FSnet Aug. 11/08 -- II

ONTARIO: Public Health confirms eighth case of E. coli

ARIZONA: Eurofresh Farms begins locally grown campaign

US and MEXICO: Nations differ on tests for peppers

WASHINGTON food safety fruit & vegetable audits expanding rapidly

COLUMN: Perkins: U.S. food safety system must protect everyone

OHIO: Food safety at the fair

US: Dirty restaurants: Sounding an alarm

UK: Food safety crackdowns continue around the globe

MASSACHUSETTS: E. coli concerns affect many Pembroke restaurants

how to subscribe

ONTARIO: Public Health confirms eighth case of E. coli
11.aug.08
GuelphMercury.com
http://news.guelphmercury.com/article/365861
GUELPH -- WDG Public Health confirms an eighth case of E. coli linked to the University of Guelph's food services.
As with all of the confirmed cases to date, the latest case is related to an exposure in July.
Public Health continues to investigate all possible sources of contamination.
Dr. Nicola Mercer, Medical Officer of Health says, "An important part of our investigation is interviewing individuals who ate at the University between July 21 and August 4 and experienced symptoms of E. coli 0157:H7 Our health inspectors have now filed over 120 questionnaires and continue to interview people who may have been exposed to the bacteria."



 
ARIZONA: Eurofresh Farms begins locally grown campaign
11.aug.08
The Packer
Willcox, Ariz.-based Eurofresh Farms has launched a locally grown marketing effort in Arizona to convince chefs and consumers there to buy Eurofresh tomatoes.
The company said in a news release that it will include an Arizona Grown logo on all packages and point-of-sale materials shipped to retail stores in that state. Eurofresh also said it will provide retailers with signs and other information about the advantages of buying local.
"We adhere to some of the most stringent food handling practices in the industry and have never experienced a reported foodborne illnesses in our company's 16-year history," chief executive officer Dwight Ferguson said in the release. "Arizona families can rely on Eurofresh Farms to deliver the freshest, safest, most environmentally responsible tomatoes."
The company said it also will provide information touting the benefits of buying local to Arizona media outlets and restaurants in Tucson and Phoenix.



 
US and MEXICO: Nations differ on tests for peppers
10.aug.08
San Antonio Express-News
Sean Mattson
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/5935556.html
HIDALGO, MEXICO -- The lab results on Sergio Maltos' desk show that investigators from Mexico and the United States came to drastically different conclusions about the cause of the salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 1,300 Americans this summer.
Investigators from both nations visited the farm in question, about 200 miles south of Laredo in Tamaulipas state, in July to test nearly identical materials.
The Food and Drug Administration found irrigation water and a serrano pepper that tested positive for the salmonella Saintpaul strain. Maltos, a top official at the Nuevo León state laboratory that processed Mexico's samples, had two positive tests as well — one from animal excrement and one from mud near an irrigation ditch.
The water and peppers Mexico tested, however, were clean, he said.
How the FDA and its Mexican counterparts managed to reach such different conclusions in a binational health scare that has cost farmers millions of dollars is a mystery neither government seems in a hurry to clear up.
"It's possible that there are differences. But it's extremely improbable," Maltos said.
Each team took its own whole pepper samples, said Maltos and Julio Alemán, who manages the 50-acre field.
The peppers were 500 yards from the ditch and were dehydrated because the field had been fully harvested a month before the inspection, Alemán said. That in itself eliminates a scientifically valid link between the farm and the outbreak, he and Mexican officials argued.
The FDA sparked Mexico's ire when David Acheson, the FDA's food safety chief, announced the agency's results at a congressional hearing July 30. Lawmakers were scrutinizing the agency's investigation of the outbreak, which was originally blamed on tomatoes but lacked conclusive evidence.
The FDA currently warns U.S. consumers to avoid raw jalapeño or serrano peppers grown in Mexico.
Mexico, which repeatedly denied having the salmonella Saintpaul serotype in the country even before testing was complete, said Acheson's statement broke an agreement that the two nations were to release findings simultaneously.
Last week, Mexico had not finished the tests required to determine whether its positive salmonella tests matched the strain responsible for the outbreak, Maltos said.
As Mexican farmers fulminated over the second FDA warning in a year to hurt their bottom line, Mexican federal health officials and the FDA declined to explain their conflicting findings.
"This is still an open investigation, so I can't go into details or provide you a description of samples," said Michael Herndon, an FDA press officer. "However, we stand by our test results, which demonstrated a genetic match to the serotype salmonella Saintpaul in both samples of water used for irrigation and composite samples of serrano peppers."
Jesse Thomas, who co-owns 225 acres of peppers in the Hidalgo area a few miles from where the positive tests were taken, had choice words for anyone accusing farmers there of being the source of the U.S. salmonella outbreak.
"We're no longer working in antiquity," he said, pointing to his high-tech operation, which includes water-saving irrigation techniques overseen by an agricultural engineer. "It's not the Mexico you think of, with the donkey pulling the plow."
Most area farms draw water, which is filtered, though not purified, from wells, Thomas said.



