be hazardous to your health
Leslie Beck of the Globe and Mail reports that if you’re like many health-conscious Canadians, chances are you’re trying to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. And for good reason — hundreds of studies have linked a high intake of fruits and vegetables to protection from heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and cancers. But getting your five to 10 servings per day could also be hazardous to your health.
The reason: Fresh fruits and vegetables are being fingered in a growing number of food poisoning outbreaks. Last month, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency advised people in Ontario to avoid eating mung bean sprouts when at least 636 people became ill from eating sprouts contaminated with salmonella. Salmonella food poisoning, or salmonellosis, causes headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. In young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, it can be deadly.Continue Reading Fresh produce can be hazardous to your health
Food safety tips from the pros
A little holiday Q and A from the Food Safety Network:
Question: Is it safe to use raw eggs to make eggnog?
To make eggnog, use a recipe where the eggs and milk are cooked; bring the egg/milk mixture to 72-75 C (pasteurization temperature). Drink hot or chill immediately. Even if fresh eggs are used, there’s a possibility they might be contaminated by pathogens.Continue Reading Food safety tips from the pros
Produce causes more illness than meat, eggs
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that more people get sick every year from tainted produce than from seafood, poultry, beef or eggs, a new report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest has found.
Seafood still accounts for the most number of outbreaks of food-borne illness, but produce-related outbreaks sicken the most people.
Between 1990 and 2003, produce was behind 554 outbreaks and 28,315 illnesses, while seafood caused 899 outbreaks and 9,312 illnesses, the report found.Continue Reading Produce causes more illness than meat, eggs
Holiday Season Food Poisoning Warning
Health News reports that undercooked food and poor food-handling practices are the most common causes of food poisoning during the holiday season, health officials warned.
Salmonella bacteria — found in raw turkey, chicken and other meats — is a common source of food poisoning, said Dr. Johnathan Fielding, the county’s top public health official.
There
Food-Safety Agencies Mince Their Meats
Cindy Skrzycki of the Washington Post reports that after years of trying to sort out who should regulate such culinary delights as the bagel dog, the Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department may be coming to a resolution.
On Dec. 15, the FDA and the Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the nation’s two federal agencies with primary responsibility for food safety, will hold a public meeting on jurisdictional issues that affect the regulation of foods containing meat and poultry.
Despite the nearness of the holidays, turkey is not on the menu.
The two agencies say their goal is “consistency and predictability”
with respect to who regulates what. Right now, if you manufacture frozen cheese pizzas, the FDA is your regulator. But if there is meat on them, the FSIS is the overseer. And, if you make both kinds, you could have both regulators in your plants.Continue Reading Food-Safety Agencies Mince Their Meats
Is the food in your fridge safe to eat?: Food can look OK and still have a lot of bacteria
ABC News reports that on “Good Morning America” Weekend Edition Dr. Michael Doyle, director of The Center for Food Safety at The University of Georgia, said items like plastic wrap, aluminum foil and Tupperware may make your foods taste fresher but they won’t extend their shelf life.
And when it comes to mold, if you
Was It Something I Ate?
San Francisco Chronicle writer Janet Fletcher reports that confirming the cause of a food-borne illness is devilishly difficult, public health officials say, especially without a cluster of cases.
Consequently, many sickened patrons don’t even bother to report incidents, and many chefs struggle with how to respond when they do.
Armed with more knowledge about food-borne illness — its causes and its usual course — stricken diners may find they’re more reluctant to assign blame and more realistic about what restaurants can and should do.
The federal Centers for Disease Control estimates that Americans experience 76 million food-borne illnesses a year, with very few of those incidents reported, and even fewer confirmed by laboratory tests. The symptoms are typically similar to those that accompany the
flu: diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps.
Most people never go to a doctor with their complaint because their symptoms quickly subside. Those who do see a physician are rarely tested for food-borne illness because the lab tests are expensive, and the patient probably will have recovered by the time the results come back.Continue Reading Was It Something I Ate?
Law aims to keep unsafe food off the table
Sun Shangwu of the China Daily News reports that the alarming number of cases of contaminated farm produce in markets have prodded Chinese legislators to draft a law improving the quality and safety of agricultural products.
The law is drafted to protect the health of the public and increase the competitiveness of Chinese agricultural products in international markets, said Minister of Agriculture Du Qinglin.
The draft law, with eight chapters and 64 articles, was submitted to the Standing Committee of the 10th National People’s Congress on Saturday for appraisal.Continue Reading Law aims to keep unsafe food off the table
DeLauro urges action on food safety for kids
Joseph Straw of the Journal Register News reports that U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, and a leading national advocacy group have joined in a campaign to increase the safety of food served to youngsters in the nation’s school cafeterias.
DeLauro, co-chairwoman of the bipartisan House Food Safety Caucus, joined the Center for Science in the Public Interest in proposing a school food safety “bill of rights,” including provisions such as easy access to health inspection scores.
Incidences of food-borne illnesses like E. coli and salmonella resulting from school food have doubled in the past decade, but the reason for the increases is unknown, officials said.
“Since children are particularly vulnerable to food-borne illness, schools must be vigilant in their efforts to ensure that cafeterias are not putting children at risk. These changes in law will support parents who want to work with school principals and food-service directors to ensure a safe environment,” DeLauro said.Continue Reading DeLauro urges action on food safety for kids