FSnet Aug. 22/08 -- III
US: Your
salad could soon be irradiated; FDA approves germ killer for
lettuce, spinach
OPINION:
Would you buy irradiated spinach or lettuce?
TORONTO:
Maple Leaf warned distributors prior to full recall
CANADA:
Officials confirm 4th death in listeriosis outbreak
CANADA: Maple
Leaf stresses food safety as role of federal inspectors
debated
CANADA:
McGuinty credits early warning system with catching
listeriosis outbreak
ONTARIO:
1980-81 Maritimes outbreak showed that Listeria can taint
food, cause illness
CALIFORNIA:
Salinas valley produce accused in new E. coli suit
FDA finds
salmonella at eight U.S. firms
NORTH
CAROLINA: 31 diners report sickness after eating at local
restaurant
FLORIDA: Food
poisoning to blame for sorority illness
NEW MEXICO:
Officials investigate more than 20 possible water parasite
cases
ONTARIO: AMCO
Produce Inc. fined $7,000 for and offence under the Canadian
Agricultural Products Act
GAMBIA:
Coleman restaurant boss laments on food safety
GEORGIA:
Restaurant inspection scores
FEDERAL
REGISTER: Irradiation in the production, processing and
handling of food
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US: Your
salad could soon be irradiated; FDA approves germ killer for
lettuce, spinach
22.aug.08
USA Today
Julie Schmit
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-08-21-fda-irradiation-spinach-lettuce_N.htm
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/food-safety-communication/really-consumers-can-decide-about-irradiation/index.html
The Food and Drug Administration has approved use of
irradiation on spinach and lettuce to kill dangerous
bacteria, but companies may have a tough time selling the
idea to consumers.
The FDA's decision, effective today, adds iceberg lettuce
and spinach to the short but growing list of foods approved
for irradiation, including meat, poultry and some shellfish.
While a handful of companies have succeeded in selling
irradiated ground beef since it hit the market in 2000, the
idea has largely flopped. "Mom wouldn't buy it," says Craig
Wilson, food-safety chief for Costco.
The FDA's ruling resulted from a petition filed in 2000 by a
food-manufacturing association asking the FDA to approve
irradiation for a broad array of foods. In 2007, the
petition was amended so that the leafy greens could be ruled
on first.
The year before, bagged spinach was associated with an E.
coli outbreak that killed five people, sickened more than
200, and pummeled bagged salad sales. The outbreak
underscored the inherent risk of eating raw food that's
grown outside, where animals can spread bacteria.
The steady pace of food-safety scares since then -- and
growing consumer awareness of food-safety risks -- will
improve consumer acceptance of irradiated greens, says Doug
Powell of the International Food Safety Network at Kansas
State University.
"There's been enough outbreaks ... that the consumer demand
should be there," he says.
Processors of leafy greens have long considered irradiation
promising, but they've struggled to find the right dose that
kills bacteria while preserving freshness.
"Historically, the fragility of the (leafy greens) has been
a quality issue," Dole spokesman Bill Goldfield says. Based
on Dole's testing, "It looks to be very promising."
The FDA will require irradiated produce to be labeled.
OPINION:
Would you buy irradiated spinach or lettuce?
22.aug.08
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Elizabeth Lee
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/smarteating/entries/2008/08/22/irradiate.html
Spinach and iceberg lettuce can be irradiated to kill
harmful bacteria, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
announced today.
What does that mean?
Irradiation is ionizing radiation, applied to food as gamma
rays from radioisotopes, or electron beams or X-rays from
machines. It penetrates into food to kill germs, and also
kills insects on the surface of foods. Irradiation extends a
product’s shelf life.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association of America asked the
FDA to approve irradiation of leafy greens several years
ago. Many consumer groups opposed it, instead pressing the
FDA to impose more stringent farm-to-table safety standards.
The FDA approval only includes iceberg lettuce and spinach;
other leafy greens, like romaine lettuce, may be added
later. And the FDA continues to advise consumers to wash all
leafy greens, including irradiated ones, before eating them.
