FSnet Aug. 1/08 -- III

Fresh cilantro recall by NewStar Fresh Foods proves unnecessary

LETTER: U.S. food supply is safe, abundant

Understanding behaviour change

US: Produce industry already enhancing traceability on its own

US: Grocery Manufacturers Association supports bipartisan, compromise approach to improving food safety

US: National Restaurant Association calls for re-evaluation of food safety system and implementation of needed improvements at congressional hearing

OHIO: Wash those hands for a better fair experience

KANSAS: K-State horticulturist offers tips for 'fitting in' at farmers markets

BLOG: PR Industry Insight: Leading food-borne illness plaintiffs' litigator Bill Marler, of Marler Clark Tells All

Increasing rates in Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) among hospitalised patients, SPAIN 1999-2007

how to subscribe

Fresh cilantro recall by NewStar Fresh Foods proves unnecessary
01.aug.08
NewStar Fresh Foods
NewStar Fresh Foods has been notified by the Michigan Department of Agriculture that a test result previously thought to be positive for Salmonella in a sample of fresh Cilantro was today found not to be a likely indicator of the presence of the pathogen, rendering unnecessary the national recall conducted by NewStar on July 30th.
The U. S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) immediately notified its California regional office, the California State Department of Health and Human Services and the Canadian Food Safety Agency.
Although official confirmation will not be received until next week, Jerry Wojtala, Deputy Director, Food and Dairy Division, Michigan Department of Agriculture, said the agency learned of the situation earlier this afternoon and immediately notified federal regulatory officials as well as NewStar.
Mark Drever, NewStar President said that the faulty test result was an unfortunate mistake and stressed that all parties involved have the safety and well-being of consumers as their first and foremost priority. "We will work closely with all regulatory agencies involved to improve testing protocols and to ensure that the lines of communication remain open in order to continue to protect the public health." Mr. Drever also thanked NewStar employees, customers and suppliers for their fast action and thorough response in conducting the recall.



 
LETTER: U.S. food supply is safe, abundant
01.aug.08
Baltimore Sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/letters/bal-ed.le.letters01a5aug01,0,579760.story
Randall D. Huffman, president of the American Meat Institute Foundation, writes that while Johns Hopkins professor Ellen Silbergeld accuses the food industry of failing at safety ("Food industry fails at safety," Commentary, July 20), I think it is she who fails to provide the facts.
Ms. Silbergeld writes that "in survey after survey conducted by the Food and Drug Administration and university researchers, the majority of beef, poultry and pork products for sale in U.S. supermarkets carry pathogenic bacteria, often resistant to the antibiotics added to feeds."
However, the FDA doesn't regulate, inspect or monitor meat and poultry products; the U.S. Department of Agriculture does.
And meat and poultry are more aggressively regulated and inspected than any other industry in America. While health care facilities may be inspected annually, meat and poultry plants that process live animals face continuous inspection from inspectors present at all times.
Our largest plants can have two dozen inspectors present during the day, and they are fully empowered to act on rules violations.
Suggesting that the majority (more than 50 percent) of meat and poultry products contain pathogenic or "disease-causing" bacteria is simply false. USDA data show that pathogenic bacteria are rare on meat products and occur at extremely low levels.
E. coli O157:H7, for example, is found in about two-tenths of 1 percent of U.S. ground beef, and when it is found, the beef is deemed adulterated, meaning it cannot be sold.
The fact is that U.S. consumers enjoy one of the safest, most abundant and most affordable food supplies anywhere in the world.



 
Understanding behaviour change
01.aug.08
Food Standards Agency
Andrew Wadge
http://www.fsascience.net/2008/08/01/understanding_behaviour_change
Finding effective means of helping people choose, cook and eat safe, healthy food just isn't as easy as some of us might hope. We know that interventions to encourage people to adopt healthy lifestyles need to provide more than information alone. As I've mentioned in previous blogs, the Agency has used a range of approaches to help people choose safe, healthy food and also conducted research to help determine their effectiveness.
Indeed, it's a hot topic for anyone with an interest in public policy, judging from the rush to review 'Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness', a new American book recently published on the subject. You can read reviews from the Times online and the Guardian on their websites.
Our social scientists and nutritionists have been drawing upon their experiences to contribute to a Government Social Research Knowledge Review on the evidence on theory and principles of behaviour change. The review published last week will provide additional help to those individuals and organisations working with people to help change their lifestyle behaviour, including the food they choose.
The practical guide contains nine principles that will be helpful for those in the Agency who want to know how to go about applying the models in practice. The next phase of work will examine the empirical evidence base and consider how models are applied in the UK public sector context.



