A life-long foodie asked me a few days ago what I thought would be the next big outbreak in our food supply. He was right. It is going to happen - soon. It is not a question of whether we will have another large-scale case of contamination, but when we will have it and what
the cause will be.
If I was betting on outbreaks instead of the stock market, I would probably choose one of the deadly bacteria. Three or four years ago, I might said it would be E.coli 0157. H7. - Not the 'good' kind of E.coli bacteria that helps us to digest our food, but the kind that produces very dangerous toxins and totally ruins our intestines for years to come. That is, if it does not kill us. As bad as Shigella dysenteriae. I should know. I have been hospitalized with both of these deadly bacteria and almost died from the hemorrhagic colitis they produced. No fun.
E.coli 0157:H7 has quite frequently cropped up in America's fresh produce (yes, some of imported from our trading partners,but also produce grown locally) like alfa-alfa, lettuce, unpasteurized cider and apple juice, ground meat, raw milk, and other products. One of the recent large outbreaks (June, 2009) was a multi-state one in refrigerated pre-packaged cookie dough. Most of those who became seriously ill were in the age range of 2 to 19. (Guess who eats raw cookie dough...).
Two or three years ago, I would probably have laid my money on the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, because such a high percentage of food industry workers carry it. Estimates vary, but let's say around 30-40% and increasing. Some people carry it but have no symptoms. It is also often living happily in our soil, irrigation and other water, wild animals and vegetation. This is the bacterium that is so deadly for pregnant women, people with HIV/AIDS and anyone else with a compromised immune systems. Almost a third of the infections are fatal. The greatest threat from L. monocytogenes comes from ready-to-eat foods, that we eat as they come from the store (cooking would kill the bacteria). Some recent outbreaks have been in raw cheeses, cooked crabs, smoked fish and tuna sandwiches (see the alerts).
But these days, I would probably bet on one of the salmonella sp. causing the next outbreak. It may not seem as deadly as E.coli 0157:H7, or L. monocytogenes, but it is becoming very, very common. Only about 2-3% of cases are ever reported (that is, enter the system as linked to this bacteria in food), so there is much more related illness around than we are aware of. Salmonella seems to survive everywhere. Look at some of the outbreak alerts over the last few months - ground meat, green onions, parsley, tahini and more, Of course, the peanut outbreak that originated in the PCA plant in Georgia, and then the one in Texas, is still around too. It even likes to set up home in red pepper. What next? An outbreak in coffee? I can give up red pepper for a while - if I must - but not my coffee....
bon appetit!
TSF
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
EATING SAFE LOCAL PRODUCE?
Living in California, you would think it was easy to eat local produce - particularly fresh local vegetables, like lettuce, spinach, green onions, tomatoes. So much of it is grown right here. So what's the problem?
Remember those green onions that were recalled recently because they were found to be contaminated with salmonella bacteria ? Well, we thought they were grown in Salinas, right, because they were distributed by Steinbeck Country Produce, based in Salinas, California. Well, that's not quite the case. It turns out that they were actually grown in Mexicali, Mexico - NEAR the California border, shipped to Salinas (unless I am wrong, some 449 miles away), packaged and then passed off as California grown produce. Nice....
This is rather disillusioning, particularly if you read the company's website - all that emphasis on food safety, 'California,' family owned business, and so on.
These onions were distributed in California, Massachusetts, Texas, Indiana, New York, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas and Arizona. By the way, the same Mexican onion grower also probably sold them to several other distributors.
The CEO of Steinbeck Country Produce made it all sound as though the company was bending over backwards to protect consumers. Quoting: "This recall is voluntary, based on a strong sense of caution for consumer well-being. Food safety is our primary concern at Steinbeck Country Produce, and this recall shows that our procedures are efficient, effective and immediate." Thanks a lot. Excuse me if I don't quite believe you. I suspect your grandfather may have felt that way, but now you have got too big and successful to really care.
To make matters worse, he added the usual meaningless statement: "Fortunately, there are not any reported illnesses at this time, and we will continue to respond quickly and efficient[ly?] to ensure consumer well being." How does he know there aren't any illnesses? Most cases are not diagnosed or reported. And it is very difficult to do a trace-back in a couple of weeks.
While he is at it, he could also pay attention to his grammar - or was that the FDA?
Bon appetit! (But don't trust the labels)
TSF
Remember those green onions that were recalled recently because they were found to be contaminated with salmonella bacteria ? Well, we thought they were grown in Salinas, right, because they were distributed by Steinbeck Country Produce, based in Salinas, California. Well, that's not quite the case. It turns out that they were actually grown in Mexicali, Mexico - NEAR the California border, shipped to Salinas (unless I am wrong, some 449 miles away), packaged and then passed off as California grown produce. Nice....
