Keeping up with frightening food events in our food supply is getting quite exhausting. One of the most annoying aspects is that just as you think you can forget about one of the outbreaks, you realize it is still out there. And contaminated products might still be out there too, waiting for us, innocent consumers, to pounce on them.
Take peanuts. The PCA incident that blanketed our country (and a few others) with salmonella-contaminated peanuts and peanut products should be well over by now. The plants have been shut down. More than 2,100 products in 17 categories have been voluntarily recalled by more than 200 companies, since January, 2009 (probably more, as the FDA information is at least a week or two out of date). Hundreds of people have become ill and some have died. But guess what, it's not over.
There have been more peanut product recalls in the last few days, including one yesterday. More or less ditto for pistachios. The most recent pistachio one - just four days ago. No wonder I could not get any at Trader Joe's on Wednesday when I wanted to make my usual favorite of herb cornish hen, stuffed with raisins and pistachios (I settled for pine nuts instead).
But back to peanuts. Yesterday's recall really illustrates the oddity of our so-called food safety system. Nuts for You of Preston ID is recalling Roasted and Salted Peanuts manufactured with peanuts bought from PCA. The product was distributed between March 15, 2008 and Jan 15, 2009.The sell-by date on the plastic bag of 'Nuts for You' was Feb 18, 2009 (more than four months ago) . Presumably the nuts were purchased sometime in 2007 from PCA's Texas plant to make these cute bags of salted peanuts sold at gift stores.
So here we are on June 25, asking consumers to send back products made of antique nuts (maybe two years old) that are well and truly expired and, are very likely to have also been well and truly eaten. The really bad news is that this type of pattern is not unusual.
Nuts to you, FDA. How are we supposed to escape bad food in America?
bon appetit!
TSF
Friday, June 26, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
SWINE FLU IN FOOD
Well, it happened before I got down to writing on it. 'Swine Flu,' which is really not really the pure porcine variety, but a 'novel' type of Influenza A (H1N1) has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Americans are anticipating a huge immunization campaign in late September and traders are happily buying shares of all the companies promising to have masses of the vaccine ready by then. At least 3 companies are at the field trial stage with their vaccines. Meanwhile, there are some great scam vaccines being sold over the Internet.
Many schools are still shut down, people are nervous, and the number of illnesses keeps growing. From April 15, 2009 to July 24, 2009, a total of 43,771 confirmed and probable cases of infection were reported in 53 states, DC and Puerto Rico. Of these cases reported, 5,011 people were hospitalized and 302 people died. On July 24, 2009, the CDC gave up counting. According to one model it developed, which takes underreporting, lack of testing and other such factors into account, there have most likely been around a million cases of this flu in the U.S. between April and June.
I was one of them. No, it wasn't much fun. But frankly, not that bad either. I've had worse. And while it is reputed to be very contagious, my husband did not get it. Nor did my friends.
To the main issue: the question in many peoples’ minds has been whether one could get this unpleasant flu from eating pork or pork products. The answer is 'NO' - well, at least, not from pork.
The markets certainly have seemed to think so. Because there had been a number of cases of ‘swine flu’ in the U.S., and more were expected, U.S. hog prices and even the value of shares in meat companies fell as a result. Several countries banned U.S. pork and there was fear that more would join in.
The FDA ,the CDC and other government and private organizations with vested interests, have busily telling consumers - and reassuring our trading partners - that our pork is perfectly safe to eat. This flu virus is spread person-to-person like any other ‘flu virus, usually when an infected person sneezes or coughs or when the virus lands on a surface that you then touch and later touch your food, bite your fingernails or suck your thumb. Naturally, we don’t normally go around licking door knobs or stairway banisters, and hopefully, not sucking our thumb too often either. Although, certainly, this is a very 'fingernail-biting' time in our economy and many of us are taking up the habit every time we check our bank account or credit card statement.
But what about restaurants? The same situation applies, but of course, if a restaurant worker sneezes on your fresh tomato or lettuce – or, your fork - and you then put it in your mouth ….well…..Although the FDA and CDC are not admitting it, it is quite possible for people to catch swine flu from their food – but maybe from their salad instead of the pork chop.
Bon appetit!
TSF
Many schools are still shut down, people are nervous, and the number of illnesses keeps growing. From April 15, 2009 to July 24, 2009, a total of 43,771 confirmed and probable cases of infection were reported in 53 states, DC and Puerto Rico. Of these cases reported, 5,011 people were hospitalized and 302 people died. On July 24, 2009, the CDC gave up counting. According to one model it developed, which takes underreporting, lack of testing and other such factors into account, there have most likely been around a million cases of this flu in the U.S. between April and June.
