Tag Archives: Raw

Maybe there’s an outbreak: Health Canada details risks of eating raw sprouts

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Health Canada has a habit of issuing food safety reminders about the same time an outbreak comes to public attention. The latest example was a completely useless reminder to wash produce after an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in New Brunswick linked to Romaine lettuce from California, and just before another NB E. coli outbreak was announced.

Today, HC is “reminding Canadians that raw or undercooked sprouts should not be eaten by young children, older adults, pregnant women or those with weakened immune systems.”

Between 1995 and 2011, approximately 1,000 cases of sprout-borne illness were reported in eight outbreaks from five provinces across Canada. The largest outbreak in Canada was in 2005, when more than 648 cases of Salmonella were reported in Ontario.

Health Canada says children younger than five, older adults, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable and should not eat raw sprouts at all. They should also avoid eating cooked sprouts unless the sprouts have been cooked thoroughly.

This advice does not account for the risks of cross-contamination.

Kibbeh kontroversy: is raw hamburger banned in Ontario or not? And how should the rules be enforced

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A month after an Ontario health unit decided to enforce a ban on kibbeh – a Lebanese dish made from raw hamburger – one restaurant says it will serve the dish processed instead of ground, sidestepping regulations.

Mazaar restaurant co-owner Imad Najjar told the Windsor Star, "I’m going to serve it until a food processor or a mincer is called a grinder."

Dr. Allen Heimann, Windsor-Essex County chief medical officer, responded, "If meat is sliced thinly while raw, like ceviche, which is Italian, it is not in violation of the regulations. But if it is raw ground meat, then that’s something entirely different."

The latest statements cap weeks of uncertainty, bungling and bad food safety advice.

It began in late June when Windsor-Essex County Health Unit inspectors began forcing Lebanese restaurants to pull product after a report of contaminated raw kibbeh in Ottawa late last year.

Provincial regulations require ground meat cooked to an internal temperature of at least 71 C for at least 15 seconds.

Medical officer Heimann then went on the record to state, “regardless of the popularity of a product, public safety must be my priority.

“Raw kibbeh and steak tartare are raw ground meat dishes that do not conform to section 33(7) paragraph 3 of Ontario Regulation 562, of The Food Premises Regulation.

“This section of the regulation states that all parts of ground meat (other than ground meat containing poultry) must be cooked to reach an internal temperature of at least 71 C for at least 15 seconds. Ground meat containing poultry must be cooked to at least 74 C for at least 15 seconds.

“On July 10, a teleconference was held to discuss the issue with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and several other health units, including Ottawa, Toronto and London.

“All of the participating health units confirmed they do not allow the serving of raw ground meat in restaurants. The teleconference group further agreed to continue to review this issue in accordance with the Food Premises Regulation.”

And then things got really confusing.

An Ottawa resident wrote, “The regulation Heimann keeps quoting, that ground meat should be cooked to 71 C, deals with store-bought ground meat that was never intended and should not be used for raw consumption. Kibbeh, tartare and carpaccio do not fall into this category, as any foodie (or 15 seconds on Google) could tell you.”

Raw is raw.

A local medical doctor wrote that he’s never seen a case of E. coli from kibbeh, and that, “if you really wanted to prevent this infection in our community, perhaps Big Brother should ban travel to Mexico.”

It didn’t take long for a raw milk proponent to jump in and argue freedom of choice should apply to all foods.

Maybe. But don’t serve it to kids. The Ontario government needs to come clean on what the rules are and how they should be enforced without leaving local inspectors as the arbiters for bureaucratic indecision.

Do Ontario bureaucrats think it’s OK to serve raw hamburger to children?

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The other thing about food bans is enforcement.

It’s a simple question: does the Ontario government think it’s OK to serve raw hamburger to little kids?

Apparently it does.

The Windsor Star (that’s in Ontario, Canada) reports that “in June 2006, inspectors from the local health unit poured bleach on egg salad sandwiches made by volunteers at the annual Art in the Park festival. They deemed the action necessary to protect public safety.

“The fact that the inspectors saw the sandwiches – sold to help raise funds for Willistead Manor – as a health threat sparked widespread community outrage. It even prompted a sharp rebuke from then-health minister George Smitherman who called the action "asinine."

Except the local folks were doing their job.

“Now the health unit has decided to set its sights on kibbeh – a traditional Lebanese dish of raw ground meat – and ordered restaurants to take the popular food off their menus.”

“It’s understandable why local restaurateurs feel blindsided by the health unit’s decision. As Ministry of Health and Long-term Care spokesperson Zita Astravas told The Star, the province hasn’t banned the preparation of raw kibbeh anywhere.

