Senate hearing on food safety legislation (SB 510) (Food Safety Modernization Act) will occur soon, maybe even next week. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and a group of colleagues have proposed the legislation in response to a number of recent outbreaks of food poisoning linked to Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter, and other pathogens.
Transparency in food recalls: important on both sides of the Atlantic
In her blog at eFoodAlert.com, Phyllis Entis today discussed France’s approach, or lack thereof, to letting the food-consuming public know about foodborne threats to their health. The story arose from an outbreak of staphylococcal enterotoxin contained within three batches of cheese that were made using unpasteurized milk (aka "raw milk") from a single milk
Commentary on the raw milk debate in Wisconsin
Kristen Hansen, community columnist with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel posted today on the raw milk debate that is brewing in Wisconsin over the state’s upcoming vote on Senate Bill 434:
There is a trend toward healthy eating and natural foods in this country, and that is a good thing. Even though some labels of
Black pepper and HVP rolling recalls continue
The outbreak linked to salami and pepper, and the recall linked to hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), have sparked additional food recalls. First, the pepper. The FDA’s recall notice posted today (it is dated March 25th–from a consumer health standpoint, shouldn’t these notices be going up a little closer in time to the day they occurred)
Cow/Herd Share Agreements Revisited
The FDA issued a statement yesterday on the campylobacter outbreak in Michigan linked to raw milk, which reads as follows:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, along with several state agencies, is alerting consumers to an outbreak of campylobacteriosis associated with drinking raw milk. At least 12 confirmed illnesses have been recently reported in Michigan. Symptoms of campylobacteriosis include diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever.
The FDA is collaborating with the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health and the Indiana State Health Department, to investigate the outbreak. MDCH reports that, as of March 24, 2010, it received reports of 12 confirmed cases of illness from Campylobacter infections in consumers who drank raw milk. The raw milk originated from Forest Grove Dairy in Middlebury, Ind.
The milk was produced in Indiana under a cow-share agreement (sometimes called a herd share agreement). Federal law prohibits the interstate sale of raw milk. In fact, it is not a constitutional right to eat whatever you want; and states are, as a result, well within their legal authority to prohibit the sale of raw milk within their borders.
The fact that federal law prohibits the interstate sale and shipment of raw milk (a measure done in furtherance of Congress’s ability to regulate interstate commerce) prompts a question. What is an Indiana dairy doing selling and shipping milk across state lines? This was tried before, and it resulted in a criminal prosecution against the offenders (the owners of Dee Creek Farms in Woodland Washington). What will happen in this cse?
It is no answer for Forest Grove Dairy, located in Indiana, to say that it did not sell raw milk. It certainly did, and it’s product was also shipped in interstate commerce, thus violating state and federal law. Also, Michigan law says, specifically: "Only pasteurized milk and milk products shall be offered for sale or sold, directly or indirectly, to the final consumer or to restaurants, grocery stores or similar establishments."
The fact that Forest Grove Dairy distributed the subject raw milk using the illusory framework of a cow/herd-share agreement is also a bad defense. In fact, it’s no defense at all. I authored the following article for www.foodsafetynews.com back in November 2009 on this issue specifically:
Truly, to call a cow share agreement a species of legal maneuvering may be giving too much cred to an effort that is designed either to flout the law entirely, or at the very least to avoid the often stringent requirements associated with licensure. In reality, cow shares are poorly disguised attempts to accomplish something that is, in most states, patently criminal. As a result, when juding whether such conduct constitutes the sale or distribution of raw milk, courts are likely to approach these cases with a healthy dose of realism in determining what the parties’ true intent was, whether the forum be civil or criminal court.
