FSnet Aug. 27/08
SOUTH DAKOTA:
Brandon community helps child sick from E. coli
BARFBLOG: 15
dead in Canadian listeria outbreak; government messages turn
from bizarre to banal
BARFBLOG:
Does Maple Leaf read barfblog?
CANADA:
Hospitals, care facilities ignored listeria warnings for
three years
CANADA: Meat
inspectors stretched too thin: Union
FIJI Health
Ministry promotes law on food safety
BLOG:
ARIZONA: Gross out: Sprinkles Cupcakes gets iced by county
inspectors
WASHINGTON,
DC: USDA announces proposed rule for requirements of the
disposition of downer cattle
WEB SEMINAR:
Control of Listeria monocytogenes on ready-to-eat meat and
poultry products
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SOUTH DAKOTA:
Brandon community helps child sick from E. coli
26.aug.08
KELOLAND.com
http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6371.cfm?Id=0,73255
You hear about the dangers of E. coli all the time, but one
Brandon boy is fighting the bacteria from a hospital bed in
Minneapolis. Now, his family, friends, and the community are
coming together to help with the fight.
On August 14th, four year old Isaiah Peters' parents found
out their son had what is called H.U.S, it's a complication
from E. coli that impacts the kidneys. The news of Isaiah's
sickness came just days after his mom, Anne Peters, had a
mastectomy to prevent her from getting breast cancer.
Both Anne and her husband Jon are teachers in the Brandon
school district, and because they have been in and out of
the hospital so much during the past few months, Tuesday
members of the community decided to help out.
Isaiah is in a hospital fighting off an illness that doctors
think came from E. Coli. Tuesday he was taken off a
ventilator, but his dad has told his co-workers at the
Brandon elementary school that Isaiah still has a long road
to recovery.
Stroh says, "I asked him the other day. I said what's your
timeline, what are they telling you for how long you've got?
He said anywhere from two to three weeks from yesterday when
I talked to him and they've already been up there a week and
a half."
And that's why Tuesday the Brandon Lion's Club and the
Brandon School District gave members of the Peters family
one thousand dollars to help pay for the expenses that have
piled up this month.
The South Dakota Department of Health does confirm that
there is an E. Coli investigation going on in the Brandon
area right now, but because of privacy laws will not confirm
that it is the case of Isaiah Peters.
BARFBLOG: 15
dead in Canadian listeria outbreak; government messages turn
from bizarre to banal
27.aug.08
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/listeria-1/15-dead-in-canadian-listeria-outbreak-government-messages-turn-from-bizarre-to-banal/index.html
Michael McCain, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods, when
it comes to the communication and building trust aspects of
what must be your listeria nightmare, stay away from
government.
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/listeria-1/should-deli-meats-carry-warning-labels/
Shortly after the first death was announced last Wednesday,
Aug. 20, 2008, various politicians and bureaucrats said the
surveillance system was working. Robert Clarke, the
assistant deputy minister of the Public Health Agency of
Canada, said Friday that the government's actions in this
case were quite rapid and an illustration of success.
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/listeria-1/1-dead-dozens-sickened-in-canadian-listeria-outbreak-some-questions/
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080822.wrecall23/BNStory/National/
I’ve been harping ever since that it’s impossible to tell
from the various public statements who became sick when, and
whether the system really worked or not. If you’re going to
brag about how the system is working, you have to provide
dates for onset of illness and deaths.
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/listeria-1/maple-leaf-coldcuts-confirmed-as-listeria-source-in-canada-at-least-5-dead-dozens-ill/
Today I got some company.
Toronto’s Globe and Mail wrote in an editorial that
officials claiming surveillance success, “doth self-praise
too much, too soon.
“Did the surveillance system work? No independent voice has
said so yet, and it is hard to see why Mr. Clement's or Mr.
Clarke's word should be taken at face value. The
two-year-old Public Health Agency, which reports to Mr.