Food that is irradiated must be labeled, a requirement that
industry is trying to change. Industry petitions call for a
more generic label like “pasteurized.” Irradiation can
affect the flavor and texture of food, depending on the dose
level; those promoting irradiating leafy greens say
consumers won’t notice any changes at the levels used.
The approval comes at an interesting time. The FDA and
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to
investigate a Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that’s been tied
to tomatoes and serrano peppers, one that’s still making
Americans ill, albeit at a much slower rate than at its
peak. Both agencies have been criticized for their handling
of the investigation, with much of that criticism falling on
the FDA.
At the same time, the produce industry is facing hundreds of
million in losses from unsold tomatoes, jalapenos and
serranos, the latest in a string of outbreak-related losses.
In 2006, an e. coli 0157:H7 outbreak tied to spinach caused
205 confirmed illnesses and three deaths, and the spinach
industry took a big hit. Sales suffered months after the
outbreak had ended, with some shoppers continuing to avoid
the food.
Consumers are the wild card in this situation. Will
Americans embrace irradiation of iceberg lettuce, which has
little to offer but its crunch, if irradiation affects that
texture? Will those who seek out spinach for its
healthfulness buy it if it’s been irradiated? Will people
who avoid fresh salads now because they’re at higher risk
for foodborne illness be able to eat and enjoy them again
because they’ve been treated to reduce bacteria?
In the past, shoppers have had a mixed reaction. Irradiated
foods such as beef have been a tough sell, but tropical
fruit from Hawaii and spices haven’t faced the same level of
resistance.
You can read the arguments for irradiation here
http://www.ific.org/publications/brochures/upload/Food-Irradiation-A-Global-Food-Safety-Tool.pdf
and against irradiation, here.
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/foodirradiation/irradiation-facts
TORONTO:
Maple Leaf warned distributors prior to full recall
23.aug.08
Globe and Mail
Matthew Trevisan and Bill Curry
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080822.wrecall23/BNStory/National/home
TORONTO, OTTAWA — Four days before Maple Leaf Foods Inc.
warned the public that two varieties of sliced meat may have
been contaminated with listeria, the company told its
distributors to stop shipping three different products and
that federal health authorities were investigating its
Toronto plant.
On Aug. 13, Maple Leaf sent a letter to its distributors
requesting that, as a precautionary measure, they stop
shipping the company's Sure Slice roast beef, corned beef
and Black Forest ham because the processing plant in Toronto
where the meat was produced was under investigation by the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Maple Leaf spokeswoman
Linda Smith said yesterday.
On Aug. 17, Maple Leaf recalled its Sure Slice roast beef
and corned beef after the roast beef tested positive for
Listeria monocytogenes, a food-borne bacterium that can
cause serious illness in pregnant women and the elderly.
Then on Aug. 20, after being informed that both the Sure
Slice roast beef and corned beef tested positive for
listeria in later tests, the company recalled more than 20
deli meats and shut down its Toronto plant for sanitization,
at a total cost of $2-million, as Ontario health officials
announced an outbreak of listeriosis.
Currently, 17 Canadians are infected with the same stream of
listeriosis, said Robert Clarke, the assistant deputy
minister of the Public Health Agency of Canada. There are 13
in Ontario, two in B.C., one in Saskatchewan and one in
Quebec. In Ontario, three deaths have been confirmed as
caused by the bacteria, and another is under investigation.
The Vancouver Island Health Authority last night confirmed
that the death in hospital of a 64-year-old man had also
been linked to the outbreak.
No definitive link to the outbreak's strain and the strain
found at the Maple Leaf plant has yet been found, however.
Ms. Smith said Maple Leaf didn't inform the public about
CFIA's investigation when it informed its distributors
because there was no reason, at the time, to recall its
products.
"The practice is, that when you have a positive test, you
have a reason to recall," she said. "Sometimes you do tests
that turn out not to be positive."
