Yearly Archives: 2015

Crypto and giardia take $5 billion bite out of NYC

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Two tiny organisms present a big problem for New York City’s water department: cryptosporidium and giardia.

crypto.waterThe city has spent $5 billion over the last five years combatting these organisms, which can cause fatal illnesses in the sick and elderly and gastrointestinal problems for those with healthy immune systems.

“In the city’s east-of-Hudson Croton watershed, where development has encroached on watershed land, federal regulators forced the city to filter the water; hence the $3 billion Croton filtration plant that recently opened,” City Limits reported.

The plant itself was a giant, politically fraught project.

Seek and ye shall find: Listeria in ice cream

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Blue Bell and Jeni’s, both ice cream manufacturers that trade on trust, community and faith, but not Listeria testing, are trying to learn science.

blue.bell.creameriesBlue Bell “hopes” to start test production in its Sylacauga, Alabama, facility in the next several weeks. “When production resumes at the Sylacauga plant, it will be on a limited basis as the company seeks to confirm that new procedures, facility enhancements and employee training have been effective,” the company stated in a press release. “Upon completion of this trial period, Blue Bell will begin building inventory to return to the market.”

Two hundred people attended an actual prayer vigil in the creameries’ hometown of Brenham, then in May, a Blue Bell black market began on Craigslist (one Dallas seller was asking $10,000 for a gallon of Caramel Turtle Cheesecake. With a bowl missing). And, of course, there was this: 

Mimi Swartz of Texas Monthly declared that “ice cream is Proustian.” It conjures up moments of childhood and family better than most foods. And I have have my own Blue Bell-specific memories – the old man gave up the more dangerous vices and he replaced them with one guilty pleasure, bought by the gallon and eaten by the bowl-full. That was childhood, though, and as Maw and Pops got older and more health-conscious, they switched to sorbet. Then they stopped with the sweets altogether. I shed no tears.

As homegrown and delicious as Blue Bell might be, it’s worth reviewing how the company created and responded to this catastrophe—a series of missteps that baffled legal and food safety experts. In May, the Houston Chronicle reported that Blue Bell found “strong evidence” of listeria in one of its Oklahoma factories in 2013, but failed to correct the issue. The Houston Press detailed the company’s “plant environmental testing plan” through a private lab. Although factory swabs were routinely tested for pathogens, Blue Bell only looked at areas that didn’t have contact with ice cream. 

Blue Bell further confounded experts with its first attempt at pulling the dangerous products. It initially tried to quietly remove products back in February before people started getting sick. Unlike a complete recall, these withdrawals don’t require public notice, a particularly scary thought considering the outbreak was linked to three deaths. From the Dallas Morning News: 

“With something like this, I don’t understand how they got away with doing a withdrawal,” said Cliff Coles, president of California Microbiological Consulting Inc. “Withdrawal is not nearly as strong of language as a recall. If you knew that you had listeria, why wasn’t it a recall?

If Blue Bell had tackled the problem head on, it could’ve meant drastically different results. As food safety lawyer Bill Marler noted in the Houston Press:

jenis-ice-cream-leadjpg-3107e469ad83e50e“If [Blue Bell executives] had been more transparent and forthcoming about this instead of trying to control the story and not commenting for so long, things might have been different, they might have saved jobs.”

Although Blue Bell Creameries might have started off as a humble, aw-shucks local operation, it is, at the end of the day, a business. And an ambitious one at that: It now sells its product in twenty states, has 3,900 employees (before the May layoff of 42 percent), and is the third-ranked ice cream company, nationally, with about $880 million in sales.

 Jeni’s ice cream will either lay off 40 production workers or find them jobs in its central Ohio scoop shops, said John Lowe, CEO, in a statement this afternoon. The company’s Michigan Avenue production kitchen has been idle for the past month after a second listeria positive.

Russian routlette: Risk and public health

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The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) wants to balance consumer choice with public protection with its ‘risky foods framework’ policy for local authorities. John Bassett, food safety consultant, argues that this approach has implications for enforcers, industry and above all consumers.

hamburger-safe and unsafe-thumb-450x138-175Although the FSA went public on their risky foods framework at the end of last year, they haven’t been shouting about it too loudly. Steve Wearne, the FSA’s director of policy, emphasised that consumer choice was at the heart of everything they do and outlined the approach at the recent CIEH Food Safety Conference. 