 
WASHINGTON food safety fruit & vegetable audits expanding rapidly
11.aug.08
Western Farmer-Stockman
http://westernfarmerstockman.com/index.aspx?ascxid=fpStory&fpsid=35250&fpstid=2
After high-profile food-borne disease outbreaks and increasing concern among produce distributors, fresh fruit and vegetable farmers are seeking third-party verification of farm practices that reduce the risk of E.coli, listeria and other illnesses.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture is conducting a growing number of audits using USDA Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices. Through the process, WSDA's auditors verify that growers and processors are following best management practices to reduce the risk of microbial contamination of fresh produce.
More than 128,000 acres of Washington produce were audited last year, up from 10,200 in 2005.
GAP audits, conducted during the growing season only cover the growing process of fresh fruits and vegetables in the field. GHP audits, conducted year round, review the procedures used at produce warehouses and packing plants.
While the audits are voluntary, an increasing number of national wholesalers and retailers require GAP/GHP certification as they source their food products. Federal nutrition programs, including the school lunch program began requiring the audits last year, and many international buyers are looking for proof audits were conducted.
"We want the buyers of Washington fruits and vegetables to know that they are getting the highest quality produce on the market," says Jim Quigley, WSDA's Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Program manager.
"GAP audits allow our growers to keep pace with the competition and sell to national and international buyers increasingly concerned about farming practices. By reducing the risk of microbial contamination, these audits can help guard against a major product recall that can impact a business for years to come."
More information about GAP/GHP audits can be found at: www.agr.wa.gov/Inspection/FVInspection.



