FSnet Aug. 29/08 -- III
OKLAHOMA:
Country Cottage well water tests positive for bacteria
OKLAHOMA: Man
became ill five days after eating at restaurant
WHO: Nearly 2
billion people get sick from unhealthy food
1 dead,
dozens sickened in QUEBEC salmonella outbreak
ONTARIO:
Ottawa wanted U.S. to accept more lenient meat inspection
regime
ONTARIO:
Plants exporting to U.S. apply its rules to all meats
CANADA:
Excerpts from the Inspection Agency report
Minister
defends CANADA's food safety system
Turning up
the food safety debate
CANADA:
Radiation touted to protect meat
ONTARIO: City
to add restaurant inspectors, post reports
GEORGIA:
Restaurant inspection scores released
CONNECTICUT:
July 2008 food borne illness investigation
RUSSIA
strikes 19 US poultry suppliers off approved list
The effects
of avian influenza news on consumer purchasing behavior: A
case study of Italian consumersí retail purchase
how to
subscribe
OKLAHOMA:
Country Cottage well water tests positive for bacteria
29.aug.08
Tulsa World
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080829_12_OKLA801558
Well water at a restaurant linked to a deadly E. coli
outbreak has tested positive for bacteria.
One man has died and about 50 people have been hospitalized
with the illness linked to the Country Cottage restaurant in
Locust Grove.
State Department of Environmental Quality spokeswoman Skylar
McElhaney says DEQ did not specifically test for the strain
of E. coli but for a group of bacteria to give officials an
idea of whether unhealthy contamination is likely.
She says the well is on the restaurant's property and there
is no evidence that citizensí drinking water is
contaminated. The state Health Department will reanalyze the
samples to see whether the toxin-producing bacteria is
present.
The cause of the contamination is unknown. Sewer leaks,
runoff from agricultural waste and improper well maintenance
and disinfection are common causes of bacterial
contamination.
Meanwhile, the type of E. coli strain that caused the
illnesses was identified as E. coli 0111, a rare type of the
infection, the Oklahoma State Department of Health said
Friday.
"This is a rare type of E. coli that is not normally found
in an outbreak this large," said state epidemiologist Dr.
Kristy Bradley.
Health officials sent samples to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention for analyzation. The CDC just
notified OSDH of their find.
More than 116 people have been sickened from the E. coli,
including 87 adults and 29 children.
OKLAHOMA: Man
became ill five days after eating at restaurant
29.aug.08
Tulsa World
Kim Archer
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080829_17_A1_hOffic570227
Officials say the E. coli that killed another man and made
dozens ill was a rare and virulent form.
A meal of catfish and sweet potato patties at Country
Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove one Friday left
70-year-old Jerry Troglin dry-heaving over his toilet bowl
five days later.
"I started passing a little blood," he said of his ordeal.
Then his wife rushed him, writhing in pain, to the Integris
Mayes County Medical Center in Pryor.
By then, he was passing what seemed like buckets of bright
red blood.
The Pryor hospital transferred him by ambulance to Hillcrest
Medical Center in Tulsa, where doctors took samples and told
Troglin he was suffering from a severe bacterial infection
from his esophagus to his colon.
Doctors put him on a morphine pump, which dripped the strong
painkiller into his bloodstream every four hours.
"It's no fun. I never want to have that again," the Locust
Grove man said. "If I hadn't gone to the hospital when I
did, I'm sure I would've ended up in intensive care."
Troglin's meal at Country Cottage came two days before
26-year-old Chad Ingle ate there. The young Pryor man died
exactly one week later, on Sunday.
Services were held Thursday afternoon for Ingle at First
United Methodist Church in Pryor.
County Cottage owners Dale and Linda Moore said, in a
statement, "Today is a day of mourning for the Ingle family,
to whom we send our sincerest thoughts and prayers. They
laid to rest a son, brother and husband, and our hearts go
out to them, as we are certain they are suffering
unimaginable pain."
State health officials have determined that a relatively
rare and virulent form of E. coli infected dozens of patrons
of Country Cottage over at least a 10-day period, killing
Ingle and sickening more than 73 people.
