January 2008

  • United Egg Producers to launch new website

    Posted: January 31st, 2008 - 4:58pm by Doug Powell

    I'm on my way to Toronto, weather permitting, to speak at the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association annual meeting about one of my favorite topics -- ever-evolving food safety messages and mediums.

    I've always been a fan of Marshall McLuhan and read all his stuff 25 years ago. The cameo he did in Woody Allen's Annie Hall, where McLuhan tells some pompous professor that he doesn't understand his theories at all and is not qualified to teach, is so … apt.

    So after 10 years of urging agriculture and food groups, really anyone who wants to get out there -- to stop complaining and get out there -- they're starting to do it. The American Meat Institute posted its first youtube video a few months ago.

    Now, United Egg Producers is getting ready to launch the new website USA Egg Farmers.

    This website, available in February, will allow consumers online access to information about egg production and the UEP Certified animal welfare program, which covers ethics and science-based standards to deliver good hen welfare.

    The new website will also include live broadcasts of UEP animal welfare conferences, as well as farm tours and interviews with producers.
    Sure, people will take shots at you, but that's what happens when you stick your head up. Better than bitching in backrooms.

    Your rating: None
    Food Safety Policy, Raw Food  |  Comments
  • Proper ferret care: Don't throw it in a bathtub with a naked Jeff "The Dude" Bridges

    Posted: January 31st, 2008 - 4:28pm by Doug Powell

    The British Veterinary Association Animal Welfare Foundation (BVA AWF) has launched a new practical guide designed to enable owners to provide the very best of care for their pet ferrets.

    Produced in association with the Ferret Education & Research Trust (FERT), the leaflet reflects the growing popularity of these intelligent and curious animals as household pets.

    Carl Padgett, Chair of the BVA AWF Trustees explained that,

    "while ferrets can sleep for a large period of the day, when they are awake they are very active and need a lot of stimulation to occupy their time. They live an average of eight to ten years so a high level of commitment and care is needed but our new guide should ensure that even the novice owner has all the information necessary to ensure their pet's health and welfare."

    Covering the basics such as housing, feeding, health care and toilet training, the guide also offers advice on 'ferret-proofing' your home and garden, advice on games - ferrets particularly love hide-and-seek - and, very importantly, breeding and neutering as well as vaccination against Canine Distemper should owners be tempted to take their ferret for a walk on a lead and harness.

    The 'Caring for your ferret' leaflet is available to download from the BVA AWF website at http://www.bva-awf.org.uk/resources/leaflets.

    (Doug Powell and Ben Chapman, left, not exactly as pictured).
    Your rating: None
    Wacky and Weird  |  Comments
  • Beware funeral home sandwiches and coffee

    Posted: January 31st, 2008 - 9:49am by Doug Powell

    The Tasmania Mercury is reporting that at least 27 people in Hobart have been sickened with salmonella after eating contaminated sandwiches at two separate funerals late last week.

    The food was provided by a catering business which has been temporarily closed down while the Health Department investigates.

    Dr. Roscoe Taylor, Tasmania's Director of Public Health, said,

    "We are looking closely at a product containing raw eggs, which was a mayonnaise like ingredient that may have been in the sandwiches and we're waiting on sampling test results on that to come back."
    Your rating: None
    Salmonella  |  Comments
  • Hepatitis A case confirmed at B.C. ski resort restaurant

    Posted: January 31st, 2008 - 7:16am by Doug Powell

    The British Columbia Interior Health Authority warned yesterday that people who ate at the Sun Peaks ski resort near Kamloops between January 7 and 24 may have been exposed to Hepatitis A.

    Dr. Digby Horne, the medical health officer for the Thompson-Cariboo-Shuswap area told CBC News on Wednesday morning that a food handler at Masa’s Bar and Grill developed the virus after travelling outside of the county.

    As a result, Interior Health is urging anyone who ate at Masa’s after 3 p.m. PT on January 16, 18, 20, 23 or 24 to get vaccinated.

    And food handlers, wash your damn hands.
    Your rating: None
    Hepatitis A  |  Comments
  • From Seinfeld to science: Dip once or dip twice?

    Posted: January 31st, 2008 - 12:16am by Doug Powell

    Harold McGee of the New York Times reports that a new study, to be published later this year in the Journal of Food Safety, is the only one McGee's ever seen to proclaim that it was inspired by an episode of “Seinfeld.”

    It was conducted as part of a Clemson University program designed to get undergraduate students involved in scientific research. Prof. Paul L. Dawson, a food microbiologist, proposed it after he saw a rerun of a 1993 “Seinfeld” show in which George Costanza is confronted at a funeral reception by Timmy, his girlfriend’s brother, after dipping the same chip twice.