CFIA spokesman Marc Richard said the agency will inform the
public of a health risk if an assessment conducted by
federal health officials concludes that a certain food might
pose a danger.
"You have a positive test. You have the information that you
need. Once there's a health-risk assessment done by Health
Canada, we go forward with the recall …," he said.
On Aug. 14 and 15 — before the Aug. 20 general announcement
of an outbreak in Ontario — provincial health officials
began testing deli meats, including the Sure Slice brand,
from nursing homes and hospitals across the province because
it was believed the tainted product was restricted to those
locations, said Mark Nesbitt, Health Ministry spokesman.
However, after Maple Leaf issued its Aug. 20 recall of
products found in restaurants such as Mr. Sub and
McDonald's, "immediately after that we issued the warning,"
Mr. Nesbitt said.
Many people working in food inspection have said they are
not surprised by the outbreak.
The president of the union representing CFIA inspectors says
the agency is so short-staffed that food inspections and
follow-up audits simply aren't taking place.
"What is really needed, in my perspective, is a full-blown
inquiry on what is happening to the food inspection business
in this country," said Michèle Demers, president of the
Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.
Ms. Demers said inspectors are warning her that shortcuts
cuts are taking place on food safety, but they fear speaking
out.
Far from being an example of a problem, top federal
officials told reporters yesterday that the government's
actions in this case were quite rapid and an illustration of
success.
"The fact that it actually moved along, got investigated,
ended up at CFIA and others finding samples that were
positive in the food was actually quite fast in terms of how
these things could progress," said Dr. Clarke, of the Public
Health Agency of Canada.
CANADA:
Officials confirm 4th death in listeriosis outbreak
22.aug.08
CTV.ca
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080822/second_death_080822/20080822?hub=CTVNewsAt11
The death of a B.C. man is the fourth in a cross-Canada
listeriosis outbreak that might be linked to tainted meat
products, health officials confirmed Friday.
The latest confirmed death was a 64-year-old Vancouver
Island man who had been hospitalized in Cowichan District
Hospital in Duncan, B.C., officials with the BC Centre for
Disease Control said Friday. The man, who died on July 29,
may have consumed an affected meat product during his stay
there
So far, another three people in Ontario have died from the
bacterial infection, the Public Health Agency of Canada
confirmed Friday.
The deaths come during a nationwide outbreak of listeriosis,
with 17 confirmed cases across the country: 13 in Ontario,
three in British Columbia and one each in Saskatchewan and
Quebec.
Sixteen other samples are being tested: 12 in Ontario, two
from B.C. and one each from Alberta and Saskatchewan, Dr.
Robert Clarke told reporters Friday at an Ottawa press
conference.
"These numbers will increase as the number of suspect cases
increases over the next few days as the investigation is
ongoing," Clarke said.
Public health officials have not yet confirmed where the
outbreak started. They said Friday that test results may be
completed as soon as this weekend that could confirm a link
to the recall of nearly two dozen Maple Leaf products
manufactured at a Toronto plant.
Maple Leaf has recalled 23 packaged meat products, including
sliced cooked turkey breast, roast beef and salami.
The recall began last Sunday, when Maple Leaf issued a
recall of its Sure Slice roast beef and corn beef products,
which are produced at its Toronto plant, after they tested
positive for low levels of listeria.
To date, 18 samples, representing six different types of
meat, have tested positive for the listeria bacteria, the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Friday.
However, the agency is confident that more products will not
have to be added to the recall.
The products that are part of the recall have been
distributed to nursing homes, delis and restaurants across
Canada, including McDonald's and Mr. Sub.
The products that were recalled came from two specific
production lines at the Toronto plant.
Maple Leaf Foods spokesperson Linda Smith told CTV Newsnet
Friday that even though a link has not been made between the
listeriosis outbreak and the meat recall, "We have to act as
if there is."
Smith said the listeria bacteria are very pervasive, as it
can be found in everything from soil to vegetables to meat
to dairy products. Therefore, officials at the plant are
"constantly looking for it, constantly swabbing and looking
for it."