“And why would it? Kibbeh remains a highly popular dish with customers of all backgrounds.

“In fact, there’s been no documented problem with kibbeh in any restaurant here, or anywhere else in Ontario for that matter.”

There are lots of problems with raw anything. Seek and ye shall find. This is probably more about how terrible surveillance is in Ontario.

But watch bureaucracy in action – and have some sympathy and tea for front-line inspectors who carry out enforcement at the whim of dithering bosses.

“Dr. Allen Heimann, Windsor-Essex County chief medical officer, confirmed the Ottawa incident prompted local action. Heimann said that Ontario regulations stipulate beef must be cooked to an internal temperature of 71 C for 15 seconds before public consumption.

“However, Rishma Govani, Toronto Public Health spokesperson, said that regulation refers specifically to serving cooked meat, and that’s something Toronto’s health unit takes into account when reviewing traditionally prepared ethnic foods.”

There’s science, there’s culture and there’s outbreaks. I wouldn’t advise anyone eat raw hamburger. Bureaucrats need to be clear about the rules – but that’s how to survive in bureaucracy; a bureaucrat survives by vagueness.

Banning foods makes them sexier

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Proponents, critics and others usually agree on one thing, especially when it involves food.

That if people were just better educated, things would be better.

It’s a deceit and hopelessly arrogant – that if you just saw the world and knew about the world the way I know about the world, we would agree and make better choices.

In my teaching I use the same quote from Thomas Jefferson for every class:

"I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion by education."

Take out the “by education” and I agree.

Which is what I was trying to say when Kelli Grant, a writer for SmartMoney.com asked me about food bans, and said, “Any time there’s an attempt to ban a food, it just makes the food sexier, like Prohibition.”

Recently, California put into effect a ban on foie gras—a fattened duck or goose liver dish that animal-welfare advocates say is inhumane because it requires the force-feeding of animals. In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed a ban on sugary drinks exceeding 16 ounces, while Massachusetts recently passed a law, to take effect in August, that will limit students’ access to junk food during the school day.

Those looking for restricted foods may not be totally out of luck, however. Most laws and food codes are at the state, or even county, level. They’re also difficult to enforce, food experts say.

That leads to grass-roots groups that fight the legislation, and efforts among eaters to find ways to buy restricted foods.

Diners may not even have to travel to another state to indulge in their favorite banned food. Experts say they can often find a restaurant or supplier willing to bend the rules. Of course, health-safety concerns may make that a bad idea, Powell said. Unlike foie gras, which was banned for animal-rights concerns, many foods including rare burgers and raw milk are outlawed with the aim of protecting consumers from foodborne illness.

I’m all for providing evidence–based information in a compelling manner and adults can decide what they want. For kids it’s different. In the same way we don’t sit around with our 3-year-olds with a smoke, a rock-and-rye and a line of coke, they should be protected from potentially dangerous foods, regardless of beliefs.

This one’s for you, Rob, which is the vintage of when I took my now 25-year-old daughter to see the Grateful Dead when she was 6-weeks old.

Washington state says, please cook your oysters

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I don’t know any food microbiologists who eat raw oysters; they may exist, but maybe I only know the drunks and they know better than to play with Vibrio and its liver-specific toxins.

And every time we post something about raw oysters, producers and government-types say we have no idea what we’re talking about – and provide no data.

So this isn’t me, it’s from the Washington state department of health via Seattlepi, which is telling Washingtonians to thoroughly cook their oysters.

The department says that cooking shellfish until the shells open is not enough for kill harmful bacteria.

Summer’s warmer temperatures mean that levels of the bacteria Vibrio parahaemolyticus increase in state waters. Eating an oyster with the Vibrio bacteria can lead to diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever, and chills. It says that symptoms usually appear within 12-24 hours after eating infected shellfish and usually last from two to seven days.

The department recommends oysters should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees for at least 15 seconds to thoroughly kill the bacteria.

Yes, I temp my oysters with a thermometer. Because I know a few drunks and don’t want to kill them.

Chef serves up raw meat protest in Windsor

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A chef in Windsor (that’s in Canada, across the river from Detroit, where they have a decent hockey team) is going to serve raw meat dishes lamb tartare and lamb Carpaccio this Canada Day weekend to protest local health types banning the raw beef dish kibbeh from a handful of Lebanese restaurants and steak tartare from another.

“Until an inspector tells me to stop, I’ll keep serving it. And if they tell me to stop, I will probably still do it,” said Rino Bortolin.

Lawyers, open your bank accounts.

