FSnet Aug. 13/08

BARFBLOG: Revenge on the f---ing celebrity chef: prepare him safely

IRELAND: FSAI updates on Salmonella outbreak - New products identified - Advice to consumers and food businesses

ONTARIO: Be wary of raw milk

INDIA's poor urged to 'eat rats'

PENNSYLVANIA: E. coli cases probed in Montgomery County

Secret ingredients

WALES: News: Statement on Penybont water treatment works

Official: CHINA food regulator's death accidental

BLOG: Food safety guidelines for tomatoes

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BARFBLOG: Revenge on the f---ing celebrity chef: prepare him safely
13.aug.08
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/food-safety-communication/revenge-on-the-fing-celebrity-chef-prepare-him-safely/index.html
A new youtube addition makes fun of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey and his propensity for yelling. The best lines are in the end, though. Watch, and you'll see. And can you spot any mistakes?
Also, if you think the blog posts look weird and can't see the groovy pictures, you're right. We're working on some issues with our software provider and will have them fixed shortly.
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/05/articles/food-safety-communication/gordon-ramsey-has-a-problem-with-food-processing/
http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu/en/article-details.php?a=3&c=14&sc=102&id=842



 
IRELAND: FSAI updates on Salmonella outbreak - New products identified - Advice to consumers and food businesses
13.aug.08
Food Safety Authority of Ireland
http://www.fsai.ie/news/press/pr_08/pr20080813.asp
The investigation into the current outbreak of Salmonella Agona is continuing, and a number of chicken, beef and bacon products from Dawn Farm Foods, the Maudlins, Naas, County Kildare (plant number 734) were withdrawn from sale as a precautionary measure. Since the recall was announced last Friday, additional products have been identified that could be implicated as a source of the outbreak strain of Salmonella Agona.
In particular, one product, cooked bacon supplied to Kerry Foods has been incorporated into a number of branded retail packs of chicken and bacon sandwich filler tubs which have been sold through national retail chains. These products* have been withdrawn by the retailers, but there is a possibility that consumers may have them in their homes and so the retailers are recalling them from customers. The FSAI is advising consumers not to eat the affected products and to return them to the point of purchase.
In the interests of public health, the FSAI is again advising that products processed on the same production line as the Salmonella positive products at Dawn Farm Foods (plant number 734) should not be used. Identified products will have been supplied to intermediary distributors as frozen product and subsequently used by the catering sector. A more up-to-date list of the products from this line is now available on the FSAI website - www.fsai.ie
It is anticipated that some of the products from the implicated production line were incorporated as food ingredients in other food products, which may not receive sufficient heat treatment to eliminate Salmonella. The FSAI is advising that bacon pieces from Dawn Farm Foods (plant number 734) used as pizza toppings and ready meal ingredients are possibly implicated.
Mr Alan Reilly, FSAI states that there is a concern that some of these secondary products may be on the market. It is imperative that all food businesses check the source of their ingredients and if it has originated from Dawn Farm Foods (plant number 734) they are strongly advised to check if they have used the products listed on the FSAI website, to withdraw these from sale and to contact the FSAI with details.
"Food businesses are reminded that it is an offence to place unsafe food on the market and where they have reason to believe that a food does not meet food safety requirements they must initiate procedures to withdraw the food in question from the market where it has left their immediate control, and inform the competent authorities.
"Consumers who may be concerned that food they have eaten has made them ill should seek medical advice. It always important to remember that thorough cooking kills Salmonella and consumers are advised to always cook food thoroughly until it is piping hot. Any consumer who has any doubts about a food product should contact the place of purchase," says Mr Reilly.
The FSAI is working closely with the Health Protection Surveillance Centre that is leading the Outbreak Control Team, the Department of Health & Children, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Health Service Executive, as well as the relevant agencies in the UK in relation to this food incident.
The FSAI will continue to provide more information as it becomes available. It operates an advice line on 1890 33 66 77.
The following is the list of chicken and bacon sandwich filler tubs sold in retailer outlets which have been withdrawn:
Product Name Pack Description Use By Dates
Dunnes Chicken and Bacon Sandwich Filler 170g packed in a clear plastic tub with 'Dunnes' Sleeve label 13th to 18th AUG
Supervalu Chicken and Bacon Sandwich Filler 170g packed in a clear plastic tub with 'Supervalu' Sleeve label 13th to 18th AUG
O'Brien's Chicken and Bacon Sandwich Filler 170g packed in a clear plastic tub with 'O'Briens' label 13th to 18th AUG
(Please note O'Brien's sandwich outlets are NOT affected by this recall)



