January 2008

  • Maureen Dowd gets food poisoning; thanks White House

    Posted: January 16th, 2008 - 8:17pm by Doug Powell

    N.Y. Times columnist Maureen Dowd refers to President Bush dismissively, by his middle initial, and has been vastly less than impressed by his efforts in the Middle East.

    Nevertheless, White House aides and medical staff leaped to help Dowd when she fell ill during Bush's eight-day swing through the Middle East.

    Once she arrived in Jerusalem Jan. 8, Dowd fell sick — and started second-guessing her decision to leave the campaign trail for the presidential bubble abroad. She was suffering some kind of stomach bug that left her nauseated, weak and feeling feverish.

    Dowd was quoted as saying, "I'm not sure it was a New Hampshire fever or Jerusalem food poisoning." The story notes that  Presidential aides, including press secretary Dana Perino, made clear early on that Dowd could see Richard Tubb, the Air Force brigadier general who oversees the White House medical office and takes care of the president at home and abroad.

    But Dowd declined. With no medication, she tried to soldier on by grabbing whatever rest she could in her hotel room. Dowd finally decided to take up the White House on its offer.

    A young press aide, Carlton Carroll, helped arrange for Dowd to visit Tubb at the Emirates Palace, the $3 billion luxury hotel where the president and his aides were staying. The hotel is so vast that Dowd and her escorts got lost twice in the marble and gold hallways.

    Tubb gave her a few tablets of Cipro and some Pepto-Bismol and told her to check back with him the next day. She turned down Tubb's offer of an IV (so there was no chance of an "accidental" poisoning, she joked).

    On Sunday, when the entourage flew from Bahrain to the United Arab Emirates, Dowd was supposed to be flying on the press charter, without access to Tubb. But the White House made room for her aboard Air Force One, where she visited the doctor once again in his office near the president's.
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  • Today's ifsn infosheet: ground beef products linked to outbreak

    Posted: January 16th, 2008 - 6:21pm by Ben Chapman

    Today's infosheet focuses on an outbreak of E. coli O157 linked to ground beef and ground beef products served at restaurants in the US.   We use the outbreak and recall to highlight the importance of handling ground beef and patties properly in kitchens, including proper cooking, keeping foods separate, using clean equipment and handwashing.  You can download the infosheet here.
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  • Depp donates to hospital

    Posted: January 15th, 2008 - 10:11am by Doug Powell

    The Daily Mail is reporting that actor Johnny Depp has secretly been giving back to the hospital that saved his little Lily-Rose, after the 8-year-old contracted E. coli and her kidneys failed last year.

    Apparently, Depp gave the hospital £1 million ($2 million) of his own money. He also invited 5 doctors to see the London premiere of his most recent movie, Sweeney Todd.

    And on November 29, unknown to the public, Depp spent four hours at the hospital telling bedtime stories to patients dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow after having his Pirates Of The Caribbean costume flown over from Los Angeles.

    Sounds like an ideal candidate for a public service announcement (PSA) on foodborne illness.
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    E. coli, Food Safety Policy  |  Comments
  • 5 sickened by raw milk in Washington

    Posted: January 15th, 2008 - 7:28am by Doug Powell

    The Whatcom County Health Department announced Monday that five people were sickened by the the same campylobacter jejuni strain found in raw milk that was recalled last month from Pleasant Valley Dairy.

    The dairy pulled that batch of milk from the shelves and has resumed its distribution of raw milk.

    The health department said the dairy has changed its testing procedures to reduce the risk of releasing contaminated milk.




    A table of raw milk  outbreaks is available at http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu/articles/384/RawMilkOutbreakTable.pdf
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  • Golfer felled by food poisoning; loses money cause of "stupid" rule

    Posted: January 14th, 2008 - 2:59pm by Doug Powell

    Golfer Kenneth Ferrie, the Englishman best known for playing in the final group in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, had to withdraw from Saturday's tournament because of food poisoning.