More than 50 of those who fell ill were hospitalized. Five
children remain in the pediatric intensive care unit at
Children's Hospital at St. Francis. Four are on dialysis.
Two other children were sent to OU Children's Hospital.
Officials there declined to provide information about their
conditions.
On Thursday, the state sent another team to the closed
restaurant to take swabs on countertops, work surfaces and
other areas as part of a painstaking investigation to
pinpoint the exact source of the highly contagious bacteria.
It takes as few as 10 microscopic bacteria to infect someone
with this deadly E. coli strain, said state epidemiologist
Dr. Kristy Bradley.
WHO: Nearly 2
billion people get sick from unhealthy food
29.aug.08
Makfax Online
http://www.makfax.com.mk/look/novina/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=2&NrArticle=123278&NrIssue=752&NrSection=30
An estimated 2 billion people get sick by poisonous or
unhealthy food on yearly basis, according to a joint report
by World Health Organization (WHO) and Food Agriculture
Organization (FAO).
The report says food borne diseases (FBDs) that cause
mortality hit every country across the world. The report
underlines the need for establishing a close cooperation
between all countries worldwide when it comes to food safety
regulations.
Experts stress the necessity to strengthen the international
food control system to protect consumers and cut the costs
of farmers, food processing and tradesmen.
The global incidence of foodborne illness is difficult to
estimate, WHO and FAO experts said. It's hard to tell how
many people will get sick from unhealthy food, but it's
quite obvious that FBD outbreaks may take on massive
proportions. Millions of people will die because of unsafe
food.
1 dead,
dozens sickened in QUEBEC salmonella outbreak
29.aug.08
Canwest News Service
Becky Rynor
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=5007799e-b98a-4a1b-b20f-7740a65b6970
The Canadian Press
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080829/que_salmonella_080829/20080829?hub=Canada
One person is dead and 87 others are known to have been
sickened by a salmonella outbreak traced to three types of
cheese in Quebec.
"Our investigation has pointed to three cheeses - La
Chaudiere cheese, Le Polo and La Tradition - because they've
come from a common source," Dr. Horatio Arruda, who is in
charge of public health protection for Quebec's Ministry of
Health, told a Montreal news conference Friday.
"Samples were taken following testing in the facilities in
the concerned regions. Most of those products had been
manufactured on the 21st and 22st of August."
However, the ministry says other testing is still being
carried out and there is a possibility that a number of
batches of cheese produced before or after those dates may
also have been affected.
The outbreak has been centred in three regions of the
province - Chaudiere-Appalaches, the Eastern Townships, and
Mauricie-Centre-du-Quebec, Arruda said, adding that the
provincial government has ordered an immediate recall of the
contaminated products.
"In light of the epidemiological study we can assume that
those products are a threat to public health. Consumers
could still have such products at home and that is why we
are proceeding with the recall of these products," Arruda
said. "If there are such products that have been distributed
elsewhere in the province, we are asking people to throw
them out."
Arruda stressed that the salmonella cases are separate from
the listeria outbreak currently affecting Quebec and several
other provinces, particularly Ontario.
So far, 87 cases of salmonella have been confirmed in the
province, as well as one death. The government said this is
an uncommonly high number of cases.
ONTARIO:
Ottawa wanted U.S. to accept more lenient meat inspection
regime
29.aug.08
Globe and Mail
Bill Curry
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080829.wmeatcfia29/BNStory/National/home
OTTAWA -- The Canadian government strongly opposed tougher
U.S. rules to prevent listeria and lobbied the United States
to accept Canada's more lenient standards, internal
documents reveal.
Briefing notes prepared by the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency for an April 7, 2006, meeting with the board of
directors of the Canadian Meat Council outline how both
industry and the Canadian government were frustrated with
the increased precautions the United States was demanding.
Specifically, Canada opposed daily inspection visits and the
testing of finished products for Listeria monocytogenes.
Further, the documents show the CFIA agreed to the meat
packing and processing industry's request to end a
20-year-old practice of having inspectors issue reports and
rankings on facilities. The Canadian Meat Council complained
the reports were ending up in the hands of reporters through
the Access to Information Act, leading to bad coverage.
Jim Laws, the executive director of the council, which
represents Canada's meat packers and processors, said
yesterday that he believes he attended the meeting.