Clement, has yet to distinguish itself for independence. And
everyone - government health officials and the company
involved, Maple Leaf Foods Inc. - considered it enough that
the first warning of possible contamination went out to
distributors, not the public. For four days, the loop was
closed. Whether that was the right or the wrong approach, it
does not do much for the public's confidence in Canada's
food-safety system.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080826.EMEAT26/TPStory/Comment
Columnist Tom Brodbeck of the Winnipeg Sun wrote that,
“Federal Health Minister Tony Clement says the recent
tainted meat outbreak that killed six people and caused at
least 14 more serious illnesses is a shining example of how
well Canada's food inspection system works.
Pardon? …
“If this is what Clement calls a success story, I'd hate to
see what he considers a system failure. … I don't think six
deaths and 14 serious illnesses is anything to be proud of.”
http://winnipegsun.com/News/Canada/2008/08/26/6572666-sun.html
These comments about success are even more bizarre and
appalling now that the confirmed and probable death toll has
been raised to 15.
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/media/issues/listeria_20080826-eng.php
So this afternoon, Dr. David Butler-Jones, MD, Chief Public
Health Officer (that’s a lot of capitals), who had
previously lauded the success of the surveillance system,
wrote in a press release that,
“As Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, I want to update
Canadians on the state of the ongoing listeriosis outbreak.”
He really seems to enjoy that title; and he then proceeded
to provide less than no information.
“We are all understandably concerned whenever we hear that
something as precious as the food we eat may pose a danger.
Years of effort to ensure safe and secure food supplies have
allowed us to be confident in what we eat. …
“While not everything is preventable, fortunately there are
some simple steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of
illness for ourselves and our families. There are the usual
things we should always be doing, like washing hands,
storing and cooking food properly, washing fruits and
vegetables well, and avoiding unpasteurized milk and milk
products. …
“Canadians should be confident that the Government of
Canada, through the
Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada and the
Canadian Food
Inspection Agency, is working closely with all provinces,
territories, and with Maple Leaf Foods to respond to this
outbreak and protect the public's health.
“We can never be completely immune to the risk of
contaminations and outbreaks, even with the best food safety
system in the world. That is why we operate surveillance and
other systems to identify potential outbreaks and do the
detective work that helps us to find the cause and stop
further problems. And what we learn from each experience
helps us to improve the system further.”
As Napoleon Dynamite sorta said, “That’s like, the worst
thing I’ve ever seen.”
Why should Canadians have any confidence when the public
servants at all these agencies with their six-figure
salaries can’t provide basic information like who got sick
when? How arrogant is it to tell someone they should be
confident in an alphabet soup of agencies, in the absence of
any data or statements that inspire confidence?
Ben sent me a sports headline regarding the Olympics, which
also fits for food safety: Canada remains happily mediocre.
(That’s me and Ben, right, not exactly as pictured).
http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/beijing2008/story.html?id=6c5c95a3-a3cf-41ed-80c8-bc4b3a8e747
BARFBLOG:
Does Maple Leaf read barfblog?
27.aug.08
barfblog
Ben Chapman
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/culture-of-food-safety/does-maple-leaf-read-barfblog/index.html
They've got pictures now.
After posting on Sunday night
(http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/culture-of-food-safety/listeria-recall-weve-got-pictures-maple-leaf-doesnt/)
about the confusion around Maple Leaf's multiple brands and
differing packaging, and seeing consumer reaction to the
same, I'm happy to see that Maple Leaf has stepped up with
some better comminication. In a YouTube clip from CBC
Toronto (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw_i2VxJ4Yg&eurl),
one concerned Canadian shopper shows her frustration by
saying "it's kind of hard to tell... a lot of things you
don't know if they come from the Maple Leaf thing".
My favourite Maple Leaf thing has always been Doug Gilmour,
circa 1993.
Maple Leaf foods has posted a viewer-friendly graphic
(http://www.mapleleaf.ca/, at the bottom of the notice) of
how to determine if a product is part of the recall. I
especially like the inclusion of variances of the
establishment code.
