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May 2009

  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 4:38pm

    Gregory Dicum, the author of “The Coffee Book: Anatomy of an Industry From Crop to the Last Drop,” writes in a review of John Reader’s “Potato: A History of the Propitious Esculent” set to appear Sunday that Reader argues that the potato’s low-key ubiquity is an indication of just how central the potato is to our lives.

    Date Published: 
    31.may.09
    Plants  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 4:35pm

    Barbara Freeman was looking after their six-month-old daughter instead of dining with her husband of 18 months when he collapsed in a restaurant and later died after eating a tomato canape. Coroner Murray Jamiesen yesterday confirmed the cause of Mr Freeman's death as an anaphylactic reaction.

    Date Published: 
    30.may.09
    Allergies  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 4:34pm

    A series of mysterious cat deaths was caused by the government-mandated practice of irradiating imported pet food.

    Date Published: 
    30.may.09
    Animals  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 4:34pm

    Seven more deer sampled in Hampshire County test positive for Chronic Wasting Disease.   Since it was first discovered in a road-killed deer near Slanesville in 2005, the DNR has been aggressively targeting the dangerous virus.  To date, 45 deer taken from the containment zone have tested positive.

    Date Published: 
    29.may.09
    Animals  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 3:18pm

    Chang Farm, River Road, Whatley, MA is issuing a voluntary recall of Bean and Soy sprouts produced from Chang Farms, with specific expired date codes because of the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes (L. Monocytogenes) contamination.

    Date Published: 
    28.may.09
    Listeria  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 3:17pm

    Terra Bella, California-based Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc. and its parent company, Setton International Foods Inc., Commack, N.Y., have gone on the offensive after the Food and Drug Administration alleged the company’s Terra Bella plant continued shipping nuts after tests indicated the presence of salmonella.

    Date Published: 
    29.may.09
    Salmonella  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 3:15pm

    A senior official of the American Meat Institute (AMI) has told the Canadian House of Commons that the US and Canadian meat and poultry industries have made great progress on food safety.

    Date Published: 
    29.may.09
    Food Safety Policy  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 3:13pm

    Date Notified To FSANZ: 28 May 2009 Food Product: Ready-To-Eat Meat Name of Product: IGA Deli Roast Beef Package Description & Size: 100g, plastic packet Use By Date: 24 Jun 09 Australian Distribution: SA and VIC Overseas Distribution: Nil Reason for Recall: Microbial –Listeria monocytogenes Comments:

    Date Published: 
    28.may.09
    Listeria  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 3:11pm

    A 38-year-old food allergy sufferer died after a severe reaction apparently caused by something he ate or drank in a South Auckland restaurant, the Auckland coroner has found. However, exactly what triggered the anaphylactic shock that resulted in Grant Freeman, of Stanmore Bay, suffering heart failure and brain damage, from which he died two days after the meal, remains a puzzle.

    Date Published: 
    29.may.09
    Allergies  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 3:11pm

    The Centre for Food Safety found eight out of 5,200 food samples tested in April to be unsatisfactory, mainly involving excessive or illegal use of food preservatives or colourings. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.8%. It tested vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products and frozen confections, and cereals and grains.

    Date Published: 
    29.may.09
    None  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 1:59pm

    Editor’s note: The Courier each week runs a summary of reports on area restaurant inspections by the Montgomery County Health Department Environmental Health Services. The department routinely performs food establishment inspections twice per year, or more often if the inspection report was bad resulting in numerous demerits or a complaint was filed.

    Date Published: 
    29.may.09
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 1:58pm

    Cameron Prince, Vice-President, Operations, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, writes regarding, Tainted meat linked to shortage of inspectors, May 26, to say that food safety has always been, and will continue to be, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) top priority.

    Date Published: 
    29.may.09
    Food Safety Policy  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 1:56pm

    Amanda Brazee of Albany writes to say, as a devotee of pastured meat, I feel compelled to comment on Steve Barnes' May 21 article ("Grass-fed beef faces taste test'') on the informal tasting conducted at the Albany Pump Station.

    Date Published: 
    29.may.09
    Animal Welfare, E. coli  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 1:54pm

    To raise strong, healthy rainbow trout for your backyard grill or for a white-tablecloth restaurant, fish farmers nourish this in-demand fish with a daily dose of at least a dozen essential vitamins.

    Date Published: 
    29.may.09
    Animals  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 1:53pm

    L. monocytogenes exists everywhere in nature what is not a problem for individuals with healthy immune systems capable of keep the bacteria at bay, but a real danger for immunocompromised or pregnant hosts, in which case Listeriosis (the infection) can result in a mortality rate  as high as 30%.

    Date Published: 
    28.may.09
    Listeria  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 1:51pm

    RANDOLPH CENTER, Vt. -- When Ken Preston went organic on his dairy farm here in 2005, he figured that doing so would guarantee him what had long been elusive: a stable, high price for the milk from his cows.

    Date Published: 
    29.may.09
    Animals  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 1:50pm

    Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) have been found in sewage sludge, a by-product of waste-water treatment frequently used as a fertilizer. Researchers writing in the open access journal Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica point out the danger of antibiotic resistance genes passing into the human food chain.

    Date Published: 
    28.may.09
    Animals, Plants  |  Comments
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 1:49pm

    Polish farmers will have the right to block genetically modified foods, commonly known as GMOs, as Brussels has agreed to a proposal put forth by the Polish government after 8 years of conflict on the issue.

    Date Published: 
    29.may.09
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 1:48pm

    Scientists from St George's, University of London achieved a major advance by developing a protein that can kill the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) when used as a microbicide. What's more, the researchers have devised a way to produce the protein in plants in quantities enough to make it affordable for people in developing countries.

    Date Published: 
    29.may.09
  • Posted: May 29th, 2009 - 1:47pm

    Scientists at the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetic Resources Research and Development, Bogor, Indonesia have successfully introduced the proteinase inhibitor II (pin II) gene to a soybean variety through the particle bombardment technique. Pin II gene is implicated in the defense mechanisms of many crop species.

    Date Published: 
    29.may.09