Read Cow Share Agreements: Fooling Nobody.Continue Reading Cow/Herd Share Agreements Revisited
Lombard Subway faces 34 cases in Shigella outbreak
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The Subway restaurant located on Roosevelt Road in Lombard, Illinois is at the epicenter of a major shigella outbreak that began in late February and continued into early March. Latest reports estimate the number of confirmed cases in the outbreak at around 50, but there are surely many, many more people who have been sickened in the
Update on Daniele salami/pepper Salmonella outbreak
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Yesterday, the CDC updated the case count in the Salmonella outbreak linked to recalled salami from Daniele Inc., red pepper from Wholesome Spice, and likely black pepper as well. A total of 245 people are now counted by the CDC as cases in this outbreak, coming from 44 states and the District of Columbia. But this
More on black pepper recall due to Salmonella contamination
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Yesterday, Heartland Foods, Inc., an Indianapolis, Indiana company recalled "all sizes/containers of COARSE GROUND BLACK PEPPER shipped from their facility at 6815 E. 34th Street, Indianapolis IN. Potential distribution took place on or after October 19th, 2009 to February 17th, 2010."
This recall comes on the heels of a major national outbreak linked to pepper-coated salami
Spices: emerging threat or clear and present danger?
Over the last several years, there have been multiple outbreaks linked to, and recalls of, various kinds of spices. From white pepper, to red pepper, to black pepper and beyond, spices are a potentially ideal vehicle for the transmission of foodborne disease. More and more people are becoming ill from contaminated spices, and more and more recalls are occurring. So is this problem merely an emerging threat? Or is it a problem that food producers must confront here and now, finding ways to better ensure the safety of the consumers they profit from.
Spice outbreaks in recent history:
1. Veggie Booty
In May 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began a multi-state investigation in response to an increase in laboratory reports, first posted on PulseNet on April 2, 2007, of Salmonella Wandsworth. Salmonella Wandsworth is a very rare serotype that was never before implicated in a U.S. outbreak. As of September 6, 2007, there were 69 reported cases of Salmonella Wandsworth in 23 states and 14 cases of Salmonella Typhimurium in six states who became ill after consuming Veggie Booty, a puffed vegetable snack food with a raw, dried vegetable coating. A total of 61 bags of Veggie Booty were ultimately tested in twelve states. Salmonella was isolated from thirteen of them. Eleven of the thirteen bags were positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella Wandsworth, and one bag was positive for Salmonella Typhimurium and Enterobacter sakazakii. One bag also tested positive for Salmonella Kentucky, and Salmonella Haifa and Saintpaul were isolated from other bags.
The Union International Food outbreak sickened more than 79 people in Western states between December 2008 and April 2009; the majority of the illnesses were in California. Public health officials traced the outbreak to white pepper manufactured by Union International and sold under the brand names Uncle Chen and Lian How. Ultimately the company recalled more than 50 products, including spices, oils, and sauces, due to potential contamination with Salmonella.
3. Wholesome Spice Company and Overseas Spice
This outbreak and recall is, of course, still going on. According to the CDC just days ago, 238 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Montevideo, which displays either of two closely related pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns, have been reported from 44 states and District of Columbia since July 1, 2009. Epidemiological investigation showed that these 238 sick people all ate Daniele Inc salami products contaminated by salmonella. Daniele used salmonella-contaminated pepper in the production of the various kinds of recalled salami.
4. Today’s recall of Johnny’s brand French dip au jus powder?
Will the Johnny’s recall, announced today out of Tacoma, Washington, be another recall or outbreak to add to this list? The ingredient list for the recalled prodcut states that it contains: ‘MSG, Wheat, Soy & Milk; Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (corn, soy, wheat), yeast extract, salt, rice flour, monosodium glutamate, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soy & cottonseed), caramel color, whey solids, non-fat milk solids, mono & diglycerides." Only time will tell, hopefully, what happened at Johnny’s to prompt today’s recall. Spices? Certainly possible.
The historical trend:
These kinds of events naturally prompt the question why are we suddenly seeing outbreaks and recalls linked to pepper and other spices. Is this truly a new phenomenon; a new species of failure by food importers and producers?
Continue Reading Spices: emerging threat or clear and present danger?
French Dip Powdered Au Jus recall due to Salmonella contamination
Yet another food recall due to Salmonella contamination. This one was announced this morning by Johnny’s Fine Foods, a Tacoma, Washington food company, who is recalling powdered au jus due to potential contamination by Salmonella. The FDA recall notice states as follows:
To date no known illnesses have been associated with this product.
Johnny’s French Dip