FSNET DECEMBER 7, 2000 -- II Walkerton PUC foreman cries at inquiry UK: 23% of pork is contaminated with salmonella - just-food.com reports Save-A-Lot recalls ground beef Meat processor may be linked to earlier E. coli outbreak First case of infant botulism in the Netherlands Outbreaks of Legionella infection in Spain, 2000 Two consecutive, concurrent outbreaks of infection with Salmonella enteritidis phage types 5C and 6A in Scotland, May to December 2000 Hydrodynamic pressure process may make meat safer Putting the pressure on meat . . . to be more tender and possibly safer Huisken Meats expands distribution of 'pasteurized' patties to California EU leaders say 6-month feed ban too short FSnet is produced by the Centre for Safe Food at the University of Guelph, and is supported by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Health Canada, Canadian Food Information Council, the U.S. National Pork Producers, the U.S. National Food Processors Association, Pfizer Animal Health Group, Ag-West Biotech, AGCare (Agricultural Groups Concerned About Resources and the Environment), Monsanto Canada, Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited (Canada), Canadian Animal Health Institute, Novartis Crop Protection Canada, Meat & Livestock Australia, Canadian On-Farm Food Safety Program, Ontario Pork, Unilever Research, Halton Regional Health Department, Ontario Egg Producers, Tyson Foods,Canadian Pork Council, the U.S. National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Maple Leaf Meats/Poultry, Caravelle Foods, CKE Restaurants Inc., the Rutgers Food Risk Analysis Initiative, Ontario Farm Animal Council, Fleishman-Hillard Canada, Food Safety Initiative at New England Medical Center, J.M. Schneider, University of Illinois, CLF Central Laboratories, Capital Health, ConAgra Refrigerated Prepared Foods, Parmalat Food, Tyson Foods, Freybe Sausage Ltd., the Ontario Soybean Growers Marketing Board, the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, Food Industry Environmental Network, Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors, Adculture, Chicken Farmers of Canada, MDS Nordion, American Meat Institute, International Food Focus, 3M, Saskatchewan Nutraceutical Network, ABC Research, and the Agricultural Adaptation Council(CanAdapt Program). archived at: http://www.plant.uoguelph.ca/safefood/archives/fsnet-archives.htm WALKERTON PUC FOREMAN CRIES AT INQUIRY December 7, 2000 CP Wire/AP WALKERTON, Ont. -- According to these stories, Frank Koebel, the foreman of Walkerton's utilities commission began sobbing today as he gave evidence to the inquiry into May's devastating E. coli outbreak. The inquiry heard today that Koebel's older brother, Stan Koebel, wants psychiatric evidence to be kept from the public during a hearing on whether he's fit to testify. Stan Koebel, the manager of the utilities commission, has also been on medical leave and has been described as suicidal. Frank Koebel was cited as telling the inquiry Thursday how the brothers tried to cover up key tracking information as it became obvious in May that things had gone horribly wrong with the town's water supply. Logs were rewritten to make them ''presentable'' to Ministry of the Environment inspectors, who had begun descending upon the community. However, Koebel was cited as saying today, it was obvious that one of the inspectors smelled a rat when presented with the ''fictitious'' records, adding, ''You could tell he was a little concerned.'' The foreman also testified that scales designed to measure the amount of chlorine used to disinfect the water had never worked from the day they were bought. As a result of the faulty scales, neither Koebel nor his elder brother had any real idea of how much chlorine was being used on a daily basis. Instead, they would simply ''guesstimate'' chlorine usage. To make tracking logs look good to any inspection, the Koebel brothers would simply invent appropriate levels of chlorine found in the town's water. Frank Koebel also said Stan Koebel would always do the special resampling of the water required if an initial test suggested contamination. Those second samples inevitably came up clean. Koebel has also told the inquiry how sample bottles were regularly mislabelled, and that water in the town was seldom tested, in violation of all provincial guidelines. The AP wire story, the first of the inquiry, begins by saying that testimony at an inquiry into North America's worst E. coli contamination, which killed seven people and sickened 2,300, shows a town water system run by two brothers who falsified records to fend off regulators. UK: 23% OF PORK IS CONTAMINATED WITH SALMONELLA - JUST-FOOD.COM REPORTS Dec. 7/00 from a press release LONDON -- http://www.just-food.com -- Results published today say that out of the 13 million pigs slaughtered last year, 