FSnet Aug

FSnet Aug. 3/08 -- II

BARFBLOG: Obama needs more food safety specifics

BARFBLOG: University of Guelph: 'We take pride in our food services and food safety' and our ability to infect people with E. coli

BARFBLOG: Canadian bureaucrats still aren't that into me

QUEBEC says yes to raw milk cheese – and it's recalled for listeria

QUEBEC: Another good reason to say 'cheese'

MANITOBA: Perspective: A drink to your health

SOUTH KOREA: Vacationers alerted against food poisoning

WASHINGTON, DC: U.S. Sen. Harkin: Bipartisan group of senators introduce comprehensive bill to reform FDA's food safety systems

Interactions in dual species biofilms between Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e and several strains of Staphylococcus aureus

High-pressure destruction kinetics of Clostridium sporogenes spores in ground beef at elevated temperatures

Ochratoxin A in rice on the MOROCCAN retail market

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BARFBLOG: Obama needs more food safety specifics
03.aug.08
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/food-safety-communication/obama-needs-more-food-safety-specifics/index.html
Barack Obama is generating lots of interest in the U.S. Presidential process, and not just because he is too thin for fat Americans to vote for him.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121755336096303089.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
I can't even vote but, like Tom Hanks, share an interest in presidential history.
http://www.hbo.com/films/johnadams/
On Friday, Obama introduced the "Improving Food-borne Illness Surveillance and Response Act of 2008, which would improve information sharing and collaboration between public and private agencies and other organizations to effectively address food safety challenges. …
"The Obama food safety legislation would strengthen and expand food-borne illness surveillance in order to better inform and evaluate efforts to prevent these illnesses. This bill would also enhance the identification and investigation of food-borne illness outbreaks, which would assist officials to respond appropriately. In anticipation of future challenges, this bill would require a survey of state health departments to determine critical needs as well as the development of strategic plans. …"
Sorry, I must have dozed off there.
Sure Obama is offering up more than McCain. But Obama is creating expectations. Hopefully they are not too unrealistic; he's already fallen into the safest food in the world rhetoric.
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/06/articles/food-safety-communication/safest-food-in-the-world-barack-obama-edition
And it's spelled foodborne, not food-borne.
This sorta reminds me of Les Nessman advising station manager and local council candidate, Arthur Carlson, on how to answer tough questions during an episode of WKRP. Something like:
(Food safety) is an important issue for all Americans. I take this issue seriously and will be appointing a blue-ribbon fact-finding commission, to issue a position paper on (food safety) very soon.
And since there's not much on youtube about WKRP, I'll leave you with, The Dungarees versus the Suits.

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BARFBLOG: University of Guelph: 'We take pride in our food services and food safety' and our ability to infect people with E. coli
03.aug.08
barfblgo
Doug Powell
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/food-safety-communication/university-of-guelph-we-take-pride-in-our-food-services-and-food-safety-and-our-ability-to-infect-people-with-e-coli/index.html
At least four people have been stricken with E. coli at the University of Guelph – two food handlers, one university faculty, and one conference attendee.
So says the health unit, in a local newspaper report. The university didn't actually say anything, other than to issue a Kremlinesque request to talk to people who've been barfing.
"In the interests of the health of our community, the University is posting this bulletin. Representatives of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health are investigating a possible E. coli outbreak.
"Symptoms of E. coli include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and/or vomiting. If you or a family member recently had, or currently has any of those symptoms, please call Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health at 1-877-844-8653. For more information about E. coli go to www.wdghu.org"
A university spokesthingy did tell the paper, "We take pride in our food services and food safety."
Risk communication 101: Better to come clean up front then let the details slowly – or explosively – shit out.
http://www.wdghu.org/page.cfm?id=1523&newsID=118&a=1
http://www.uoguelph.ca/news/2008/08/public_health_i.html
http://news.guelphmercury.com/article/363190