CANADA:
Hospitals, care facilities ignored listeria warnings for
three years
27.aug.08
The Province
Ethan Baron
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=cb561659-d0f9-4688-8c42-6c75c28fd099
As the body count climbs from Canada's listeriosis outbreak,
The Province has learned that B.C. hospitals and seniors'
care facilities were serving deli meats to patients despite
a 2005 Health Canada warning about the foods' listeria risk
(the warning says avoid and is vague – dp).
Fifteen people, including a B.C. man, have died across
Canada from infections linked to listeria-tainted Maple Leaf
Foods deli meat.
Four people have contracted the disease in B.C., at least
two of them from deli meat served in hospitals.
Health Canada warns that pregnant women, elderly people and
those with immune systems weakened from cancer, HIV, AIDS,
diabetes or alcoholism are at particular risk for
listeriosis, and should not eat deli meats. The advisory was
issued in 2005 and remains posted on the agency's website.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control has issued a similar
warning.
"Those are potentially risky products. We know that, which
is why the information is out there," said provincial health
officer Dr. Perry Kendall.
NDP health critic Adrian Dix said provincial and regional
health officials, along with nutritionists and doctors,
should review the issue of serving deli meats in hospitals
and care facilities.
CANADA: Meat
inspectors stretched too thin: Union
26.aug.08
canada.com
Sarah Schmidt
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=83cc258e-e717-4b32-9671-cfac0fe3f152
Ottawa -- The inspector stationed at the Toronto plant at
the centre of a deadly food-borne outbreak is responsible
for six other facilities under a new inspection system
that's drawn complaints that staff "are working off their
feet."
Complaints of being stretched too thin have flooded in from
some inspectors in "resource stressed" areas like Ontario
and Alberta since March, when the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency brought in a new compliance verification system
(CVS), according to Bob Kingston, head of the agriculture
unit of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, which
represents food inspectors across Canada.
"They're facing a choice of, 'OK, do I concentrate more on
doing a thorough inspection or do I concentrate more on
getting the paperwork done that says I've been to that
plant, I've looked at the records and that satisfies the
legal requirement for international trade."
The new inspection program resembles more of an auditing
system and requires government inspectors to review a
company's records to monitor and verify food-safety
practices at all critical points during production,
including ventilation at the facility, equipment maintenance
and calibration, personnel training, sanitation and pest
control programs, and product code identification in case of
recalls.
In correspondence to union officials provided to Canwest
News Service, one inspector complained, "We do not have the
same presence we used to have in the processing facilities.
When the cat is away the mice will play." Another noted
that, "We are not making the observations we used to make
when we had more of a hands-on approach. We spend more time
looking at paper than anything else."
Another inspector was more blunt. "We've had all our
authority taken away and now we are just paper pushers."
Richard Arsenault, who oversees meat inspection for the
agency, said it's "normal and usual" for inspectors to be
responsible for more than one plant and this is not a new
feature of the inspection system.
Arsenault says the feedback he's been getting about the new
verification system has been positive.
"We've gotten very good information back from people in
terms of improved consistency of how work is being done.
I've personally been seeing more questions coming to me that
suggest people are asking questions that may or may not have
been asked in the past. I feel like CVS actually has been a
step in the right direction."
Jim Laws, executive of the Canadian Meat Council, said meat
producers support the shift to the more "stringent" system
because it brings uniformity to the way inspectors interpret
and apply inspection manuals and directives.
"It's a very rigorous program and it's certainly taking more
of our time as well. It's like someone giving you a surprise
exam at school every now and again. It is certainly a
rigorous program that is being enforced by the CFIA."
But Kingston said the workload issue is particularly
pressing in provinces where there are clusters of large
meat-processing plants. "We're getting the feedback that
they're just totally overloaded. We've had some inspectors
say, they want to know, 'Should I be dropping the inspection
work or should I be dropping the paper work. There's no
clear direction by CFIA on this because I don't think they
anticipated the increased work load or at least if they did,
they didn't have any plans to deal with it."
In separate correspondence to union officials, another
inspector acknowledged the new verification system "has some
advantages as it is a structured program and spells out
clearly what needs to be done. However, we do not have
enough staff to run at full capacity."