 
US: Produce industry already enhancing traceability on its own
01.aug.08
Western Farm Press
http://westernfarmpress.com/vegetables/produce-traceability-0801/
The produce industry is already well on its way to enhancing its ability to trace back product more effectively and efficiently, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) President Bryan Silbermann told members of Congress on July 30.
Silbermann testified before the House Agriculture Committee's Horticulture and Organic Agriculture Subcommittee, as part of a hearing that was called to study produce traceability because of claims that problems have slowed the still-lingering Salmonella saintpaul foodborne illness investigation linked to fresh produce.
"The produce industry has already rapidly changed to avoid the introduction of risk into the food system," because of its longtime commitment to food safety and the recent impetus provided by the foodborne illness outbreak linked to spinach in late 2006, Silbermann told committee members.
"It is not the private sector's role to wait passively for government to regulate; we must act, and we are doing so," Silbermann said.
Silbermann noted that the produce industry has had a longstanding legal obligation to maintain product records, since the 1930 passage of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. The Bioterrorism Act of 2002 added the "one-up, one-back" concept.
As a result, produce companies should already have internal systems to track produce. Nonetheless, PMA and its allies at United Fresh Produce Association (United Fresh) and Canadian Produce Marketing Association saw the need to create a common platform to link those individual approaches, to provide additional enhancements including electronic recordkeeping.
The steering committee guiding the associations' Produce Traceability Initiative began its work last year, and will complete its first phase of work by announcing a timetable for industry adoption of electronic, chainwide traceability after the group's meeting next month. The group's next phase of effort will focus on achieving industry implementation.
"We are well on our way to achieving enhancements, and at our own urging," Silbermann commented before his testimony. "But apparently news that industry is finding its own solutions isn't interesting enough to those who would rather lay blame. Blaming is easy, finding a solution is hard."
Silbermann has also challenged accounts that industry members' lack of traceability capability has impeded the ongoing Salmonella saintpaul investigation. Generally industry members can trace product as needed, he said, though enhancements such as electronic recordkeeping will considerably accelerate the process and better protect public health. PMA briefed Food and Drug Administration and other government officials about the initiative earlier this year.



 
US: Grocery Manufacturers Association supports bipartisan, compromise approach to improving food safety
01.aug.08
US Newswire
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/grocery-manufacturers-association-supports-bipartisan/story.aspx?guid=%7BF53F89DD-D845-4C5B-B385-20C67F597795%7D&dist=hppr
Grocery Manufacturers Association President and CEO Cal Dooley today issued the following statement in regard to introduction of the bipartisan FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2008 cosponsored by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Richard Burr (R-NC) along with Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN):
"As recent events have exposed weaknesses in our food safety net and undermined consumer confidence in the safety and security of the food supply, GMA and its member companies have worked with the Congress and the Administration to reform and modernize our nation's food safety laws in order to enhance the safety of food and food ingredients, sourced domestically and imported.
"The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act embodies many of the elements of GMA's Commitment to Consumers: The Four Pillars of Food Safety, the food and beverage industry's prevention-focused plan for reforming our nation's food safety system. The bill's focus on prevention, along with its proposals providing FDA with mandatory recall authority and requiring stronger agricultural practices for fresh fruits and vegetables, provides the best opportunity to strengthen the public-private food safety partnership that has traditionally provided America with one of the safest food supplies in the world.
"There remain some areas of concern within the proposed legislation, however, it represents a reasonable and common sense approach for improving food safety and bolstering consumer confidence in the brands they buy and the foods they eat. GMA commends Senators Durbin, Gregg, Burr, Harkin, Dodd and Alexander for sponsoring this important piece of legislation, and look forward to working with the sponsors and members of the Senate and House to refine and pass the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2008 as soon as possible."
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) represents the world's leading food, beverage and consumer products companies. The association promotes sound public policy, champions initiatives that increase productivity and growth and helps to protect the safety and security of the food supply through scientific excellence. The GMA board of directors is comprised of chief executive officers from the association's member companies. The $2.1 trillion food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry employs 14 million workers, and contributes over $1 trillion in added value to the nation's economy. For more information, visit the GMA Web site at www.gmaonline.org.