He said Canada dropped the inspection reports and rankings
as part of a host of changes brought in on March 31.
"It was an archaic way of rating plants that was not
logical," he said. "Part of the concern was that this
information, it was available to the public ... it was
indeed causing our members some grief."
Mr. Laws said the industry has always lobbied for Canada to
adopt the U.S. standards to avoid having two sets of rules.
The government documents indicate Canada's meat producers
were frustrated that they must add more stringent safeguards
to their production lines when producing meat for export to
the U.S. market.
"Industry would prefer a single set of standards for both
the Canadian and American market," states the document
prepared by Dr. Richard Arsenault of the CFIA, anticipating
what meat council board members would tell CFIA at the
meeting. "[The CMC] will also express their frustration
about the recent [United States Department of Agriculture]
imposition of product testing for Listeria monocytogenes and
of daily visits in U.S.-eligible meat processing plants."
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, who is responsible for the
CFIA, hinted this week that Canada might move toward U.S.
practices of preventing listeria, such as the pasteurization
of packaged meat. But the documents reveal the CFIA lobbied
the United States to adopt Canada's rules.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has not backed down from
its requirement that all producers of ready-to-eat meat must
pasteurize or boil products in the package to kill Listeria
monocytogenes, add chemicals to prevent the bacteria, or
allow more rigorous plant inspections. It was unclear
yesterday which option Maple Leaf took to comply with U.S.
standards.
However, it does not appear those higher U.S. standards were
enough to prevent the current outbreak.
Canadian plants approved to ship to the U.S., which include
the Maple Leaf plant in Toronto that was the source of the
outbreak, must meet the USDA standards. The CFIA said
yesterday that products from that plant are the same
regardless of whether they are for Canadian or U.S.
consumers.
Paul Mayers, associate vice-president of the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency, acknowledged there is a different
standard for Canadian meat plants that aren't approved to
ship to the United States.
The briefing notes were obtained by researcher Ken Rubin
through the Access to Information Act and outline Canada's
objections to the U.S. rules, which were imposed in response
to a deadly listeria outbreak in 1998.
"The CFIA does not agree with this [USDA] approach, and
disagrees with a number of specific USDA requirements (e.g.,
daily visits, finished product testing for Listeria
monocytogenes), [but] it has implemented the required
changes to maintain Canada's access to the important U.S.
market. The CFIA will only be successful in convincing the
USDA to return to previous arrangements if Canadian
operators can demonstrate that they are operating in full
compliance with all USDA rules," it states.
In addition, the document indicates the industry
successfully lobbied to end inspection reports and rankings
of its facilities.
ONTARIO:
Plants exporting to U.S. apply its rules to all meats
29.aug.08
Globe and Mail
Matthew Trevisan and Bill Curry
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080829.MEATPLANTS29/TPStory/National
TORONTO AND OTTAWA -- Canadian meat headed for the United
States is subject to more requirements than products
remaining in Canada, officials from Maple Leaf, the Canadian
Food Inspection Agency and the Canadian Meat Council
confirmed yesterday (thatís been known for a long time; way
to go Canda ñ dp). But Paul Mayers, the associate
vice-president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said
that plants approved to ship to the United States use the
same practices regardless of where the meat is heading.
"The product it produces for the domestic market is the same
as the product it would produce for the export market," he
said.
Chapter 11 of the CFIA's Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures
lists numerous Canadian plants eligible to export to the
United States because they meet additional requirements, and
the Canadian Meat Council said that the number represents
most plants in Canada.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires Canadian
producers of ready-to-eat meat to choose from three broad
options: pasteurize or boil products in the package to kill
Listeria monocytogenes, add anti-microbial agents to prevent
the bacteria, or allow more rigorous plant inspections.
Linda Smith, spokeswoman for Maple Leaf, said all of the
company's 23 processing plants in Canada were eligible to
export to the United States - including the Toronto plant
linked to a nationwide listeria outbreak. But at the time of
the outbreak, the plant was not exporting to the United
States, she said.
To adhere to U.S. standards, Maple Leaf is required to do
such things as finished-product testing once a month.
