HOW YOU CAN AVOID GETTING LISTERIA FROM FOOD?

Sometimes it seems that the dangerous bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes is everywhere in our food supply. One product recall quickly follows another, at least in the United States. The most recent recall was issued yesterday by LJD Holdings, Inc.( doing business as B and D Foods). They recalled some 33,500 pounds of fully cooked meat and poultry products because of possible contamination by Listeria monocytogenes (click on the recall link on this page to get details of products recalled).

So what can you safely eat? This question is most important for pregnant women, older people, anyone with a compromised immune system, and anyone who has kidney disease, certain cancers, diabetes or is an alcoholic. For such people, a single lunch, dinner or snack can prove fatal. No, I am not exaggerating. While it is estimated that some 20-30 percent of Listeria infections result in death, the rate is much greater for people in the high risk group - estimates placing it anywhere between 40-70 percent.

I have written a lot about this issue in previous blog postings. But here are some of the basics.

People in the high risk groups may want to avoid "ready-to-eat" foods unless they are cooked thoroughly first. Such foods include:

Luncheon meats, bologna, pastrami, salami, cold-smoked salmon, refrigerated pate, meat spreads and other similar deli products.
Store-sold salads such as chicken salad, tuna salad, ham salad, seafood salad.
Ready-made sandwiches or similar foods.
Raw (unpasteurized) milk or foods made with unpasteurized milk.
Soft cheeses such as quesco blanco, quesco fresco, Feta, Brie, Camembert cheeses, blue-veined cheeses and similar unless the label states that they are made with pasteurized milk.

However - and I wish I didn't have to say this - L. monocytogenes sometimes also turns up in other foods (for instance in butter, and even whole produce), so even if you avoid such foods, it will not be a 100 percent guarantee of safety.

To your good health,
TSF

WHO GETS FOOD POISONING?

If you eat - which goes for all of us - you may well get food poisoning at one or more points in your life. The chances are, you won't be sure if it IS food poisoning, not know exactly what meal or food item caused it, and not report it to the authorities.

Let's look at which of us is more likely to get sick. A lot will depend on:
• who you are
• what you eat
• where you live and eat

The Safe Food Handbook: How to Make Smart Choices about Risky Food (now in second edition, on sale on Amazon and in bookstores) divides people into groups according to their level of risk. Factors like age, health, medicines regularly taken, all enter in to determine whether you are more or less likely to get sick - and, how serious (and yes, sometimes fatal) that illness is likely to be. Two people can eat the same risky meal: one can become very ill, and the other may have almost no symptoms.

Of course, it also depends on what you eat. Basically, people who eat a lot of ready-to-eat foods and raw foods (raw milk, raw cheeses, raw vegetables, raw meat, raw fish are more likely to get ill from their food. No, I am not arguing against raw food diets. That is a personal choice. But when it comes to food risks, many of these consist of bacteria, viruses, parasites, which would be killed by cooking, or in the case of milk and dairy products like cheeses, by pasteurization. It's as simple as that.

So what about where you eat? The country where you live does make a difference, and certain countries have a generally safer food supply than others do. But it also depends if you eat out a lot (restaurants have additional risks) or at catered banquets, or on cruises or planes. The book explains why. And so do some of the earlier posts of the over 400 on this blog.

But the bottom line is that anyone can get food poisoning. Yes, even people who don't believe there is such a thing, who say they can eat anything and be OK. Yes, like a friend of mine who got food poisoning twice last year (see the next post).

To your good health,

TSF

THE 2013 FOOD CLIFF

Every year around this time, I try to do a kind of overview of food safety issues in the past year. So, what happened in 2012? And, how does 2013 look?

Well, on the food front, 2012 was similar to previous years. Safety risks continued in our food. Some of these are very hard to avoid, others are avoidable if we are smart in what we buy, and how we handle, cook and eat our food.

In the U.S. - and, in other countries - bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes and dangerous members of the Salmonella, E.coli, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus and other families continued to turn up. Viruses, fungi, parasites and unhealthy metals and chemicals also made appearances, but received far less publicity. One of the less usual ones was high levels of lead found in licorice. Of course, what is found depends greatly on what food testing looks for.

And, the usual foods have been involved in recalls - a lot of ready-to-eat food, especially fresh produce, cheeses, smoked salmon, deli meats and such, as well as some whole fresh produce, meat (especially ground meat) and processed foods (such as peanut butter). Pet food (and treats) and animal feed, as well as human food has been contaminated.

One of the largest outbreaks in the U.S. in 2012 was due to Salmonella Newport bacteria in cantaloupe (261 ill, 3 deaths, 94 hospitalizations in 24 States.) There were also - at least so it seemed to me - more than the usual number of recalls due to "foreign bodies" in our food - things such as bits of metal, plastic, glass. Two of the more astonishing ones this year were needles found in turkey sandwiches served on board a flight (ugh!), and bits of marker pen in corn chowder.

Yes, and, eating out continues to be more risky than eating at home. Several restaurants had major outbreaks. Some had to close temporarily or permanently as a result. One of the largest food poisoning outbreaks was in a restaurant called On the Border in Vancouver, Washington (U.S. - not Vancouver, B.C.). At least 120 people were suspected to have fallen ill due to the relatively rare Salmonella Virchow bacteria in the food. But there were many others.

I wonder how much of these problems in food are tied to the struggling economy? I don't know for sure, but I suspect that it plays a role. I have noticed in my own shopping that the food sold is often less fresh. I have found mold on packaged garlic, green tinged and outdated meat, live bugs crawling around in packages of crystalized ginger, and more. I would suspect that this has a lot to do with trying to keep food prices down as consumers are hurting but costs are going up. I also suspect that some of these odd things turning up in processed foods (though not the two I mentioned above) are pieces of factory equipment that has not been adequately maintained or replaced because of cost cutting.

Last night in the U.S. we slid over the so-called Fiscal Cliff. The solution to our economic woes that is being discussed as I write, is, at best, weak. Let's see how that affects our food supply. No Food Cliff please!

Welcome to 2013!

To your good health,

TSF

EXPANSION OF THE BOILED EGG RECALL

Here we go again - paying the price for our industrialized food supply and our increasing dependence on convenience foods. That tiny bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes, is giving us more worry and misery. Pregnant women and vulnerable people watch out!

The boiled egg recall is now on a nationwide expansion path in the U.S. Michael Foods, Inc. is recalling hard-cooked eggs in brine sold in 10 and 25-pound pails for institutional use. From its Wakefield, Nebraska facility these eggs were sent to food distributors and manufacturers in at least 34 states (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NV, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, WA, WI, WV).

And, as usual, and to confuse the issue further, a product from such a large food company is sold under various names - all of them sounding healthy - Columbia Valley Farms, GFS, Glenview Farms, Papetti’s, Silverbrook, Wholesome Farms. (I think I am going to steer clear of any product which has "Farm" or "Farms" in its name..There have been just too many "farm" recalls lately).

Avoid convenience foods - if you can.

To your good health,

TSF