    “Did, did you just double dip that chip?” Timmy asks incredulously, later objecting, “That’s like putting your whole mouth right in the dip!” Finally George retorts, “You dip the way you want to dip, I’ll dip the way I want to dip,” and aims another used chip at the bowl. Timmy tries to take it away, and the scene ends as they wrestle for it.

    Peter Mehlman, a veteran “Seinfeld” writer, wrote the episode, and said,

    "At the time I was living in Los Angeles, in Venice. There was a party on one of the canals, and apparently someone dipped twice with the same chip. And a woman flipped out. ‘You just dipped twice! How could you do that? Now all your germs are in there!’ I thought, this is just too good not to use on the show.”

    The story says that on average, the students found that three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eater’s mouth to the remaining dip.

    Each cracker picked up between one and two grams of dip. That means that sporadic double dipping in a cup of dip would transfer at least 50 to 100 bacteria from one mouth to another with every bite.
    Your rating: None
    Food Safety Policy, Raw Food, Wacky and Weird  |  Comments
  • Pomegranate juice boosts sperm quality

    Posted: January 30th, 2008 - 11:46pm by Doug Powell

    Nutra Ingredients reports that a new study with male rats published in Clinical Nutrition suggestst that regular consumption of pomegranate juice may enhance the quality and mobility of sperm.

    Gaffari Turk from Firat University in Turkey was quoted as writing, "The results of this study demonstrated, for the first time, that daily consumption of PJ for seven weeks caused increased spermatogenic cell density, epididymal sperm concentration, sperm motility and decreased abnormal sperm rate related with decreased lipid peroxidation in male rats."

    I'll stick to my berries and beer.
    Your rating: None (1 vote)
    Wacky and Weird  |  Comments
  • Ontario grocer fined for mice in warehouse

    Posted: January 30th, 2008 - 11:06pm by Doug Powell

    The Toronto Star is reporting that the owners of Ontario's second largest supermarket chain, A&P, have been fined $15,625 after pleading guilty in provincial offences court to a charge of failing to prevent a rodent infestation.

    A City of Toronto health inspector laid the charge after finding the A&P warehouse in the west end was overrun with mice last fall.

    The warehouse, which serves 250 Dominion, A&P and Food Basics stores in Ontario, was closed for two days in September while the problem was cleared up.
    Your rating: None
    Food Safety Policy  |  Comments
  • KState beats KU in men's basketball; fans mob floor

    Posted: January 30th, 2008 - 10:12pm by Doug Powell

    It was purple madness in Manhattan (Kansas) tonight.

    For the first time in 24 years, Kansas State beat number 2 ranked Kansas at home, 84-75.

    I have nothing on food safety. But Amy won free tickets for the rest of the season from a draw at a local Radio Shack and this was the first college basketball game I'd ever attended.

    Guess we picked a good one.

    I  think Bramlage Coliseum would make an excellent hockey arena.
    Your rating: None
    Wacky and Weird  |  Comments
  • Turtles might be cute, but they can also be a nasty pet.

    Posted: January 30th, 2008 - 4:14pm by Ben Chapman

    I'm not talking about the smell, the potential for nasty bites or the general boring-ness of the pet -- they have also been linked to over 100 cases of Salmonella in the past 8 months.  We use the turtle outbreaks as a focus for this week's infosheet, as a reminder to food handlers about the potential for pets to pass on pathogens.

    Click here to download the infosheet.
    Your rating: None
    Food Safety Policy, Salmonella  |  Comments
  • You can say organic is safer, we just won't push it

    Posted: January 30th, 2008 - 2:02pm by Doug Powell

    Laura Telford, executive director of Canadian Organic Growers, said in Toronto's Globe and Mail  today that companies that sell organic food make a conscious effort to avoid branding themselves as being safer than other products, but the industry doesn't discourage the positive association, stating,

    "[Consumers] perceive that organic food is going to be safer. Whether that's true or not is a whole other issue. We don't make food safety claims."

    No kidding. Katija and I wrote a paper about this in 2004.

    Joseph Odumeru, food science professor at the University of Guelph, said although a reduction in pesticides can eliminate some health issues, the most common food safety problems have nothing to do with chemicals, adding,

    "Whether you have an organic product or not, all products are susceptible to risks. Where you grow a product, it can become contaminated with bacteria like salmonella."

    Canada's organic industry has been growing from 15 to 20 per cent each year, growth that is being fuelled mainly by consumers who are becoming increasingly health-conscious.
    Your rating: None
    Food Safety Policy, Raw Food  |  Comments
  • Health department sued over inspection

    Posted: January 30th, 2008 - 1:50pm by Casey Jacob

    The White County Health Department is being sued by a restaurant they temporarily closed due to a poor inspection. Owners of Mo's Restaurant in Monticello, Indiana, claim that following inspections of their restaurant, health department employees "negligently and/or intentionally prepar[ed] a false and defamatory Food Inspection Report" on three different occasions.