 
COLUMN: Perkins: U.S. food safety system must protect everyone
11.aug.08
The Californian
Bob Perkins
http://thecalifornian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080811/BUSINESS/808110313/1046
Bob Perkins, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau, writes that
Monterey County agriculture begins with one principle, that we must do everything possible to protect consumers from illness. The industry has invested huge amounts of time and money to implement food safety practices on the farm and in packing plants, but we know the system isn't perfect. That's why the industry continues to seek cooperative solutions with government officials.
U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, reported Congress is considering ways "to reorganize the 15 federal agencies collectively administering at least 30 laws related to food safety." And, he added, the Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on agriculture, on which he serves, will hold hearings in September on a Food and Drug Administration request for an additional $125 million and 259 more employees to work on food safety. More money and people might help if they produce better information and fewer mistakes.
"You could describe our current food safety system as 'outbreak roulette,'" U.S. Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Modesto, has said.
Two recent incidents involving food-borne illness illustrate the quandary agriculture faces.
U.S. tomato growers took an unnecessary hit this summer when the FDA fingered tomatoes as the cause of a widespread salmonella outbreak. Even now, when Mexican jalapeños have been linked to the illness, tomatoes haven't been completely exonerated.
A Salinas shipper also took an unnecessary hit when the Michigan Department of Agriculture announced it found salmonella in cilantro shipped from here. The cilantro was recalled in the U.S. and Canada. Then Michigan said, "Oops, the test was wrong and the product is safe." Meanwhile, the cilantro was dumped, and the shipper lost money and customers.
These two foul-ups illustrate two sides of the same problem, too much information and too little.
The tomato scare was a case of too little information. Victims remembered eating tomatoes, leading FDA to conclude tomatoes were the problem. Wrong. Victims also ate other products. Memories and circumstantial evidence don't supply enough information to be sure.
The cilantro scare was a case of, perhaps, too much information. A lab test indicated salmonella, so the Michigan Department of Agriculture acted quickly to protect consumers. Wrong. The lab test produced a false positive, something far too common for comfort.
When a government agency has reason to believe a farm product has caused people to get sick, it is obligated to tell the public what it knows before someone else gets sick. Agencies are balancing the reliability of their information against duty to protect people. But are they protecting people when their warnings are wrong?
Finger-pointing is an easy out on both sides. We can second-guess agencies that don't have all the answers yet. Critics can condemn agriculture for not "doing more" to make food safe. Our food safety systems will probably never be without risk, but agriculture and government can work together to make it better.
Meanwhile, pity the next official who torpedoes a segment of agriculture with bad information.



 
OHIO: Food safety at the fair
11.aug.08
Whiz News
Mike Partin
http://www.whiznews.com/article.php?articleId=22406
The Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department will work all week to make sure the food you eat at this year's fair is safe to eat.
Inspectors spend several hours per day at the fair inspecting every food trailer and building.
"Basically we're here to make sure the food is staying safe. The hot temperatures is staying hot enough to prevent food born illness and the cold temeratures are staying cold enough. Also issues like cross contamianation. You don't want to have meat and vegatables on the same cutting board because it could spread their germs to each other" said Adam Dickerson who is a Sanatarian for the Health Department
Dickerson says staff from the Health Department will visit each food supplier and will discuss any issues or violation if any should be found. If any are found that's when sanatarian's issue a violation. "We write it down on our inspection sheet and we go through it with the operator and talk about ways of correcting the violataion" Dickerson said.



