Come Friday, it’s likely that some people won’t be giving thanks. Because if not handled properly, the turkeys that adorn Thanksgiving tables can host more than stuffing.
There’s the norovirus that can produce "acute-onset vomiting, watery non-bloody diarrhea with abdominal cramps, and nausea" according to the Center for Disease Control.
And that’s not all. Bacteria
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
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
The 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
The Executive Intelligence review has a great article on the FDA cutbacks leading to more US food poisoning.
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Commentary from the Food Safety Network, Douglas Powell and Ben Chapman
Don’t eat poop. That’s the first rule of public health.
And the first company that can assure consumers they aren’t eating poop on spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and any other fresh produce, will make millions and capture markets across the country.
The recent outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 on bagged spinach which sickened over 200 and killed four was the tipping point: for farmers dealing with collapsed markets; for retailers who say they are now going to get serious about questioning their suppliers; and, for consumers who now realize that fresh produce is a significant source of foodborne illness and are voting with their wallets and their forks — how can they know if the leafy stuff is safe? Or tomatoes? Or cantaloupes, carrots and any other fresh produce?
After decades of refusing to publicly advertise food safety differences — my spinach is safer than your spinach because these are the things I do on my farm and I can show you the data — retail and food service chains may finally be forced to do just that.
And the sooner the better.Continue Reading Don’t eat poop
A quick Q & A from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the effectiveness of washing your fruits and vegetables to prevent food poisoning.
This is a Power Point (in pdf) about how the spinach E. coli outbreak is only part of a larger problem of safe produce.
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WOODTV reports that n the cold room at Forest Hills Foods, workers prepare fruit trays, ever mindful of customer concerns over the recent outbreak of food-borne problems such as E. coli and salmonella.
"It’s cold during the preparation process. And it’s cold when it gets on our shelves. So the product never has a
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USA Today reports that the first rule of public health is one most of us learn in kindergarten: Don’t eat poop.
But that’s what the people were eating who were struck down with E. coli in the late summer outbreak tied to bagged spinach, California health officials now say.
There was deadly E. coli O157:H7