I was one of them. No, it wasn't much fun. But frankly, not that bad either. I've had worse. And while it is reputed to be very contagious, my husband did not get it. Nor did my friends.
To the main issue: the question in many peoples’ minds has been whether one could get this unpleasant flu from eating pork or pork products. The answer is 'NO' - well, at least, not from pork.
The markets certainly have seemed to think so. Because there had been a number of cases of ‘swine flu’ in the U.S., and more were expected, U.S. hog prices and even the value of shares in meat companies fell as a result. Several countries banned U.S. pork and there was fear that more would join in.
The FDA ,the CDC and other government and private organizations with vested interests, have busily telling consumers - and reassuring our trading partners - that our pork is perfectly safe to eat. This flu virus is spread person-to-person like any other ‘flu virus, usually when an infected person sneezes or coughs or when the virus lands on a surface that you then touch and later touch your food, bite your fingernails or suck your thumb. Naturally, we don’t normally go around licking door knobs or stairway banisters, and hopefully, not sucking our thumb too often either. Although, certainly, this is a very 'fingernail-biting' time in our economy and many of us are taking up the habit every time we check our bank account or credit card statement.
But what about restaurants? The same situation applies, but of course, if a restaurant worker sneezes on your fresh tomato or lettuce – or, your fork - and you then put it in your mouth ….well…..Although the FDA and CDC are not admitting it, it is quite possible for people to catch swine flu from their food – but maybe from their salad instead of the pork chop.
Bon appetit!
TSF
Saturday, May 9, 2009
ROUNDUP
I have been out of touch...too busy on finishing my book on food safety, to keep up with the blog. Every day I wake up and decide this is the day I am going to update, and every night I go to sleep thinking I will do this tomorrow.
But it has been a fun few weeks if you are following hazards in your food supply. We moved from peanuts to pistacios (a step up in status and price), but it was all a bit deja-vu. As with peanuts, we found out that pistacios are everywhere, used in so many of our foods. Don't think it's over. New recalls are coming out every day. Maybe when it really is over, then we'll get bargain priced pistacios, just as there are bargain priced peanuts now. I remember when I lived in Istanbul, the pistacios there were incredibly fresh and delicious - and cheaper than potatoes.
But now while all this is still ongoing, we also have a widening outbreak in alfalfa, which has been going on for weeks. By the way, sprouted seeds, including alfalfa is about the most dangerous kind of food you can eat. The bacteria get right inside the seeds and there is no way to get them out. That is why people with suppressed immune systems are advised not to eat them. 'But I only eat organic alfalfa', a friend said to me the other day. 'That's safe.' No, it's not. Don't confuse pesticide residue and bacteria. Organic alfalfa are contaminated as well. Of course, you could cook it...
And then there is the swine flu. No, you can't get it from pork, although half the population still seems to think you can. But maybe you can get it from your salad....
Am I nuts? No.....See my next post.
In the meantime...bon appetit.
TSF
But it has been a fun few weeks if you are following hazards in your food supply. We moved from peanuts to pistacios (a step up in status and price), but it was all a bit deja-vu. As with peanuts, we found out that pistacios are everywhere, used in so many of our foods. Don't think it's over. New recalls are coming out every day. Maybe when it really is over, then we'll get bargain priced pistacios, just as there are bargain priced peanuts now. I remember when I lived in Istanbul, the pistacios there were incredibly fresh and delicious - and cheaper than potatoes.
But now while all this is still ongoing, we also have a widening outbreak in alfalfa, which has been going on for weeks. By the way, sprouted seeds, including alfalfa is about the most dangerous kind of food you can eat. The bacteria get right inside the seeds and there is no way to get them out. That is why people with suppressed immune systems are advised not to eat them. 'But I only eat organic alfalfa', a friend said to me the other day. 'That's safe.' No, it's not. Don't confuse pesticide residue and bacteria. Organic alfalfa are contaminated as well. Of course, you could cook it...
And then there is the swine flu. No, you can't get it from pork, although half the population still seems to think you can. But maybe you can get it from your salad....
Am I nuts? No.....See my next post.
In the meantime...bon appetit.