700,000 were contaminated by the time they reached the butcher. The announcement of the results of the Government study of animals after slaughter comes as the EU is still in turmoil over BSE. In the full report at http://www.just-food.com/news--detail.asp?art19697, a senior ministry of agriculture official admitted: "We always knew that salmonella was around in pigs," but this study was the first of its kind in allowing the agriculture ministry to quantify the extent of the problem. Maybe we should not be alarmed as around 60% of salmonella strains do not affect humans. However, it seems that bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics and therefore more difficult to control. Is the UK to face another meat crisis? Read the full report here: http://www.just-food.com/news--detail.asp?art19697 SAVE-A-LOT RECALLS GROUND BEEF December 6, 2000 Reason: E. coli O157:H7. Distribution: Not indicated. www.safetyalerts.com MEAT PROCESSOR MAY BE LINKED TO EARLIER E. COLI OUTBREAK December 6, 2000 Star Tribune Jill Burcum http://www.startribune.com/viewers/qview/cgi/qview.cgi?template=metro_a_cach e&slug=coli06 According to this story, Minnesota Health Department records indicate that the Wisconsin meat processor that is recalling millions of pounds of ground beef may have been linked to another E. coli outbreak involving ground beef sold at Twin Cities Cub Foods stores a year ago. Meanwhile, the current Cub Foods outbreak spread beyond Minnesota's borders Tuesday. The same E. coli O157:h7 subtype that sickened 22 Minnesotans has been confirmed in three Wisconsin residents, Wisconsin health officials said. No new cases were confirmed in Minnesota Tuesday. The Wisconsin meat processor, American Foods Group Inc., was cited as saying that until Tuesday it knew nothing about the previous Cub outbreak and that its epidemiologists will review the data with state health officials. According to Minnesota Health Department records, 10 people were infected with E. coli O157 a year ago after eating ground beef bought from eight Twin Cities Cub stores. Five of the people were hospitalized. According to Minnesota Department of Health records, the previous Cub outbreak began in December 1999. Most of those who became ill were sickened in December and in January of this year. They lived in Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Scott and Wright counties. The records, part of a 1999-2000 summary of Minnesota outbreaks, state, "This was an outbreak of E. coli O157 ... caused by ground beef purchased from Cub Foods stores in the Twin Cities metropolitan area." Although hamburger from a number of companies was inspected during the investigation, the Health Department records said the investigation by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture "revealed that all ground beef sold by the involved Cub Foods stores originated from a single processing plant in Wisconsin." Buddy Ferguson, spokesman for the Minnesota Health Department, was cited as saying Tuesday that American Foods is the plant referred to in the records. Mike Schommer, spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, also said the company was investigated during the outbreak a year ago, but added that several others were, too. Schommer said he didn't know the names of the other companies. The Health Department records didn't say that investigators concluded that American Foods beef was responsible for the outbreak. FIRST CASE OF INFANT BOTULISM IN THE NETHERLANDS December 7, 2000 Eurosurveillance Weekly Bert Wolters http://www.eurosurv.org/update/ The first Dutch case of infant botulism was diagnosed at the end of March 2000 in a boy aged 2.5 months, according to an article in Infektieziekten Bulletin (1). The child was fed honey, the only food product associated with infant botulism, and ingestion of spores from the honey was the likeliest cause of the disease. Following the example of other countries, parents in the Netherlands have been advised not to give honey to children under the age of 1 year. Case report The patient was a 2.5 month old son of Ukrainian refugees, living in a centre for asylum seekers. He had been born in the Netherlands and had had no previous medical problems. Before his illness, he had been fed breast and formula milk: sometimes his parents put honey on his dummy. When the child became ill he drank very little, became sleepy, weak, and lethargic, and did not defecate for four days. On admission to hospital the child was hypotonic and apathetic, he cried with a high sound without shedding tears, and showed little facial movement. The baby could not close his eyelids, the light reflex of the pupils was slow, and the sucking reflex was absent. A electromyogram with characteristic features, the identification of Clostridium botulinum in the faeces, and a positive cytotoxin test of