 
US: National Restaurant Association calls for re-evaluation of food safety system and implementation of needed improvements at congressional hearing
01.aug.08
National Restaurant Association
Sue Hensley
http://www.drinksmediawire.com/afficher_cdp.asp?id=3611&lng=2
The National Restaurant Association's Vice President of Health & Safety Regulatory Affairs, Dr. Donna Garren, today testified at a hearing of the House Energy & Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations regarding the Salmonella Saint Paul outbreak. Dr. Garren focused her testimony on specific improvements for key parts of the food safety system.
"Restaurants have taken the lead in ensuring food safety within the four walls of our restaurants," said Garren. "The National Restaurant Association and our members are making multi-billion-dollar investments in improving food safety and developing state-of-the-art food safety education programs. The ongoing salmonella outbreak has been long, costly, and frustrating for all concerned and highlights the need to re-evaluate our food safety system and implement needed improvements.
"We must look for ways for the government at all levels to collaborate more closely with industry experts during the course of an outbreak investigation. And we must establish stronger standards and practices that move us towards continuous improvement in produce safety," continued Garren. "Of particular concern is the complexity of the food distribution channels for fresh produce and the challenges presented when a finished product served to consumers, like salsa, contains a number of ingredients. This complexity presented challenges to the public health officials leading the efforts to resolve this outbreak in timely manner. In moving forward, we need a stronger approach. We need a truly farm-to-table approach. Supply-chain collaboration and coordination has taken on a new urgency and new focus."
Garren noted that the food supply chain has been transformed in the last few years and that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is facing new and broader demands precisely because the food supply chain is more complex and global. She told lawmakers the following specific improvements were needed to move food safety efforts forward:
*Adequate funding to ensure appropriate FDA staffing and expertise;
*Improved collaboration and communication between government and industry during the investigation of a complex outbreak;
*Communication and education strategies to effectively inform consumers in the event of an outbreak or recall;
* Stronger standards and practices for fresh produce;
* Additional tools needed: recall authority, traceability, improved epidemiological investigations, and private sector certification.
Garren is also a member of the board of directors of the Conference for Food Protection, which brings together representatives from the food industry, government, academia, and consumer organizations to identify and address emerging problems of food safety and formulate recommendations.
To view the complete testimony, go to:
http://www.restaurant.org/pdfs/healthsafety/Testimony_Energy_and_Commerce_7-31-08.pdf



 
OHIO: Wash those hands for a better fair experience
01.aug.08
The Newspaper Network Central Ohio
The Gazette
http://www.centralohio.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/B8/20080801/NEWS01/808010306/1002
The Ross County Fair: the fun, the rides, the food and the germs?
The county fair is a wonderful experience and is enjoyed by thousands every year. But it can also provide ample opportunities for the spread of viruses and bacteria.
While germs exist everywhere, events that bring large groups of people into close contact with each other and into close contact with animals and livestock, make spreading potentially harmful germs much more likely.
"The fair is a great tradition," said Kathy Wakefield, director of Public Health Nursing at the Ross County Health District. "But we really want to remind those who attend the fair that they should wash their hands before they eat anything, and that they should also be careful to avoid rubbing or touching their eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands."
Wakefield said the eyes, nose and mouth can provide easy access to germs entering our bodies, especially from unwashed hands.
One of the fair's main attractions -the animals -is also one of the reasons for extra vigilance, said Lana Cherrington, director of environmental health at the health district.
"Bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella occur naturally in the animal's waste," she said. "Very small amounts of the feces can spread to an animal's skin and their surroundings, and then spread easily to human hands."
Handwashing after handling or working with the animals is critical to avoid sickness and infections, she added.
One of the biggest concerns in a fair setting, she said, is when someone who has worked with an animal -or even simply touched an animal -fails to wash their hands before getting something to eat - making the transmission of germ-to-mouth easy.
Public health agencies at all levels, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Ohio Department of Health and the Ross County Health District, actively promote handwashing as a method of protecting oneself from sickness. Indeed, said Wakefield, it is considered the most effective way to prevent the transmission of disease.
By washing your hands regularly, she said, the fair will be a fun - and safe - experience.



