FSnet Oct

FSnet Oct. 22/06

Quebec warns against drinking carrot juice

E.coli infection linked to illness at holiday cottage

Kitchen Confessional: Former restaurant workers use blog to expose dirty little secrets

Egg salad recalled in 17 states

What we can learn from tainted spinach: Marion Nestle says consumers must demand stricter regulations from farm to fork

Canadian farmers proactive on fresh produce safety

Critical violations are found at four local restaurants

Pasturize apple juice

Terror can lurk in your refrigerator

Texas spinach growers hope for the best as they plant their next crop

New titles focus on food safety: Fresh produce and tracking contamination

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Quebec warns against drinking carrot juice
20.oct.06
The Globe and Mail
CP Wire
QUEBEC -- Public health officials were cited as saying in a news release Friday that a Quebecer has contracted botulism after drinking carrot juice,.
The provincial agriculture and health departments urged the public not to drink certain brands of the juice they may have in their homes. Two cases of botulism associated with carrot juice have been identified in Ontario. Four others have taken place in the United States.
The products subject to the Quebec notice are sold in one-litre and 450-ml bottles are:
Bolthouse Farms 100% Carrot Juice;
Earthbound Farm Organic Carrot Juice;
President's Choice Organics 100% Carrot Juice.
All of the products subject to the recall have already been removed from store shelves, the government said after consulting six distribution centres and 150 retail stores.
Consumers who have these products should throw away the bottles.

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E.coli infection linked to illness at holiday cottage
21.oct.06
The Scotsman
Two guests at a luxury holiday cottage in the Highlands have, according to this story, been treated in hospital for suspected E.coli infection.
The pair were last night recovering at home after falling ill after a stay at Millness Croft in Glenurquhart, Inverness-shire, NHS Highland said.
An outbreak control team launched an investigation and early indications suggest the bacteria is present in the private water supply which serves the five-star holiday cottages.

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Kitchen Confessional: Former restaurant workers use blog to expose dirty little secrets
22.oct.06
The Ottawa Citizen
Tainted spinach and carrot juice have put food safety on top of the news, but the truth is food safety is an issue that never goes away. People should pay attention to it when they shop, cook and eat out, says Douglas Powell of the University of Guelph.
"Food safety is a serious business," says Powell, the scientific director of the Food Safety Network who teaches at the University of Kansas and is an adjunct professor at Guelph.
It is estimated between 11 million and 13 million Canadians get sick every year from the food they eat or the water they drink, "a huge statistic," Powell said in an interview with the Citizen.
There are outbreaks of foodborne illness all the time, but often Canadians are not aware. Food can be contaminated anywhere along the chain -- from "farm to fork," as the Food Safety Network puts it.
As part of its goal of raising awareness, the Food Safety Network recently set up a blog to help uncover what really goes on in the kitchens of some restaurants.
The blog is called Kitchen Confessional (www.kitchenconfessional.com) and the postings are both illuminating and disturbing.
"Most people have a kind of blind faith or trust in the food they get, whether from a grocery store or a restaurant," said Powell.
Food Safety Network research assistant Christian Battista says the idea is to let kitchen staff clear their consciences.
"Have you ever worked in a restaurant that served less-than hygienic food?" the website asks.
"Do you lose sleep at night, worried that food you prepared or saw prepared might have made people sick? Confess here."
A sampling of food safety sins
In the late '80s I worked as a waiter at a restaurant. This was way before I knew anything about food safety.
The manager told us that when we were clearing tables, we were to look at the plate and see if the fries were eaten or not. If the fries looked like they had not been touched, and didn't have any ketchup on them, we were to scrape the plates into "the recycling bin."
Every hour or so the cook took the fries from the recycling bin, threw them back in the deep fryer and re-served them.
When someone asked why, the manager said it was to cut down on high food costs, and not to worry because the hot oil would kill any germs from the previous patrons.
I worked at this restaurant for three months, and the whole time I participated in the "recycling program" just like everyone else. After a while I never gave it a second thought.
I eventually got trained and certified as a health inspector. I ended up inspecting this restaurant about five or six years after I had worked there, but by then the manager had moved on and "recycling" was no longer practised.
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I used to work as a waitress in an upscale dining room. I was working a breakfast shift and someone ordered a bagel with cream cheese.
The restaurant stocked cream cheese in a great block, and while there was lots left, it had a green coating. I asked if there was any fresh and was told to just scrape off the green stuff.
And, my God, I'm ashamed to say I did it.
-
I witnessed this chef trick at least three times -- I use the word trick loosely as no customer could ever be fooled. Having overcooked a medium-rare steak to medium, the chef has tried to cover up by removing some blood from the fridge and pouring a little over the medium steak to produce a medium-rare.
I now work as a health inspector in a supervisory position. I have seen hundreds if not thousands of restaurant kitchens. Some clean and sanitary, others very dirty and practising very poor food handling. I enjoy my job, but I take almost a perverse glee in shutting down dirty restaurants and taking them to court.
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I worked as a server in a banquet hall for many years throughout high school and university. One particular busy Saturday I was serving a table that was purposely trying to upset me. After about two hours of incredibly rude behaviour I had enough.
They asked for a pitcher of pop. I calmly went behind the bar, took a pitcher from the shelf, scooped the ice from the bin, filled it with pop and for good measure stirred it all up with my full hand completely submerged in the pitcher. I hadn't washed my hands since the start of service and had pieces of food I had picked up off the floor on my hands.
ormally I would feel guilty, but these people just snapped my last nerve.
Since then, I have gone on to become a public health inspector and if you asked me if I'd do it again I'd say probably not.
-
I had what I thought was one of the best summer jobs serving at one of Canada's most renowned resort properties.
While "we" (the servers) were provided with ample training in terms of guest satisfaction, tray skills, creative napkin folding and point-of-sale systems, little if anything was mentioned about food safety. We were warned by the chefs not to eat off the buffet and even threatened with fines if we were caught, but we still did it. We were told to keep an eye on the bunsen burners to make sure the flames didn't go out from under the hot food, but our eyes always wandered. I'm sure the chefs ran a tight kitchen; that was evident by the thermometers in their pockets, the way they yelled when food had been on the line for too long, and oh dear ... if one of us poor servers was unfortunate enough to be caught with our dirty little fingers in the cheese tray.
The problem is no one ever thought to explain to the servers why what we were doing wrong was an issue. There was a huge gap in food safety knowledge between us and them.
Knowing what I do today, I'm horrified. Had someone explained to me the impact that my behaviour had on the guest's health I would have done things much differently.