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BARFBLOG: Canadian bureaucrats still aren't that into me
03.aug.08
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/food-safety-communication/canadian-bureaucrats-still-arent-that-into-me/index.htm
I keep hundreds of bureaucrats occupied.
They just aren't that into me.
Which is fine.
I know this because I used to play hockey with a bunch of them. Also, I see how many are subscribed to the listservs. And I get a lot of requests, and messages sent in error about some particular e-mail, or hooking up with a co-worker after work.
Seriously, run a listserv that goes to a few hundred thousand people, and someone's going to hit reply to the wrong address now and then; there's some bored bureaucrats out there.
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2007/12/articles/food-safety-communication/hacks-and-posers/
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/06/articles/food-safety-communication/bastards-bullshit-and-babies/index.html
This whole Food Safety Network thing started out of my basement back in 1993. Some folks from Health Canada, which evolved into the Public Health Agency of Canada, were there from the beginning, and we wrote a paper about early listserv experiences.
http://pewagbiotech.org/buzz/display.php3?StoryID=64
A couple of years ago, Health Canada decided to stop offering any financial support – in this case, a few grand a year. The reason: I may have made a quip about a Health Canada minister or policy and someone got huffy.
Of course, no one from Health Canada or PHAC unsubscribed from the listservs. They just complained that Doug was a "loose canon."
Yes, science and democracy is all about sitting quietly and listening to propaganda. A similar dig at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, rumor has it, led the University of Guelph and its former vp research to cut off any contact with me. Oh, and confiscate all the money that was left. It's pathetic that a bunch of Guelph people still walk around and proclaim, with straight faces, their excellence in food safety risk analysis, especially the communication part; on the dime that I raised.
What was more fun was the request I got last Thursday from PHAC in Guelph:
"I've been given the task to review keywords to search for media articles connected to our program areas (foodborne, environment and zoonotic diseases) from our agencies (sic) global media monitoring program - Global Public Health Intelligence Network. As many of our staff find the daily FSNET emails useful, I was wondering if you could share with us your process and the keywords you use to search media headlines to ensure you are inclusive of all relevant sources for your listserv. Please let me know if this request is feasible."
Set up Google alerts. Use keywords like food safety and vomit. Anything else I can help you with?

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QUEBEC says yes to raw milk cheese – and it's recalled for listeria
03.aug.08
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/listeria-1/quebec-says-yes-to-raw-milk-cheese-and-its-recalled-for-listeria/index.html
On the same day that Quebec moved to permit raw milk cheese aged less than 60 days, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Portuguese Cheese Co. warned the public not to consume Santa Maria brand Queijo de Cabra (fresh goat cheese) because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Does fresh mean raw? How's a pregnant woman – or a guy who really doesn't like to barf -- to know?
No matter, the Montreal Gazette came out Saturday and exclaimed in an editorial that "the trick is to manage the risks carefully, and make sure potential consumers understand the situation. Quebec seems to have taken health concerns into account. Under the new rules, Quebec will require each cheesemaker to know his or her milk supplier personally, and to be knowledgeable about the dairy operation in question."
Yes I know you. Therefore it is safe.
Mansel Griffiths, a dairy microbiologist at the University of Guelph and my PhD supervisor says the 60-day limit has become arbitrary, since it is no longer a guarantee of destroying pathogens. Still, he believes raw-milk cheese continues to pose health-safety issues over potential pathogens.
I'm not sure what this means.
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/causee.shtml
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=0ae042c0-306f-4f20-bc18-c0fbf32b409c
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080731.wcheese01/BNStory/National/home

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QUEBEC: Another good reason to say 'cheese'
02.aug.08
The Gazette
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=0ae042c0-306f-4f20-bc18-c0fbf32b409c
Bowing to years of plaintive requests from both cheese producers and sophisticated foodies, the Quebec government has, according to this editorial, finally introduced new rules that will permit the sale of raw-milk cheese, even if it has not first been aged for 60 days. It's about time.
Quebec has built a reputation for both quality and diversity in cheese production, but this measure will open a new horizon in flavour, and create a noteworthy niche market.
Specialty and artisanal cheeses have increased in numbers in recent years, not only here but also across Canada and in the U.S. But Quebec now becomes the first jurisdiction in North America to allow the sale of fresh cheeses made from raw - that is, unpasteurized – milk.
Cheese-lovers say the taste of raw-milk cheese is unmistakable, a sensory pleasure that cannot be matched by cheese made with pasteurized milk, or even with "lait thermisé"- a process in which milk is heated, not to the full pasteurization temperature but part way to that level.
Critics of the new rules argue that the special taste of raw cheese can come with a high price - a heightened health risk so great that raw-milk cheese is potentially life-threatening.
And yet many of the world's favourite cheeses have been produced for hundreds of years with raw milk. The trick is to manage the risks carefully, and make sure potential consumers understand the situation.
Quebec seems to have taken health concerns into account. Under the new rules, Quebec will require each cheesemaker to know his or her milk supplier personally, and to be knowledgeable about the dairy operation in question. As well, milk suppliers for this specialty segment of the market will be subjected to much higher standards of cleanliness than those imposed even on France's raw-milk cheese producers.

