E.COLI FOUND IN BEEF PATTIES FROM CANADA

Yes, the temporary lull in U.S. food recalls seems to be over. Now we have another recall of beef due to deadly bacteria being found in the products.

Sysco Seattle Inc., a Seattle, Wash. firm, is recalling approximately 16,800 pounds of ground beef patties imported from Canada because they may have been contaminated with E.coli O157:H7. The products were produced by New Food Classics of Burlington, Ontario and were imported by Sysco Seattle Inc., for distribution to restaurants in Arizona, Colorado, Texas and Washington.

This is a rare instance of a company taking quick action. Sysco was already recalling the products (on March 20) even before the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the alert. It appears that the Canadian firm involved acted responsibly and immediately notified Sysco when the problem was discovered. Nice change. Delays can cost lives.

By the way, in case you have forgotten, since E.coli O157 has been out of the news for a while, this is a potentially deadly bacterium, especially to the very young, and seniors or other people with weak immune systems. It can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure.

Be careful how you handle and cook raw meat, and especially ground meat products (see the next post).

To your good health,

TSF

ANOTHER BEEF RECALL BECAUSE OF E.COLI BACTERIA

And here's yet another beef product recall in the U.S. You may remember that we had one a week ago, that originated in Texas (see earlier post). This one started in beautiful California. They both involve E.coli 0157:H7 -the most common of the dangerous E.coli bacteria.

Since it is late, this is the third recall post of today, and my dog is waiting for a walk, let me get to the facts. Manning Beef, LLC, a Pico Rivera, Calif. establishment, has had to recall about 80,000 pounds of beef products because testing turned up too many E. coli O157:H7.

The recalled products include a variety of beef primal and subprimal cuts (such as top round and tri tip) and manufacturing trimmings. These products do not go directly to our store shelves. They are are used for further processing by retailers and food service establishents, for example, for hamburger meat. Apparently they were shipped to Arizona, California and Nebraska.

When they have it, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA/FSIS) is going to post the list of retailers selling the potentially-contaminated final beef products on their website at www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/Open_Federal_Cases/index.asp. If you are worried - check it out.

In the meantime, cook your beef well!

To your good health,
TSF

LISTERIOSIS OUTBREAK: IS IT CANTALOUPES?

Today's media attention has been on widening of controls for E.coli bacteria in U.S. meat. The food safety advocates have finally got the government to agree to checking for six other deadly strains in addition to the common E.coli 0157:H7. But, like it or not, there is evidence that these bacteria - and many others - are more likely to be present in our "healthy" fruit and vegetables. Besides, we cook the meat - or, at least we are supposed to cook it - whereas we often eat fruit and vegetables raw. Raw is more risky, because there is no "kill" step.

Take that wonderful cataloupe (which I currently have in my refrigerator). When it is good, it is totally delicious (I always test them in the store by pushing the ends and smelling). And you can do so many things with it - raw, of course. And today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a scary announcement about cantaloupes.

There is an ongoing outbreak of Listeriosis (caused byListeria monocytogenes bacteria) in Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. This is probably a partial list, as research continues. Reportedly, 3 people in New Mexico have died, and at least 15 are seriously ill.

And the culprit food may be whole cantaloupes, most likely marketed from the Rocky Ford growing region of Colorado. This is fairly unusual, since this bacteria is usually associated with ready-to-eat food - for instance, cantaloupe that has been peeled and sliced up as well as a myriad of other popular convenience foods. But, it is occasionally found in soil, which probably happened in this case.

So beware - especially if you are pregnant or have a compromised immune system, cancer, or are an older adult. Listeria monocytogenes can be fatal. I have talked about this bacteria often in the past, but in case you haven't read those posts, here are the basics. Listeriosis symptoms can be easily confused with the flu - muscle aches and fever. Onset of symptoms after eating Listeria-contaminated food can vary tremendously from a few hours (which is rare) to as long as 70 or 90 days. Usually it is about 12 days.

If you are in a high risk group - skip the cantaloupe for now. I am on my way down to the refrigerator to toss it out.

To your good health,
TSF

UPDATE: An alert and a recall have now been announced.

GROUND BEEF RECALL IS EXPANDED

This is another case of "I told you so." The U.S. ground beef recall, due to contamination with E.coli 0157:H7 bacteria, has been expanded. (Read yesterday's post). Now more products are being recalled by the Michigan-based McNees Meats.

Here's the latest list of products:

1 and 10-lb. clear packages of “McNees Ground Beef Bulk.”
1 to1.5-lb., approximate weight clear plastic bags of “McNees Ground beef patties.”
1-lb. packages of “McNees Ground Round.”
1 and 2-lb packages of “McNees Ground Beef Bulk” sold in red and white plastic bags.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn't know yet exactly where they were sold but says it will post the information on its website when it has it. If you are concerned, check: www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls
/Open_Federal_Cases/index.asp. Remember, it could take anywhere between 2 to 10 days for symptoms of E.coli to start occurring.

