HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT "BEST-BY" DATE ON FOOD?

I would certainly not advise anyone reading this blog to do what I did today. Put it down to post holiday-season block. It always takes me at least a few days to recover, and this year seems to be worse than usual.

Coming in totally starving, after an exhausting few hours catching up with my garden, I grabbed the first thing that appeared in the meat section of the refrigerator - some leftover deli meat. I tend to avoid it usually, as it's pretty unhealthy. But my son, who was home for the holidays wanted some, and then, as usual, didn't eat it. So I did today - along with my four healthy helpings of steamed vegetables.

Only after I had swallowed the last bite, did it occur to me to look at the date on the package (I had considerable difficulty finding it). Oh...oh. The "best-by" date was December 23 - two weeks ago. (Yes, you are right, I haven't had the energy to clean out my refrigerator, which is still loaded with food). That was definitely not safe eating. The only thing to my credit is that I did cook the meat. I just hope I cooked it enough! By the way, my dog, Gunesh (pictured) got the rest (cooked - but you may notice that he still looks worried).

That mysterious "best-by" date on most of our food - when you can find it and read it - provides useful information. True, it is not a safety date. The date refers to the last day you should be eating the product if you want best quality. But, because freshness is often related to safety, you would be wise to use it as a guide, particularly if you are in a "high risk" group - and, particularly with foods such as deli meat, which are known to often carry Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, which can grow in the refrigerator.

But interpret the date sensibly. Yes, two weeks after the date is definitely too long. But a few days is usually OK. Remember that the situation can change if the product has been opened or if it hasn't been stored properly, or, if you left the food in a hot car too long when you bought it. There have been instances when I threw out a food before that date, because it looked or smelt as though it was no longer fresh. And, yes, there are days like today, when I completely forgot to look at the date......

To your good health,

TSF

CAN'T WE EVEN PASTEURIZE MILK?

Our milk has been a lot safer from dangerous bacteria since we started to pasteurize it. Tests have shown that 2-25% of raw milk carries bugs like Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes, E.coli, Salmonella, Yersinia, Brucella, Mycobacterium bovis and Coxiella burnetti.

Some studies argue that these bacteria have become even more numerous in recent years as many dairy farmers in countries such as the U.S. give their cattle hormones to increase their milk production. This practice tends to result in more mastitis (inflammation of the udders). This is not just unpleasant for the poor cow, but results in more bacteria in their milk.

Thank goodness we have pasteurization. Sorry, for these reasons, I am not a fan of raw dairy, although I have known several people who are. (I also knew one person who died from eating raw dairy - cheese in her case). Pasteurization is a good aspect of our modern food supply. It is relatively easy to do, with heat treatment using one of several standarized methods (e.g. holding the milk at a temperature of 162 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds).

So how could things possibly go wrong? Apparently they can. Farmers All Natural Creamery in Wellman, Iowa, in the United States, has recalled nearly 1,000 gallons of whole milk because tests suggest that it hadn't been properly pasteurized.

The milk was sold to four distributors — UNFI in Aurora, Colo. and Lancaster, Texas, Calma Optimal in Franklin Park, Ill. and Natural Brands in Wood Dale, Ill. Who knows where it went from there.

To your good health,

TSF

A SOY FLOUR RECALL STARTS: RISKS FOR HUMANS AND PETS

Just announced by the FDA - a Salmonella contamination of soy flour in the U.S. Thumb Oilseed Producer’s Cooperative in Mich., is recalling 2623, 40-lb. bags and 360, 1,500-lb. totes of soybean flour; in addition to 924 .08-ton loads of bulk soy meal. That is an awful lot of flour. It was sent to wholesalers, who would have sent it on to food producer and possibly retail clients in smaller quantities.

I bet this recall is really going to expand with many of these food companies that used this flour having to recall whatever they made with it. That's another downside risk resulting from the interconnectedness of our industrialized food supply. And it is going to affect both human and animal food, since both commonly use soy flour as an ingredient.

An expansion always happens when a commonly used food ingredient is found to be contaminated. It happened with peanut products and again with dry milk in mid 2009 - both with Salmonella bacteria the cause (which survives very well in dry conditions). It will happen with soy flour this time. And it will not only have health costs, but also financial ones, with some small food producers going under because of lost production and costs of the recall. Of course, if the food production process cooks the food to a high enough temperature it should kill the bacteria.

Phew..This has been a really bad month in the U.S. in many ways, including in terms of food risks. I have enough trouble keeping up with all the ups and downs in the stock market, let alone the ones in our food. I am wondering whether the attempts at cost-cutting by some producers and food companies has resulted in dangerous shortcuts and slipups. And I am not even mentioning all those "foreign matter" recalls (like tiny bits of metal in Kraft Velveeta shells) and numerous allergens.

To your good health,
TSF

7 SIMPLE RULES FOR EATING SAFE SEAFOOD

The Safe Food Handbook has a chapter dedicated for Fish and Shellfish. Why? Because I believe seafood, and especially farmed seafood, is becoming increasingly dangerous to eat.

Mind you, any list like this tends to be a bit of an oversimplification, but here it is:

1. Raw is risky
2. Wild is usually safer than farmed
3. Small is usually safer than large
4. Domestic is usually safer than imported
5. Fish fat and fatty fish are best avoided
6. Dark parts of shellfish are more dangerous than light parts
7. Diversification is a good idea.

TSF

FOOD RISKS FOR PEOPLE LIKE STEVE JOBS OF APPLE

As of last night, the news has been full of Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple, taking another medical leave-of-absence from the company. This comes about a year and a half after his liver transplant and earlier absence. Apparently he has only been coming in a couple of days a week recently anyway, and it seems that even this got to be too much.

I am not surprised at the news. Why? For one thing, because of what I know about food safety. People such as Steve Jobs are in a very high risk group for food poisoning, because their immune systems are not functioning properly. The medication given after organ transplants is a major factor in this (some other prescription and over-the-counter medicines can have similar effects).

This means that a very few pathogenic Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes or other bacteria, or of a comparatively mild virus such as Norovirus, which would not affect a healthy adult, can be deadly for them. They have to be very, very, careful about what they eat.

A lot of other people fall into that very high risk group as well. In fact, anyone with a weak immune system is more at risk for contaminated food. Food safety is not just about what you eat, but about who you are.

To your good health,

TSF

UPDATE: Like many people all over the world, I was saddened last night to hear about Steve Job's death. He was a brilliant man, who lived his dream, and changed the world in the process.