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MANITOBA: Perspective: A drink to your health
03.aug.08
Winnipeg Free Press
Bartley Kives
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/story/4207925p-4800241c.html
R.M. OF SPRINGFIELD -- On the far side of the Winnipeg Floodway, out of site to most of the city, construction crews have quietly spent three years building the most expensive structure in Winnipeg's history.
About two thirds of the work has been completed on the Winnipeg Water Treatment Plant, a $300-million facility designed to end this city's status as one of the two large Canadian cities to consume mostly untreated drinking water.
Right now, Winnipeg gets its drinking water from relatively pristine Shoal Lake and treats it only with chlorine before disinfecting it with ultraviolet radiation.
Our water is safe to drink, but the current system does not completely prevent the possibility of water-borne disease outbreaks involving nasty, diarrhea-causing protozoans such as cryptosporidium and giardia.
It also relies too heavily on chlorine, which leaves behind an unpleasant taste and also creates a potentially carcinogenic byproduct when it combines with organic molecules.
Hence the construction of the Winnipeg Water Treatment Plant, which will employ no less than six water-purification processes when it opens late next year.

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SOUTH KOREA: Vacationers alerted against food poisoning
03.aug.08
The Korea Times
Bae Ji-sook
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2008/08/147_28684.html
Vacationers are being warned about food poisoning during the summer vacation.
About 86 percent of vibrio enteritis, one of the most common forms of food poisoning, occurs between July and September. If left out under the hot sun, food can become dangerous for consumption in just four hours, experts say.
The Korea Food and Drug Administration has released some advice to help people avoid food poisoning.
1. In high temperatures, foods easily go bad. Therefore, if eating outside, keep food in an icebox, only removing that which is to be consumed immediately.
2. Only use clean water when cooking.
3.Always try to boil food before consumption: Sushi may sound tempting, but you should boil fish and other marine products. Raw fish can cause vibrio enteritis poisoning.
The vibrio virus is found on the skin and in the intestines of fish. Washing these parts thoroughly with tap water can reduce the risk of infection. Also, try to keep food under 5 degrees Celsius and wash or sterilize cooking tools before and after use. Boil drinking water, too.
4. Be careful where you purchase food. Ice creams and other snacks sold by unauthorized venders offer an increased risk of food poisoning.
5. Watch what you eat at highway resting place. In a recent crackdown on these sites, authorities found contamination in hamburgers, gimbap and other snacks.
Symptoms of food poisoning include high fever, stomachache, vomiting and in severe cases, dehydration.