This is rather disillusioning, particularly if you read the company's website - all that emphasis on food safety, 'California,' family owned business, and so on.
These onions were distributed in California, Massachusetts, Texas, Indiana, New York, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas and Arizona. By the way, the same Mexican onion grower also probably sold them to several other distributors.
The CEO of Steinbeck Country Produce made it all sound as though the company was bending over backwards to protect consumers. Quoting: "This recall is voluntary, based on a strong sense of caution for consumer well-being. Food safety is our primary concern at Steinbeck Country Produce, and this recall shows that our procedures are efficient, effective and immediate." Thanks a lot. Excuse me if I don't quite believe you. I suspect your grandfather may have felt that way, but now you have got too big and successful to really care.
To make matters worse, he added the usual meaningless statement: "Fortunately, there are not any reported illnesses at this time, and we will continue to respond quickly and efficient[ly?] to ensure consumer well being." How does he know there aren't any illnesses? Most cases are not diagnosed or reported. And it is very difficult to do a trace-back in a couple of weeks.
While he is at it, he could also pay attention to his grammar - or was that the FDA?
Bon appetit! (But don't trust the labels)
TSF
Monday, August 17, 2009
BEEF ENCORE
Not again! Another ground beef contamination. Now we have E.coli O157:H7 back in the news. I guess it was time. Salmonella bacteria have been hogging the headlines too much lately.
The USAID/FSIS has announced that Sterling Pacific Meat Co. of California, is recalling approximately 3,516 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. By the way, most of this meat seems to have gone to food service establishments not to our grocery stores, so avoid eating ground beef meals in restaurants for a while until the government and the industry sort it all out.
But there is also a smaller beef recall due to E.coli O157:H7 which was sold directly to consumers. Pasha Halal Poultry, doing business as Marcacci Meats, is recalling approximately 128 pounds of ground beef products apparently distributed only in Vineland, N.J (as far as we know).
Well, as usual, it may be too late. The ground beef sold to the food industry was actually packaged in mid May..hmmm...some three months before the public alert came out. Great...The Vineland ground beef recall is more up-to-date as it was packaged on August 12.
But there are many alternatives if you like ground meat meals. As far as I know, ground veal has not been recalled. If you don't get upset about eating veal (which yes, is quite easy to do if you let yourself think about it), try my son's favorite veal dishes: ground veal, some chopped onions, bread crumbs, an egg or two, and garlic, salt, white pepper and herbs (tarragon, sage or parsley) to taste. Shape the mix like hamburgers and sautee slowly in olive oil. Serve with rice, orzo or mashed potatoes, and lots of those good vegetables (a 1 to 5 ratio is nice). You can make a light wine or sherry and cream sauce for them if you like, or, even eat them with ketchup on a roll. This veal dish is much cheaper than others, and makes great leftovers to be warmed up in the microwave. That is, if they don't all get eaten for midnight snacks as happens in our house.
Bon appetit,
TSF
The USAID/FSIS has announced that Sterling Pacific Meat Co. of California, is recalling approximately 3,516 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. By the way, most of this meat seems to have gone to food service establishments not to our grocery stores, so avoid eating ground beef meals in restaurants for a while until the government and the industry sort it all out.
But there is also a smaller beef recall due to E.coli O157:H7 which was sold directly to consumers. Pasha Halal Poultry, doing business as Marcacci Meats, is recalling approximately 128 pounds of ground beef products apparently distributed only in Vineland, N.J (as far as we know).
Well, as usual, it may be too late. The ground beef sold to the food industry was actually packaged in mid May..hmmm...some three months before the public alert came out. Great...The Vineland ground beef recall is more up-to-date as it was packaged on August 12.
But there are many alternatives if you like ground meat meals. As far as I know, ground veal has not been recalled. If you don't get upset about eating veal (which yes, is quite easy to do if you let yourself think about it), try my son's favorite veal dishes: ground veal, some chopped onions, bread crumbs, an egg or two, and garlic, salt, white pepper and herbs (tarragon, sage or parsley) to taste. Shape the mix like hamburgers and sautee slowly in olive oil. Serve with rice, orzo or mashed potatoes, and lots of those good vegetables (a 1 to 5 ratio is nice). You can make a light wine or sherry and cream sauce for them if you like, or, even eat them with ketchup on a roll. This veal dish is much cheaper than others, and makes great leftovers to be warmed up in the microwave. That is, if they don't all get eaten for midnight snacks as happens in our house.
Bon appetit,
TSF
Saturday, August 8, 2009
THE RISKIEST MEAT
Now that I am back from killing myself cycling around Ireland, and have duly recovered from the swine flu (not really all that bad, considering...except that all your friends avoid you), I am catching up on the latest in food safety.