the faeces confirmed the diagnosis of infant botulism. The child was drip-fed during his stay in hospital, and given eye drops and physiotherapy. He was discharged after three weeks with minimal neurological dysfunction. Pathogenesis of infant botulism C. botulinum exists worldwide in soil and produces spores to survive. The spores germinate in anaerobic conditions (2) such as in canned food and the intestines of children under the age of 1 year (3,4). In contrast to foodborne botulism, which is associated with the intake of toxins, infant botulism may follow the intake of spores. The intestinal microflora of children under the age of 1 year is not fully developed, and spores in the intestines can germinate into bacteria that produce toxins. The toxins penetrate the wall of the intestine and reach the nerve ends through blood vessels, where they block the release of acetylcholine, resulting in peripheral paralysis (the toxins cannot pass the blood brain barrier). The neuromuscular blockade impairs sucking and swallowing, intestinal motility, and can cause respiratory paralysis in serious cases. Cases are areflexic and hypotonic. Treatment is largely symptomatic, and recovery is the usual outcome. Epidemiology Infant botulism was described as a separate clinical entity for the first time in 1976 (5) and has since been reported in many countries. Ninety-five per cent of the patients are under the age of 6 months and the oldest patient was aged 351 days. No seasonal influences, epidemics, or racial predilections have been described. C. botulinum of serotypes A and B are most commonly isolated types. Spores of C. botulinum are found in soil and vacuum cleaners. The only food product ever found to contain spores is honey (6-8) and between 0% and 10% of honey samples have been shown to contain spores (9-13). Honey is thought to become contaminated as a result of spores of C. botulinum in the soil sticking to the legs of bees and being transported to the beehive. As the spores are heat resistant and honey can be heated only to a limited degree before consumption, the spores survive. Commercial as well as rurally produced honey can contain spores of C. botulinum (14). Prevention No C. botulism was detected in the honey consumed by the Dutch case, but honey was the likeliest cause of infection. In many cultures honey is given to babies to keep them quiet. An increase in the number of immigrants may lead to an increase in the use of honey in Holland. Following the example set by other countries, parents in the Netherlands are warned not to give honey to infants under the age of 1 year. In addition, the authors recommend investigating the incidence of spores in honey in the Netherlands. References: 1.Wolters A. Een patiëntje met infantiel botulisme. Infectieziekten Bulletin 2000; 11(10): 189-92. (http://www.isis.rivm.nl/inf_bul/bul1110/infantiel_botulisme.html) 2.Landelijke Coordinatiestructuur Infectieziekten. Botulisme. Protocollen Infectieziekten dec 1994, herzien febr, 2000. 3.Arnon SS. Infant botulism. Textbook of pediatric infectious diseases. 4th ed. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 1998. 4.Shapiro RL, Hatheway C, Swerdlow DL. Botulism in the United States: a clinical and epidemiologic review. Ann Intern Med 1998; 129: 221-8. 5.Pickett J, Berg B, Chaplin E, Brunstetter Shafer MA. Syndrome of botulism in infancy:clinical and electrophysiologic study. N Engl J Med 1976; 295: 770-2. 6.CFSAN. Clostridium botulinum. Bad bug book. US Food and Drug Administration 1992. 7.Midura TF. Laboratory aspects of infant botulism in California. Rev Infect Dis 1979; 1: 652-5. 8.Arnon SS, Midura TF, Damus K, Thompson B, Wood RM, Chin J. Honey and other environmental risk factors for infant botulism. J Pediatrics 1979; 94: 331-6. 9.Spika JS, Shaffer N, Hagrett-Bean N, Collin S, MacDonald KL, Blake PA. Risk factors for infant botulism in the United States. Am J Dis Child 1989; 143: 828-32. 10.Midura TF, Snowden S, Wood RM, Arnon SS. Isolation of Clostridium botulinum from honey. J Clin Microbiol 1979; 9: 282-3. 11.Chin J, Arnon SS, Midura TF. Food and environmental aspects of infant botulism in California. Rev Infect Dis 1979; 1: 693-7. 12.Guilfoyle DE, Yager JF. Survey of infant foods for Clostridium botulinum spores. J Assoc Off Anal Chem 1983; 66:1302-4. 13.Centorbi OP de, Satorres SE, Alcaraz LE, Centorbi HJ, Fernandez R. Detection of Clostridium botulinum spores in honey. Rev Argent Microbiol 1997; 29: 147-51. 14.Schocken-Itturrinop RP, Carneiro MC, Kato E, Sorbara JO, Rossi OD, Gerbasi LE. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol 1999; 24: 379-82. Reported by Bert Wolters (Bert.Wolters@hvd.Groningen.nl), Municipal Health Service Groningen, Netherlands. OUTBREAKS OF LEGIONELLA INFECTION IN SPAIN, 2000 December 7, 2000 Eurosurveillance Weekly Salvador de Mateo de Ontañon http://www.eurosurv.org/update/ Seven outbreaks of legionnaires¹ disease have been notified to Spain¹s national centre for epidemiology in 2000. In four of them patients acquired infection in the community and in three the infection was hospital acquired. The European Working Group for Legionella Infections (EWGLI) has also reported four clusters of legionellosis in tourists who visited Spain in 2000; 15 cases were identified. This report describes three large community acquired outbreaks. >From 16 September to 8 October 2000, 70 cases of legionellosis (43 men and 27 women; aged 20 to 95 years) were reported by the local health authorities of Alcoi, in the Valencia region. Two patients died. Cases were diagnosed on the basis of urinary antigen tests for Legionella pneumophila and in three cases L. pneumophila serogroup (sg) 1 Pontiac Knoxville was isolated. Preliminary enquiries revealed an association with visiting and living in a certain area of the city. Exposure to this same area focused the investigation on the possibility of aerosol transmission from contaminated cooling towers. Clinical isolates and water samples from cooling towers from the area were sent to the national reference laboratory. All the cooling towers in the suspected area were disinfected. Intensified surveillance is continuing. On 9 October, five cases of legionnaires' disease were diagnosed on the basis of urinary antigen tests for L. pneumophila, and an increased number of cases of atypical pneumonia was notified to the regional health authorities of Galicia by a hospital in Vigo (1). The epidemiological investigation resulted in the identification of 28 cases (21 men and 7 women; aged 30 to 79 years), three of whom died. The first case became ill on 18 September 2000, and no cases with dates of onset since 1 October have been notified. Preliminary enquiries on 10 October showed an association with visiting and living in a certain area of the city. A hospital based matched case control study carried out on 11 October with 17 cases and 37 controls confirmed that living, working, or walking in the area near the hospital was associated with illness (odds ratio 4.29; 95% confidence interval 1.6 to 18.0). One clinical isolate and water samples from cooling towers from the area were sent to the National Reference Laboratory. The clinical isolate was identified as L. pneumophila SG 1 Pontiac and all the environmental samples were negative. All the cooling towers in the suspected area were disinfected. >From 14 September to 16 November 2000, 40 cases of legionellosis were reported by the local health authorities of Barcelona, Catalonia. One patient died. Cases were diagnosed on the basis of urinary antigen tests for L. pneumophila. Preliminary enquiries showed an association with visiting and living in a neighbourhood of the city of Barcelona. Exposure to this area and the absence of any other potential source focused the investigation on the possibility of aerosol transmission from contaminated cooling towers. Samples from suspect cooling towers were taken, and the towers were then disinfected. Intensified surveillance is continuing. References: 1.Hervada X, Cano R. A community outbreak of legionnaires¹ disease: Galicia, Spain. Eurosurveillance Weekly 2000; 4: 001026. http://www.eurosurv.org/2000/001026.htm) Reported by Salvador de Mateo de Ontañon (smateo@isciii.es) and Rosa Cano (rcano@isciii.es), Centro Nacional de Epidemiología, Madrid, Spain. TWO CONSECUTIVE, CONCURRENT OUTBREAKS OF INFECTION WITH SALMONELLA ENTERITIDIS PHAGE TYPES 5C AND 6A IN SCOTLAND, MAY TO DECEMBER 2000 December 7, 2000 Eurosurveillance Weekly John Cowden and Mary Locking http://www.eurosurv.org/update/ Outbreak 1 A cluster of three cases of Salmonella enteritidis phage type (PT) 5c infection (two confirmed, one suspected), all of whom had eaten at a Chinese restaurant in Greater Glasgow, was reported on 1 August 2000 by the Scottish Salmonella Reference Laboratory (SSRL) to the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health (SCIEH). The third case was subsequently confirmed as being infected with S. enteritidis PT6a. This small outbreak was of particular interest because S. enteritidis PT5c had been identified from a Chinese restaurant¹s kitchen and food during the investigation of an outbreak of S. enteritidis PT6a infection at the restaurant in the Scottish region of Lanarkshire in July. All United Kingdom (UK) acquired cases of infection with S. enteritidis PT5c and S. enteritidis PT6a resident in Scotland that had arisen since 1 January 2000 were reviewed. Subsequent case control studies confirmed the hypothesis that UK acquired primary household cases of infection with S. enteritidis PT5c and S. enteritidis PT6a between 28 May and 6 August were associated with the consumption of food from Chinese