Monthly Archives: April 2014

Does food safety risk analysis have a public hope? How politics make us stupid

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I have no time for scientists who bitch behind closed doors about how they’re misunderstood by the public.

As Thomas Jefferson famously stated, which I always use to introduce my risk analysis course, “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.”

communicationI’m not a fan of education, but I am a fan of compelling, current, credible information.

Ezra Klein writes about the More Information Hypothesis: the belief that many of our most bitter political battles are mere misunderstandings. The cause of these misunderstandings? Too little information — be it about climate change, or taxes, or Iraq, or the budget deficit. If only the citizenry were more informed, theb thinking goes, then there wouldn’t be all this fighting.

But the More Information Hypothesis isn’t just wrong. It’s backwards. Cutting-edge research shows that the more information partisans get, the deeper their disagreements become.

This isn’t cutting-edge. This has been known for at least 50 years.

I heard the same thing about genetically engineered foods in the early 1990s (I’m old) and tried to tell the corporations, facts are not your answer: it’s compassion, stories.

That worked out well (that’s sarcasm).

Klein writes that in April and May of 2013, Yale Law professor Dan Kahan — working with co-authors Ellen Peters, Erica Cantrell Dawson, and Paul Slovic — set out to test a question that continuously puzzles scientists: why isn’t good evidence more effective in resolving political debates? For instance, why doesn’t the mounting proof that climate change is a real threat persuade more skeptics?

The leading theory, Kahan and his coauthors wrote, is the Science Comprehension Thesis, which says the problem is that the public doesn’t know enough about science to judge the debate. It’s a version of the More Information Hypothesis: a smarter, better educated citizenry wouldn’t have all these problems reading the science and accepting its clear conclusion on climate change.

That’s a new-fangled version of the needle theory – a willing public waiting to ingest science.

Doesn’t work like that.

Kahan goes on to say that the science community has a crappy communications team. Actually, scratch that: Kahan doesn’t think they have any communications team at all.”

Easy to throw darts from the outside. My team can tell you what you need to know about food safety science communication.

 

 

Crown Princess cruise ship hit with fourth norovirus outbreak in four years

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Earlier this year Time Magazine included Princess Cruise Line’s ship, the Crown Princess on a list of the 13 worst cruise-related norovirus outbreaks.

Twice.

4. Princess Cruises, Crown Princess (January 2010)

Total number sick: 396

In 2010, there were 14 outbreaks of illnesses on ships , including this one. Eight were attributed to norovirus.Crown Princess

5. Princess Cruises, Crown Princess (February 2012)

Total number sick: 363

The cruise, which embarked just a month after another outbreak on the ship, returned to Ft. Lauderdale two days early as passengers started falling ill.
Something is up with that ship as AP reports that 37 patrons of the Crown Princess are yet again barfing onboard.
Princess Cruises spokeswoman Karen Candy says about 37 passengers on the Crown Princess reported being sick while the ship was in San Francisco on Monday.
 
Candy says the ship’s staff began intense disinfecting of surfaces, and all sick passengers are being encouraged to remain in their rooms.

Las Vegas’ Firefly has food safety problems again

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In June 2013 Las Vegas’ Firefly Tapas Kitchen and Bar was linked to over 250 cases of salmonellosis. Investigators fingered cross-contaminated chorizo as the likely source. At the time of the outbreak owner Tabitha Simmons was quoted as saying, “It’s just sad because we’ve been vilified and we did not want anyone to get hurt. We certainly weren’t managing our restaurants poorly.” firefly-300x300

Uh huh.

According to Fox 5, Las Vegas health inspectors gave another Firefly location 38 inspection demerit points resulting in a C grade in March.

The owners of Firefly Tapas Kitchen and Bar acknowledged on Tuesday it received a “C” rating when inspectors for the Southern Nevada Health District inspected the eatery at 11261 S. Eastern Ave. in Henderson on March 31.

Of the 38 demerits it incurred, Firefly was flagged for violations including those for handwashing, improper refrigeration of food, food improperly cooked at the proper temperature and failure to properly store food from potential contamination, according to SNHD’s website.