 
KANSAS: K-State horticulturist offers tips for 'fitting in' at farmers markets
01.aug.08
K-State Research and Extension
Kathleen W. Ward
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/news/
OLATHE, Kan. -- Repeated food-safety scares haven´t inspired very many Americans to plow up the back yard and plant their own fruits and vegetables.
But, such worries keep bringing new customers to the nation´s local farmers markets, said Chelsey Wasem, horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension.
"If new customers just watch what´s going on for a while, they´ll soon discover that shopping at a local market can be lots of fun – as well as reassuring," she said.
To help new customers act like "regulars," however, Wasem offered these tips:
1. Pace yourself. Take time to walk through the entire market before making your purchases. Talk to the farmers. Get to know who they are and start building relationships. At the same time, compare prices, and remember the best buy may be just around the corner.
2. Pick the best. Avoid bruised or wilted or otherwise damaged produce. To help you identify what´s freshest, ask when produce was picked.
"Don´t be afraid to ask questions, whether you´re at a farmer´s display or standing next to another customer. That´s how you can learn such things as whether size makes a difference in indicating maturity or taste," Wasem said. "A smaller zucchini or ear of corn, for example is often sweeter than a larger, `overgrown´ one."
To get the best, also ask to taste before you buy. If the vendor isn´t offering free samples, offer to pay for one. Buying a single tomato could save you from buying a bag of tasteless ones.
3. Keep it fresh. Bring your own reusable bags. If nothing else, that will reduce the number of plastic bags floating around the market. Plus, bring and keep a cooler in the car, complete with bags of ice or frozen ice packs. Use the cooler to stow away purchases while you´re still shopping and to keep the foods fresh as you drive home.
"An outbreak of foodborne illness can be a good reminder of why having a local, healthful food supply is still important," Wasem said. "But, in terms of good eating, the fresher the produce, the better." (no idea why, but guess it's a comforting soundbite – dp)
Some farmers markets also go far beyond fruits and vegetables, the horticulturist added. They may offer homemade jams, bedding plants, cut flowers, nuts, meats, and/or an array of local handicrafts.



 
BLOG: PR Industry Insight: Leading food-borne illness plaintiffs' litigator Bill Marler, of Marler Clark Tells All
01.aug.08
Marler Blog
http://www.marlerblog.com/2008/08/articles/lawyer-oped/pr-industry-insight-leading-foodborne-illness-plaintiffs-litigator-bill-marler-of-marler-clark-tells-all/index.html
My phone rings – I pick it up. I had a nice chat with the folks at Levick about the PR nightmare that companies get themselves into during a foodborne illness outbreak:
Attorney Bill Marler, of the Seattle-based firm Marler Clark, LLP, PS, is an accomplished personal injury lawyer and a major force affecting food safety policy in the United States and abroad. He and his partners have represented thousands of individuals in claims against food companies whose products have allegedly caused serious injury and death. During a career spanning three decades, Bill Marler has secured more than $300 million for his clients. He's written for numerous legal publications and speaks on food safety issues around the world.
Here's what he had to say about what class actions do to brands and how companies can best can move forward once they're resolved. Key lessons from the other side…
Why is class action litigation so damaging to a corporate brand?
Bill Marler: First, let me say something about food-borne illness cases and class action litigation in general. In the last ten years, there have been very few class actions in the U.S. – I think you could count them on one hand – that have been brought in the context of food safety. It would seem that the two would go hand in hand, but the reality is that the injuries vary so much between individuals that it's highly unlikely that a jury or court would ever certify a food-borne illness case as a class action.
That said, however, there are very few differences between the public communications dimensions of the food-borne illness cases I have litigated and your typical class action involving a corporate defendant. They are all high-profile. They all generate massive amounts of attention. And they all have a tremendous impact on public perceptions.
After a class action or other high-profile litigation has been resolved, do most companies do enough to reform the business practices that led to litigation in the first place?
Bill Marler: Some do, and some unfortunately do not. I was recently asked to pick the company that's most interested in food safety today, and right off the bat I said Jack-In-The-Box. Somebody in the audience was surprised by my answer – presumably because Jack-In-The-Box is known for the first significant E. coli outbreak in the U.S. back in the 1990s – and asked me why. I responded by saying "Because I've only had to sue them once."
Both during and after that litigation, Jack-In-The-Box embraced food safety in a way that a lot of companies who are repeat customers of mine never do. Jack-In-The-Box transformed its crisis into a leadership opportunity. Its VP in charge of food safety has been an open advocate of food safety and is always willing to share his time and expertise. The company has made people familiar with the safeguards it has implemented in its buying and preparation processes – to the point that those who pay attention are increasingly convinced that this corporate culture views safety as being as important, if not more important, than sales.
So, would it be fair to say that companies emerging from high-profile litigation actually have a greater opportunity to become leaders on the very issues that landed them in trouble in the first place?
Bill Marler: Absolutely. No question about it.
Please identify the most important audiences that a company emerging from high-profile litigation must engage to reinforce the perception that it is moving forward in a responsible manner.
Bill Marler: Clearly the consumer is the main target because you want to lure those folks back to a product they wanted before. If you employ a solid media message that shows contrition, demonstrates that you've learned from your mistakes, and drives home the point that you're being transparent, you're off to a good start.
Do you think it's important to engage federal and state regulators as well?
Absolutely. Being regulated isn't what most companies put on top of their Christmas list, but my view is that the relationship can be beneficial in two significant ways. First, if you ask for their input, they might give it to you and it might be useful in avoiding problems to begin with. Second, if you do solicit their advice and problems arise anyway, I've seen regulators go to bat for a company and say, "I was there. They've been trying. It must be a bad supplier." In essence, you've cultivated a powerful ally by giving the regulators a stake in the effectiveness of your safety efforts.
If I were the Communications Director of a company emerging from high-profile litigation, what would be the three most important things for me to remember moving forward?
Bill Marler: I think that if a company hasn't already identified the three most important things beforehand, it has probably already lost – because the plan needs to be implemented on Day One.
You need to be ready to show that you're putting customers first and treating them with respect by apologizing for what happened, offering to help them through the crisis, and vowing that it will never happen again. Those same three messages need to be reiterated again and again throughout the whole process. In my experience, it's the companies that take care of their customers by being compassionate and transparent that bounce back the fastest.