 
ONTARIO: Be wary of raw milk
13.aug.08
TheRecord.com
Jockie Loomer-Kruger
http://news.therecord.com/article/397706
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/raw-milk/ontario-man-hospitalized-34-days-with-listeria-from-raw-milk-cheese-wife-calls-for-warning-labels/index.htm
Jockie Loomer-Kruger of Kitchener, Ontario, writes that she and her husband holidayed in Quebec City this June and delighted in sampling many specialty cheeses made from raw milk. Then my husband became ill.
On our return, he had to be taken from the train and rushed to hospital in Toronto. A bacteria found in raw milk products raged through his body. Not E. coli or salmonella, but listeria, a fiercely aggressive, and usually fatal, raw milk-borne bug.
His chances were 50/50, but he survived. And after 34 days in hospital came home.
With science behind it, the Ontario government wisely enforces strict milk pasteurization regulations.
But for those who may just have found a way around these regulations, it may also be time their unpasteurized milk and milk products carried the same kinds of warnings we see on cigarette packages, products that contain nuts, or on toys with small choking-hazard parts.
For example: "WARNING! This raw milk product may contain dangerous bacteria which could cause serious illness or death. At risk are the very young, pregnant women (potential miscarriages or stillbirths), the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, or those with artificial body parts such as heart valves or replaced joints. CONSUME AT YOUR OWN RISK."



 
INDIA's poor urged to 'eat rats'
13.aug.08
BBC News
Amarnath Tewary
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7557107.stm
The Principal Secretary of the state of Bihars Welfare Department, Vijay Prakash, said that he was advancing a proposal for the poor to eat rat meat after "much survey and ground work".
Bihar's extremely poor Musahar community are rat-eaters by tradition.
The Musahar are on the bottom strata of the caste system with the lowest literacy rate and per capita income.
Less than one percent of their 2.3 million population in Bihar is literate and 98% are landless.
Mr Prakash says his proposals to popularise rat meat eating are intended to uplift their social-economic condition.
"There are twin advantages of this proposal. First, we can save about half of our food grain stocks by catching and eating rats and secondly we can improve the economic condition of the Musahar community," he told the BBC.
According to Mr Prakash, about 50% of total food grain stocks in the country are eaten away by rodents.
He argues that by promoting rat eating more grain will be preserved while hunger among the Musahar community will be reduced.
He said that rat meat is not only a delicacy but a protein-enriched food, widely popular in Thailand and France.



 
PENNSYLVANIA: E. coli cases probed in Montgomery County
13.aug.08
DelcoTimes
Margaret Gibbons
http://www.delcotimes.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20015134&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=635414&rfi=6
NORRISTOWN -- The Montgomery County health department is investigating two cases of E. coli bacteria infection that have surfaced in the county.
One confirmed case, involving a 52-year-old Hatboro area woman, is linked to the same strain found in other patients who have consumed ground beef products from Whole Foods Markets.
The other case, which involves a 48-year-old Lansdale area man, has not yet been confirmed to be the same strain.
Both patients were hospitalized and have since been released.



 
Secret ingredients
13.aug.08
Seattle Pi
Andrew Schneider
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/secretingredients/archives/145974.asp
The list of government food recalls swells but USDA boss says all is well and he has all the inspectors and regs he needs.
Shoppers are living with a repetitive drumbeat of federal government announcements that food being sold by the nation's largest grocery chains could sicken or kill those who consume it. Many consumers are concerned that the weekly chore of filling the larder has become a game of Russian roulette with E. coli, salmonella and other foodborne diseases going to the loser.
However, the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture said today that the food safety world is in good shape.
The latest recalls were again on beef processed by Nebraska Beef Ltd. and this time in the Pacific Northwest, only the regional chain Fred Meyer, not the entire Kroger system, had to pull the E. coli-tainted beef from the coolers. Picture
What surprised many high-end shoppers was that the oh-so-special Whole Food markets had to recall ground beef produced from large cuts of prime meat from the same processor. As of yesterday, about a dozen people on the East Coast had become sick after consuming the costly meat from the "natural food" supplier. Here's a link to Whole Food's version of the recall.
But don't worry if you live in the Northwest. The recalls were targeted at Whole Food stores in 23 states and D.C.
Nevertheless, when I chatted with a half-dozen shoppers near the Seattle store this afternoon, five of them said they were actually stunned, something close to that.
"I thought the higher prices they charge for everything was sort of a guarantee of quality throughout the store," Joan Wysockie, told me.
The guy next to her added: "If these gold-plated stores have problems, what hope is there for the low-end stores?"
The one who said she wasn't surprised wouldn't give her names but said she works at Harborview's emergency department and sees "food poisoning cases coming in around the clock.
"With all that's going on in the food supply chain, we're lucky that thousands more aren't being sickened. Very lucky."
Perhaps the ER doc is correct. Just check out the recalls from USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service for the last few days. Remember each recall can involve dozens of individual wholesale or retail stores.
Today, Renna's Meat Market, a Fresno, Calif., firm is recalling approximately 780 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
Yesterday, Palama Holdings LLC, a Kapolei, Hawaii, establishment, said it's recalling approximately 4,535 pounds of fully cooked pork products because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Aug. 8: Nebraska Beef Ltd., announced that it is recalling approximately 1.2 million pounds of primal cuts, subprimal cuts and boxed beef that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
Aug. 7: Dallas City Packing Inc., a Dallas, Texas, establishment, recalled approximately 941,271 pounds of cattle heads with tonsils not completely removed, which is not compliant with regulations that require the removal of tonsils from cattle of all ages.
Aug. 6: S&S Foods LLC., an Azusa, Calif., firm, recalled approximately 153,630 pounds of frozen ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
Aug. 6: Tyson Foods Inc. of Vicksburg, Miss., recalled 51,360 pounds of raw frozen chicken breast tenderloin products because they may contain an undeclared allergen, soy, which is not declared on the label.
Aug. 5: DBC Inc., doing business as World Class Canapes of Wilmington, Mass., recalled approximately 285 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
And these are just the ones we know about. Remember, with the exception of the cow heads and the soy-tainted chicken, the other recalls were USDA "Class 1," which means a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.
However, USDA boss Ed Schafer told Reuters today that the number of contaminated products has declined in recent years and things are lookng up.
"I don't believe that, from a USDA standpoint, we need to increase the number of inspectors or change the testing requirements," Schafer told Reuters.
He said he like to see the food industry experimenting with new and better equipment and ideas.
"You start mandating things, and that incentive to improve goes away," he told the wire service.