FIJI Health
Ministry promotes law on food safety
26.aug.08
Radio New Zealand International
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=41672
Fiji’s interim Ministry of Health is finalising a new food
security draft lbill.
The Fijitimes reports Fiji will be the first Pacific Island
country to come up with a law on food safety.
The regulation will protect the health of the people of
Fiji, byn protecting consumers against deception and
unacceptable and poor quality food.
It will establish minimum standards on food products,
whether they are produced and processed in Fiji for domestic
consumption or export, or food imported into the country.
The interim ministry’s secretary Dr Lepani Waqatakirewa says
this will be one of the most important pieces of legislation
ever to come from his department.
BLOG:
ARIZONA: Gross out: Sprinkles Cupcakes gets iced by county
inspectors
26.aug.08
Phoenix New Times
Amy Silverman
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bella/2008/08/i_admit_it_im_shallow.php
I admit it, I'm shallow. About as deep as a cupcake, as long
as it's a super-cute, tasty one.
Which is a good part of why I'm willing to pooh-pooh the
county's most recent inspection report of Sprinkles
Cupcakes, the boutique confectionary that finally opened
earlier this year on the northeast corner of Scottsdale and
Camelback roads.
This shiny chain is all about image, which is why I actually
felt sorry for Sprinkles (I shouldn't -- a boxed cupcake at
the place costs FIVE DOLLARS, for crying out loud) when I
saw that they recently received a "No Award" citation for,
basically, touching cupcakes with their bare hands.
(The other naughty behavior included old icing on a mixer's
splash zone and the lack of a sign at the second hand wash
sink, reminding employees to wash up. Please. That's
nothing. Give me some roaches or a slimy ice machine, then
we can talk.)
I'm a big fan of Maricopa County's restaurant inspection
team, particularly after a few weeks of reading these
reports. Gross out, indeed. But once in a while, you read a
report and think, "Why, this is as ridiculous as the ban on
bake sales at my kids' school!"
Yes, it's true. If you don't have kids or haven't been one
yourself for a while, you likely haven't heard that the bake
sale is now a thing of the past. No homemade cakes at the
carnival cake walk, no gooey chocolate chip cookies for sale
outside school. The best it gets these days is a sealed bag
of Teddy Grahams, and you better make sure they're whole
grain.
Or a Sprinkles cupcake, as long as it's pre-packaged (which
will cost you an extra $1.75) and as long, apparently, as
the girl behind the counter has washed her hands and donned
rubber gloves.
I say, let them eat Sprinkles Cupcakes, bare hands be
damned.
WASHINGTON,
DC: USDA announces proposed rule for requirements of the
disposition of downer cattle
27.aug.08
USDA News Release
Amanda Eamich
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2008/08/0218.xml
WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
today announced a proposed rule to amend the Federal meat
inspection regulations to initiate a complete ban on the
slaughter of cattle that become non-ambulatory after initial
inspection by Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
inspection program personnel.
This proposed rule follows the May 20 announcement by
Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer to remove the provision
that states that FSIS inspection program will determine the
disposition of cattle that become non-ambulatory disabled
after they have passed ante-mortem, before slaughter,
inspection on a case-by-case basis. Under the proposed rule,
all cattle that are non-ambulatory disabled at any time
prior to slaughter, including those that become
non-ambulatory disabled after passing ante-mortem
inspection, will be condemned and properly disposed of.
"To maintain consumer confidence in the food supply,
eliminate further misunderstanding of the rule and,
ultimately, to make a positive impact on the humane handling
of cattle, I believe it is sound policy to simplify this
matter by initiating a complete ban on the slaughter of
downer cattle," said Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer.
On July 13, 2007, FSIS published the final rule,
"Prohibition of the Use of Specified Risk Materials for
Human Food and Requirements for the Disposition of
Non-Ambulatory Disabled Cattle; Prohibition of the Use of
Certain Stunning Devices Used To Immobilize Cattle During
Slaughter," (SRM final rule). The SRM final rule allowed a
case-by-case reinspection of cattle to address the rare
situations where an animal that is deemed by FSIS as fit for
human food at ante-mortem inspection subsequently suffers an
acute injury.