    A story in the town's Herald-Journal says, "The lawsuit seeks a judgment against the defendants in an amount sufficient to compensate Drake and Liebner for their losses, including permanent and temporary damage, loss of value, loss of profits, loss of use, costs of repair and mental and emotional stress, as well as "such further relief as the court deems appropriate."
    Your rating: None
    Restaurant Inspection, Wacky and Weird  |  Comments
  • Hand gels alone may not curb infections

    Posted: January 30th, 2008 - 4:45am by Doug Powell

    Medical workers in a Nebraska hospital nearly doubled their use of alcohol-based gels, but their generally cleaner hands had no bearing on the rate of infections among patients, according to a new study in the January issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

    Dr. Mark Rupp, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center pointed to many villains: Rings and fingernails that are too long and hard to clean, poor handling of catheters and treatment areas that aren't sanitized.

    "Hand hygiene is still important, but it's not a panacea. … There are many factors that influence the development of hospital-acquired infections. It would be naive to think that a single, simple intervention would fix this problem."

    The findings of the new study were based on 300 hours of hand hygiene observations of nurses and doctors in two comparable intensive care units over a two-year period.
    Your rating: None
    Handwashing  |  Comments
  • Norovirus isn't good for business

    Posted: January 30th, 2008 - 4:31am by Doug Powell

    The Daily Journal in California reports that 45 of 200 guests at a Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce gathering at the Hotel Sofitel last week may have contracted the highly communicable norovirus.

    The chamber was holding its annual dinner and awards recognition banquet, according to the group’s Web site.

    Sofitel spokeswoman Janice Maragakis was cited as saying none of the hotel’s other guests or employees came down ill, but that General Manager Didier de La Ferrier belongs to the chamber and also came down ill. He thought it was simply the flu until the first calls came in.

    The story notes that the Hotel Sofitel has no prior violations or health complaints on record.
    Your rating: None
    Norovirus  |  Comments
  • UK children 'avoid school toilets'

    Posted: January 29th, 2008 - 1:50pm by Doug Powell

    UK children are avoiding unpleasant school toilets where they fear being targeted by bullies.

    Further, many toilets are closed for long periods during the school day while others are in such poor condition that pupils would rather wait until they get home.

    The British Cleaning Council warned that some children were developing continence problems as a result.

    Steve Wright, chairman of the British Cleaning Council, said,

    "Clean, safe, equipped and accessible toilets are becoming high on children's wish lists. But many UK schools are failing to provide this. Children are just as entitled as adults to clean toilet facilities. Poor hygiene in loos can lead to increased infections such as bacterial diarrhoea and Hepatitis A."

    The group backed the Bog Standard campaign, which is calling for better toilet facilities in schools.

    Proper handwashing requires access to proper tools.
    Your rating: None
    Handwashing  |  Comments
  • GAO: FDA should be clearer on food safety plan

    Posted: January 29th, 2008 - 1:18pm by Doug Powell

    Christopher Doering of Reuters reports that the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's failure to discuss clearly its strategy and the money needed to better protect the country's food supply could make it harder for a plan to succeed.

    The GAO report also noted that FDA must better leverage its existing resources "as staffing levels and funding have not kept pace with the agency's growing responsibilities" to oversee the food supply.

    GAO noted that even as food imports surge, FDA inspectors of foreign food firms has dropped from 211 in fiscal year 2001 to fewer than 100 in 2007. About 15 percent of the overall U.S. food supply is imported.

    Rep. John Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce committee, said,

    "Our constituents are growing weary of these events. They are losing confidence in this agency's ability to protect them from the products they use daily."
    Your rating: None
    Food Safety Policy, Raw Food  |  Comments
  • Rabies outbreak in Toronto

    Posted: January 28th, 2008 - 3:03pm by Doug Powell

    Reuters is reporting that a rabies alert was sent across Canada Monday after a puppy sold at a Toronto-area flea market tested positive, the first outbreak of rabies in the Toronto area in more than 20 years.

    Toronto health officials said the eight-week-old border collie, which has died, was from a group of 12 puppies at the market. The other 11 dogs are under quarantine.

    The mother of the border collie, from a farm in Eastern Ontario, has also died after contacting the virus from a rabid skunk.

    Howard Shapiro, associate medical officer of health at Toronto Public Health, said at least 80 Toronto-area people, who came in contact with the animals, have had to get rabies shots. More than 900 people have contacted a hotline set up since the disease was found in one of the animals.
    Your rating: None
    Food Safety Policy  |  Comments
  • Genetically engineered and conventional sweet corn -- 2001 overview

    Posted: January 28th, 2008 - 2:18pm by Doug Powell

    Farmer Jeff, Doug Powell and others provide an overview of 2001 research involving genetically engineered and conventional sweet corn, from seeding through to harvest.


