RECALL OF THE CONTAMINATED GROUND TURKEY IN CALIFORNIA

I have noticed that a lot of my California-based blog readers are wondering where the recently recalled Cargill ground turkey was sold here (see previous posts). People are particularly concerned - rightly so - because this is not just any old meat recall. It involves a Salmonella bacteria which is multi-drug resistant. That is the type of bacteria we all fear most, whether it be a Stahylococcus, Streptococcus, E.coli, or Salmonella. And, it is also the type of bacteria that is increasingly cropping up as antibiotics are overused, including at sub-therapeutic levels in poultry and meat production.

The California Department of Health (CDPH) has now put out a list of places where these recalled meat products were sold. It is paying particular attention to this nationwide recall, since several illnesses and the one death, have occurred in California (above see map).

The California stores involved in the recall include: WinCo, Food4Less, Foodsco, Stater Brothers Markets, Ralph's, Ralph's Fresh Fair, and Cala (only in San Francisco). I say "include" because who knows, more may be added to the list.

The products bore brand names of Kroger, Honeysuckle White and Riverside (see earlier posts for the products recalled). They were sold in many parts of California. The list of towns and cities is too long to include here but can be accessed on the Excel spread sheet provided by CDPH: see http://www.cdph.ca.gov/pubsforms/Documents/fdbFrCMSd.xls (or, search on cdph.ca.gov for Cargill turkey recall). The list includes store addresses and telephone numbers which allows you to call them if you have any questions.

But remember that these potentially dangerous products have now been taken off the market. At least we hope so (besides, their Best by date has expired). And, as I have said before, just because pathogenic bacteria are found in significant numbers in a few items does not mean that they are present in every single package bought.

To your good health,
TSF

WILL RADIATION-CONTAMINATED SEAWATER REACH THE UNITED STATES?

Looking at the statistics for this blog, I notice that quite a few people in the United States have been searching about radiation in food, including in fish. I don't think they are just worried about imported fish from Japan (although some people are certainly avoiding that). They are also wondering whether radiation in the sea near the crippled Fukushima power plant will reach U.S. waters and contaminate the fish here.

Japanese officials have now raised the severity of the Fukushima disaster to that of Chernobyl - a level 7. But, in terms of its impact on oceans, the effect is actually greater. Certain radionuclides have been found at higher levels in the Pacific than they were after Chernobyl in the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. They got into the Pacific not only from the hundreds of thousands of tons of very radioactive water discharged into the ocean, but also from the air. So where does all this water go? To answer that question, I did a bit of searching to see what the oceanographers are predicting.

Yes, it does seem that the main currents from the Fukushima area of Japan move across the Pacific towards the west coast of the United States. I think they are the Kuroshio and the Oyashio, which converge (see NASA photo taken 100 miles north of the Fukushima plant). The contaminated seawater is expected to reach Hawaii in about a year and get as far as California in two to three years. It takes a while.

In the meantime, it will get more and more diluted. So it seems that Americans - including people here in California - shouldn't be too worried.

Let's just stick to focusing more on our home-grown toxins in seafood , such as those found the the San Francisco Bay and Santa Monica Bay of California - PCBs, DDT, dieldrin, chlordane and dioxins. And, any that our own nuclear plants discharge into the environment.

To your good health!

TSF

RECENT FOOD RECALLS IN CALIFORNIA

California is a great place to live. It's not just the beauty and climate. It's also the food. California is the number one food and agricultural producer in the United States. More than half the nation's fruit, nuts, and vegetables come from here. In addition, it's the nation's number one dairy state. There are also a large number of food importers, distributors and processors based here. That can mean that our food travels less miles and arrives at our table in fresher condition than in many other parts of the U.S.

Unfortunately, all this does not mean that California has completely safe food. In fact, we come in for more than our fair share of recalls. Let's take those I have listed for the past few days. I am also noting how you can contact the company for more information (see also the alerts column and click on FDA or USDA links for additional details).

• Jennie-O Turkey Store frozen turkey burgers with possible Salmonella contamination were distributed in California as well as in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Washington and Wisconsin. For more information, see the special website the company has created for consumers at www.jennieo.com/recall(Congratulations on taking this unusual step!).

• Seafood Salads from Frankly Fresh with possible contamination by Listeria monocytogenes were distributed through retail supermarkets in California (as well as in Nevada). For more information contact the company at we-care@franklyfresh.com or its hot line at 1-800-826-3322 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. PT.

• Angelina brand smoked round scad (imported from the Philippines) which could be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum was distributed in California through retail stores, supermarkets and wholesale distributors (as well as in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Washington, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and the Virgin Islands). For more information - Contact the company at 323-257-1888 Monday to Friday noon to 9 p.m. EDT.

• Sprouts sold by Louie Foods International were apparently distributed only in California in the central valley and along the CA coast. For more information call Louie Foods, International at (559) 264-2745 PT.

By the way, three of the four recalls below (all except the turkey burgers) originated in California as well. All the bacteria involved in these incidents - Clostridium, Listeria and Salmonella - can cause serious and even fatal illnesses. You can not tell by looking at these foods that they may be contaminated.

Be careful my California friends.

TSF

FOOTNOTE: I notice that a lot of blog readers are pulling up this post during a ground turkey recall in August, which also affects California. The present post only covered a few days in April. The ground turkey recall is dealt with in three posts in August 3-4.