Smith said the equipment at the plant is sanitized every day
and officials take about 3,000 swabs per year. The plant
also has a microbiologist on site, she said.
"This plant has an excellent food safety record, excellent
inspection record, excellent external auditors. We'll never
know exactly how it got here."
Smith said the only recourse Maple Leaf Foods has is to
recall all the food and do everything possible to rid the
plant of the bacteria.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty made his first public
comments on the outbreak Friday, saying it was Ontario that
"blew the whistle," The Canadian Press reports.
McGuinty credited the province's post-SARS tracking system
with helping officials get a handle on the outbreak early
on.
"We've put in place a new system that allows us to detect an
outbreak and to see a pattern very early in the game,"
McGuinty said during a visit to Thunder Bay, Ont.
"I'm glad we got hold of it early and now we'll take serious
steps working with the feds to put it behind us."
CANADA: Maple
Leaf stresses food safety as role of federal inspectors
debated
22.aug.08
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/08/22/listeria.html
There is "no definitive link" between a Maple Leaf Foods
meat plant in Toronto and a nationwide outbreak of
listeriosis that has killed two women and may be responsible
for four more deaths, the company's president told consumers
on Friday.
In an open letter published Friday, Michael McCain stressed
the steps the company has taken, including a voluntary
recall of 23 meat products.
Sterilization efforts continue at the plant, which closed on
Wednesday and is expected to reopen on Monday.
A number of the recalled products from the Toronto plant are
part of the investigation into the outbreak because they
tested positive for listeria bacteria, Canadian Food
Inspection Agency official Garfield Balsom said.
The agency is waiting for definitive test results to see
whether the bacteria are from the same strain as the one
responsible for the outbreak, said Dr. David Williams,
Ontario's acting chief medical officer of health.
The Maple Leaf meats are distributed to nursing homes,
restaurants and deli counters across the country — including
McDonald's and Mr. Sub.
CANADA:
McGuinty credits early warning system with catching
listeriosis outbreak
22.aug.08
The Canadian Press
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/08/22/mguinty-listeriosis.html
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says an early-warning system
established after the deadly 2003 SARS epidemic allowed his
province to sound the alarm on a nationwide bacterial
outbreak.
His comments come as a second Ontario death was confirmed to
have been caused by an outbreak of listeriosis.
The deaths have been reported in Hamilton and the Waterloo
region.
At least three other deaths in the province remain under
investigation as possibly caused by the outbreak.
Speaking in Thunder Bay, McGuinty said the province's
monitoring system allows health officials to see a pattern
"very early in the game."
He said he's glad the outbreak was caught early, and the
province will take "serious steps" along with the federal
government to end it.
ONTARIO:
1980-81 Maritimes outbreak showed that Listeria can taint
food, cause illness
22.aug.08
Canadian Press
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hfqHEFhL6JpCVrQI9Q4fRNj77TWA
TORONTO -- Canada is no stranger to Listeria. In fact, it
was a large outbreak in the Maritimes a quarter-century ago
that proved for the first time that the bacterium was a
food-borne organism that could cause human disease.
In 1980-81, a cluster of 41 cases of listeriosis occurred in
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, causing
18 deaths.
Dr. Walter Schlech was sent by the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control in Atlanta to investigate the outbreak, the largest
the world had seen to that date.
"There had been some clues from veterinary medicine, as well
as an outbreak in Boston, that Listeria could be a
food-borne illness," Schlech, a specialist in infectious
diseases at Dalhousie University, said Friday from Halifax.
Laboratory rabbits had been infected by the bacterium and
sheep sickened after eating spoiled silage, said Schlech,
who moved from the U.S. to Halifax in 1982.
"But that had never been proven in humans before, probably
because most outbreaks occur in small clusters and you can't
get enough epidemiologic information."
The Maritimes cluster changed all that, allowing
disease-tracking investigators to discern that it was the
same Listeria strain that had made people sick and where it
had come from.