    As a result, he received less money than 18 guys who finished behind him, even though he qualified for the weekend and they didn't.

    Under tour regulations, anyone who withdraws or is disqualified for any reason after making the cut is paid last place, unofficial prize money. Ferrie was given $8,798, but it will not be applied to the money list, and he received no FedEx Cup points.

    Fan favorite John Daly was quoted as saying, "It's a stupid rule, I'm sorry."
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  • Rating the toilets

    Posted: January 14th, 2008 - 2:07pm by Doug Powell

    Paris in spring. I remember the toilet.

    Specifically, the toilet on the sidewalk of a busy Parisian street.

    And it looked exactly like this (left).

    The N.Y. Times has stolen my idea for the cover story when I was appointed editor of the Ontarion, the University of Guelph student paper, in 1987, and decided to rate the local bathrooms as New York City unveiled its first coin-operated public toilet designed to be the high-tech equal of any of its counterparts in Paris, Singapore or other world-class cities.

    (I went to local bars -- and it cost the paper thousands in lost advertising revenue cause they didn't like the results. This was before restaurant inspection disclosure.)

    The story says that last week, two reporters, a man and a woman, visited six public toilets and, for comparison, two private ones, at a museum and a hotel.

    Pennsylvania Station’s bathrooms are located in various companies’ waiting areas. The women’s room at New Jersey Transit was clean and every stall was working. Violins played over a loudspeaker.

    The bathrooms in the main ticketing area at the Port Authority Bus Terminal are hard to find (there are no signs and the floor maps are difficult to decipher). There is debris on the floor. Signs warn that plainclothes police officers patrol the restrooms.
    One sign details prohibited behavior, including smoking and drinking. It also warns that no one should “bathe, shave, launder, or change clothes.”

    The main restrooms in the Egyptian Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art are just past “Egypt Under Roman Rule 30 B.C. — 400 A.D.” and are clean and well lighted, if busy. A bathroom attendant visited twice in the space of 10 minutes.

    The bathroom at the St. Regis Hotel in Midtown is just past the candle-lighted library and down the stairs. The lighting fixtures are crystal and the faucets polished brass. A red flowering plant smells sweet. No one else is there.
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    Food Safety Culture, Food Safety Policy  |  Comments
  • Language and cultural barriers in food safety communication

    Posted: January 14th, 2008 - 7:16am by Ben Chapman

    Misti Crane of the Columbus Dispatch wrote yesterday that as part of an overhaul of food safety regulation in the city of Columbus (coincidentally, the site for the International Association for Food Protection annual meeting this year), a record number of restaurants have been brought before the city's Board of Health.  Crane reports that beginning in 2005 the board took action (including probation, suspended operations or revoking licenses) against restaurants 82 times; in the previous 7 years there had been only 10 cases.  The more interesting part of the story to me is how the health department has addressed the sometimes-difficult barrier of interacting with different cultures as a regulator.

    Crane writes about a city inspector relating an anecdote about cultural and language issues in a new restaurant:

    After seeing some food-safety problems at Fiesta Time, a new Mexican restaurant in Clintonville, a city inspector realized he was facing a language barrier, came back to the office and talked to co-worker Vince Fasone.
    Fasone, known as "Vicente" to Spanish-speaking restaurant owners and workers, paid a visit to Fiesta Time. In Spanish, which he speaks fluently after four years living in Mexico City, he explained the violations.
    Then he scheduled an early-morning visit last week for staff training.
    Fiesta Time co-owner Wendy Hernandez said she and her partner, Jose Bravo, don't want to break rules and certainly don't want to find themselves before the Board of Health.
    Sometimes, the instructions a manager gives employees sink in better once they're delivered by an outsider, especially one who speaks their language, Bravo said.

    Working with food handlers of differing cultural and ethnic backgrounds can be a barrier in implementing food safety programs and practices.  Not being able to relate what to do, how to do it and most importantly why to do it, makes food safety training ineffective. Understanding different cultures and being able to put food safety in context for a variety of food handlers can differentiate good communication from bad communication.