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WASHINGTON, DC: U.S. Sen. Harkin: Bipartisan group of senators introduce comprehensive bill to reform FDA's food safety systems
31.jul.08
IowaPolitics.com
http://www.iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=132513
U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today joined a bipartisan group of senators to introduce a bill that will dramatically improve the way the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) protects the safety of the nation's food supply. The bill, The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act , will give FDA new authorities, tools and resources to comprehensively reform the nation's food safety systems. The bill is cosponsored by Dick Durbin (D-IL), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Richard Burr (R-NC), Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN).
"This country doesn't need any more spectacles like the slow unfolding of FDA's investigation of the recent Salmonella outbreak. The present system is not just a public health concern, but an issue for producers feeling the economic impact of food safety scares," said Harkin. "This food safety bill gives FDA the authority it needs to prevent and respond to food safety problems, from requiring recalls, to setting food safety standards for fresh produce, to enhancing trace-back and surveillance of food-borne illness. It's a win-win for producers and consumers."
Last week, the FDA announced that the source of a recent salmonella outbreak was jalapeño peppers and not tomatoes, as previously thought. The three month outbreak has sickened more than a thousand people and highlighted significant gaps in FDA's ability to adequately protect the nation's food supply.
Today's bill addresses some of those failings head-on by authorizing new science-based standards for the safety of produce; increasing the frequency of inspections of all food facilities; establishing a new pilot program for tracking and tracing-back fruits and vegetables in the event of a food-borne illness; and by giving FDA mandatory recall authority in the event a company fails to recall a product at FDA's request. Food safety experts note that had any of these provisions been in place, the scope of the recent salmonella outbreak could have been drastically reduced and FDA's response time, dramatically improved.
"Over the last year we've seen major recalls of peanut butter and jalapeño peppers spiked with salmonella, spinach laced with e-coli and chili loaded with botulism," Durbin said. "It's clear these are not isolated incidents and are the results of a food safety system that is outdated, under-funded and overwhelmed. Today's bipartisan bill will close many of the gaping holes in FDA's food safety authorities and help to ensure the food on our store shelves is safe."
"When Americans go to the grocery store, the last thing on their mind should be the safety of the foods they are bringing home to serve their families," Gregg stated. "The recent salmonella outbreak highlights the current vulnerability of our food supply and the need to modernize our food safety laws. We cannot afford to wait until the next food-borne illness outbreak or an intentional attack on our food supply occurs for Congress to act on this bipartisan legislation to ensure the safety of our food and restore confidence in the quality of these products for American families."
"As we have seen in the past few months, our nation is in need of increased food safety measures to ensure that public health in America is not jeopardized by bad food," Burr said. "This bill will go a long way towards giving the FDA the authorities and resources it needs to properly regulate our food safety system and respond to food-borne illness outbreaks."
The bipartisan bill focuses on four key areas where FDA's authorities and resources need to be improved: food-borne illness prevention; food-borne illness detection and response; food defense capabilities: and overall resources.
"As the nation watched and waited for answers, the FDA's investigation of the most recent Salmonella outbreak offered little reassurance to American consumers and food producers. This debacle underscores the need for significant improvements in our food safety system," Dodd said. "Although not perfect, this legislation will work to guard Americans against future outbreaks by providing the FDA with the tools necessary to effectively prevent, detect, and respond to food-borne illnesses. Ensuring the safety of our food supply must be a top priority and deserves our full and immediate attention. I am particularly pleased that this bill includes a bipartisan provision I authored to develop consistent federal guidelines for the management of food allergies in schools, protecting and perhaps saving the lives of millions of children with life-threatening allergies."
"This bill will help protect every American and help keep all of us healthy by improving and streamlining the FDA's food safety efforts," Alexander said. "Americans should be able to go to the grocery store and out to dinner without having to worry about the safety of the food they are eating. Parents shouldn't have to risk their child's safety in school and wonder whether their son or daughter could suffer a life-threatening allergic reaction at the lunch table."
Specifically, the bill:
Strengthens Food-borne Illness Prevention:
Hazard Analysis – Domestic food facilities are required to evaluate potential food safety hazards (such as pesticides, toxins, etc.) and implement preventive controls to mitigate the identified risk and prevent adulteration.
Produce Standards – FDA is given the authority to set commodity-specific standards to improve the safety of fresh produce.
Imports – Certification from exporting countries that high-risk food meets U.S. food safety standards. Importers are required to verify the safety of imported food. FDA is given the power to qualify importers for expedited review and importation of food if importers go above and beyond basic standards to ensure the safety of imported food.
Third-Party Inspection and Labs – FDA is given the authority to establish an accreditation system to enable qualified third parties to certify domestic and foreign food facilities' compliance with U.S. food safety standards. FDA is empowered to recognize laboratory accreditation bodies to ensure U.S. food testing labs meet high quality standards.
Improves Food-borne Illness Detection and Response:
Surveillance – Enhances food-borne illness surveillance systems to improve the collection, analysis, reporting, and usefulness of data on food-borne illnesses.
Traceability – Requires the Secretary to establish a pilot project to test and evaluate new methods for rapidly and effectively tracking and tracing-back fruits and vegetables in the event of a food-borne illness outbreak. Also provides for expanded access to records in the event of an outbreak.
Mandatory Recall – Gives FDA the authority to order a mandatory recall of a food product when a company fails to voluntarily recall the product upon FDA's request.
Suspension of Registration – Empowers FDA to suspend a food facility's registration if there is a reasonable probability that food from the facility will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.
Enhances U.S. Food Defense Capabilities:
Directs FDA to promulgate regulations to assist food companies in protecting their products from intentional contamination, and calls for a national strategy to protect our food supply from terrorist threats and rapidly respond to food emergencies.
Increases FDA Resources:
Increases funding for FDA's food safety activities. A portion of the additional funding proposed in the bill will come from targeted fees for domestic and foreign facilities.