Under the proposed rule, cattle that become non-ambulatory
disabled from an acute injury after ante-mortem inspection
will no longer be eligible to proceed to slaughter as "U.S.
Suspects." Instead, FSIS inspectors will tag these cattle as
"U.S. condemned" and prohibit these animals from proceeding
to slaughter. Establishments will be required to notify FSIS
personnel when cattle become disabled after passing
ante-mortem inspection.
Of the nearly 34 million cattle that were slaughtered in
2007, less than 1,000 cattle that were re-inspected were
actually approved by the veterinarian for slaughter. This
represents less than 0.003 percent of cattle slaughtered
annually.
Comments on this proposed rule must be received on or before
September 29th, 2008. Comments can be sent to Docket Clerk,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection
Service, Room 2534 South Agriculture Building, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, D.C. 20250; e-mailed
to fsis.regulationscomments@fsis.usda.gov or submitted
through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at
www.regulations.gov
All submissions received by mail or electronic mail must
reference the Food Safety and Inspection Service and include
the docket number FSIS-2008-0022.
For further technical information on the proposed rule,
contact Dr. Daniel Engeljohn, Deputy Assistant
Administrator, Office of Policy and Program Development, at
(202) 205-0495 or by fax at (202) 720-2025.
WEB SEMINAR:
Control of Listeria monocytogenes on ready-to-eat meat and
poultry products
27.aug.08
National Integrated Food Safety Initiative
This web seminar series is funded through a grant from the
National Integrated Food Safety Initiative (Special Emphasis
Grant No. 2005-511110-03278) of the CSREES, U.S. Department
of Agriculture.
§ The USDA-FSIS requires processors the Ready-to-Eat (RTE)
meat and poultry products to control Listeria monocytogenes
in the environment and their products.
§ The web-seminar is designed to help small and very small
RTE meat and poultry businesses to address Listeria in their
RTE environment and ways to reduce the Listeria risk in
their products.
§ The web-seminar is designed to update you and provide you
an opportunity to ask questions and get answers from the
experts.
§ The web-seminar is scheduled for every Wednesday,
beginning September 3rd at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (central).
Each session includes 30 minutes of discussion with the
speakers.
§ The Seminar is FREE. Only the first 100 logins will be
allowed.
§ Pre-Register soon. Send an e-mail to Nina Murray at
nmurray2@unl.edu with your name and e-mail by Monday, Sept.
1st, 12pm CST.
Topics:
. L. monocytogenes in RTE Meats - Regulatory Update
. Implications for Small Processors, State Inspected Meat
Processors and Retail/Custom Exempt Processors
. The Organism and its Implications to RTE Meat and Poultry
Processor
. Consumer Issues and Perceptions
. Control Strategies: Chemical Treatments
. Control Strategies: Physical and Combination Treatments
. Control Strategies for Small and Very Small Meat
Processing Operations
. Control Strategies: Quality Effects on RTE Meat Products
. Sanitary Equipment, Facility Design and Sanitation Best
Practices
. Lot and Line Segregation to Minimize the Risk Data
Analysis,
. Root Cause Identification and Corrective Actions
. Developing a Valid Sampling Plan for Process Control
. Validation and Verification of Intervention Strategies
Expert Speakers:
Dr. Dan Engeljohn, USDA-FSIS
Dr. Jay Wenther, AAMP
Dr. Martin Weidmann, Cornell University
Dr. Pat Kendall, Colorado State University
Dr. John Sofos, Colorado State University
Dr. Harshavardhan Thippareddi, University of Nebraska
Dr. Liz Boyle, Kansas State University
Dr. Dennis Burson, University of Nebraska
Dr. John Butts, Land O'Frost
Mr. John Weisgerber, Consultant
Mr. Carl Custer, Consultant & Retired, USDA-FSIS
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
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For more information about the FSnet research program,
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