Maple Leaf was not immediately able to answer yesterday
whether meat from the Toronto plant goes through identical
steps regardless of whether it is headed to Canadian or U.S.
consumers.
CANADA:
Excerpts from the Inspection Agency report
29.aug.08
Globe and Mail
Bill Curry
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080829.MEATCFIALAYERING29/TPStory/National
Excerpts from an eight-page Canadian Food Inspection Agency
document prepared in advance of an April 7, 2006, meeting
with the board of directors of the Canadian Meat Council
(CMC):
Regarding an inspection process called Hazard Analysis
Critical Control Point (HACCP)
"The industry is concerned that it is taking on new
responsibilities which will increase their operating costs
and for which there are no immediately quantifiable
benefits."
Under the heading 'federal position'
"Though the CFIA has reduced or eliminated some functions
that will allow other activities to be delivered in a more
effective manner, there are no net savings to be passed on
to industry at this time."
Regarding inspection reports and establishment ratings
"Establishment Inspection Reports (form 1427) and ratings
have been used for the past 20 years to document and
categorize the performance of federally registered
establishments, as well as to determine the appropriate
level of inspection and cost recovery. It must be recognized
that the USDA requires documentation of a monthly
supervisory visit for those establishments that are eligible
to export to the USA ... The CMC has sought changes to the
existing system because ratings and reports are used by the
media through the Access to Information Act, there is
area-to-area inconsistency regarding how ratings are
provided, and there is a misperception that products coming
from a 'B' or 'marginally acceptable' facility are less
safe."
Under 'CFIA Position'
"... the establishment inspection report tool and
establishment ratings are no longer required.
Under 'Industry Position'
"The proposed changes will be welcome by industry."
From the current CFIA inspection manual
"The USDA-FSIS implements a zero tolerance level of
protection for Listeria monocytogenes in all categories of
ready-to-eat meat products. No ready-to-eat meat product
from a lot that tested positive for L. monocytogenes is
eligible for export to the USA. Establishments approved for
export to the U.S. and where ready-to-eat meat products are
prepared are subject to specific microbiological testing
requirements." The manual lists plant 97B, the Maple Leaf
plant identified as the source of the outbreak, as a plant
that has been approved for export. However, the company has
insisted no recalled meat was sent to the United States.
Minister
defends CANADA's food safety system
29.aug.08
Northumberland Today
Valerie MacDonald
http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1177244
The Canadian minister of agriculture and agri-food held a
news conference yesterday to assure Canadians "our food
safety system is the best in the world" and that work will
continue to improve it.
Gerry Ritz said it was too early in the investigation to say
what lessons have been learned in the Maple Leaf Foods
recall linked to the sometimes-fatal food-borne illness,
listeriosis, but he offered condolences to those who have
suffered.
A spokesman from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency agreed
the focus at this time is to ensure all product is removed
from the marketplace. To date 15,000 businesses across the
country have been contacted.
Consumers are urged to destroy any suspect products in
closed packaging.
The Toronto-area Maple Leaf Foods plant at the centre of the
recall remains closed.
It only serves the Canadian market, reporters were told, and
the recall list is still being fine tuned.
When asked about using irradiation as a tool to combat
listeriosis, Dr. Lloyd Barber said it is currently used on
spices, potatoes and onions.
There are no submissions from the industry to use it on
heated meats. He said that, in his view, it was a better
application for raw meat.
Turning up
the food safety debate
29.aug.08
Reuters
Terri Coles
http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersComService4/idUSDIS94610420080829?sp=true
TORONTO -- Spinach, lettuce, sandwich meat -- the list of
recalled foods continues to grow, and so does the debate on
how to ensure the safety of what we eat. Last week, U.S.
regulators turned the spotlight on a radiation treatment for
food that turned the volume on the debate that much higher.
Irradiated food has been treated with doses of ionizing
radiation to kill potentially harmful bacteria, pathogens
and insects, including causes of food-borne illnesses like
E. coli and salmonella, just as pasteurization does for milk
and pressure cooking does for canned foods. The World Health
Organization concluded in 1992 that properly irradiated
foods didn't pose a human health risk.