There it was in my mailbox...a ground beef recall. I caught the beginning of this latest food nightmare when I was leaving the country. I was not at all surprised to find out that it developed into a much bigger issue over the weeks. Not an unusual pattern for an outbreak in our food system.
Ground beef is the riskiest meat to eat - the most outbreaks and the most cases of illness. It is often made from the riskiest bits of meat to begin with, and the processing it goes through adds to the risks already there. Bacteria love it.There have been a number of bad outbreaks over the years, with large numbers of confirmed illnesses and many times more unconfirmed. But actually, things appeared better now than they were in 2000 and 2001. This may be changing.
And don't mistake the symptoms for swine flu. At least in my case, they were quite different - almost no diarrhea or cramps, just aches, fever, general misery....But on ballance, I think I'd rather have this than come down with Salmonella Newport from my burger.
Bon appetit!
TSF
There it was in my mailbox...a ground beef recall. I caught the beginning of this latest food nightmare when I was leaving the country. I was not at all surprised to find out that it developed into a much bigger issue over the weeks. Not an unusual pattern for an outbreak in our food system.
Ground beef is the riskiest meat to eat - the most outbreaks and the most cases of illness. It is often made from the riskiest bits of meat to begin with, and the processing it goes through adds to the risks already there. Bacteria love it.There have been a number of bad outbreaks over the years, with large numbers of confirmed illnesses and many times more unconfirmed. But actually, things appeared better now than they were in 2000 and 2001. This may be changing.
And don't mistake the symptoms for swine flu. At least in my case, they were quite different - almost no diarrhea or cramps, just aches, fever, general misery....But on ballance, I think I'd rather have this than come down with Salmonella Newport from my burger.
Bon appetit!
TSF
BEEF'S TURN
Well, now it's beef's turn to come up contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. On August 6 the USDA announced that Beef Packers, Inc., based in Fresno, California, is recalling approximately 825,769 pounds of ground beef products that may be linked to an outbreak of salmonellosis. That is a whole lot of beef. The ground beef products were sent to retail distribution centers in Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah.
So, we just avoid eating it, right? No, unfortunately not, because we don't know what brand name they were sold under. The product was shipped in bulk, and then repackaged by other different companies into smaller packages with different names. Who knows what they all are. Besides, the 'use or freeze by' date has long expired. The meat was sent out on various dates in June, and the latest use-date was before mid-July. In other words, the chances are that it has already been eaten. That nasty bout of diarrhea, vomiting, fever etc. that you had a few weeks ago, that you thought was the 'flu - well, it could have been that medium-rare hamburger you ate (or, well-cooked one you made without using careful kitchen hygiene). To make matters worse, this is a particularly nasty member of the Salmonella family - Salmonella Newport because it is resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics. And that is not mentioning the risk of longer-term effects on our health, like arthritis and worse.
So, what do we do? Well, if you are presently eating in California, Arizona, Colorado or Utah, the safest approach is to only buy ground beef from a store that grinds up their own. Or, maybe skip eating any ground beef meals for a while altogether. Try a turkey-burger instead. It is better for you, and actually quite good, particularly if you throw some garlic and herbs on it, and maybe a pile of cream sherry-soaked sauteed red onions on top, served on an onion bagel...
Bon appetit,
TSF
So, we just avoid eating it, right? No, unfortunately not, because we don't know what brand name they were sold under. The product was shipped in bulk, and then repackaged by other different companies into smaller packages with different names. Who knows what they all are. Besides, the 'use or freeze by' date has long expired. The meat was sent out on various dates in June, and the latest use-date was before mid-July. In other words, the chances are that it has already been eaten. That nasty bout of diarrhea, vomiting, fever etc. that you had a few weeks ago, that you thought was the 'flu - well, it could have been that medium-rare hamburger you ate (or, well-cooked one you made without using careful kitchen hygiene). To make matters worse, this is a particularly nasty member of the Salmonella family - Salmonella Newport because it is resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics. And that is not mentioning the risk of longer-term effects on our health, like arthritis and worse.
So, what do we do? Well, if you are presently eating in California, Arizona, Colorado or Utah, the safest approach is to only buy ground beef from a store that grinds up their own. Or, maybe skip eating any ground beef meals for a while altogether. Try a turkey-burger instead. It is better for you, and actually quite good, particularly if you throw some garlic and herbs on it, and maybe a pile of cream sherry-soaked sauteed red onions on top, served on an onion bagel...
Bon appetit,
TSF
Friday, June 26, 2009
NUTS TO YOU
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
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
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
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