 
US: Dirty restaurants: Sounding an alarm
11.aug.08
Time
Deirdre Van Dyk
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1831421,00.html
The public-advocacy group that helped maneuver the trans-fats ban in New York City restaurants and pushed national chains to divulge fat and calorie content on their menus is agitating for more change. The Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is now calling for easy public access to restaurant health-code grades, improved health-inspector training and a nationwide standard for restaurant inspections.
"If you can walk by a restaurant and see which credit cards it takes, and whether Zagat recommends them, then you should also be able to see how the local health authority rates them," says Sarah Klein, a staff attorney with CSPI, which made its recommendations in an Aug. 7 report, "Dirty Dining: Have Reservations? You Will Now."
As the title suggests, if you are of the ignorance-is-bliss camp when it comes to restaurant dining, you might be advised to stop reading now — there is a sizable ick-factor to the CSPI's findings. Klein and her team sought the most recent routine reports from 30 restaurants in each of 20 cities the CSPI selected across the United States, analyzing 539 reports total. They revealed the gamut of infractions — from mold growing in ice machines (in a restaurant in Atlanta) to live cockroaches skittering across kitchen cutting boards (in Pittsburgh). The reports cited violations in restaurants of every caliber: though the data does not detail which specific restaurants committed which offenses, the aggregated inspections represent popular national fast-food chains as well as posh $90-a-head eateries.
The term health-code violation typically conjures images of germ-sodden hands wrangling the steak tartare, or gangs of mice and roaches commandeering the pantry. These are indeed serious problems, but according to the CSPI report, consumers should be more concerned with the risk of unclean food contact or prep surfaces (26% of restaurants committed this violation), which can allow for dangerous cross-contamination between, say, raw meat and fruit. Another big problem: improper holding temperatures (22% of restaurants kept food either not hot enough or not cold enough), which can potentially lead to bacteria festering in poorly cooked food. Inadequate hand-washing accounted for 16% of the violations recorded, putting diners at risk for contagion of norovirus or Salmonella. Infestations of rodents and insects were cited in 13% of restaurants, most often in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia, while 11% of restaurants were cited for workers using dirty cloths to wipe down tables or food preparation surfaces.
Of the 20 cities studied, 66% had at least one high-risk safety problem. Boston's restaurants led the pack with 63 violations among them, most of which had to do with unclean food surfaces; other transgressions included spoiled food and inadequate hand-washing by employees. Austin eateries came in second, with 58 violations, including a leaking roof over a food prep area and rodent droppings on utensils. Most of the city's violations, however, had to do with food kept at improper temperatures.
It's unclear whether cities with more violations simply had dirtier kitchens or more dogged restaurant inspectors. New York, Milwaukee, Austin and Atlanta, had the better inspector-to-restaurant ratios, where inspectors covered fewer than 200 restaurants each. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Chicago had the highest ratio, with each inspector responsible for evaluating 400 to 500 restaurants. In some cities, however, inspectors appeared to work overtime: Colorado Springs, Colo., which employs just eight food inspectors for about 2,000 restaurants, reported the third highest number of violations in the study, at 46; most cited unclean food surfaces, as well as food being inadequately refrigerated, and outside openings being left vulnerable rodents. The cities with the fewest violations were Tucson, where 20 inspectors reported 14 violations; San Francisco, whose 20 inspectors came up with 15 violations; and Philadelphia, where 26 inspectors ferreted out 16 offenses, over half of which were related to insects and rodents.
The CSPI estimates that the average American eats out five times a week. The vast majority of them survive unscathed, but every year, 76 million Americans fall ill from unsafe food. More than 15 years of data show that 41% of all foodborne illness outbreaks in the U.S. can be directly traced to restaurant food. In 2005, a single employee reportedly infected with norovirus at a Blimpie sub shop in Michigan ended up sickening more than 100 customers. Investigators think the virus was transferred to food products and between employees who used the same sink to wash hands and wash lettuce, without sanitizing the sink between uses.
Part of the safety issue may be lack of oversight and accountability. Only nine state governments have fully adopted the Food and Drug Administration's 2005 Food Code, which lays out safe food handling and sanitation standards. The CSPI, along with the National Restaurant Association, which represents food establishments, is pushing for all 50 states to adopt this code. The restaurant association would also like to see a standardized inspection form that would make it easier for evaluators to identify problem areas quickly, helping to advance food safety. Yet the industry group calls the CSPI report a "misleading caricature" and insists that it does not present an accurate picture of the restaurant industry as a whole. "We wouldn't be spending millions of dollars to advance food safety training and certification programs for workers if we weren't serious about food safety," says Donna Garren, who oversees health and safety issues for the restaurant association."
Klein thinks restaurants still have a long way to go. She says they aren't motivated to pass a very high safety bar, noting that a restaurant may commit violations that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would classify as most critical — improper holding temperatures, poor employee hygiene, food bought from unsafe sources, food that is not thoroughly cooked or food surfaces that are not properly disinfected — without much fear of being shut down. Even violations that involve rat infestations or unwell employees (restaurant workers tend not to get paid sick days) also may not lead to closure. "Restaurants only have the incentive to do what they need to do to stay open," says Klein. "The consumer would never know how close they were to being shut down." According to the CSPI, violations that justify immediate shutdown are relatively extreme — such as an open sewer line in the kitchen or a broken water heater.
But some cites are doing things right, Klein says, and setting a constructive example. Ten years ago, Los Angeles County implemented a grade-card system that requires restaurants to display letter grades given to them by health inspectors. Restaurants that score 90 or above on the 100-point health-inspection measure receive an A, those that score 80 to 89 receive a B, and so forth. The program, which Las Vegas and St. Louis have since adopted, has been well-received by consumers. Surveys suggest that most diners notice the grade cards, approve of the system overall and feel convinced that it ensures food safety — most surveyed consumers also said that a restaurant's letter grade directly affected their decision to eat there.
At the moment, says Klein, this kind of health-inspection information isn't very easily accessible in all locales. In many cities, such as New York, Chicago and Denver, restaurant inspection reports are available online. In others, like San Francisco and Atlanta, restaurants keep their reports on site, and give them to the customer upon request. But some cities, including Pittsburgh and Washington, share inspection results only through Freedom of Information Act requests — which is not very useful for the consumer unless he's planning dining reservations months in advance.
Amidst the report's stomach-churning details, however, one vote of confidence: Klein still dines outs. "You gotta eat," she says. "I take my chances, and look for the obvious signs — like mice or the fact that the water in the bathroom doesn't get hot — that indicate a problem in the back of the house. I mean, if someone has a sloppy living room, chances are there are a dirty dishes in their sink."