 
WALES: News: Statement on Penybont water treatment works
13.aug.08
National Public Health Service for Wales
http://www.wales.nhs.uk/newsitem.cfm?ContentID=10360
The NPHS is advising GPs in the area of Tywyn, Aberdyfi, Bryncrug, Rhyd-yr-Onen and Brynglas in North Wales to look out for cases of bad diarrhoea and to take samples so it can test for gastrointestinal illnesses such as cryptosporidium.
If members of the public who have drunk water in the affected area on Sunday get a bad case of diarrhoea we advise them to see their GP as a precaution.
Further information is available from Dwr Cymru Welsh Water on the following link: http://www.dwrcymru.co.uk/english/library/Cryptosporidium/
More information is also available to Dwr Cymru Welsh Water customers who call 0800 052 0130.



 
Official: CHINA food regulator's death accidental
13.aug.08
Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-VIKxPFYtBgPdveLpUmDIhCPyxgD92HDID00
BEIJING -- The head of China's food safety watchdog has died in an accident, an official said Wednesday, amid a probe into his financial status.
A spokeswoman for the agency said Wu Jianping died after falling from a building in an accident on Aug. 2. She denied a media report that the 42-year-old official committed suicide after a meeting with investigators about his financial problems.
"His incident was an accident. He fell from a building," said Xia Wenjun of the news department of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.
The spokeswoman refused to elaborate, saying she had no more information to provide.
Wu was appointed head of food production supervision at the organization with responsibilities to control food safety quality. China has faced a series of food safety problems after its exports, including dumplings and fish tainted with pesticides, came under heavy scrutiny last year.
On Tuesday, financial journal Caijing Magazine quoted unidentified sources as saying that Wu jumped to his death a day after he discussed his financial problems with Beijing's prosecution bureau.



 
BLOG: Food safety guidelines for tomatoes
12.aug.08
Fresh Talk
Tom Karst
http://freshtalk.blogspot.com/2008/08/food-safety-guidance-for-tomatoes.html
By some quirk known only to the computer gods, a news release I was looking for from the United Fresh Produce Association was assigned to my Outlook spam folder. I retrieved the document and publish an excerpt below. The most important sentence is the last:
"The California Tomato Farmers and Florida Tomato Exchange have indicated that they support the Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Fresh Tomatoes Supply Chain, 2nd Edition as the basis for mandatory national food safety standards for the fresh tomato industry."
From the release:
United Fresh Produce Association (United Fresh) and the North American Tomato Trade Work Group (NATTWG) have published the second edition of the Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Fresh Tomatoes Supply Chain for use throughout the fresh tomato industry. This document provides the latest food safety guidelines related to water, workers and soil factors, and it includes components for all companies along the supply chain, including retailers and foodservice distributors.
United Fresh and NATTWG initiated the year-long effort to revise the first edition guidance document in order to incorporate new scientific learnings and to include the perspectives of a broader scope of contributors than was included in the first edition.
Over the past 12 months, more than 40 scientists and industry experts from academia, government and the fresh tomato industry have reviewed the latest food safety research findings and industry practices in order to revise the first edition of the guidance document, which was published in 2006 by NATTWG.
"Significant efforts were made to involve as many associations, agencies, companies and individuals with expertise in food safety practices for one or more steps in the fresh tomato supply chain as possible," said Dr. David Gombas, senior vice president of food safety and technology at United Fresh. "We wanted everyone's input on this so we could be as thorough as possible."
"In the two years since the first document, we've learned more about potential risks and control measures at all points in the fresh tomato supply chain," said Reggie Brown, chairman of NATTWG. "The second edition of the guidelines represents current understanding of conditions and controls that should be considered by every company in the tomato supply chain." NATTWG is a consortium consisting of fresh field and greenhouse tomato organizations within the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The California Tomato Farmers and Florida Tomato Exchange have indicated that they support the Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Fresh Tomatoes Supply Chain, 2nd Edition as the basis for mandatory national food safety standards for the fresh tomato industry.
 


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