And cook all meat well, especially any ground meat.

To your good health,
TSF

FARMERS' MARKET STRAWBERRIES CARRIED E.COLI 0157:H7

Yesterday I blogged the deadly E.coli 0157 bacteria in ground meat (in Michigan, USA). Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced an outbreak of the same type of bacteria in strawberries (in Oregon).

Even worse for those of us who love shopping at farmers' markets - these strawberries were marketed there and at roadside stands. Reportedly, Jaquith Strawberry Farm of Newberg, Oregon, sold the contaminated strawberries to bulk buyers who then resold them to consumers. So much for that lovely, fresh, farmers' market produce handed to you personally by the farmer himself or herself!

It is not at all unusual for strawberries to be contaminated with bacteria, including pathogenic E.coli. Outbreaks occur on a fairly regular basis both in domestic and imported berries. Usually the culprit is water contaminated with animal feces. But we keep eating them, and I do too. In fact, I ate them for breakfast this morning on my yogurt.

Of course, I washed them thoroughly, as one is supposed to do (even if they grow in your own yard or field). But you can't rely on washing to get rid of all of the bacteria. Some mayt still be solidly embedded in that lovely strawberry's flesh.

All the Jaquith Farm strawberries have most likely been eaten by now as their strawberry season is over. People have been becoming ill for several weeks. One woman has died. As usual, trace-back by the authorities has not progressed very fast. It never does.

But if you live in Oregon, particularly in Washington, Clatsop, and Multnomah Counties, and put some fresh strawberries from a farmers' market or roadside stand in your freezer during the last couple of weeks in July, I would suggest you throw them out.

To your good health,

TSF

E.COLI 0157:H7 CAUSES GROUND BEEF RECALL

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been busy tracking down contaminants in food. And its efforts are paying off. Mind you, a little late, but at least eventually.

For the last three months or so, it was chasing the cause of the Salmonella illnesses that were occurring nationwide in the U.S. After much effort, the USDA finally fingered the ground turkey produced by one of America's giant meat firms as the culprit (see previous posts).

Now, working together with the Michigan Departments of Community Health (MDCH) and Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), it has tracked down the cause of the E. coli O157:H7 illnesses that have been occurring in Michigan since July.

This time another ground meat product is involved - ground beef (ground products are always more risky). It was produced by McNees Meats and Wholesale LLC., a North Branch, Michigan. The company is recalling only about 360 pounds of ground beef product at this time (but this could expand). As far as is known at present, this product was only distributed in Michigan (If I find out differently, I'll add to this). Since these were large 10lb bags, presumably they were sold to food service establishments.

E.coli 0157:H7 can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. Seniors and persons with weak immune systems, as well as children, are the most at risk.

To your good health,

TSF

E.COLI 0157:H7 FOUND IN U.S. BEEF

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seems to be having a busy month. Two more meat recalls today. That makes fourteen recalls in July. This time, it is not ready-to-eat products (see my earlier posts of today and of July 19 and 20). Just beef. One of the recalls is because of a finding of that very nasty E.coli 0157 bacteria. The other is due to a finding of dangerous drug residues (the drug is Ivermectin - see next post).

Tri State Beef, a Cincinnati, Ohio, is having to recall some 228,596 pounds of beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. But this E.coli contamination may not be as bad as it sounds since it was sold to other companies in Chicago, Ill., Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, Iowa and Virginia for further processing and distribution.

Reportedly, it was not sold directly to consumers. The meat will undergo cooking before it ever reaches the consumer. Hopefully, such cooking will be done properly so that it will inactivate any bacteria in the meat. Since the facilities are federally inspected, such inspection should make sure that this was the case. Let's hope those inspectors are doing their job!

In sum, this is not expected to be a recall that the consumer has to worry about.

To your good health,
TSF

E.COLI IN THE U.S. FOOD SUPPLY

The deadly wave of potentially lethal E.coli illness sweeping across Europe has everyone scared. That includes people in the U.S. Is there E.coli bacteria in our food as well?

The answer is "yes." But before you panic, so far that particular "Hamburg" strain of E.coli bacterium (a version of E.coli 0104) has not been isolated here (with the exception of a small outbreak in Montana, in 1994), maybe because we don't normally test for it (see previous post).