After weeks of interviewing surviving patients and the
families of those who had died, Schlech and his team of
investigators traced the disease to Listeria-laced
commercial coleslaw.
The culprit turned out to be cabbage grown on a farm where
contaminated sheep manure had been used to fertilize the
crop.
"They were using raw manure on the fields and the guy was
raising sheep as well and he also had Listeria in his sheep
flock," Schlech recalled. The realization that Listeria
could make people sick "came as a complete surprise to him."
While it was known that microbes like salmonella and
campylobacter could cause food-borne illness, the connection
with Listeria hadn't been made before, he explained.
The outbreak of disease rocked Maritime communities as
people fell sick and the number of deaths mounted.
CALIFORNIA:
Salinas valley produce accused in new E. coli suit
22.aug.08
KSBW.com
http://www.ksbw.com/news/17265180/detail.html
SALINAS, Calif. -- A Seattle law firm has filed a lawsuit
against a Washington produce company and leveled new E. coli
accusations at Salinas growers and shippers Thursday.
Lawyers said their client, a college student in Tacoma,
Wash., got E. coli in May by eating a salad in her college
cafeteria.
The food supplier said the lettuce was from the Salinas
Valley.
Previous E. coli outbreaks that spread across the country
were linked back to the Salinas Valley in 2006.
Lawyers for the case said the previous outbreaks are not the
only reasons they suspect Salinas of supplying tainted
lettuce.
"It is hard evidence," said Drew Falkenstein, a lawyer for
the student, Heather Whybrew. "It is evidence in the
outbreak investigation that led us to that conclusion."
Falkenstein said federal and state health officials have
linked Romaine letter, possibly grown in the Salinas Valley,
to the E. coli outbreak that sickened 10 people in May.
Whybrew spent 20 days in the hospital after being sickened
by the tainted produce. She experienced pneumonia, blood
clots and kidney problems.
Falkenstein refused to name the farms suspected of
delivering the tainted produce.
"We do have suspicions," Falkenstain said. "At this point,
I'd just like to wait until we have more concrete
information."
Dennis Donohue, the chairman for the Grower-Shipper
Association, said Whybrew ate her meals in a cafeteria,
meaning E. coli could have worked its way into the food in
other ways.
"There's so many variables with these types of incidents,"
Donohue said. "Who was the handler, what did the cold chain
management look like in this scenario."
Falkenstein said he wants compensation for his client and
change in the produce industry.
FDA finds
salmonella at eight U.S. firms
22.aug.08
ThePacker.com
David Mitchell
http://thepacker.com/icms/_dtaa2/content/wrapper.asp?alink=2008-162630-612.asp&stype=topstory&fb=
The Food and Drug Administration has completed its first
round of sampling produce items found in fresh salsa, and at
least eight domestic companies had products that tested
positive for salmonella.
It was unclear if any of the products were tainted with
Salmonella Saintpaul, the strain that has caused more than
1,400 illnesses since April. FDA spokesman Sebastian Cianci
said at least three other strains of salmonella were found.
After testing of tomatoes failed to produce a positive
related to the outbreak in June, FDA widened its scope in
July to look at other items found in fresh salsa, including
jalapeño peppers, serrano peppers and cilantro. Cianci said
5% to 6% of the samples taken in July and early August
tested positive for some form of salmonella.
He said two-thirds of the positives were sampled in Mexico
or from Mexican imports at border crossings. The other
one-third was found at U.S. companies.
It was unclear if the tainted products found in the U.S. —
which included jalapeño peppers, serrano peppers, cilantro
and avocadoes — were domestically grown or imported.
Kathy Means, vice president of government relations and
public affairs for the Newark, Del.-based Produce Marketing
Association, said it was not surprising that positive tests
spiked during a period of increased sampling.
“We know there is a small percentage of produce that gets
contaminated,” she said. “When you go looking for it, you
might find it. That’s why you do testing, to see if your
systems are working and make corrections if they’re not.”
Cianci said FDA has started another testing assignment,
during which the agency steps up its sampling of certain
products. He declined to say what commodities were being
tested, though he said it applied to domestic and imported
product.
