Has Change.org jumped the shark?

Students enrolled in the Environmental Justice and U.S. Literature class taught by English Professor Elizabeth Ammons last Thursday collected signatures in Dewick−MacPhie Dining Hall and outside Carmichael Hall for a petition asking that Tufts Dining Services offer more free−range meat options in the dining halls.

The petition, which is also available online at Change.org, asks Dining Services to dedicate 10 percent of its meat purchases in the 2013−2014 academic year to free−range and to incrementally increase meat purchases to 50 percent free−range by 2020.

Tufts Daily reports that “non−free−range meat, despite being soaked in ammonia, has 20 times more E. coli bacteria than free−range meat, according to the petition.”

“The industrial meat system isn’t very clean,” sophomore Kara Daniels, a member of the class, said. “People have died from E. coli outbreaks. It just really affects people.”

Yes, people die from E. coli outbreaks involving all sorts of foods and feeding conditions. There are lots of capable people at Tufts who can respond to this, but the lit students initiated this one, so, what’s the source? What’s the reference? Show everyone the data.

Thanks to our French friend, Albert Amgar, for forwarding this item.

On 15 November 2010, 3 confirmed cases of toxoplasmosis of the same family were reported to the Midi-Pyrénées Regional Health Agency. A collective outbreak of food poisoning was suspected with regard to the single common meal taken on 3 October 2010 that included undercooked lamb’s leg. Clusters of toxoplasmosis cases are rare; therefore, investigations on the episode were conducted.

Epidemiological, clinical and serological data were collected from the participants in the meal. Genotyping of the strain isolated in the suspected food was performed as well as a traceability investigation.

All five sensitive people of the seven persons exposed during the meal had a recent uncomplicated evolutionary toxoplasmosis (attack rate 100 %; mean age 21 years). DNA genotyping in the frozen half lamb’s leg revealed a type II. The farm of origin of the lamb could not be identified.

Our investigations contributed to describe a Toxoplasma food poisoning limited in size, and to determine the origin of the contamination. However, other cases may have gone unnotified, considering the infection is usually asymptomatic. Toxoplasma foodborne illnesses are poorly documented and information on the possibility of contamination due to insufficiently cooked lamb meat should be spread more widely.

According to the Buncombe County Department of Health an additional five illnesses have been added to a cluster of illnesses linked to travel to Buncombe Co (and eating or drinking something there?).

The Buncombe County Department of Health reports that 5 more cases of Salmonella Paratyphi B were identified over the weekend, bringing the total to 34, as of Monday, April 30, 2012. The local health department is working with NC Department of Public Health, Center for Disease Control, US Department of Agriculture and others to continue intensive testing, interviewing, and epidemiological investigation of the outbreak in order to squelch the spread of the disease. Cases still appear to have been associated with residence or travel to Buncombe County since February 28, 2012. A single source of infection has not been confirmed.

WYFF4 reports that Buncombe County Health Director Gibbie Harris said there have also been cases confirmed in other parts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and New York.

"None of us think that we've seen the peak of this yet," said Harris. "This (strain) has a longer incubation period, so you can go up to 30 days after being exposed before you actually show symptoms."

Harris said this particular strain is also different than the strain of salmonella usually seen because it's treated with an antibiotic and causes more severe symptoms.
 

PC may be politically correct, but in jail it means protective custody, not much better than the hole.

Two days after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed scrapie in a recently deceased sheep from a quarantined flock in Eastern Ontario, and a month after CFIA was scheduled to confiscate the Shropshire sheep, the previously unknown group Farmers' Peace Corps kidnapped the 31 sheep slated for slaughter, leaving a note that read:

“We have taken the animals into protective custody until an alternative to killing has been found, or conclusive independent proof or clear evidence of disease has been proven. This has been done without the knowledge or participation of the owner.”

What say the people’s front now that scrapie has been confirmed? Not independent? Testing for scrapie or other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies isn’t something that can be done in a basement, like genetic engineering.

The Globe and Mail reports that on Friday, CFIA notified Ms. Jones that an autopsy showed a sheep that died at the end of March on the farm was infected with scrapie.

Montana Jones, the owner, said, “I don’t believe Lava (the name of the sheep) was actually infected. They just needed a sheep to pin it on. I just want whoever has my flock to bring it back to me and then everybody leave me alone.”

CFIA said in its positive test announcement that Canada’s approach to confirmed or suspected cases of scrapie is based on internationally accepted science and seeks to minimize disruptions to producers.

The missing sheep pose a serious risk for scrapie and could spread the disease to other sheep and goats. Any premises that receive them will be subject to a quarantine and further regulatory action.

Quarantine breaches put the livestock industry and the economy at risk. Any person who breaches a quarantine may be subject to criminal prosecution under the Health of Animals Act.

What shall we have for dinner? Chinese? Indian? Italian? Researchers at the UK’s Health Protection Agency went through available data and found some food-type-pathogen-matches that statistically stood out. Abstract below.