In a statement from Firefly owners John and Tabitha Simmons, the March 31 inspection was random. The owners also said the eatery was cited for 1-day-old expired food in the refrigerator.

The owners went on to say they corrected the violations within hours of the inspection. A subsequent inspection the following Friday, April 4, brought the restaurant’s rating back up to an “A,” the owners said on Tuesday.

Sure looks like they are managing their restaurants poorly, food safety-wise.

20 cops suffered from diarrhea during Sehat Ka Insaaf drive in Pakistan

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At least 20 constables suffered from diarrhea and were admitted to hospitals when they eat food during the “Sehat Ka Insaf programme”, hospital sources told The Nation on Monday.

sehat-ka-insaf3They said that district administration has made food arrangements for police constables who were performing duty during the Sehat Ka Insaf programme. Local administration purchased packed food, including piece of chicken and juices from a local backer. After eating the food, majority of constables suffered from diarrhea, they added. 

Fancy food ain’t safe food – Welsh curry edition

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A curry house voted the best in Wales only last year has been fined £10,000 after food hygiene inspectors found rat droppings on the premises.

The owners of Llanymynech’s Bengal Spices, Rabiul Alam, 34, and Mizanur Chowdhury, 43, pleaded guilty to nine food hygiene breaches when they appeared at Llandrindod Magistrates Court this week.

Llanymynech’s Bengal SpicesThe restaurant was closed in November 2013 after Powys County Council (PCC) received a complaint from a member of the public.

Nigel Vaughan, prosecuting, said that inspectors found rat droppings in the toilets and the lobby near the kitchen area.

They also found evidence of “gnawing”.

Mr Vaughan said the restaurant displayed “unacceptable standards of cleanliness” and food premises, articles, fittings and equipment were not kept in a “clean condition”.

The court heard the restaurant had also failed to ensure food was thawed safely, while other food was found uncovered.

The owners also admitted to failing to follow procedures based on the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) procedure.
Magistrates heard they had signed off to confirm daily checks had been carried out.

Wilbur Feagan and food safety

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A fitting obituary for Wilbur S. Feagan, who died March 29 at his Springfield, Missouri home at the age of 100.

Feagan, who founded the Black Pearl Award via the International Association for Food Protection with an endowment of $35,000, seemed the embodiment of a food safety professional: it may not be glamorous, but it’s important.

wilburFrom the Springfiled News-Leader:

Feagan graduated college as an engineer in 1936 at a time when people would get sick from unpasteurized milk. He spent his life not only making milk, but food in general, safer for consumers.

At Feagan’s 100th birthday celebration on Sept. 19 at the White River Conference Center, one gift was a half gallon of Hiland Dairy buttermilk. Feagan often attributed his longevity to consumption of dairy products — and the drinking of buttermilk in particular.

Until a Dec. 10 stroke, Feagan had been driving and going to work daily, said Ed Donnell, who works at F & H Food Equipment Company, in Springfield. Feagan co-founded the company in 1959 with Paul Higley.

According to Donnell, Feagan always made it clear that employees could take time off work to care for family members or to attend their children’s baseball games.

“He truly wanted other people to do well, and he made sure family came first,” Donnell said.

Soon after college, Feagan worked at the St. Louis Dairy Commission. St. Louis had just passed a Public Health Service Milk Ordinance.

In 1939, the United States Public Health Service considered milk to be such a high health priority that it drafted the Model Milk Health Ordinance and promoted it for adoption by cities across the nation. The major concern was raw, or unpasteurized, milk sold to the public.

Harold Bengsch, a Greene County commissioner, was the county health director from 1984 to 2004. That’s how he knew Feagan. He lunched with him often.

“One of the things that impressed me most about Wilbur was when you would talk about an issue he would often say, ‘Let’s just take a look back to the ’30s or ’40s. We had something similar happen, and this is how we worked it out.’ ”

Man arrested at NY airport for smuggling cocaine in frozen meat

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Many years ago when I was a teenager, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (Canada), some friends went to Jamacia, and came back with a wooden owl – filled with ganga.

johnny-depp-blowThings haven’t changed much.