As for the eight domestic companies with positive tests,
Cianci said Aug. 19 that most of them failed to issue a
recall notice because by the time the positive test was
conformed the product was no longer in the market.
Cianci said recalled products should be published in the
FDA’s enforcement report.
However, that the feature, which is updated weekly on the
FDA’s Web site, is months behind in some cases. For example,
Honduran cantaloupe recalled March 22 by Mike’s Melons was
reported in the July 16 enforcement report.
Here are the U.S. companies known to have had positive
salmonella tests during the FDA’s July and early August
assignment:
* Chandler, Ariz.-based retailer Basha’s Inc. (jalapeños);
* Buena Park, Calif.-based grower-shipper Legacy Farms LLC
(serranos);
* Portland, Ore.-based distributor Caruso Produce
(jalapeños);
* Jersey City, N.J.-based wholesaler Miami Growers Inc.
(cilantro);
* Chicago-based wholesaler La Galera Produce LLC (cilantro);
* Fort Lupton, Colo.-based grower-shipper Villano Bros. Farm
(cilantro);
* Hildalgo, Texas-based distributor Grande Produce Ltd. Co.
(jalapeños, serranos and avocados); and
* Distributor Charlie’s Produce, Portland, Ore., (cilantro).
None of the eight U.S.-based companies could be reached for
comment as of Aug. 21.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Aug. 20
that there have been 1,434 reported illnesses in the
Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak in 43 states, Washington,
D.C., and Canada. There have been at least 273
hospitalizations. The most recent onset date of a reported
illness is Aug. 8.
NORTH
CAROLINA: 31 diners report sickness after eating at local
restaurant
22.aug.08
WXII.com
http://www.wxii12.com/news/17268920/detail.html#-
LEXINGTON, N.C. -- Health officials are investigating a
series of illnesses reported by diners who recently ate at
The Barbecue Center restaurant in Lexington.
The Davidson County Health Department is investigating what
they call a "foodborne" outbreak. Thirty-one individuals
became infected with a viral infection.
Symptoms of the illness include abdominal cramps, vomiting,
and diarrhea.
Viral infections are easily spread from person to person,
the health department said in a news release.
FLORIDA: Food
poisoning to blame for sorority illness
22.aug.08
WCTV.tv
http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/27277299.html
Lab results are back and tests show food poisoning is to
blame for a mass illness at a Sorority house on Florida
State's campus.
Last week 55 members of the Phi Mu sorority became very ill
with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. Tests were sent off
last week and the results show the girls got a hold of the
noro virus. Officials say there is no way to distinguish
which food the virus came from.
NEW MEXICO:
Officials investigate more than 20 possible water parasite
cases
20.aug.08
Associated Press
KOAT Albuquerque
http://www.wxii12.com/news/17268920/detail.html#-
ALBUQUERQUE , N.M. -- The city of Albuquerque, the state
Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention are investigating cases of a waterborne illness
in Albuquerque.
Health officials said they have confirmed two cases of
cryptosporidiosis and are looking into more than 20 probable
cases.
Officials said people who became sick reported swimming at
the West Mesa Aquatic Center. It isn't certain that the West
Mesa Aquatic Center is the source of the parasite, but the
common denominator between the two confirmed cases is that
both individuals swam there.
Several people became ill after a statewide swim meet at the
center in late July and a city swim meet on Aug. 2.
ONTARIO: AMCO
Produce Inc. fined $7,000 for and offence under the Canadian
Agricultural Products Act
21.aug.08
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Marilyn Taylor
http://news.gc.ca/web/view/en/index.jsp?articleid=415979&categoryid=16
Guelph, Ontario -- On July 11, 2008, a conviction was
registered against AMCO Produce Inc. in the Ontario Court of
Justice in Windsor, resulting in a fine of $7,000. The fine
was the result of a guilty plea by the corporation to one
count of violating the Canada Agricultural Products Act.