TSF
Sunday, March 1, 2009
SORRY FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER
So people are avoiding peanut butter in jars, even though there is no evidence to show it is contaminated. (It was just the bulk peanut butter sold to institutions, and the paste used by various manufacturers originating in the Blakely, Georgia plant that was believed to be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria). But peanut butter manufacturers are losing consumer confidence, and a lot of money. No surprise. I hate to admit this, but at the beginning I was avoiding peanut butter too - just in case. The trouble with a lot of these complicated outbreaks is that the story keeps changing on a daily basis. So what do you do? You play it safe and avoid anything even remotely connected.
A few days ago my 96 year-old neighbor invited us over for some 'moving pictures.' Actually, I hadn't the faintest idea what he meant. I was hoping it was some old pictures of the neighborhood before it became...you know...kind of up-market and cheesy. Anyway, I felt I had to take something over to eat. With only an hour's notice, what could I do? The cupboard was bare. All I had was that half-jar of peanut butter in the frig, some raisins, a can of sweet condensed milk, corn flakes....Eureka! Those peanut butter cookies that my friend Elizabeth taught me to make (before she died...so sad). But what if the people there didn't want to eat anything with peanut butter?
Oh well, I had no choice. Actually it worked out rather well. Except for the fact that the 'moving pictures' turned out to be videos of the most recent performance by his piano students. Too dreadful, but fun in a way. It was like moving back to a by-gone age.
What really annoyed me is that he did not serve the cookies I brought. But I was told afterwards that they were delicious, and everyone in his adoptive (Vietnamese) family loved them. And, as far as I know, no-one became ill. Certainly not my neighbor as he is out there every morning at 7am walking Cinnamon, the dog, and driving the kids to school in his truck. It would take more than a little Salmonella to do him in. It must be all those pomegranates and walnuts he ate when he had the ranch - up until a year ago.
Here is the recipe, with credits to Elizabeth Thomas, a wonderful person, a great foodie and the best dessert-maker I have ever known. May she cook with the angels.
1 can sweetened condensed milk,
40z. cornflakes (4 cups)
4 oz. golden raisins (1 cup)
1/2 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
Cream together the peanut butter and condensed milk. Stir in the raisins. Gently mix in the cornflakes. Place the mix in mounds on a cookie sheet, covered with a non-stick flexible baking sheet or on kitchen parchment.
Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes until golden brown and almost set (make sure they don'tq burn underneath). Remove from sheet and set to cool after about one minute. When cool, store in air-tight container. They will keep about a week.
That's it! Easy breezie. About twenty minutes from beginning to end. The kind of instant killer-cookie we love. Number of calories? Don't ask me. I don't want to think about it. Safe? Absolutely!
TSF
A few days ago my 96 year-old neighbor invited us over for some 'moving pictures.' Actually, I hadn't the faintest idea what he meant. I was hoping it was some old pictures of the neighborhood before it became...you know...kind of up-market and cheesy. Anyway, I felt I had to take something over to eat. With only an hour's notice, what could I do? The cupboard was bare. All I had was that half-jar of peanut butter in the frig, some raisins, a can of sweet condensed milk, corn flakes....Eureka! Those peanut butter cookies that my friend Elizabeth taught me to make (before she died...so sad). But what if the people there didn't want to eat anything with peanut butter?
Oh well, I had no choice. Actually it worked out rather well. Except for the fact that the 'moving pictures' turned out to be videos of the most recent performance by his piano students. Too dreadful, but fun in a way. It was like moving back to a by-gone age.
What really annoyed me is that he did not serve the cookies I brought. But I was told afterwards that they were delicious, and everyone in his adoptive (Vietnamese) family loved them. And, as far as I know, no-one became ill. Certainly not my neighbor as he is out there every morning at 7am walking Cinnamon, the dog, and driving the kids to school in his truck. It would take more than a little Salmonella to do him in. It must be all those pomegranates and walnuts he ate when he had the ranch - up until a year ago.
Here is the recipe, with credits to Elizabeth Thomas, a wonderful person, a great foodie and the best dessert-maker I have ever known. May she cook with the angels.
1 can sweetened condensed milk,
40z. cornflakes (4 cups)
4 oz. golden raisins (1 cup)
1/2 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
Cream together the peanut butter and condensed milk. Stir in the raisins. Gently mix in the cornflakes. Place the mix in mounds on a cookie sheet, covered with a non-stick flexible baking sheet or on kitchen parchment.
Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes until golden brown and almost set (make sure they don'tq burn underneath). Remove from sheet and set to cool after about one minute. When cool, store in air-tight container. They will keep about a week.