    Many health departments across North America have inspectors and program coordinators who are adept at adjusting their activities to different cultures, but some I have talked to have related that it is sometimes difficult to convince health boards and local politicians of this need.
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  • Paging Stephen Colbert

    Posted: January 13th, 2008 - 6:38pm by Doug Powell

    At least 20 bald eagles reportedly died in Kodiak, Alaska, after becoming mired in a truckload of fish guts.

    The Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News reported Saturday that about 50 eagles descended on the uncovered truck Friday when it left a garage at the Ocean Beauty Seafoods plant.

    Federal wildlife officials said that while gorging themselves, the birds pushed each other into the heavy, thick, goo and were drowned, buried and crushed.

    The incident took only minutes and factory officials moved the truck back inside once they saw what was happening, the Daily News reported.
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  • What to do if food has made you poop or barf

    Posted: January 12th, 2008 - 9:35am by Doug Powell

    An employee at the Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine brought me a present the other day: a bag of salad that apparently had a big wad of mud in it. Or was it poop? Smelled like mud.

    She wasnt sickened by the food, but if you think a specific food has made you sick, here's what to do:

    • go to the doctor if necessary;

    • keep the food, in the fridge or freezer if necessary; and,

    • contact your local health department.

    Bill Marler's got some more specific guidelines here.

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    Food Safety Policy, Raw Food  |  Comments
  • What temperature would you like your lamb chops?

    Posted: January 12th, 2008 - 8:19am by Doug Powell

    This is a first; instead of me asking at a restaurant what medium-rare means -- temperature-wise -- the waitress tonight asked Amy after she ordered lamb chops, "What temperature would you like those at?"

    I immediately jumped in, blowing my food safety cover, and asked, "You actually have thermometers back in the kitchen?"

    She said, "Yes."

    I've been a food safety geek for coming up on 15 years. No one has ever asked me what temperature I wanted my food.

    I couldn't believe it.











    The occasion was Angelique's birthday, so Amy and I, along with Bob, decided to take our friend to the newest Manhattan (Kansas) eatery, della Voce.


















    When ordering, the waitress told us the meat on the menu was hormone and antibiotic free. Uh-oh, I thought, another over-priced food porn joint. Not interested.

    But, the food was good and the atmosphere was great for a leisurely 2.5 hour meal. Stick it in.


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    Food Safety Policy, Restaurant Inspection, Thermometers  |  Comments
  • Still raving about kosher food: It's not safer, it's marketing

    Posted: January 11th, 2008 - 10:56pm by Doug Powell

    We've blogged about kosher in Canada; how kosher in the U.K. sorta sucked.  Now, U.S. News & World Report cites Mintel, a Chicago-based market research firm, as saying that "kosher" has become the most popular claim on new food products, trouncing "organic" and "no additives or preservatives."

    The report said,

    "4,719 new kosher items were launched in the United States last year—nearly double the number of new "all natural" products, which placed second in the report."

    Marcia Mogelonsky, a senior research analyst at Mintel, said,

    "It's the belief among all consumers that kosher food is safer, a critical thing right now with worries about the integrity of the food supply."

    I really dislike people who speak on behalf of all other people. It usually means they know shit.

    Moshe Elefant, a rabbi and chief operating officer of the Orthodox Union KOSHER, a kosher certification organization based in New York, said,

    "Jews aren't allowed to ingest bugs, so produce must go through a thorough washing and checking to ensure that no bugs are found within the leaves or on the surface of the fruit or vegetable."

    Remarkably, the story notes that bacteria can remain even after this type of washing, so consumers can't assume they're less likely to get food poisoning with bagged spinach marked kosher than with a conventional bag.

