CAN YOU AVOID GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD?

I had an unusual family correspondence about genetically modified food (GMOs) this week. It involved my brother who was concerned about possible health effects of eating such food, and another relative who is an expert in genetic engineering. This, and all the recent news in the U.S. papers, has forced me to focus again on the issue. I hadn't looked much at it since doing masses of mind-boggling research on the topic for The Safe Food Handbook: How to Make Smart Choices About Risky Food several years ago. The book, by the way, ended up with a very much reduced section on genetic modification for a variety of reasons.

What I discovered when I rechecked the science now was that our knowledge has not advanced that much since I wrote the book. We still aren't sure whether eating such food on a regular basis will harm our health. If it does, it is likely to be very long term - at least 20 years or more, of regular exposure to GMOs in our diet. In the meantime, the number of GMOs on our store shelves is expanding and increasing our chances of heavier exposure.

For several reasons, the GMO issue has now once again come to the attention of the U.S. public. And, some progress has been made to keep the eating public safer. Connecticut passed the first GMO food labeling law in the U.S. a few days ago. This law requires that food containing genetically modified ingredients be labeled as such. But it has an odd requirement - that four other states must pass similar legislation. So in other words, it ended up being a kind of compromise, and may never be implemented. Last minute heavy industry lobbying seems to have come into play.

If we are concerned about eating such foods, what do we do in the meantime, while we are waiting for better labeling or other action by the FDA? Well, if it is really true, as the U.S. Grocery Manufacturing Association claims, that perhaps 70% of the foods sold in America contain GMOs, then we have a problem. In fact, even organic items may well contain traces.

At least we can avoid some of the most obvious genetically modified produce by reading the PLU (small stuck-on labels)on our fruit and vegetables. A 5 digit number beginning with 8 means that the produce has been genetically modified. There is more on this in the book in the chapter on Fruits and Vegetables (section on Labeling).

And, we can avoid processed foods as much as possible, since they often contain dozens of ingredients, with at least one or two that have been genetically modified. Shopping at certain stores - often more expensive, such as Whole Foods Market, can also help. This chain carries hundreds of items that are verified by Non-GMO project, which is a process-based standard intended to help suppliers keep GMO ingredients to a minimum.

You can also give priority to foods which voluntarily carry a label saying "non-GMO" in other stores. Or, you may be able to source your food directly from a farm which is using GMO avoidance practices. Or, grow your own - if you can.

But the chances are that avoiding GMOs in our food may take more time, energy or money than many of us can afford. If that is the case, don't stress out about it. Eating the occasional genetically engineered food item is not going to kill you. Simply do the best you can, giving priority to your young children, and taking special precautions if you are pregnant, or, planning to become pregnant in the near future.

To your good health,

TSF

WHOLE FOODS RECALLS WILD SALMON

I have to admit that smoked wild salmon is one of my favorite foods. But I am becoming less and less comfortable about eating it. There have been just too many recalls of it lately in the U.S. The reason: contamination with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria.

The most recent recall is by the very health, ethics and social-responsibility focused (and expensive) Whole Foods Market. This supermarket chain, started in 1980, now has 310 stores in the U.S. and UK. And WFM share price is doing very well too.

Whole Foods Market is recalling one lot code of Whole Catch Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon (4 oz), cold smoked and sliced, sold in stores in 12 states, because it may contain this deadly bacteria. These stores are located in several states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and Utah.

So why is cold smoked salmon so risky? For the answer, see my earlier post : "Should you Eat Smoked Salmon?" of 14 January, 2012. For more information on this and other issues in food safety, including a whole lot related to seafood, read the book.

As a side note, Whole Foods Market has several recalls of contaminated products every year. All kinds of foods, ranging from chocolates to cheeses to fresh fish to juices and now of course, smoked salmon. So much for healthy!

To your good health,

TSF

WHOLE FOODS JOINS "ONION" RECALLS

Whole Foods Market - whose motto is "Selling the highest quality natural and organic products" - has now joined the Gills onion triggered food recalls. It is recalling certain fresh food items sold in the prepared foods departments, and one item sold in seafood departments, of its 17 Florida stores.

Prepared foods in other stores such as Trader Joe's and Wegmans have already been pulled from store shelves and destroyed. They all used recalled cut-up onions from Gills Onions, LLC, of California, which were later found to carry Listeria monocytogenes bacteria (see previous post and the next one). So you assumed that Whole Foods would chop its own nice whole locally-grown organic onions on the premises instead of using those same mass produced, already chopped up products in huge bags that travelled thousands of miles from California?

The Safe Food Handbook (now in its second edition) argues for eating whole foods and avoiding prepared foods - especially fresh ready-to-eat prepared foods. But it is not an argument for shopping at Whole Foods. In spite of its super-healthy image - and, in my opinion, a highly inflated stock price - it has sold more than its fair share of contaminated foods over the years. They run the gammut - cheeses, chocolate, tuna, produce, baked goods and more (see for example, my earlier post on "A Bad Year for Whole Foods").

To your good health,

TSF

EATING PARASITES IN FISH

We almost never read news about parasites being found in fish. But don't let that fool you. They are there, much more often than you think. Hundreds of different kinds. In fact, I have just walked back indoors after chatting with one of my gourmand neighbors. The conversation started with the most recent burglary on our street, and ended on parasites in fish (a symbolic connection?). He told me about an experience he had a few days ago.

What happened was this: he had bought a whole halibut fish from Whole Foods Market for a dinner party. As he was in the kitchen with one of the guests, about to put the fish in the oven, the guest noticed a pinkish worm in the fish. What to do? The other guests were waiting. Should they just go ahead, cook and serve the fish and keep quiet about the worms, or go out for pizza? In the end, the guest who spied the parasite made a good suggestion. They called Whole Foods, which was still open and rushed down to exchange the fish for wild salmon. The manager believed their story, and said, yes, it does happen from time to time. Not that unusual at all.