 
UK: Food safety crackdowns continue around the globe
11.aug.08
Australian Food News
Isobel Drake
http://www.ausfoodnews.com.au/2008/08/11/food-safety-crackdowns-continue-around-the-globe.html
The UK's new transparent food safety grading system is making a splash, but there have been concerns that it may be too wide-reaching in its application.
The Food Standards Agency is consulting on the SOTDs (Scores On The Doors) system to attempt to standardise the many different hygiene scoring systems that currently operate throughout the UK. The schemes originated following the Freedom of Information Act and aim to give customers more information about the hygiene of the premises that they are purchasing food from, as well as providing an incentive to retailers to improve their performance. Once a business has been scored they are presented with a certificate containing this score and encouraged to display it, and scores are also placed online. It is likely that the Food Standards Agency will go with a four tier, "three star grades and a fail" grading system.
The system is designed to improve transparency for consumers and promote greater concern for food safety amongst food retailers, and works in a similar way to the 'name and shame' strategy witnessed in NSW.
The Association of Convenience Stores has responded to the consultation on Scores on the Doors (SOTDs) by calling for an exemption for shops with no open food handling, and for an easy to understand 'fail' or 'improvement required' grading system. "ACS sees only risks and no opportunities for convenience stores from Scores on the Doors," ACS Chief Executive, James Lowman, said. "Convenience stores are low risk businesses, and we strongly believe that consumers will not use the rating system to make choices about where to shop. It is a waste of local authority resources to extend the scheme to low risk premises. Given the strong potential for confusion about what a score relates to, premises with low scores could be unfairly judged by the public who may mistakenly believe that the store is in some way unsafe, even though the store is fully compliant with food hygiene law".
"We support the Foods Standards Agency taking action to harmonise the various SOTDs schemes that have been operating across the country. This is important because right now there are numerous different schemes operating around the country, run by individual local authorities, many of which include convenience stores. This is a burden on businesses and is highly confusing for authorities, businesses and consumers alike," Mr Lowman concluded.



 
MASSACHUSETTS: E. coli concerns affect many Pembroke restaurants
11.aug.08
WBZTV.com
Paul Burton
http://wbztv.com/local/pembroke.water.ecoli.2.792295.html
PEMBROKE -- E.coli has found its way into the water supply in Pembroke, which means residents there can't drink their tap water unless they boil it first to kill the bacteria.
And homeowners are not the only people affected by this E.coli scare. About 20 restaurants, who really depend on families for business, are hurting badly. Many restaurants had empty dining rooms and some didn't even bother to open -- all because of E.coli bacteria.
Joyce Oliveira owns Oliveira's restaurant in Pembroke. On a typical weekend her place would be filled. "It's a bad economy to begin with so with this is a like a jolt in the side."
The E.coli concerns have had a dramatic effect on local restaurants. Oliveira said it's been slower than usual because of the bacteria scare.

 


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, Monsanto Canada, 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