restaurants. Twenty-five of the 28 primary UK acquired cases of S. enteritidis PT5c infection (89%) 20 of the 26 cases of S. enteritidis PT6a infection (77%) had eaten food from Chinese restaurants in the week before they became ill. Cases had eaten at 21 Chinese restaurants across central Scotland and in Shetland. Descriptive epidemiology suggested that consumption of chicken might be a risk factor, but a combined cohort study of groups of people attending Chinese restaurants, of whom at least one was a confirmed case, did not confirm an association. On 26 September 2000, the national outbreak of infection with S. enteritidis PT5c and PT6a was declared to have ended on 6 August. A total of 42 cases of S. enteritidis PT5c infection and 46 cases of S. enteritidis PT 6a infection had occurred. Outbreak 2 Since late September 2000, identifications by SSRL of S. enteritidis PT5c and PT6a have again exceeded expected numbers. By 4 December 2000, SSRL had reported 53 isolates of S. enteritidis PT 5c and 38 isolates of S. enteritidis PT 6a to SCIEH among cases who have become ill since 8 August 2000. Isolates continue to be reported (see figure). Laboratory reports to SCIEH of S. enteritidis PT5c and 6a, weeks 1-48, 2000 One isolate of S. enteritidis PT 5c and 14 isolates of S. enteritidis PT6a are known to e from imported cases. Of the UK acquired cases with onset dates since 8 August 2000, 57% of S. enteritidis PT5c and 65% of S. enteritidis PT6a are known to have eaten food from one of 22 Chinese restaurants. No single food vehicle would explain all cases. Cases who have not eaten from Chinese restaurants appear to have no other characteristic in common. Control measures have been taken at appropriate restaurants. It is very unusual for outbreaks of salmonellosis to involve approximately equal numbers of cases infected with different strains of salmonella. The Food Standards Agency, SSRL, SCIEH, and the health boards and local authorities concerned are continuing to investigate the current incident. Reported by John Cowden (john.cowden@scieh.csa.scot.nhs.uk) and Mary Locking (Mary.Locking@scieh.csa.scot.nhs.uk), Scottish Centre of Infection and Environmental Health, Glasgow, Scotland. HYDRODYNAMIC PRESSURE PROCESS MAY MAKE MEAT SAFER December 7, 2000 USDA ARS News Service WASHINGTON --A process to make ground meat more tender may also make it safer to eat, Agricultural Research Service Administrator Floyd Horn announced today. In the process, called the Hydrodynamic Pressure Process (HDP), ARS scientists place meat in a container of water, then detonate a small amount of explosives that create a shock wave in the water. The shock wave tenderizes meat by severing the stringy striations that can make meat tough. "The scientists initially used this process to tenderize meats, but in new studies have found that it also reduces foodborne pathogens in meat," Horn said. "A treatment such as HDP would certainly be a boost for food safety in this country and good news for consumers." Escherichia coli and other pathogens can live and grow in ground meat, causing illness if the meat is improperly handled. But concerns about meat being contaminated with dangerous pathogens may be relieved by HDP. Scientists conducted additional studies with a technologically superior mechanism to refine the process. Surprisingly, the advanced mechanism--a metal, thick-walled tank (called the mini-tank) imbedded in the ground--did not tenderize meat as well. But the scientists found an added benefit: There seemed to be fewer bacteria on the meat than before. Scientists had already proven that HDP penetrated throughout whole cuts of meat, making them more tender. At that point, they wanted to see if bacteria were reduced throughout ground meats as well. Studies were conducted to determine the effect of HDP on naturally occurring spoilage or shelf-life bacteria found in ground beef. The studies showed a "three-log" reduction in shelf-life bacteria. This would be similar to reducing 30,000 colony-forming units (cfu's) to 30 cfu's. A five-log reduction is the "gold standard" for bacterial reduction, so studies are ongoing to further reduce bacterial levels. Additional studies were performed to determine the effect HDP has on E. coli 0157:H7 in fresh ground beef, again with encouraging results. Ground beef that had been seeded with E.coli 0157:H7 had no detectable levels of the dangerous organism after HDP treatment. HDP doesn't kill all bacteria, "but this may be a good thing," said ARS meat science researcher Morse Solomon. "Lactobacilli, which are good bacteria, remain." HDP seems to inactivate most meat pathogens, such as E. coli. Further studies are necessary to determine if HDP can be put to practical use in a commercial setting. "HDP can penetrate through a product, reducing or eliminating pathogens throughout ground meat," said Solomon. "The ability to treat packaged meats may substantially reduce health risks in the future." ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. PUTTING THE PRESSURE ON MEAT . . . TO BE MORE TENDER AND POSSIBLY SAFER December 2000 Agricultural Research Magazine Sharon Durham http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/dec00/meat1200.htm What started as an attempt to make meat more tender may also make it safer to eat. Escherichia coli and other pathogens can live and grow on meat, causing food poisoning if the meat is improperly handled. But concerns about meat being contaminated with dangerous pathogens may be relieved, thanks to research on the hydrodynamic pressure process (HDP). In 1992, Agricultural Research Service scientists began testing HDP as a way to tenderize meat. They placed the meat in a container of water and then detonated a small amount of explosives to create a shock wave in the water. The shock wave tenderized the meat by severing the stringy striations that can make it tough. Toughness varies throughout whole cuts of meat. The goal is not only to tenderize the meat, but also to make tenderness more uniform throughout each cut or piece. Studies show HDP treatment does just that. In the future, you may be able to buy a steak with filet mignon tenderness at blade chuck steak prices. ARS food technologist Morse B. Solomon uses two methods for this research. The original way‹placing packaged meat in a plastic garbage can filled with water and a small amount of explosives‹certainly makes meat more tender. Unfortunately, it obliterates the packaging and the plastic garbage can. Several variations of this setup were used‹putting the garbage can in the ground, placing it on Styrofoam, and suspending it in midair. "So far, the midair approach gives the best tenderizing results," says Solomon. He's the research leader of the Meat Science Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland. In the second method, Solomon creates an explosion in a metal, thick-walled tank embedded in the ground. Surprisingly, this doesn't tenderize the meat as well as the standard plastic garbage can. But another benefit arose‹there seemed to be fewer bacteria on the meat than before. At that point, scientists wanted to see whether bacteria were reduced in ground meats as well as in whole meats. Studies were conducted to determine the effect of HDP on naturally occurring spoilage, or shelf-life bacteria, in ground beef. Meat samples were examined immediately after HDP treatment. Shelf-life bacterial populations in the samples showed a 3 log reduction (for example, they decreased from 300,000 colony forming units to 300). A 5 log reduction is the gold standard for bacterial reduction efficiency, so studies are ongoing to further reduce bacterial loads. Additional studies were performed to ascertain the effect HDP has on E. coli 0157:H7 in fresh ground beef, again with encouraging results. The E. coli 0157:H7-seeded ground beef, on examination after HDP treatment, had no detectable levels of the dangerous organism. Although HDP seems to inactivate most meat pathogens, it doesn't kill all types of bacteria. "But this may be a good thing," asserts Solomon. "Lactobacilli, which are harmless, nonpathogenic bacteria, remain." Further studies are necessary to determine whether this method can be put to practical use in a commercial setting. "HDP can penetrate a product, reducing or eliminating pathogens throughout ground meat," says Solomon. "The ability to treat packaged meats may substantially reduce health risks in the future."‹By Sharon Durham, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff. This research is part of New Uses, Quality, and Marketability of Plant and Animal Products (#306) and Food Safety (Animal & Plant Products) (#108), two ARS National Programs described on the World Wide Web at http://www.nps.ars.usda.gov. HUISKEN MEATS EXPANDS DISTRIBUTION OF 'PASTEURIZED' PATTIES TO CALIFORNIA December 7, 2000 www.meatingplace.com Bryan Salvage Chandler, Minn.-based Huisken Meats has expanded the market for its new line of premium, electronically pasteurized frozen hamburger patties to more than 1,500 stores in 14 states. Most recently, distribution of these products began throughout northern and central California in Save Mart Supermarkets and S-Mart Foods. Equally important, distribution of irradiated meat continues to spread throughout the country. The Meatingplace.com estimates that irradiated meat is being carried by nearly 2,000 U.S. supermarkets, not taking into account Internet, mail-order, foodservice and other retail sales outlets. "We have an interesting phenomenon," Wil Williams, vice president of communications for San Diego-based Titan Corp., parent company of SureBeam Corp., told The Meatingplace.com. "It [irradiated meat