Irradiation's most obvious benefit is its potential to
reduce the number of food-borne illnesses suffered by
American consumers, said Dr. Doug Powell (
barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu ), scientific director of the
International Food Safety Network ( www.foodsafety.ksu.edu/
) at Kansas State University.
Last week, the FDA approved (
www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cfsup185.html ) the treatment for
spinach and lettuce. The decision comes at a time when
consumers are increasingly aware of -- and concerned about
-- the myriad ways that the food they eat can make them
sick.
An E. coli outbreak tied to Jack in the Box in 1993 put food
safety in the public eye, Powell said, and recent outbreaks
like E. coli in spinach and listeria in Maple Leaf processed
meats in Canada have kept it there.
Considering the number of outbreaks and recalls related to
food-borne pathogens, we should explore tools like
irradiation that could help reduce illnesses and deaths,
Powell said.
But critics warn that irradiation is not a cure-all for the
country's food safety issues. The Center for Science in the
Public Interest said in a release that the FDA must adopt
preventative measures that begin at the farm in order to
control foodborne pathogens, including uniform standards and
audits of written safety plans. And Food and Water Watch a
non-profit consumer group, called irradiation a "gimmick"
that illustrates the FDA's misplaced priorities towards
preventing repeats of the E. coli spinach outbreak.
"Irradiation is a Band aid, not a cure. Allowing spinach and
lettuce to be irradiated would simply mask unsafe production
practices, while supplying lower quality, less nutritious
and potentially hazardous food," said Wenonah Hauter, the
group's executive director, in a statement. "Instead of
pursuing irradiation, vegetable growers and processors
should improve flawed sanitation practices and FDA should
inspect vegetable-processing plants more thoroughly."
The food industry first sought FDA approval for irradiation
eight years ago, in a proposal covering a variety of foods
that was later modified to allow the regulatory agency to
examine certain foods before others. Meat, poultry, spices
and shellfish like oysters and clams have already received
FDA approval for irradiation in the United States. NASA
astronauts eat irradiated foods, and white potatoes became
the first foods to be zapped in 1964, when they were
irradiated to extend their shelf life.
The decision last week to add spinach and lettuce to the
list marked the first time the FDA has allowed produce to be
treated with radiation levels high enough to protect against
human illness. Leafy greens can pose a particular risk for
contamination by bacteria like E. coli because the texture
of their leaves allow bacteria and pests to cling, and
because they are usually eaten raw.
The scientific evidence overwhelmingly suggests that
irradiation is a safe way to treat food, Powell said. But
consumers are not being given a fair chance to try
irradiated foods and make up their own minds because
retailers, wary of criticism and losing profits, are nervous
about adding them to store shelves, he said.
"Nobody is letting consumers decide," Powell said.
Foods treated with irradiation currently have to be labeled
with a radura symbol and the words "radiated" or
"irradiated," though there is a proposal before the FDA to
change the labeling requirements.
Powell said that efforts to change labeling are often
"weasely" and don't give consumers enough credit. He
dislikes alternative labels like "cold pasteurization"
because they don't provide consumers with straightforward
information about the process. Limiting information in that
way just makes consumers angry and raises suspicions about
what's being hidden from them, he said: "Labeling is a lousy
way to inform people."
Powell also says that irradiation should be used alongside
other methods of preventing food-borne illness from farm to
table, not as a replacement for them.
"There is never a magic bullet solution," he said,
describing the food safety system as a series of hurdles
that bacteria and pathogens would have to overcome in order
to get into consumers' food and make them ill. "Irradiation
is one more hurdle."
But irradiation is not effective against everything lurking
on food that holds the potential for harm - viruses, for
example. As well, some critics counter that the treatment
can harm the appearance and nutritional quality of produce,
though industry groups counter that new technology has
eliminated that side effect of irradiation.
Either way, consumer concern about food-borne illnesses
isn't likely to fade, Powell said, because it's a worry that
is universal. "We all eat," he said.
CANADA:
Radiation touted to protect meat
29.aug.08
Toronto Star
Megan Ogilvie and Joanna Smith
http://healthzone.ca/health/article/487508
Food safety experts are baffled why Ottawa has not yet
allowed food producers to zap meat and produce with enough
radiation to kill deadly bacteria that cause outbreaks of
food-borne disease.