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Egg salad recalled in 17 states
22.oct.06
NewsMax.com Wires
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/10/22/104631.shtml?s=he
WAYNE, W.Va. -- Ballard's Farm Sausage Inc. was cited as saying it is recalling its egg salad in 17 states because of possible contamination wit Listeria monocytogenes. The bacterium can cause serious or fatal infections in young children or elderly people. It also can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.
Ballard's President David Ballard was cited as saying the company has temporarily suspended producing egg salad while it investigates the contamination. Consumers can return the 12-ounce containers of egg salad for a refund.
The states involved in the recall are Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

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What we can learn from tainted spinach: Marion Nestle says consumers must demand stricter regulations from farm to fork
22.oct.06
The Ottawa Citizen
Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University and the author of Safe Food (U. Cal. Press, 2003) and What to Eat (North Point Press, 2006), writes in this op-ed that the produce industry will need take action to minimize further risks of contamination from E. coli O157:H7.
The industry's actions are too little, too late and will be voluntary. If ever a situation called for regulations, inspections and enforcement, the spinach outbreak does the trick. Nothing less than federal regulation -- the stricter the better -- will do.
Nestle says there are several lessons to learn from this deeply unfortunately incident.
Lesson 1:
Rules must apply from farm to table.
Preventing contamination is important. Although farmers are asked to use good agricultural practices, the U.S. does not require or enforce standard food safety procedures along the way. It should.
Lesson 2:
The safety system isn't working.
The food safety system must be revamped and placed under the control of a single agency.
Currently in the United States, the USDA regulates food animals while the FDA regulates plant crops. Animals are the source of E. coli 0157:H7. In order to prevent contamination, both agencies must work together. This rarely happens and needs to be part of a workable system.
Lesson 3:
Manure requires special treatment.
The affected spinach bags contained conventionally -- not organically -- grown greens. Organic standards require producers to compost animal manure to discourage the growth of contaminating micro-organisms. No such rules apply to growers of conventional produce. They should.
Lesson 4: Buy local.
Our industrialized agriculture system is focused on producing cheap food at the expense of safety.
Locally grown food may also become contaminated, of course, but such an outbreak would not be so widespread.
Since 1998, the FDA has warned lettuce growers -- and, by implication, the growers of other leaf crops -- to take steps to prevent contamination with E. coli 0157:H7.
Few have done so. This spinach outbreak is a tragedy for the people who became ill and their families. It is also a tragedy for spinach growers. If we want people to enjoy the taste and health benefits of green leafy vegetables, food producers must follow safety procedures to the letter and to the spirit, from farm to table.