offerings] started right in the heart of America and spread through the Midwest. Now it has reached both coasts. -- from New York state [where IBP offers e-beamed meat products] to California." Using patented technology developed by SureBeam, Huisken's premium ground beef patties are treated to eliminate the potential threat of food-borne pathogens, which the Centers for Disease Control estimates strike 76 million people annually. "This [Huisken] new product benefits consumers and their families everywhere," said Sally Sanborn, director of marketing for Save Mart Supermarkets. "Our customers now have the option of choosing ground beef that they know upfront is free of the threat of harmful microorganisms." Sanborn noted that irradiated meats are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department and endorsed by the American Medical Association and the American Dietetic Association. "We believe it's time to offer this unquestionably valuable alternative in food safety to our customers," she said. Founded in 1952, Modesto, Calif.-based Save Mart operates 84 supermarkets and superstores throughout central and Northern California. "Huisken is the 'mouse that roared' in this industry," Williams told The Meatingplace.com. "They've done a tremendous job. I believe the company] actually captured market share [with its] electronically pasteurized frozen hamburger patties. They have grown twice as fast as the market has grown." Last May, Huisken Meats reported it was the first company in the nation to introduce electronically pasteurized ground-beef hamburgers to the American consumer. From an initial 84 supermarkets in Minnesota's Twin Cities, the number of supermarkets offering Huisken/SureBeam electronically pasteurized hamburgers has expanded to more than 1,500, drawing praise from health officials and experts throughout the country. "Every day we needlessly waste at getting this product out to consumers is another day that we allow people to be needlessly injured," said Dr. Michael Osterholm, Ph.D., a nationally recognized infectious diseases epidemiologist and expert on food-borne diseases. "Just as thermal pasteurization of milk protected us from E. coli O157:H7 before we knew it was in raw milk, irradiation pasteurization can protect us from this same deadly pathogen in meat. For just pennies, American consumers can protect their family's health and avoid the tragic consequences of harmful food-borne bacteria." Although Huisken Meats is the first to offer irradiated meat in California supermarkets, two other companies were already selling electronically pasteurized meat in California via different formats. Schwan's, the nation's leading distributor of premium frozen foods via home delivery, also uses SureBeam's electronic pasteurization technology on its "thaw-and-cook" beef burgers and ground chuck product line sold throughout California. Omaha Steaks is also selling e-beamed meat products in California via the Internet, direct mail and its own retail outlets. Huisken Meats has provided a variety of meat snack products for consumers across the United States for more than 60 years. The company manufactures and markets a broad line of high-quality meat products under the Trail's Best and Happy Trails brands and frozen beef patties under the Huisken and RG's brands. Huisken Meats also provides private-label products for many of the nation's largest food distributors and grocery chains. The third-generation family-owned business has manufacturing facilities and offices in Chandler and Sauk Rapids, Minn. and Sioux Falls, S.D. Science rules in favor of irradiation In recent months, reports continued surfacing from certain groups still claiming that the process is not safe. Williams tells The Meatingplace.com that history and science indicates otherwise. He points out the rigid procedures that the FDA follows regarding petitions to irradiate a certain type of food. "The petitioner first has to file its petition and must prove to the satisfaction of the FDA that it's safe and wholesome," Williams said. "After FDA issues its final rule, objectors can come forward and file an objection based on science -- not rhetoric. If FDA finds there is substance to the objection, the agency holds a hearing. "Then it then falls to the objector to prove to the FDA [that the petitioner's information is wrong or incomplete]," Williams added. In the last 10 years, the industry has received numerous approvals from FDA and USDA on petitions to irradiate various foods. "Only one organization filed an objection, but it never got a hearing," Williams said. "There has never been any science submitted to the FDA to prove that irradiation is unsafe." EU LEADERS SAY 6-MONTH FEED BAN TOO SHORT December 7, 2000 Reuters/AP/PA News/ Agence France Presse English NICE, France- European Union leaders were cited as agreeing on Thursday that a six-month ban on meat-based animal feeds, imposed this week by farm ministers amid mounting fears over the spread of mad cow disease, was too short. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was quoted as telling reporters after briefly leaving a working meeting of the leaders of the 15-nation bloc that, "No one could imagine lifting the animal feed ban in six months' time. There must and there will be a permanent ban,". Schroeder added the EU Commission should now work on a proposal for a lasting ban. EU ministers this week also agreed to exclude older cattle from the food chain -- a measure EU sources have suggested could affect some two million cattle older than 30 months and cost the EU and its member states over a billion euros. At Chez Robert, a butchery boutique in a hardscrabble Provence town, neither the cows nor the customers are particularly mad in spite of a "vache folle" panic gripping France. "I think my business in beef is actually going up," Robert Dantcikian said, whacking meaty ribs with a cleaver. "It's the supermarket stuff people run from. I know my cows personally, and my customers know me." Up in Paris, at the classy and costly little Arpege restaurant, three-star chef Alain Passard makes a similar observation. But in a nation that pursues its passions, eating well is no small priority. At least until more is known about the mysterious killer, many Frenchmen are choosing to practice safe steak. "If people know that beef comes from small producers who watch each cow, who know exactly what their herds eat and where it comes from, they feel assured," Dantcikian said. "And they are happy to pay twice as much." He figures the whole scare will blow over within six months, after the European Union forces the slaughter of suspect herds, eliminates dangerous fodder and institutes testing for susceptible animals. A professor who discussed a case of the human form of "mad cow" disease on television did reveal details which meant his young patient became front-page news, the General Medical Council ruled today. Professor Peter Behan, a consultant neurologist at the Southern General NHS Trust Hospital, in Glasgow, told BBC2's Newsnight that he was treating a 15-year-old girl for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease -- even though she herself did not know. The 64-year-old, award-winning professor had told the girl's parents that their daughter had just "months to live" -- even though, four years on, the woman, referred to as "Miss A" is now "very well". The GMC's professional conduct committee ruled that the facts were proved and it will now go on to consider whether the eminent neurologist, who was a professor at the University of Glasgow, is guilty of serious professional misconduct. The professor, of Bearsden, Glasgow, has denied the charge. Renewed European concern about "mad cow" disease could prevent a deal on beef trade at the upcoming U.S.-EU summit later this month, U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky said on Thursday. "They seem to be more reluctant because of the scare," Barshefsky said, when asked by Reuters Television if the mad cow crisis could stall efforts to provide U.S. cattle producers with more access to the EU market for "hormone-free" beef. This fall, U.S. President Bill Clinton and French President Jacques Chirac exchanged letters pledging to try to resolve at least one of two longrunning trade disputes over beef and bananas by the semi-annual U.S.-EU summit here on Dec. 18. Two Poles have recently died from the degenerative brain disorder Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, but a doctor said Thursday he doubts they had the variant caused by so-called mad cow disease. The death of a 33-year-old man in October and a 45-year-old women last year at the psychiatric and neurological hospital in the northern city of Gdnask have been linked to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), according to the director of the hospital's neurology department, Ryszard Obiedzinski. "The two cases do not appear to be caused by mad cow disease, but analyses are still continuing," he told AFP. To subscribe to FSnet, send mail to: listserv@listserv.uoguelph.ca leave subject line blank in the body of the message type: subscribe fsnet-L firstname lastname i.e. subscribe fsnet-L Doug Powell To unsubscribe to FSnet, send mail to: listserv@listserv.uoguelph.ca leave subject line blank in the body of the message type: signoff fsnet-L For more information about the FSnet research program, please contact: Dr. Douglas Powell dept. of plant agriculture University of Guelph Guelph, Ont. N1G 2W1 tel: 519-824-4120 x2506 fax: 519-763-8933 dpowell@uoguelph.ca http://www.plant.uoguelph.ca/safefood archived at: http://www.plant.uoguelph.ca/safefood/archives/fsnet-archives.htm