Bortolin called the Windsor Essex County Health Unit unit “culturally insensitive” to "hard-working small businesses."

“Certain preparations have been accepted for years and pose no harm when done properly. Those have been on menus for decades,” Bortolin said. “These meats and dishes have been prepared and eaten this way for centuries.”

Bortolin said the health unit has overreacted to an incident in Ottawa.

In February, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a media release warning customers to not consume finely ground beef sold at New Middleast Supermarket in Ottawa.

“The affected ground beef is a finely ground raw beef known to be used for Kebbeh,” the release said.

The release never mentioned a restaurant. In an email sent Wednesday, CBC News asked the CFIA why it made reference to a specific dish. The agency has not responded.

The owner of the New Middleast Supermarket told CBC News that he didn’t sell the beef to restaurants and that the meat in question was consumed by a customer.

“If it’s the source material, investigate that source and fix that problem,” Bortolin said.

Chief medical officer Dr. Allen Heimann said beef must be cooked to an internal temperature of 71 C for 15 seconds before public consumption.

Bortolin contends the law does not prohibit him from serving raw meat, only that he must "be aware of susceptible segments of society," such as children and the sick.

Bortolin said he hasn’t yet heard the reason behind the health unit’s sudden enforcement. He said he’s not aware of anyone in Windsor getting sick after eating kibbeh at a restaurant.

He said before ordering, customers should ask when a restaurant’s meat arrived and where it came from.

“I welcome people asking questions,” he said. “All my meat comes fresh from Essex County. We do that for a reason.”

I wouldn’t eat there.

Raw is risky in food preparation for people and pets

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When I picked Sorenne up at school the other day, the kids were dancing wildly in the sunshine to a Justine Clarke song.

I had at least 10 years of Robert Munch books, Sharon Lois and Bram sing-alongs, and Sesame Street TV.

I’ve been doing it again and besides the Wiggles, the biggest kids’ entertainer in Australia seems to be Justine Clarke.

There’s a free TV channel that runs nothing but kids’ programs, and an episode of Play School from 2005 that was on the other day featured then co-host Justine Clarke cutting up raw meat to feed to the dog and her puppies; mixed with brown rice, because what species can’t get enough Asian fusion cooking in their diet.

Cross-contamination was a problem.

With the on-going outbreak of Salmonella Infantis linked to Diamond Pet Foods that has sickened at least 22 humans, National Public Radio in the U.S. summarized a too cutesy brief about the outbreak with this gem: “If keeping track of recent pet food scares is just too complicated, you could always make your own food for Fido.”

The highlighted link took readers to an April 4, 2007 story from NPR, with the redux title, After pet food scare, could homemade be a help?

Phil Klein, the co-owner of Whiskers Holistic Pet Care and billed as an expert in the field of homemade pet food, shared his advice with host Neal Conan. A couple of experts are below.

“CONAN: Yet we’re always told to feed our pets pet food. How come?

“Mr. KLEIN: Well, let me ask you a question. I’m sure that you’re very, very aware, and I’m sure this enlightened audience is very aware of the Egyptian hieroglyphs on the pyramids in which are depicted dogs and cats of that era. Okay? So we know that dogs and cats are at least 3,500 years old and have not changed materially in basic format since then, correct? Okay, who cooked kibble for dogs for the pharaoh?

“CONAN: I didn’t see any checkerboard patterns on any of the obelisks.

“Mr. KLEIN: Okay, my next thing is – our paradigm truly – at Whiskers Holistic Pet Care, our paradigm is how did the dog or cat live in the wild 150 years ago, very specifically in that timeframe. That was before we screwed up our soil so badly so that the nutrients in the ingredients that the dogs and the cats ate in the wild were much more dense than they are, currently.
Be that as it may, if you go into those woods, you find me the trees in which live the Keebler elves cooking kibble, or find me a can opener hanging from a bush.”

Nature can be nasty, brutish and short.

And cross-contamination isn’t child’s play, with pet food or human food.

Sushi eaters face their own pink slime

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Amy likes the sushi. I can’t stand the stuff.

As part of that Salmonella-in-sushi outbreak that has now caused 116 confirmed illnesses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control yesterday fingered the culprit: frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, known as Nakaochi Scrape, from Moon Marine USA Corporation.

Nakaochi Scrape is tuna backmeat that is scraped from the bones of tuna and may be used in sushi, sashimi, ceviche, and similar dishes. The product looks like raw ground tuna. Often it’s sold as spicy tuna sushi. The raw yellowfin tuna product may have passed through several distributors before reaching the restaurant and grocery market and may not be clearly labeled.