Health Canada said Wednesday it is considering approving
meat irradiation by early 2009. But experts say the
announcement, made in the wake of a nationwide listeriosis
outbreak linked to ready-to-eat meats, is too late in
coming.
"It's become obvious that a catastrophe has to happen before
the technology can move forward," said Dennis Olson, a
professor of animal science at Iowa State University and an
international expert on irradiation. The technology involves
exposing food to radiation, disrupting the DNA of bacteria,
including listeria, which either kills them or renders them
unable to reproduce.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved meat
irradiation in 2000, after a 1993 outbreak of E. coli O157,
linked to fast food hamburgers, sickened 200 people and
killed four children, Olson said.
Just last week, the FDA allowed the irradiation of spinach
and bagged lettuce, which Olson said is in response to two
E. coli outbreaks in 2006, in lettuce and spinach. Three
people were killed and more than 250 people were made sick.
Critics say irradiation excuses food producers and
governments from following safety protocols and are
concerned it reduces the nutritional quality of foods or
turns them radioactive.
The majority of food safety experts are convinced
irradiation would make food production systems safer.
Irradiation is approved in more than 50 countries ñ 15 of
which do not restrict the types of foods that can be
irradiated ñ and has been endorsed by the World Health
Association, said Olson.
"If we have a substantial amount of food irradiated, we will
have substantial fewer illnesses," said Olson, who considers
the technology on par with other "pillars of public health,"
such as the pasteurization of milk, chlorination of city
water and vaccines for common childhood illnesses.
Douglas Powell, an associate professor of food safety at
Kansas State University who formerly did research at the
University of Guelph, said Health Canada should approve
irradiation for most foods, including processed meats.
"Government approval is merely the first step," he said.
"That doesn't mean anyone is going to use it. But it's a
necessary first step.
"There's a whole lot of noise around the issue, but the
focus here is do we have technologies that lead to fewer
sick people? There is way too much food-borne illness and
people get sick and die. If there are tools to help reduce
those numbers, we need to explore them."
Dr. Jeff Farber, director of Health Canada's bureau of
microbial hazards, said irradiation shouldn't be considered
a bandage for safety. "You don't want to use irradiation to
treat bad food. You've got to use it sensibly in combination
with food manufacturing practices."
He also said processed meats might not be the best
candidates for irradiation. "I think realistically the
better applications would be for irradiation of things like
raw meats to inactivate E. coli," he said.
But Olson, who has studied food irradiation since 1993,
recently investigated whether it works with processed meats
and found it to be effective at controlling bacteria.
Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety at the Centre
for Science in the Public Interest, said food irradiation in
the U.S. is largely an empty gesture since food producers
are reluctant to use the technology because consumers shy
away from irradiated food. The FDA requires food producers
to clearly label such foods.
"An irradiated product is certainly safer than one that is
nor irradiated, but consumers may be concerned that
irradiation is used to hide sanitation problems in the
industry."
ONTARIO: City
to add restaurant inspectors, post reports
29.aug.08
Ottawa Citizen
Patrick Dare
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=162e0841-5ce3-4c12-a38a-4d12d4497cf6
OTTAWA -- Ottawa city council moved to beef up its food
inspection system yesterday by hiring more public health
inspectors and raising their salaries.
And restaurant inspectors will soon be uploading their
reports directly to the city's website so residents can get
the latest inspection results, Ottawa's medical chief said
yesterday
Council voted to hire seven more inspectors as soon as
possible to handle the job of inspecting the city's 6,000
food establishments. Beacon Hill-Cyrville Councillor Michel
Bellemare said he wasn't satisfied with the city
administration's response to a report by auditor general
Alain Lalonde, who found that guidelines for food safety are
not being met in Ottawa, in terms of the number of
restaurant inspections. That report found that only about 63
per cent of "high-risk" establishments were inspected at the
prescribed rate, which is three inspections a year.
The report also found that the city's budget for food
inspections had been increased, but was underspent by
$894,000 over three years.
The problem of substandard restaurants is a real one in
Ottawa. Using freedom of information legislation, the
Citizen obtained reports for restaurants with the most
recent health-inspection violations and it's clear that
inspectors sometimes see serious problems. There were rats
and mould in a bakery, no hot water for days in one
restaurant and pervasive dirt and grease in another.