The food service sector continues to be the most common setting for reported foodborne disease outbreaks in England and Wales.

Using restaurant-associated foodborne outbreaks reported in England and Wales from 1992 to 2009, cuisine-specific risk factors were examined. Of 677 restaurant outbreaks, there were 11,795 people affected, 491 hospitalizations, and seven deaths; and Chinese, Indian, British and Italian cuisines were the most commonly implicated (26%, 16%, 13% and 10%, respectively).

Salmonella spp. accounted for most outbreaks of all cuisine types, and particularly Chinese (76%, 133/175) and Italian (55%, 38/69). Poultry meat was the most frequently implicated food vehicle in outbreaks associated with Indian (30%), Chinese (21%), and British (18%) cuisines while for Italian cuisine, desserts and cakes were more frequently implicated (33%). Rice dishes were also a common outbreak food vehicle in those restaurants serving Chinese (22%) and Indian (16%) cuisine.

Cross-contamination was the biggest contributory factor associated with Chinese (46%), British (33%) and Indian (30%) cuisines whereas inadequate cooking (38%) and use of raw shell eggs in lightly cooked or uncooked food (35%) were more often associated with Italian cuisine. Over the surveillance period, the proportion of SalmonellaEnteritidis PT4 outbreaks in restaurants serving Chinese cuisine significantly decreased (P<0·0001) and this was mirrored by an increase in S.Enteritidis non-PT4 outbreaks (P<0·0001). Despite this change in proportion, contributory factors such as cross-contamination have continued to cause outbreaks throughout the 18 years.

The results show that by stratifying the risks associated with restaurants by cuisine type, specific evidence of food control failures can be used to target foodborne illness reduction strategies.

Epidemiology and Infection June 2012 140 : pp 997-1007
F. J. Gormley, N. Rawal and C. L. Little

There's a salmonellosis outbreak going on in western North Carolina. According to WYFF4.com, 27 individuals are part of a cluster of illnesses linked to Salmonella Paratyphi B infections.

Communicable Disease Nurses and Environmental Health Specialists are conducting interviews with people who currently have or have had the infection, reviewing laboratory reports and inspecting food sources that may be linked to the outbreak.Communicable disease experts from the North Carolina Division of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as food specialists from the N.C. Department of Agriculture are assisting with the investigations.

As of Friday morning, 27 possible cases have been identified.  The source of contamination had not been confirmed.

All cases appear to have been associated with residence or travel to Buncombe County since Feb. 28, 2012.

KFC has been ordered to pay $8 million damages by a judge who found a young Sydney girl was left severely brain damaged after eating a Twister chicken wrap.

AAP reports the family of Monika Samaan (right) successfully sued the fast food giant, claiming the source of her salmonella poisoning was a Twister.

Her father told the NSW Supreme Court he bought the wrap on October 24, 2005, at the KFC outlet at Villawood, in Sydney's west.

While Monika, her parents and her brother ended up in hospital with salmonella poisoning, the then seven-year-old was left severely brain damaged and is effectively now a quadriplegic.

On Friday, Justice Stephen Rothman ordered KFC to pay $8 million damages plus legal costs.

Last Friday, he found KFC had breached its duty of care to the young girl.
KFC has indicated it will appeal his finding.

In a statement, the family's lawyer George Vlahakis said, "The compensation ordered is very much needed. KFC have to date been determined that Monika does not receive a cent."

North Carolina is set to adopt the FDA Model Food Code by reference, with a couple of state-specific adjustments, starting with the 2009 iteration. This means the Food Code becomes the law that commercial food service businesses will be required to follow. According to the code, commercial buyers of cut leafy greens should receive them at 41F (5C) or below. This requirement is to curb the growth of pathogens. Based on past outbreaks, the two pathogens of most concern are shiga-toxin producing E. coli and Salmonella spp. There is lots of debate around the validity of the guidance, as well as the economic impact the cooling requirement might have on producers marketing salad ingredients.

Cut leafy greens (as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) are fresh leafy greens whose leaves have been cut, shredded, sliced, chopped, or torn --beyond a root zone cut or harvest cut. The term leafy greens includes iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, baby leaf lettuce (i.e., immature lettuce or leafy greens), escarole, endive, spring mix, spinach, cabbage, kale, arugula and chard. The term leafy greens does not include herbs such as cilantro or parsley (see here).

Cut leafy greens have not always required temperature control for safety. Following over 20 multi-state outbreaks between 1998 and 2008, 'cut leafy greens' was added to the definition of potentially hazardous food requiring time-temperature control for safety (TCS).