Did you know that’s what you may be getting when you get your fancy pants sushi? Amy didn’t.

I tried to explain to Amy and dozens of reporters over the past few days, why it’s sometimes a good idea to use technology to get whatever protein is available from whatever source: but a McRib isn’t actually a rib; it’s the scrapped and gathered pieces of pork mixed with secret spices and formed into a familiar shape of deliciousness to not scare people off; sorta like how religious deities appear. Same with a lot of chicken thingies. And many have now heard of pink slime.

But sushi is for the refined crowd, who don’t lower themselves to other proteinly indulgences. At least that’s what foodies tell me.

Kill steps to control dangerous bacteria are important. So is consumer choice and buyer beware. I’m going to visit my fish monger later today. The muddies are ripe, and the barramundi are plentiful.

Keeping count; raw food, animals can transmit disease

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Don’t touch that turtle! Don’t touch that one either! And stop touching yourself!

Second City TV: great or greatest show ever?

But good advice for those who want to hang around raw food and live animals of various kinds. Bacteria happen. Biology happens. “It’s not a deal, nor a test nor a love of something fated.”

I don’t like sushi; pet turtles traumatized me as a child.

Turtles were inexpensive, popular, and low maintenance, with an array of groovy pre-molded plastic housing designs to choose from. Invariably they would escape, only to be found days later behind the couch along with the skeleton of the class bunny my younger sister brought home from kindergarten one weekend. Maybe I got sick from my turtle.

Maybe I picked up my turtle, rolled around on the carpet with it, pet it a bit, and then stuck my finger in my mouth. Maybe in my emotionally vacant adolescence I kissed my turtle. Who can remember?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports there are now 72 confirmed cases of people, primarily kids, infected with outbreak strains of Salmonella Sandiego, Salmonella Pomona, and Salmonella Poona in 17 states, up from 66.

Results of the epidemiologic and environmental investigations indicate exposure to turtles or their environments (e.g., water from a turtle habitat) is the cause of these outbreaks.

Small turtles (shell length less than 4 inches) were reported by 92% of cases.

Forty-three percent of ill persons with small turtles reported purchasing the turtles from street vendors.

Turtles with a shell length of less than 4 inches in size should not be purchased or given as gifts.

And in sushi land, there are now 100 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly from 19 states and the District of Columbia, up from 93.

The investigation has not conclusively identified a food source.

The investigation is ongoing into individual food items and their sources.

Raw oyster risk: norovirus infections associated with frozen raw oysters

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Oysters from Australian waters are a delight on the grill, although I’ve graduated to scallops on the half-shell, also grilled.

But whenever I go see Paul the fish monger, he’s offering me a sample of his wares – raw – and I politely decline.

Or, as Dr. Ken Buckle, professor emeritus at the University of New South Wales commented when our hosts took us to a seafood buffet in Abu Dhabi, I spent too much time researching pathogens in raw fish.

He chose the cooked kind.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recently described a norovirus outbreak in frozen raw oysters in Seattle imported from South Korea.

On October 19, 2011, Public Health – Seattle & King County was contacted regarding a woman who had experienced acute gastroenteritis after dining at a local restaurant with friends. Staff members interviewed the diners and confirmed that three of the seven in the party had consumed a raw oyster dish.

Within 18–36 hours after consumption, the three had onsets of aches, nausea, and nonbloody diarrhea lasting 24–48 hours. One ill diner also reported vomiting. The four diners who had not eaten the raw oysters did not become ill.

An inspection of a walk-in freezer at the restaurant revealed eight 3-pound bags of frozen raw oysters, which the restaurant indicated had been an ingredient of the dish consumed by the ill diners. The oysters had been imported from South Korea by company A and shipped to a local vendor, which sold them to the restaurant. All eight bags were sent to the Food and Drug Administration’s Gulf Coast Seafood Laboratory for norovirus testing and characterization by real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR).

A stool specimen from one of two ill diners collected 17 days after symptom onset tested positive for norovirus; sequence analysis identified GI.1 and GII.17 strains. Sequence analysis of the oysters identified a GII.3 strain. Because oysters can harbor multiple norovirus strains that are unequally amplified by rRT-PCR, discordance between stool specimens and food samples in shellfish-associated norovirus outbreaks is common and does not rule out an association. On November 4, 2011, company A recalled its frozen raw oysters.

The frozen oysters implicated in this outbreak were distributed internationally and had a 2-year shelf-life. Contamination of similar products has been implicated previously in international norovirus transmissions. Such contamination has potential for exposing persons widely dispersed in space and time, making cases difficult to identify or link through traditional complaint-based surveillance.