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Canadian farmers proactive on fresh produce safety
20.oct.06
from a press release
OTTAWA - The Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) has been taking a proactive approach to food safety on the farm by developing a national on-farm food safety program for Canadian fresh fruit and vegetable farmers. This is part of a national initiative, ongoing since the 1990s, involving producers and packers across Canada. The industry's leadership in developing the program shows that Canadian fruit and vegetable farmers are committed to meeting their customers' demands for safe, high quality produce. "Canadian producers take food safety seriously," said Paul LeBlanc, chair of the CHC Food Safety Committee. "The fresh produce industry recognizes that in today's world farmers must use practices that safeguard our food. Producers continue to adapt their production practices in response to new scientific information. They are committed to providing Canadians with safe and nutritious produce."
The CHC on-farm food safety program is the result of years of work by industry representatives and technical experts from across Canada including producers, packers and buyers (and academics, but they didn't like what I had to say about their abysmal lack of verification -- dp). Since 1999, members of the CHC have devoted their efforts to developing an effective HACCP-based (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) food safety program, which began with general guidelines for safe production of fresh fruit and vegetables, and has evolved into a series of crop-specific procedural manuals ready for producers to use on their farms. The result is a program that is practical, comprehensive and based on the best available science.
To ensure the technical soundness of its program, the CHC has undertaken the process of having the eight manuals reviewed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The first of these manuals, for Canadian potato producers and packers, is expected to complete the review process this fall. In the meantime, producers have need of these manuals to respond to consumer needs. Some producers have been using early drafts of CHC-developed guidelines since 2000, and many have implemented the 2006 draft versions this crop season. The CHC on-farm food safety program helps producers work through procedures for good agricultural practices such as sanitation of buildings and equipment, use of agricultural inputs and employee hygiene. It offers a complete guide for Canadian horticultural producers providing everything they need to successfully implement the CHC manuals on their farms. "Farmers across Canada have recognized that they need to be vigilant about their practices to reduce the risk of contamination. Our goal is to provide the industry with a user-friendly, cost effective program to help producers document their actions and take steps to address food safety on the farm from the time of planting until the packed produce is shipped," said Anne Fowlie, CHC Executive Vice-President.
For additional information visit the CHC web site at www.hortcouncil.ca/FShome.htm.

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Critical violations are found at four local restaurants
22.oct.06
Knight-Ridder Tribune
Thomas Stauffer, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
Four restaurants failed county health inspections last month.
After those inspections, provisional licenses for critical violations in food safety or cleanliness were issued to: Los Betos Mexican Food, 7760 E. Speedway; Panda Village Restaurant, 6546 E. Tanque Verde Road, No. 110; Shabu Shabu Tanaka, 5655 E. River R oad, No. 151; and Sonic Drive In, 9439 E. Broadway.
Three of those restaurants passed follow-up inspections and have their regular licenses restored: Los Betos Mexican Food, Panda Village Restaurant, and Sonic Drive In.
The county labeled 20 other food establishments as needing improvement.
Los Betos Mexican Food
The inspector reported three flies in the kitchen, five in the dining area and more than 10 at the dumpster outside the restaurant. A hand sink in the men's restroom lacked paper towels and soap, and had leaky pipes, with water draining into a bucket. A h and sink in the kitchen also lacked soap, and it was full of water and not draining. The inspector also reported food debris on a knife stored as if clean on a magnetic strip, and on a spoon and a lime/lemon juicer stored on a shelf. Also, two soda nozzle s had "heavy brown, slimy buildup."
The owner could not be reached for comment.
Panda Village Restaurant
The inspector observed seven cockroaches on the floor on the cook's line, one "almost-dead" cockroach in the freezer room and one dead roach on a shelf in the dish area. The inspector also observed five live flies in the kitchen on the cook's line and thr ee fly strips with "a lot of dead flies" stored above food preparation tables in the kitchen.
The inspector also reported that several areas of the walls and ceilings of the restaurant were not sealed properly and advised that holes must be sealed, walls and ceilings must be finished, and baseboards must be fixed.
The owner could not be reached for comment.
Shabu Shabu Tanaka
The inspector reported that raw oysters were stored uncovered in a reach-in refrigeration unit above ready-to-eat vegetables. The inspector also reported that several foods were stored without properly dated labels and instead were stored with labels that read "yesterday morning" and "yesterday." A container of potato salad also lacked a date mark, and the inspector reported that an employee said it had been made "about a week ago."
The owner could not be reached for comment.
Sonic Drive In
The inspector observed more than five flies landing on food and food-contact surfaces in the kitchen. The inspector also reported that the dried-bread- crumb tray that was being used to dip onion rings had two dead flies and one live fly on it.
The inspector also reported that an employee returned from a smoking break and had to be reminded by a manager to wash her hands. The inspector also said a buzzer goes off every 20 minutes to remind employees to wash their hands. "They should not have to wait for the buzzer to go off reminding them to wash their hands," the inspector wrote.
The owner could not be reached for comment.
On StarNet: Find a searchable database of inspections at www.azstarnet.com/inspections