Storage and transport time and temperature are contributing factors for pathogen growth in cut leafy greens; water and nutrient availability, along with a suitable pH create an environment to support the growth of lots of food borne bacteria

Luo and colleagues (2010) demonstrated one log growth over a 4-day period after inoculating cut lettuce with E. coli O157:H7 at 53.6F (12C). Luo and colleagues also showed that if stored at 41F (5C), E. coli O157:H7 populations do not grow and experience slight decline. Lee and Baek (2008) showed that spinach inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 and stored at 44.6F (7C) would support pathogen growth This finding, coupled with other data, was modeled by Danyluk and Schaffner (2011) and supports assumptions that cut leafy greens that are temperature abused will support the growth of E. coli O157:H7 and that the pathogen’s populations may increase by as much as ten-fold each day (at optimum temperatures). Pathogens, once attached to the surface or internalized into cut surfaces of leafy greens, are only marginally affected by sanitizers (their use is not considered an adequate control strategy for the pathogens) leaving time/temperature as the most effective control.

While adoption of the FDA Model Food Code has brought attention to a potential barrier, the process of taking a raw agriculture product and turning it into a cut leafy green (for example heads of iceberg lettuce being shredded and sold in a package/box to retail) already requires refrigeration in post-processing and storage by FDA's CFR 21 110.80 (as it's applied in North Carolina).

While folks might argue the validity of the 41F or lower requirement for cut leafy greens, producers who are marketing cut leafy greens should focus on risk reduction through refrigeration (at of below 41F) in storage and transport regardless of the law (which also likely provides a higher quality product). Or harvest, cut and transport to a restaurant quickly, where time in lieu of temperature would be a valid control measure.

Maintaining temperatures below 41F for fresh-cut leafy greens has been raised as a practical and economic barrier for producers (as it is suggested that processors of these products do not typically have the means to control temperatures post-processing and during transport). There isn't a whole lot of data available to support or refute this - so we're going to generate some by quickly evaluating regular food coolers and ice/icepacks as a potential way for a producer to get the product to a buyer at 41F.

References:

Danyluk, M and Schaffner, D. 2011.  Quantitative assessment of the microbial risk of leafy greens from farm to consumption: Preliminary framework, data, and risk estimates. J. Food Prot. 74:700–708.

Lee, S. Y., and Baek, S. 2008. Effect of chemical sanitizer combined with modified atmosphere packaging on inhibiting Escherichia coli O157:H7 in commercial spinach. Food Microbiol. 25:582–587.

Luo, Y., He, Q., and McEvoy, J. 2010. Effect of storage temperature and duration on the behavior of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on packaged fresh-cut salad containing romaine and iceberg lettuce. J. Food Sci. 75:M390-M397.

 

A Las Vegas local restaurant owner is angry with the Southern Nevada Health District. And he's speaking out after his restaurant was shut down.

"You have no reason to go shut it down, Gabriel Adefris told KTNV. "And you think this list is basically nothing?" asks Darcy. "Nothing. For me nothing, yes," says Gabriel.

He firmly believes his business has been treated unfairly. Gabriel owns the Cottage Cafe on Paradise Road, near Tropicana Avenue. During a recent visit, health inspectors shut down the Ethiopian restaurant with 49 demerits. Anything more than 40 means an automatic closure.

Contact 13 went to the Cottage Cafe to ask about the long list of violations. Gabriel was more than willing to show us around and answer all of our questions.

"What's the deal with the bar? It notes that they told you on December 8 and January 17 to get it permitted. But you failed to do that," says Darcy. "No. I did call them," says Gabriel.

Gabriel claims he tried to make appointments to get his bar inspected. But after leaving multiple messages, he says they never returned his calls.

"So there's no way I could force them to come down here, it's not my job," says Gabriel.

I also asked Gabriel about an employee, inspectors say washed her hands without soap, multiple times.

"That's not true. She washed it, she used soaps all the time here. Nobody use without soap water, there's no way," says Gabriel. "So you think the health inspector is lying?" asks Darcy. "Yes, they're lying. They lie. 100%, they're lying," says Gabriel.

And he didn't stop there. He says health inspectors are too critical. Like citing his restaurant for a dirty can opener he claims was being used by an employee.

"They shouldn't write it down. Small stuff like that you write it down. Once she's done she's got to go and wash it anyways. Right?" says Gabriel. "So she just hadn't gotten to that can opener yet," says Darcy. "Yes. They didn't even give her time," says Gabriel.

But Cottage Cafe has made our Dirty Dining list before. In September of 2010, the restaurant was forced to close its doors with 58 demerits.

Gabriel feels like he's being targeted

"So you believe they're looking for violations and writing down stuff that doesn't exist just to bilk you for money?" asks Darcy. "That's what I think. Because my employees they know what to do. They know their job," says Gabriel.

Gabriel wants customers to know his restaurant is clean and his food is safe.

We spoke with the Health District, which says all restaurants must pass the same regulations. Every inspector's main priority is the public's health and safety and they stand by their report. They also tell us the Cottage Cafe is back open, and operating with a 7 demerit A grade.