 
Increasing rates in Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) among hospitalised patients, SPAIN 1999-2007
31.jul.08
Eurosurveillance, Volume 13, Issue 31
A Asensio, Vaque-Rafart, Calbo-Torrecillas, Gestal-Otero, López-Fernández, Trilla-Garcia, R Canton, EPINE Working Group
http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=18943
Limited information is available on the burden and epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in Spain. The present report communicates the secular trends in prevalence of CDI among hospitalised patients in Spain from 1999 through 2007. Data were obtained through the EPINE study (Estudio de prevalencia de las infecciones nosocomiales en los hospitales españoles), a point prevalence study series of nosocomial infections among patients admitted to hospital in Spain.
A total of 378 cases with CDI were identified. Median age was 74 years. Prevalence rates of CDI increased from 3.9 to 12.2 cases per 10,000 hospitalised patients and showed a significantly increasing secular trend from 1999 through 2007 (prevalence rate ratio per each year increment 1.09; 95% CI 1.05 – 1.14). Percentage of hospitalised patients receiving antimicrobials increased linearly from 36.0% in 1999 to 40.7% in 2007 (p <0.001) and was strongly correlated to CDI prevalence (R square = 0.73; regression coefficient =1.194, 95% CI= 1.192 – 1.196).
 


FSnet is produced by the International Food Safety Network at Kansas State University, and is supported at the Gold Fork level by: Marler Clark.

FSnet is supported at the Sterling Fork level by: CropLife Canada, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs , New Zealand Food Safety Authority, and the Ontario Cattlemen's Association.

Fsnet is supported at the Silver-plate Fork level by: The National Restaurant Association, Unilever, Sholl Group/Green Giant Fresh, Feedlot Health Management Services, McDonald's, and Syngenta Crop Protection Canada.


The Food Safety Network presents a unique opportunity to bring together all those associated with agriculture and food, to enhance the safety of the food supply. To provide financial support to the Food Safety Network, please visit http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu/en/donations.php. For information on collaboration or fee-for-service opportunities, please contact Dr. Doug Powell: dpowell@ksu.edu

To subscribe to the html version of FSnet, send mail to:
(subscription is free)
listserv@listserv.ksu.edu
leave subject line blank
in the body of the message type:
subscribe fsnet-L firstname lastname
i.e. subscribe fsnet-L Doug Powell
(replace fsnet-L with fsnettext to subscribe to the text version)

To unsubscribe to the html version of FSnet, send mail to:
listserv@listserv.ksu.edu
leave subject line blank
in the body of the message type: signoff fsnet-L
(replace fsnet-L with fsnettext to unsubscribe from the text version)

For more information about the FSnet research program, please contact:
Dr. Douglas Powell
associate professor
dept. diagnostic medicine/pathobiology
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS
66506
cell: 785-317-0560
fax: 785-532-4039
dpowell@ksu.edu
http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu




archived at http://archives.foodsafety.ksu.edu/fsnet-archives.htm