The city says there are about 500 complaints a year about
restaurants that prompt some of the city inspections. About
100 of those complainants get sick, though it's difficult to
clinically confirm it is food poisoning from a particular
restaurant.
One of the problems that's clear in the reports on the 10
establishments released to the Citizen is that kitchen staff
often don't have proper training on correct procedures for
defrosting food, the need to keep hazardous cold foods at or
below 4C and the need to keep food-preparation areas clean.
According to one report, a worker licked food off a finger
then resumed making the food. The city will try to find ways
to get training for more food handlers.
GEORGIA:
Restaurant inspection scores released
29.aug.08
The Northeast Georgian
http://www.thenortheastgeorgian.com/articles/2008/08/29/news/business/01business.txt
Following are the foodservice inspections for Aug. 22-26 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.
* Michael's, 3220 Merchants Way, Cornelia. Inspection time:
3:20 p.m. Purpose of inspection: routine. Score: 100;
current grade: A. Previous score: 100.
* McDonald's, Highway 441 Bypass, Cornelia. Inspection time:
4:05 p.m. Purpose of inspection: routine. Score: 94; current
grade: A. Previous score: 98. Have dishwasher (in kitchen)
sanitizer dispenser repaired; use second dishwasher until
repaired. Clean/sanitize icemakers frequently. Have door on
warmer for potatoes repaired. Have door on reach-in cooler
at drive-through repaired. Have freezer door repaired
(sliding door).
* El Maguey, 346 Highway 441 Bypass, Baldwin. Inspection
time: not given. Purpose of inspection: routine. Score: 82;
current grade: B. Previous score: not given. Keep all foods
covered in storage. Clean/sanitize icemaker thoroughly and
regularly. Make sure all knives are thoroughly clean before
storing. Must hold all cold foods at 41 degrees or lower at
all times. Hold and store properly; steak 48 degrees,
chicken 53 degrees, shrimp 54 degrees in pan near grill -
all discarded by management. Use only approved methods to
thaw food (from freezer to cooler is best method). Must
repair hot water at hand sink immediately. New regulations
given and discussed.
* Stoney's, 389 Washington St., Clarkesville. Inspection
time: 11:15 a.m. Purpose of inspection: routine. Score: 99;
current grade: A. Previous score: 100. Clean/sanitize
gaskets on walk-in coolers/freezers thoroughly on a regular
basis. Install weather strip to seal door at storage room.
Paint/seal shelves (dry storage) where worn. Great operation
in regards to food prep/storage. New regulations discussed.
CONNECTICUT:
July 2008 food borne illness investigation
20.aug.08
Connecticut Department of Agriculture
Wayne Kasacek R.S
http://www.ct.gov/doag/lib/doag/marketing_files/bulletin/Wednesday_Augus
t_20_2008_issue.pdf
On July 16th, 2008 the Connecticut Department of Agriculture
began an investigation of a possible link between several
reported illnesses and the consumption of Retail Raw Milk
(unpasteurized milk). Recently we concluded that
investigation. The investigation was prompted when the
Department was notified by Connecticut Department of Public
Health (DPH) Epidemiologists of 2 reported illnesses in
which both patients had consumed Retail Raw Milk from a
dairy licensed to produce Retail Raw Milk and pasteurized
milk and milk products. The patients were aged 2 and 7, one
was on dialysis. After notifying the dairy of the
investigation, the dairy voluntarily stopped sale of all
milk. Soon after the initial 2 reported illnesses, DPH
reported 2 additional cases linked to the dairy. By the time
we concluded our investigation a total of 7 known
individuals were sickened from consuming Retail Raw Milk and
several were hospitalized. The Retail Raw Milk implicated in
this incident was purchased from 2 separate national,
natural food, chain store locations and directly from the
farm. None of the reported illnesses were linked to
pasteurized milk and milk products produced at this dairy.