    I understand there are religious reasons for choosing kosher, halal or anything else. For me, I'll focus on microbiologically safe food.
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  • Meet iFSN: Andrew Reece

    Posted: January 10th, 2008 - 7:24am by Doug Powell

    When I went to Canada in May 2005 I had no idea what I was getting into. I signed up for an exchange program between Kansas State University and the University of Guelph on a whim, and a month later I was in a town I had never heard of, and in an empty dorm where for the first 3 weeks the only other person I saw was the doorman.

    I had never heard of the International Food Safety Network, but I was a junior in food science at the time so I thought I had a little background on food safety. Turns out I was just scratching the surface of this deep subject. After an amazing summer, I went back to Kansas State with expanded knowledge and a new interest.

    I finished up my bachelors degree this past spring and am now working on my MSc at KSU. While working for iFSN I have successfully: increased my knowledge on food safety, found a path that differs from the normal food science route, furthered my education, and I have learned a lot of new skills -- check out my videos.

    However, the best thing about working for the iFSN is being able to create a food safety dialogue with those around me. Now when I go to a restaurant and am asked “How would you like your burger done?”, I can use the question as a conversation starter instead of getting a bloody piece of meat.

    With your donations, college students will have more options for work and study, and you will be helping create a larger public discussion about food safety.
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  • Meet iFSN: Danny Unruh

    Posted: January 9th, 2008 - 4:50pm by Doug Powell

    Greetings! I am a Freshman at Kansas State, majoring in Food Science and Industry, with an emphasis on Pre-Medicine, and a minor in Leadership Studies.

    I must admit, when I began with iFSN I was a little apprehensive: my boss was wearing shirts about poop and barf, and I was finding articles about poop and barf. Yet now, a month into this endeavor, I realize it is about much more than that. It’s about keeping people safe, and making it fun and interesting along the way. Therefore, I spent my winter break bragging about my great job and how interesting it is.

    The thing is, I really want to keep my job. More than that, however, is the urge we feel to keep people informed; it’s a passion we intend to keep moving. With your kindness and donations, you can keep me working and keep yourself from barfing.
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  • Safe Food Cafe - Handwashing in the produce industry

    Posted: January 9th, 2008 - 2:32pm by Andrew Reece

    This handwashing and good hygiene video is a few years old. It was produced by one time ifsn-ers Christian and Katija. It is intended for workers in the produce industry, but the handwashing techniques can be applied to anyone that handles food.

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  • Be appropriate in the kitchen

    Posted: January 9th, 2008 - 9:03am by Ben Chapman

    This week's food safety infosheet is all about being appropriate in the kitchen, especially when it comes to food safety.  We used a couple of stories for this sheet: one from Texas about a post-complaint inspection where and inspector saw some inappropriate scratching by the staff, and another about a Salmonella outbreak in Pennsylvania.  You can download the sheet here.

    We hear that some companies build their food safety training around the infosheets, and we are in the midst of evaluating their impact on changing practices with food handlers.  As we wrote last week, (and today's sheet is a good example) through iFSN's infosheets, we try to put a compelling spin on food safety information, attempting to draw in even the laziest, creepiest and stonedest of food handlers.
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  • Raw milk: it's all about the money

    Posted: January 8th, 2008 - 12:34pm by Doug Powell

    I admire Cindy Westover for her honesty.

    Cindy told the Brattleboro Reformer yesterday that her family swung open its barn doors at Great Brook Farm over the weekend to celebrate its decision to start selling raw milk in the new milkhouse farm store, to give her family a greater margin on every gallon sold, and for dairy farmers, every extra dollar helps.

    The story talks about the differences between state laws in New Hampshire and Vermont, with Westover saying the Vermont raw milk law -- apparently a variation of don't ask don't tell -- makes it harder for farmers, adding,

    "It's too bad Vermont has that rule because if Vermont and New Hampshire dairy farmers go out of business, it will change everything in the two states. The state should do what it can to help farmers survive."
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  • Viruses

    Posted: January 8th, 2008 - 6:07am by Ben Chapman

    Today's New York Times has a great article on viruses, inspired by writer Natalie Angier's post-New Year's Eve norovirus encounter.