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Terror can lurk in your refrigerator
22.oct.06
The Flint Journal
Rhonda S. Sanders
Trust is a vital ingredient in food consumption. We take for granted that food we're served in restaurants or buy at grocery stores is safe to eat. Public health guards are in place to assure that most of it is. But every horror movie fan knows to expect the unexpected.
Unless you grow your own food, eating can be a risky business (oh, it's still risky -- dp)
More than 9,000 Americans die each year from foodborne illnesses and thousands more become ill, according to Michigan Department of Agriculture's food sanitation guidelines.
You can protect yourself by washing produce, thoroughly cooking meats and observing basic sanitation habits like washing your hands and using clean dish towels, utensils and cooking facilities.
You also can check up on your favorite restaurants by reading Genesee County Food Services Inspection Reports now published online. (Go to www.gchd.us and click on "Reports & Form.")
Horror movie fans know that fighting back is the least you can do to save yourself.

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Texas spinach growers hope for the best as they plant their next crop
21.oct.06
Knight-Ridder Tribune
William Pack, San Antonio Express-News
Just weeks after a deadly outbreak of E. coli brought the fresh spinach industry to its knees, spinach farmers near San Antonio are, according to this story, beginning to plant again with hopes that anxious consumers won't stay worried long.
Bob Ballentine, owner of Frio Spinach Co. in Pearsall, was quoted as saing, "We're trying to move forward and get (consumer) confidence back up. I think that will happen." But he and other industry officials say it's a little early to get a clear picture of consumer confidence just more than a month after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised the public against eating bagged fresh spinach.
The story says that major Texas producers are keeping a close eye on consumer sentiment and the market, but are not planning to reduce spinach acreage this season much if at all.
They believe consumers want the nutritious, leafy plant they grow. They hope the buying public will be reassured when they understand that the spinach produced in Texas is not the same type as that grown in California -- and that Texas has raised the vegetable safely for decades.
The story goes on to say that Texas grows curly-leaf Savoy spinach, not the smaller, flatter baby spinach popularized in California. Since Savoy spinach is cut higher off the ground than baby spinach and is shipped to packers in bulk rather than being quickly washed and bagged, Texas experts believe the chance of contamination is lower.
They said Texas has an advantage because its spinach fields are more broadly dispersed than in California, reducing the chance of cross-contamination. In addition, Texas growers have not embraced organic processes like they have in California, meaning less manure is used here as fertilizer.
Larry Stein, a Texas Cooperative Extension horticulturist in Uvalde, was cited as saying harvesting advances and other recent developments have made Texas spinach safer than ever and the key is making the public aware of that. Some industry leaders believe labels identifying spinach as Texas-grown would help.
"The problem is not with Texas spinach," Stein said.

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New titles focus on food safety: Fresh produce and tracking contamination
21.oct.06
Medical News Today
ASM Press announces the first two titles in a new series of books devoted to emerging issues in food safety. Microbiology of Fresh Produce is now available for purchase and Microbial Source Tracking, which prints in December 2006.
In the wake of the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with raw spinach last month, it is more important than ever that scientists and students better understand the issues associated with microorganisms and fresh produce. Edited by Karl R. Matthews of Rutgers University, Microbiology of Fresh Produce presents the latest research and industry practices promoting microbiological safety of fruits and vegetables. This inaugural volume in the new series Emerging Issues in Food Safety examines key issues of microbiological safety of fresh produce, from production to consumption, and focuses on the unique challenges the specialists encounter in controlling microorganisms found on produce.
"Written by experts in the field, the book highlights microorganisms associated with human illness and linked to consumption of contaminated produce," says series editor Michael P. Doyle of the University of Georgia. "This book is ideal for instructors and students in the field of food safety and is a valuable resource for industry and government professionals conducting research on the microbiological safety of fresh fruits and vegetables."
The second volume of the series, Microbial Source Tracking, presents a state-of-the-art review of current technology and applications being utilized to identify sources of fecal contamination in waterways. In addition to serving environmental microbiologists who monitor and seek to improve water quality, this unique new reference will be useful for researchers in the food industry, especially scientists investigating etiological agents responsible for food contamination.
Microbiology of Fresh Produce can be purchased through ASM Press online at http://estore.asm.org/ or through other online retailers.
Microbial Source Tracking will be available in December 2006.

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