The individuals sickened had acquired a condition known as
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) and one case of Thrombotic
Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP). HUS is a disorder that
occurs when an infection in the digestive system produces
toxic substances that destroy red blood cells. It often
effects the kidneys. This disorder is most common in
children. It often occurs after a gastrointestinal (enteric)
infection, often caused by a type of Escherichia coli (E.
coli) bacteria, O157:H7. Unpasteurized (Raw) milk has been
associated with several outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7
infections in the U.S. Other outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7
have been associated with undercooked or raw hamburger
(ground beef), unpasteurized fruit juices, alfalfa sprouts,
dry-cured salami, lettuce, game meats and from transmission
from animals to humans from contact with infected animals.
HUS also can be caused by other enteric infections,
including Shigella and Salmonella, and some non-enteric
infections. Patients with TTP have clinical and pathologic
features similar to patients with HUS. In addition to
Department of Agriculture staff, the investigation involved
the Connecticut Department of Public Health and local health
departments. After extensive testing of milk, milk contact
surfaces, water sources, the environment in and around the
farm and processing plant and, analysis of feces from each
milking aged animal, the department obtained a genetic
fingerprint match between E. coli O157:H7 recovered from the
feces of 1 cow and E. coli O157:H7 isolated from 3 patients.
Approximately 170 separate samples and specimens of milk,
water, feces and swabs of milk contact surfaces were
analyzed by the DPH Public Health Laboratory in a 3 week
period. A review of scientific literature reveals that E.
coli O157:H7 as well as other food borne pathogens most
likely are introduced into milk by contamination from
animals shedding the organism in their feces. Direct
introduction of pathogens into the milk from the bloodstream
is unlikely but can not be ruled out. The department has
concluded that the most likely cause of this food borne
illness outbreak was the consumption of Retail Raw Milk
contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. While good sanitation and
management practices can lower the incidence of pathogens in
raw milk we believe and studies support the position that
pasteurization is the only proven way to eliminate pathogens
from raw milk.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Food and
Drug Administration, and other public health authorities
such as the American Medical Association, the American
Academy of Pediatrics, the National Conference on Interstate
Milk Shipments, the National Association of State
Departments of Agriculture, the Association of Food and Drug
Officials, and National Association of State Public Health
Veterinarians all oppose the consumption of unpasteurized
milk because of the health risks.
Currently there are 16 producers licensed to produce Retail
Raw Milk in Connecticut. For every gallon of Retail Raw Milk
sold in Connecticut 700 gallons of pasteurized milk is sold.
Routine sampling and analysis of Retail Raw Milk alone costs
the Department and DPH $1400/ yr for each Retail Raw Milk
producer versus $142/yr for producers of milk for
pasteurization. Among Connecticut respondents to a FoodNet
population survey done during 2005-2006: 50 of 1801
respondents (2.78%) report raw milk consumption.
RUSSIA
strikes 19 US poultry suppliers off approved list
29.aug.08
Dow Jones Newswires
Grigori Gerenstein
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djhighlights/200808290538DOWJONESDJONLINE000473.htm
MOSCOW -- Russian federal food quality watchdog
Rosselkhoznadzor announced Friday it would strike 19 U.S.
suppliers from the list of approved poultry suppliers to
Russia as of Sept. 1 for not meeting Russian food safety
requirements.
Rosselkhoznadzor didn't name the individual suppliers to be
struck off the list.
The effects
of avian influenza news on consumer purchasing behavior: A
case study of Italian consumersí retail purchase
29.aug.08
USDA Economic Research Service
By Robert H. Beach, Fred Kuchler, Ephraim Leibtag, and Chen
Zhen
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR65/#2008-8-29
To better understand how information about potential health
hazards influences food demand, this case study examines
consumersí responses to newspaper articles on avian
influenza, informally referred to as bird flu. The focus
here is on the response to bird flu information in Italy as
news about highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI
H5N1) unfolded in the period October 2004 through October
2006, beginning after reports of the first outbreaks in
Southeast Asia, and extending beyond the point at which
outbreaks were reported in Western Europe. Estimated poultry
demand, as influenced by the volume of newspaper reports on
bird flu, reveals the magnitude and duration of newspaper
articlesí impacts on consumersí food choices. Larger numbers
of bird flu news reports led to larger reductions in poultry
purchases. Most impacts were of limited duration, and all
began to diminish within 5 weeks.
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
|
|