    In it she writes that viruses are:

    infectious parasitic agents tiny enough to pass through a microfilter that would trap bacteria and other microbes, tiny enough to fit millions on board a single fleck of spit. All viruses have at their core compact genetic instructions for making more viruses, some of the booklets written in DNA, others in the related nucleic language of RNA. Our cells have the means to read either code, whether they ought to or not. Encasing the terse viral genomes are capsids, protective coats constructed of interlocking protein modules and decorated with some sort of docking device, a pleat of just the right shape to infiltrate a particular cell. Rhinoviruses dock onto receptors projecting from the cells of our nasal passages, while hepatitis viruses are shaped to exploit portholes on liver cells.

    I've been a big fan of viruses for a long time.  I read a book in high school (Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC) which led me into molecular biology and genetics, where virology became my favourite undergraduate course. Angier succinctly summarizes why I think viruses are so cool:

    They depend on our cells to manufacture every detail of their offspring, to print up new copies of the core instruction booklets, to fabricate the capsid jackets and to deliver those geometrically tidy newborn virions to fresh host shores. Through us, viruses can transcend mere chemistry and lay claim to biology.

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  • New advice on kids and food allergies: breastfeeding still best

    Posted: January 7th, 2008 - 5:27pm by Doug Powell

    The American Academy of Pediatrics now says in updated food allergy advice that breast-feeding helps prevent babies' allergies, but there's no good evidence for avoiding certain foods during pregnancy, using soy formula or delaying introduction of solid foods beyond six months.

    Associated Press reports that in August 2000, the doctors group advised mothers of infants with a family history of allergies to avoid cow's milk, eggs, fish, peanuts and tree nuts while breast-feeding.

    Dr. Scott Sicherer of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Jaffe Food Allergy Institute in New York, said,

    "They say, 'I shouldn't have had milk in my coffee. I've been saying, 'We don't really have evidence that it causes a problem. Don't be on a guilt trip about it.'"

    The new guidance report for pediatricians was published in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics and includes:

    • There is no convincing evidence that women who avoid peanuts or other foods during pregnancy or breast-feeding lower their child's risk of allergies.

    • For infants with a family history of allergies, exclusive breast-feeding for at least four months can lessen the risk of rashes and allergy to cow's milk.

    • Exclusive breast-feeding for at least three months protects against wheezing in babies, but whether it prevents asthma in older children is unclear.

    • There is no good evidence that soy-based formulas prevent allergies.

    • There is no convincing evidence that delaying the introduction of foods such as eggs, fish or peanut butter to children prevents allergies. Babies should not get solid food before 4 to 6 months of age, however.
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  • Tennis star Federer forced to withdraw

    Posted: January 7th, 2008 - 8:17am by Ben Chapman

    The BBC reports today that defending Australian Open champion Roger Federer has been forced to withdraw from the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne after coming down with a stomach illness.  Maybe Federer has been fraternizing with one of the estimated hundreds of thousands of Brits who have Norovirus.

    I think I had noro back in November.

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    Celebrity  |  Comments
  • Meet iFSN: Stephanie Maurer

    Posted: January 7th, 2008 - 6:26am by Doug Powell

    Hey y'all!

    My name's Steph, and I am a newbie graduate from Kansas State with a bachelor's in Animal Science, a minor in French, and a certificate in Equine studies.

    Currently, I am working for Hill's Pet Nutrition, and  iFSN.  Luckily for me, Doug is kind enough to keep me on part-time so I can stay connected online and watch my TV shows ;).

    I didn't realize how important food safety is, until I began pulling news for iFSN at the beginning of last year.  Now, I try my best to keep my mother out of the kitchen, and thanks to that, I made it through Thanksgiving and Christmas without barfing.

    Through donations and other helpful contributions to the network we can help the world realize the importance of food safety like I did, and save them from barfing as well.

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