That's it! Easy breezie. About twenty minutes from beginning to end. The kind of instant killer-cookie we love. Number of calories? Don't ask me. I don't want to think about it. Safe? Absolutely!
TSF
Sunday, February 15, 2009
NUTTY LESSONS FROM HISTORY
I did something today that I have been meaning to do - and putting off - ever since this peanut thing started (now by the latest count with over 500 people officially sickened in 44 states and 8 (or 9) dead. I started digging around to see what other outbreaks there had been in the U.S. food supply that were associated with peanut butter or products containing peanut butter or peanut paste.
I recalled that there had been one in early 2007 in Peter Pan and Great Value Peanut Butter. But I was suprised to find that during this one actually 628 cases of related illness had been officially confirmed in 47 states. The number of deaths appears to be in dispute. The culprit there was Salmonella bacteria as well, with a slightly different DNA.
And then I read about all these other little incidents - 'micro alerts' or whatever you want to call them, going back to the early 1970's when peanut butter or products became contaminated but was dealt with quietly by the company itself,without even alerting government. The more you dig, the more you find. In fact, in one case all the peanut butter was quietly pulled back by the company and literally dug underground. Good fertilizer?
It seems that many of these 'incidents' had two features in common: damp conditions in the plant, and storage of the prepared product near to either raw peanuts or other contaminated food items.
Ugh, and just as I was really beginning to love peanut butter. My favorite sandwich: whole wheat bread with peanut butter, sliced banana on top. And I had finally found a great peanut butter cookie I could make in 5 minutes and pop it in the oven for a super quick bake...... Life is cruel.
TSF
I recalled that there had been one in early 2007 in Peter Pan and Great Value Peanut Butter. But I was suprised to find that during this one actually 628 cases of related illness had been officially confirmed in 47 states. The number of deaths appears to be in dispute. The culprit there was Salmonella bacteria as well, with a slightly different DNA.
And then I read about all these other little incidents - 'micro alerts' or whatever you want to call them, going back to the early 1970's when peanut butter or products became contaminated but was dealt with quietly by the company itself,without even alerting government. The more you dig, the more you find. In fact, in one case all the peanut butter was quietly pulled back by the company and literally dug underground. Good fertilizer?
It seems that many of these 'incidents' had two features in common: damp conditions in the plant, and storage of the prepared product near to either raw peanuts or other contaminated food items.
Ugh, and just as I was really beginning to love peanut butter. My favorite sandwich: whole wheat bread with peanut butter, sliced banana on top. And I had finally found a great peanut butter cookie I could make in 5 minutes and pop it in the oven for a super quick bake...... Life is cruel.
TSF
Monday, February 2, 2009
THE FOOD FIX
Since the peanut product contamination incident hit the media, there has been a lot of talk about what needs to be done to fix America's food supply. "The safest food supply in the world?" You have to be kidding. Whoever said that (and I forget which bureaucrat it was) has to be eating his words...and hopefully getting indigestion.
Actually, in many ways we are way behind most of the European countries and even some Asian ones in terms of food safety. Stricter legislation is hard to pass because of the power of the food industry coupled with inadequate government resources. But this is not the only reason we are lagging.
One of the weaknesses in our system is that responsibility for the safety of our food is divided up among a number of agencies. Depends how you count it: 3 main ones, maybe 12 at the next level, and if you really want to be comprehensive, you can get to 21.
The division of responsibility between the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is particularly strange and leads to some totally irrational situations in practice and shifting of blame when things go wrong and the public is up in arms. Some of this is happening during this peanut butter and product outbreak. It was also obvious during the 2007 tomato/not tomato contamination. Several European countries like France and even Canada realized that to do the job properly, you had to have a single agency in charge. We still haven't got there.
And of course, if you don't have enough resources, you can't do the job. Take the ongoing peanut contamination and safety at the plant where it all started. One government inspector was responsible for some widely scattered 260 facilities, one of which was the Peanut Corporation of America plant. And don't think that food safety inspectors spend all day every day running around inspecting. Or, that all you have to do for a thorough inspection is to take a two minute look-see about. It takes more - and, a thorough inspection takes time.
Most people would agree that it is even worse with our imported foods, where some of the plants are in developing countries, in remote areas, with terrible road access. Not to mention the fact that salaries are low and the bakshish is tempting. I've spent a lot of my life working in countries where much of U.S. food comes from these days, and I know how things work.