But we do have plenty of other toxic E.coli turning up, especially E.coli 0157:H7. Usually it is found in our meat, especially ground beef, but turns up in other foods as well. This is a relative of the E.coli bacterium in Europe. It can also cause bloody diarrhea, and result in HUS complications, but has a different genetic makeup, and is not quite as deadly. Also, unlike the European strain, the most serious illnesses usually occur in children - not adults.

Let's take a look at outbreaks of this E.coli in our food during the past six months (December, 2010-May 31, 2011). On May 31 (just a few days ago), a Michigan firm recalled close to a thousand pounds of ground beef products it had sent out to restaurants because E.coli 0157:H7 was found in it. Six days earlier, a major retailer in Georgia had to recall hundreds of pounds of ground beef for the same reason. In early March, a retailer in Kansas, had to recall seven tons of beef products (that is a lot of meat) again because of E.coli 0157:H7. And there was still another recall of ground beef a month before that, in which case the products were again sent to restaurants throughout California. And, another couple of recalls in December, originating with in firms in Texas and in California.

The average - one sizeable recall a month over the last six months - that we know of. Not all instances are caught. And not all that are caught are reported. And, I may have missed one or two on this list.

Nor is E.coli 0157:H7 contamination in the U.S. limited to meat. In the past six months, we also had this bacterium turn up in hazelnuts imported from Canada, of all things (very unusual - see post of March 7). Then there was also that large and embarrassing recall of Sally Jackson (Wisconsin) cheese last December. Whole Foods Market had to do a recall of its own, because it was selling them to its health-conscious customers. Meanwhile, during December and January there was still an ongoing recall of bagged salads contaminated with E.coli 0157:H7 (distributed by Fresh Express, of Salinas California) and of another cheese although they had started earlier.

So we have enough on our hands with toxic E.coli 0157:H7 in our food. Let's hope it doesn't decide to mutate and pick up some nasty features of another more deadly bacterium, as did the E.coli 0104 in Europe.

To your good health!

TSF

DETAILS ON THE DeFRANCO & SONS HAZELNUT RECALL

Here are the details on the DeFranco & Sons hazelnut recall (see previous post). Apparently they received the nuts from various suppliers and growers. This is one of those "Ah-ha, I told you so" moments. The Safe Food Handbook not only has a whole chapter on nuts, but stresses throughout that one of the reasons our industrialized food system is risky is because it mixes products from a range of growers and suppliers. Case in point. It is going to take a while before we trace the bad nuts back to their grower.

Some of the DeFranco products were hazelnuts alone, some contained hazelnuts mixed with other nuts. The 50-pound bags of in-shell hazelnuts or mixed nuts with in-shell hazelnuts were probably repacked by other companies into smaller packages with different labels or sold from bulk containers to us. (Read - any kind of hazelnuts could be contaminated).

The affected products listed below were distributed between Nov. 2, 2010 and Dec. 22, 2010, so we could have been eating them for months.

Brand Size Product Sell by Date UPC
Sunripe 1 lb Large Hazelnuts 6/30/11 070533 000167

Sunripe 1 lb Mixed Nuts 6/30/11 070533 000143
Sunripe 2 lbs Mixed Nuts 6/30/11 070533 001003

None
Sold as “Season’s
Greetings” Gift
Pack) 4 lbs Mixed Nuts 6/30/11 070533 101024
Sunripe 50 lbs Imperial Mixed Nuts -- --
Sunripe 50 lbs Supreme Mixed Nuts -- --
George Packing 50 lbs Hazelnuts -- --


Take them back or toss them out!

TSF

E.COLI CONTAMINATED HAZELNUTS

E.coli 0157:H 7 contaminated hazelnuts (and, I bet, a growing list of hazelnut-containing processed foods). Yes, you read correctly.

DeFranco & Sons of Los Angeles, California, is recalling in-shell hazelnuts and mixed-nut products in bulk and bags. They were distributed nationwide in the US and to Canada. (I wonder where they were grown? California or imported? I'll find out and let you know). These nuts have already been linked to seven cases of E.coli 0157:H7 illness in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. There will be more.

E.coli 0157 contamination of nuts is very uncommon. Usually it's Salmonella bacteria (as it was in the case of past peanut and pistachio outbreaks we had). And, we all know by now that this nasty bacteria can cause very serious illness, especially in young children and the elderly who could develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) just as they think they are getting over the diarrhea.

If you have eaten hazelnuts recently, or, any product containing hazelnuts (such as peanut butter, chocolates, baked goods, ice creams) watch out for symptoms of bloody diarrhea, in case you were unlucky. Onset of symptoms is usually 3-4 days (but can be 2-8) after eating the nuts. Get yourself (or your child) to a doctor if that happens.

And my advice - avoid any brand hazelnuts or hazelnut containing product for the moment, until we find out where this outbreak ends up.

TSF