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High-pressure destruction kinetics of Clostridium sporogenes spores in ground beef at elevated temperatures
15.aug.08
International Journal of Food Microbiolgy (Volume 126, Issues 1-2, Pages 1-262)
Songming Zhua, Fadia Naima, Michèle Marcottea, Hosaha Ramaswamyb and Yanwen Shaob
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T7K-4SHMC9V-1&_user=10&_coverDate=08%2F15%2F2008&_rdoc=14&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info(%23toc%235061%232008%23998739998%23695025%23FLA%23display%23Volume)&_cdi=5061&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_c
High pressure (HP) is an alternative technique for thermal sterilization of foods with minimum quality loss. HP destruction kinetics of bacterial spores is essential to establishing sterilization process, but knowledge in this field is still very limited. In this study, destruction kinetics was investigated using Clostridium sporogenes PA 3679 (ATCC7955) spores in extra-lean ground beef (5 g each sealed in a sterile plastic bag). Duplicated samples were subjected to HP treatments at 700, 800 and 900 MPa in a HP system equipped with a Polyoxymethylene insulator to maintain constant temperatures at 80, 90 and 100 °C during pressure-holding time. The kinetic parameters of the spores (D- and Z-values) were evaluated at these pressures and temperatures. For the pressure from 700 to 900 MPa, D-values ranged from 15.8 to 7.0 and 1.5 to 0.63 min at 80 and 100 °C, respectively. The pressure resistance of ZT(P) value was 520–563 MPa at 80–100 °C. The temperature resistance of ZP(T) value was 19.1–19.7 °C at 700–900 MPa, much higher than that at atmospheric condition (12.4 °C). A regression model was generated which can be used to predict D-value or the death time of a minimum process under given pressure and temperature conditions. HP treatment with elevated temperatures can destroy bacterial spores with a shorter time or lower temperature than conventional thermal processing. This study provides useful information for the achievement of a safe HP sterilization process.

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Ochratoxin A in rice on the MOROCCAN retail market
15.aug.08
International Journal of Food Microbiolgy (Volume 126, Issues 1-2, Pages 1-262)
C. Juana, A. Zinedineb, L. Idrissib and J. Mañes
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T7K-4SHF4B3-1&_user=10&_coverDate=08%2F15%2F2008&_rdoc=13&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info(%23toc%235061%232008%23998739998%23695025%23FLA%23display%23Volume)&_cdi=5061&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_c
One hundred (100) samples of rice purchased from retail markets in five different cities (Rabat, Témara, Salé, Casablanca and Méknès) in Morocco from January to October 2006 were surveyed for the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA) using Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) coupled to liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The identification of OTA in positive rice samples was confirmed by methyl ester derivatization. Analytical results showed a frequency of contamination of 26% of total analyzed rice samples. The percentage of contamination of samples was 24, 26.6, 16.6, 27.7 and 30% in Rabat, Témara, Méknès, Salé and Casablanca respectively. Levels of OTA in positive samples ranged between 0.08 and 47 ng/g. The average contamination of all analyzed samples was 3.5 ng/g. The highest frequency of positive samples (30%) and the most contaminated sample (47 ng/g) was found in a sample from Casablanca city. 14 out of 100 total samples exceeded the maximum level of 5 ng/g set by European regulations for OTA in cereals. Based in the results presented in this study, the estimated daily intake of OTA in rice was 0.32 ng/kg bw/day for Moroccan consumers.

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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, 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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