So where do we go from here? President Obama - I know you have your hands full right now, and this is not what you needed, but you did make a promise. For starters, there was that Food-Borne Illness and Surveillance Response Act you introduced in July, 2008 to make our food safer. To quote, your words were: "We must do everything we can to ensure that our families don't get sick from the foods they eat." On...on...
But remember, that is just the beginning.
TSF
UPDATE: We now have the updated and improved legislation (as of 2010), but not enough money to do the job properly. One without the other doesn't do much good. I guess we'll have to wait until...what? The end of the recession?
Actually, in many ways we are way behind most of the European countries and even some Asian ones in terms of food safety. Stricter legislation is hard to pass because of the power of the food industry coupled with inadequate government resources. But this is not the only reason we are lagging.
One of the weaknesses in our system is that responsibility for the safety of our food is divided up among a number of agencies. Depends how you count it: 3 main ones, maybe 12 at the next level, and if you really want to be comprehensive, you can get to 21.
The division of responsibility between the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is particularly strange and leads to some totally irrational situations in practice and shifting of blame when things go wrong and the public is up in arms. Some of this is happening during this peanut butter and product outbreak. It was also obvious during the 2007 tomato/not tomato contamination. Several European countries like France and even Canada realized that to do the job properly, you had to have a single agency in charge. We still haven't got there.
And of course, if you don't have enough resources, you can't do the job. Take the ongoing peanut contamination and safety at the plant where it all started. One government inspector was responsible for some widely scattered 260 facilities, one of which was the Peanut Corporation of America plant. And don't think that food safety inspectors spend all day every day running around inspecting. Or, that all you have to do for a thorough inspection is to take a two minute look-see about. It takes more - and, a thorough inspection takes time.
Most people would agree that it is even worse with our imported foods, where some of the plants are in developing countries, in remote areas, with terrible road access. Not to mention the fact that salaries are low and the bakshish is tempting. I've spent a lot of my life working in countries where much of U.S. food comes from these days, and I know how things work.
So where do we go from here? President Obama - I know you have your hands full right now, and this is not what you needed, but you did make a promise. For starters, there was that Food-Borne Illness and Surveillance Response Act you introduced in July, 2008 to make our food safer. To quote, your words were: "We must do everything we can to ensure that our families don't get sick from the foods they eat." On...on...
But remember, that is just the beginning.
TSF
UPDATE: We now have the updated and improved legislation (as of 2010), but not enough money to do the job properly. One without the other doesn't do much good. I guess we'll have to wait until...what? The end of the recession?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
PEANUT REDUX
As I expected, this peanut related contamination of our food supply is growing and growing, expanding every way: more confirmed cases of illness, more deaths, a wider time frame for risky foods, and many, many more possible suspect products. Yesterday there were some 32 new alerts in my mailbox. It's Sunday today, but I bet there will be another bunch today. It's no longer just peanut paste and bulk shipments of peanut butter to institutions, but also peanuts themselves and wonderful things like trail mixes.
Now that it has got to the peanuts, I am beginning to wonder if the source of the contamination (or, sources) is not limited to the Peanut Corporation of America facilities. I would not be the least surprised if it also pops up elsewhere. Maybe even at the peanut grower level. Jimmy Carter - are you involved?
As for recalling hundreds of peanut products going all the way back to January 1, 2007 - let's face it, that is a bit unrealistic. I bet we have already eaten most of it.
Just to be safe I am throwing out any item I have bought that contains peanuts. What is considered safe today, will probably be unsafe tomorrow. By the way, I found that my favorite pecan oatmeal bars also contain peanut paste. So much for the label.
I wonder if they have peanut futures on the commodities exchange? Maybe it isn't too late to sell some calls or buy some puts, so I could make some money for a change.
Bon appetit!
TSF
Now that it has got to the peanuts, I am beginning to wonder if the source of the contamination (or, sources) is not limited to the Peanut Corporation of America facilities. I would not be the least surprised if it also pops up elsewhere. Maybe even at the peanut grower level. Jimmy Carter - are you involved?
As for recalling hundreds of peanut products going all the way back to January 1, 2007 - let's face it, that is a bit unrealistic. I bet we have already eaten most of it.
Just to be safe I am throwing out any item I have bought that contains peanuts. What is considered safe today, will probably be unsafe tomorrow. By the way, I found that my favorite pecan oatmeal bars also contain peanut paste. So much for the label.
I wonder if they have peanut futures on the commodities exchange? Maybe it isn't too late to sell some calls or buy some puts, so I could make some money for a change.
Bon appetit!
TSF
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