What they found was probably a Cod worm ( the most recent scientific name is Phocanema decipiens) - a common "round worm" in fish. It is found in several kinds of fish such as halibut, haddock, flounder, sole and even red snapper. The larger fish are more likely to carry it. This parasite may sometimes look pinkish, creamy white or brown, and is about 4cm long.

But isn't fish inspected, especially those sold at upper-end ("healthy") stores such as Whole Foods? Yes, it is, and a process called "candling" is also used which is supposed to help the inspectors see any worm-type parasites. But no inspection is ever 100% effective. Candling is also less likely to work well with whole fish where filets are thick and the skin is on - as in the case of my neighbor's halibut.

If you happen to come across such parasites in your fresh fish, you have several options. One, you can cook the fish well, and eat it, parasites and all. They will be killed and harmless. Most of us would not have the stomach for this approach, or want to serve it to guests. The next option is to put on a pair of disposable gloves, take a sharp knife or tweezers, grit your teeth and carefully remove and discard any wormy creatures in the fish. You can then cook the fish and eat it. The third option is the garbage - hopefully getting a replacement fish from the store. Most stores would willingly comply, as Whole Foods did in this case.

The Safe Food Handbook discusses parasites in fish in more detail, and gives you the specifics on how to be safe.

To your good health,
TSF

A BAD YEAR FOR WHOLE FOODS

2010 has not been the best year for Whole Foods Market. True, the stock price has done very well - up by roughly 66% in 12 months. Now I wish I had bought shares last January after all, and held onto them. So maybe my singling it out is a bit of "sour grapes." But I do want to make a point: even the best and most popular higher-end food retailers, including those which specialize in organic and healthy-lifestyle foods, can be caught out selling dangerous, contaminated food.

In fact, it has been a pretty dangerous year for those who shop at Whole Foods - like dodging a bacterial bullet every time you buy food. In January, Whole Foods had to recall a number of Listeria bacteria-contaminated ready -to-eat products (along with some other large retailers such as Target, Shop-Rite, Wal-Mart) such spreads, cheeses. This bacterium is particularly dangerous for pregnant women as it can cause stillbirths and health-problems in the newborn. In early April of this year, it has to recall frozen yellowfin tuna steaks, because they were found to have elevated levels of histamine - a natural fish toxin which in high levels can cause scromboid poisoning. The fish was sold in its stores in 29 states.

Then in early Sepember, Whole Foods Market’s North Atlantic Region had to do a recall of Morningland Dairy and Ozark Farm's Raw Goat Milk Mild Cheddar Cheese - which carried not one, but two kinds of bad bacteria (Listeria and Staphylococcus aureus) . In November, Whole Foods was again found to be selling about 7 kinds of contaminated Cheddar cheeses in five states, manufactured by Bravo Farms. This time it was the more common Listeria bacteria again. Then, later in November, it found it was selling recalled Dagoba Organic chocolate made by Artesan Confections with a touch of Salmonella. In late November, it had to recall nutmeg sourced from a New Jersey supplier, again because of contamination with Salmonella. Later in December, it had to recall a number of cheeses manufactured by another of its suppliers - Sally Jackson - with yes - that awful E.coli 0157 bacteria this time. Then, just in time for little kids eating them, right on Christmas Eve, Whole Foods had to recall Gingerbread houses produced by Rolf's Bakery from its stores in 23 states.

I am getting rather tired of listing the recalls, so this is not a comprehensive list. But before I sign off - three things. One, Whole Foods Market sold many of these products (such as cheeses, nutmeg and others) under its house label. Secondly, I have noticed that several of these Whole Foods suppliers have sent it contaminated food before - that is, this wasn't the first time. Thirdly, I have noticed that the supplier involved announced its recall several days earlier, before Whole Foods got around to notifying its customers. Delays are dangerous. Maybe "healthy' Whole Foods needs to start being a bit more health conscious in the New Year.

SALMONELLA CHOCOLATE

The description of Dogoba chocolate reads like poetry. Just take a look at their website (http://www.dagobachocolate.com/). Besides, it is organic, Fair Trade Certified, Kosher, and at least some of the cocoa ingredients are purchased from eco-friendly farmers in places such as the Dominican Republic. You would be tempted to buy it even if you didn't love chocolate, which I certainly do. A chocolate and coffee first thing in the morning, to get me moving.

But Artisan Confections, the U.S. makers of Dogoba chocolate, is currently recalling one of its products - Dagoba Organic Chocolate new moon organic Rich Dark Chocolate -74% cacao. The reason - yes, again - is that Salmonella bacteria have been found. This chocolate is sold at specialty stores and health and organic food retailers such as Whole Foods Market, and has been distributed throughout the U.S. So far only one lot is being recalled, but don't bet that this is the end.

Nor is this the first time that Dogoba chocolate has been involved in a recall. It was Salmonella problems again, back in March, 2006, resulting in the recall of a large number of Dogoba chocolate products. Then there was that lead contamination in May/June of 2006. The company upset a lot of people - especially Dogoba-Chocolate consuming pregnant women - by not being more forthcoming with information and coverage of testing. What is causing these problems at Artisan Confections? Is it contaminated imported ingredients (maybe the nutmeg used in some - see next blog), poorly cleaned equipment at the plant, ill workers, contaminated packaging? Whatever it is, Artisan Confections needs to take action to quickly identify and solve the problem or it will lose its healthy image -and its loyal customers. I think Whole Foods Market should be reconsidering selling their products.

TSF