In November 2004, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
inspectors visited the premises of AMCO Produce Inc. in
Leamington, Ontario to conduct a routine inspection. The
CFIA inspectors found employees of AMCO Produce Inc., taking
the cucumbers out of cartons marked “Product of USA” and
re-packing them into cartons marked “Product of Canada.” The
company’s action was contrary to section 6.(1) of the Fresh
Fruit and Vegetable Regulations, made pursuant to the Canada
Agricultural Products Act. This is considered an offence
under section 33.(1) of the Canada Agricultural Products
Act.
Consumers have a right to know the origin of the produce
they are purchasing. Section 6.(1) of the Regulations
prohibits the packaging of produce in a container with a
label that misrepresents the quality, quantity, composition,
nature, safety, value, origin or variety of the contents.
GAMBIA:
Coleman restaurant boss laments on food safety
22.aug.08
The Point
Njie Baldeh
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/2008/8/22/coleman-restaurant-boss-laments-on-food-safety
The proprietor and Manager of Coleman Restaurant, Mr Assan
Cole, has called on all food operators in the country,
particularly those with restaurants, to consider food safety
as their priority.
The Coleman restaurant boss was speaking recently in an
interview with Entertainment. According to him, his
restaurant is dealing with food safety, adding that the food
that we eat should be properly checked because this is going
to our stomach. He said every six months one has to do a
course on food safety. “It is something recognised by the
law,” he explained.
“With the help of NaNa and also searching through the
website, I was able to gather more experience on food safety
and this was followed by giving them test,” he said. He
called on the Health Inspectors in the country to intervene
in such situations. Coleman restaurant and catering, one of
the most talked about spots in the country amongst the
middle age elite, with its new look, is poised to provide
its customers with an unrivalled quality service delivery
without hitting them hard in the pocket.
GEORGIA:
Restaurant inspection scores
21.aug.08
The Northeast Georgian
http://www.thenortheastgeorgian.com/articles/2008/08/22/news/business/01business.txt
Following are the foodservice inspections for Aug. 14 by the
Habersham County Health Department's Environmental Health
Section.
A score of 85 and above is considered passing. Foodservice
establishments are required to post their score sheets in
public so that customers can review them.
For more information about an inspection, contact the
environmental health office at 706-776-7659.
Aug. 14
* Johnny's Pizza, 700 Highway 441, Suite A, Cornelia.
Inspection time: noon. Purpose of inspection: routine.
Score: 86; current grade: B; last score: 95. Out of
compliance with the following: Food-contact surfaces:
cleaned and sanitized. Proper cold holding temperatures.
Gloves used properly. Comments: Clean/sanitize icemaker
inside panel regularly. Make sure can opener and slicer are
thoroughly washed/sanitized after use. Replace icemaker door
(in progress). Single-use gloves must be worn properly -
discard and wash hands after changing tasks. Do not wash
hands with gloves on. All cold foods must be held at 41
degrees or lower at all times; items in three-door prep
cooler discarded (Beef 51 degrees, olives 49 degrees,
pickles 48 degrees; all items on line greater than 41
degrees). Repair seal on prep cooler door and have
thermostat adjusted/maintenanced.
* Garden Gate Catering, 193 Rather Hill, Clarkesville.
Inspection time: 10:30 a.m. Purpose of inspection: routine.
Score: 100; current grade: A. Comments: new regulations
given and discussed.
FEDERAL
REGISTER: Irradiation in the production, processing and
handling of food
22.aug.08
Federal Register (Volume 73, Number 164)
Page 49593-49603
DOCID:fr22au08-2
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Final rule.
SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending
the food additive regulations to provide for the safe use of
ionizing radiation for control of food-borne pathogens, and
extension of shelf-life, in fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh
spinach (hereinafter referred to in this document as
``iceberg lettuce and spinach'') at a dose up to 4.0
kiloGray (kGy). This action is in partial response to a
petition filed by The National Food Processors Association
on behalf of The Food Irradiation Coalition.
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66506
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