From the frozen meat files, a man who was flying from Trinidad to JFK Airport tried to smuggle more than 7 pounds of cocaine hidden in three packages of frozen meat last month.

When Yudishtir Maharaj arrived in New York on March 20, U. S. Customs and Border Protection officers inspected the packages they found in his luggage. 

They discovered white powder inside the meat, which tested positive for cocaine, authorities said.

Maharaj, a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, was charged with importing a controlled substance, according to customs officials.

‘I wasn’t really informed’ spring chicks can bring Salmonella

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Springtime and the approaching Easter holiday are causing concern among health officials.

This is the time of year people tend to buy chicks and ducklings for their backyard flocks. As a result, the number of people who become infected with salmonella spikes.

borat.chicken“While it’s fun for families to get baby birds, the bacteria they shed can make people sick,” said Dr. Kathy Lofy, Washington health officer, in a news release. “This is especially true for young children, who account for the largest proportion of live poultry-related salmonella cases.”

Last year, 19 people in Washington were part of a multistate outbreak of salmonella associated with handling live poultry. Thirteen of the cases involved children younger than 10.

One of those children was Liz Wilson of Yacolt.

Liz, who was 3 at the time, became infected with salmonella in April 2013 after her family purchased nine chicks and two ducklings from a local farm store.

The family, which includes nine kids ranging in age from 4 to 16, purchased the chicks to raise for eggs, said Liz’s mother, Denise Kaski. Her husband, David Kaski, had chickens in the past and knew what it took to raise the birds, but they weren’t aware of the salmonella risk, Denise Kaski said.

“I wasn’t really informed,” she said.

infection. “The first thing a very small child is going to want to do is give these cute little chickies a little kiss,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County Public Health director and health officer. “That’s not a good thing to do.”

On April 4, 2013, about a week after the family brought the chicks home, Liz became lethargic, started vomiting, had bloody diarrhea and wouldn’t chicken.south.parkeat. She couldn’t even keep down what she was given through a feeding tube that is used to supplement her diet, Kaski said.

Liz was taken by ambulance to Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel in Portland. As doctors ran tests, Kaski started Googling Liz’s symptoms. She came across information about salmonella and told Liz’s doctor the family recently purchased chicks.

Liz has no lasting effects from the infection, but Kaski knows the situation could have been worse. The family got rid of the chickens, and Kaski warns others about Salmonella and the importance of hand-washing.

“I don’t want anybody else to have to get sick like that,” she said.

26 poisoned by sushi in Sonora, Mexico

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The number of people with symptoms of food poisoning from eating sushi increased to 26, reported the Ministry of Health of the state.

All affected persons have noted that the ingested products in the branch “Rodriguez” chain restaurants That Roll Sushi.

sonoran hotdog kimbap vegetarian platter copyLast year the company was the cause of more than 200 people with intoxicated will result. The business covered the costs of almost all concerned.

This time the penalty could be the closure of that branch due to recidivism, the Health Ministry said. 

(Something may be lost in translation.)

Fancy food ain’t safe food – NZ edition

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As New York City somewhat quietly enacted its first paid sick leave law on April 1, wedding guests and eight serving staff at the exclusive Northern Club in Auckland, New Zealand fell sick in a suspected norovirus outbreak.

The wedding was held at the club in Princes St, central Auckland, on Saturday, March 29. People began to fall ill two days later.
norovirus-2Dr Hoskins said the club had alerted the Auckland Regional Public Health Service.

He said the service’s investigation was still in progress, and he did not know last night how many of the 100 guests had become ill.

Contact details had been obtained for 77 guests, of whom 44 had been interviewed.

Club’s president Tenby Powell (no relation) said that although the health service’s investigation had not yet identified the source of the outbreak, “we are very confident it’s got nothing to do with the Northern Club’s food handling processes”.

The eight affected employees were serving staff – “they serve plates” – and none of the food preparation staff had been affected.

Uh-huh.