    Your rating: None
    Food Safety Policy  |  Comments
  • Pediatrician says, irradiate beef, for kids' sake

    Posted: January 28th, 2008 - 12:50pm by Doug Powell

    Harry Hull, of St. Paul, a pediatrician who served as the state epidemiologist for the Minnesota Health Department from 2000 to '06 and is currently a consultant in infectious disease epidemiology, writes in AgWeek that,

    “A year of eating dangerously: 2007 was year of wake-up (re)calls for beef” (Agweek, Jan. 7) should capture the attention of everyone concerned about the future of the beef industry. E. coli kills kids. It's time for industry to accept that the processing methods currently being used for ground beef cannot achieve the level of safety that Americans both expect and deserve.

    "Beef producers and processors have made valiant efforts that have reduced, but certainly not eliminated, E. coli from ground beef. Millions of dollars have been spent to 'fix' the problem. Current technologies - steam pasteurization, acid rinses and sprays - can eliminate more than 99 percent of E. coli in ground beef. The percent of contaminated ground beef samples remained steady at 0.17 for three years before going up sharply to 0.20 in 2007. That means that one out of 500 pounds of hamburger contains deadly E. coli and millions of pounds of contaminated hamburger still reach the consumer. This is unacceptable from a public health perspective and would be an embarrassment to any other industry.

    "There are no clear answers as to why recalls and illness increased dramatically last year. Some companies made mistakes but others had serious problems despite using used the most advanced technology available. More sophisticated tests and increased testing rates are likely to yield even more recalls in 2008. …

    "While ground beef should be thoroughly cooked and properly handled, we know that is not the case in many home kitchens and far too many restaurants. When E. coli contaminated food makes it to the table, children get sick, suffer and die. Industry has a legal responsibility to make sure that products are safe so that our kids remain healthy. The permanent solution to the problem - irradiation - is already in hand and we need to use it.

    "Irradiation is a USDA/FDA-approved process and already is being used by several visionary companies, including Schwan's and Omaha Steaks. Many of our spices and an increasing amount of imported produce are irradiated. Pasteurization made milk both nutritious and safe for our children. Irradiation can so the same for ground beef. Let's stop dithering and do what is right for our kids. Ground beef should be routinely irradiated."
    Your rating: None
    E. coli  |  Comments
  • Villanova students have upset stomachs, basketball team gets upset

    Posted: January 27th, 2008 - 8:04am by Ben Chapman

    The Associated Press is reporting an outbreak of norovirus at Villanova University.  Health officials are saying the nasty virus sent 14 people to the emergency room and has sickened close to 100 others. Officials also say that they don't think a common food vehicle is involved as ill students live both on campus and off.  Maybe noro was one of the reasons for the No. 18 team's loss at home to Notre Dame yesterday: no fan support because everybody was on the toilet?
    Your rating: None
    Norovirus  |  Comments
  • Do happy cows make happy milk?

    Posted: January 26th, 2008 - 3:26pm by Amy Hubbell

    Are humans safer when they’re happy? Are you?
    Ok. Now follow this logic…
    Are cows?

    I’m willing to go along with the California Cow commercial that claims “Great cheese comes from happy cows” and maybe even the only happy cows in the world come from California. Why not – the weather is nice and the people are laid-back. But does that necessarily mean their milk is safer?

    In a post today on http://wewantorganicfood.com/
    author, Lynn Cameron says, “If there could be a master key to safe raw milk, I think it would be contented cows.” The author contends that today, some raw milk is unsafe because some cows spend their days indoors, “living on field corn and soybeans to the degradation of their milk and the degeneration of the nation’s health.” I guess this is something akin to the cubicle complex.

    Call me a skeptic, but I really need some science to back up this happy feeling. It’s nice to think that happy cows frolicking on the hill cannot produce anything bad. The author of the article rightfully makes a call to our nostalgia – to a happier time before farming was industrialized. Nostalgia is nice, but it does not make food safer. While Cameron says, “It’s not complicated science to understand that quality of life as well as diet affects cows’ milk quality,” her inability to produce that uncomplicated science leaves me completely unconvinced. This kind of thinking, that cows “raised entirely outdoors on green grass and/or hay, their milk is proven time and again greatly reduced in pathogens (bad bacteria),” has really not been proven as explained by David Renter in September 2006. “Cattle raised on diets of ‘grass, hay and other fibrous forage’ do contain E. coli O157:H7 bacteria in their feces as do other animals including deer, sheep, goats, bison, opossum, raccoons, birds, and many others.”

    I’m completely in favor of good conditions and happy cows – who wouldn’t be? But even in the best conditions, microbiological contamination can happen – just as it happens in very happy homes with very content cooks. “Confinement cows” or “happy cows,” the only scientifically proven measure to reduce the risk of dangerous pathogens in milk is pasteurization.

    Your rating: None
    E. coli, Raw Food  |  Comments