It is clear that the framework will support increased freedoms to sell and choose such ‘Russian roulette’ delicacies such as rare burgers and raw milk. Some consumers are passionate about their right to eat foods that many would consider unsafe, and cynics may say that the framework has been developed as a result of the inability of the FSA and local authorities to effectively communicate or regulate for those risks. A recent example of this is demonstrated by the court ruling allowing for Davy’s to sell rare burgers. 

But apart from the strong UK consumer voice, there is a drive globally for regulators to base management decisions on risk and remove prescriptive controls that seek to reduce risk down to an unachievable zero risk. Risk-based controls will allow businesses to manage risks more flexibly, on the basis of robust risk assessment, which should lead to innovations in food products and cost-savings, benefits that can flow to consumers both directly through better/cheaper products and indirectly through more targeted regulatory attention to the most significant risks. In particular, there are significant cost, nutritional and environmental benefits to be realised by the reduction of over-processing of many food products.

meatwad.raw.hamburgerWhile government and food businesses can develop or commission risk assessments, these products by definition will still pose a higher risk than the majority of foods. The remaining risk will have been deemed by the FSA to be ‘acceptable’, at least to the consumers who accept the higher risk that they pose. But will consumers be able to understand the risks that they are taking? One key communication channel will undoubtedly be packaging labelling. The FSA board is considering the extension of raw milk labelling requirements for Northern Ireland and England in their meeting in July, but they also recognise that ‘it is difficult to demonstrate quantifiable public health benefits associated with enhanced labelling and consumer research carried out … provided variable view’.

Warnings on menus where rare burgers are served are subject to the same uncertainties as raw milk labels. A key part of the risky foods framework and the FSA strategy in general is the engagement of consumers on the risks they personally find acceptable. A lot more work is required before the FSA and businesses can say with confidence that the risks they want to communicate are truly, effectively received and understood, and hence accepted by consumers.

Hawaii hires new vendor to build online restaurant database after spending $170k on failed system

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One year after requiring restaurants to display safety inspection placards for their patrons, and after spending nearly $170,000, the Hawaii State Department of Health is going back to the drawing board to launch a restaurant database the public can access online.

hawaiirestaurantplacardred-750xx1165-1553-18-0After three years of technical problems with a former technology contractor, the state is now working to get its data to a new vendor that will build a website that will let people search for restaurants and see their health inspection ratings.

“We were having so many problems with the previous vendor that we never opened it up,” the state Department of Health’s environmental health program manager, Peter Oshiro, told PBN.

A new multi-year agreement between Charlotte, North Carolina-based Digital Health Department Inc. and the state Department of Health to maintain, store and report electronic restaurant inspection data should be finalized within the next few days, he said.

Under the proposed agreement , the state Department of Health would pay $158,000 to create, install, set up and maintain the department’s electronic restaurant inspection and public reporting process. The department would then pay $60,000 a year for Digital Health Department to maintain the system.

“It’s going to be an open portal where the public can look up their favorite restaurant, and actually open up that restaurant’s file, where it’ll show their restaurant placard status, whether it’s green, yellow or red,” Oshiro told PBN.

Irish guidance on sous vide cooking for caterers

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The Food Safety Authority of Ireland says, sous vide, which is French for ‘under vacuum’, is a method of cooking where food is vacuum-packed in a plastic pouch and heated in a temperature controlled bath for a defined length of time.

Sous VideThis cooking method can present some food safety risks which should be identified and controlled. These include the potential for survival and growth of bacteria that can grow under the anaerobic (absence of oxygen) conditions created by the vacuum packaging, e.g. Clostridium botulinum.

Due to the rise in the use of the sous vide cooking in restaurants and catering establishments, the FSAI has prepared a factsheet which highlights the risks associated with this method of cooking. It provides guidance on managing these risks, in particular guidance on cooking temperatures and times. It also makes recommendations for cooling, storing and reheating food that has been cooked by sous vide.

The factsheet is available on our website at: www.fsai.ie/publications_sous_vide

Salad safety in Ireland

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The Food Safety Authority of Ireland reports this survey investigated the microbiological safety of ready-to-eat, pre-cut and pre-packaged fresh herbs and salad leaves available at retail sale in Ireland.

lettuceOver 1,000 samples were tested for the presence of Salmonella and enumerated for Listeria monocytogenes. Salmonella was detected in only 0.1% (1/1,005) of samples; this was a bag of rocket leaves grown in Italy from which S. Napoli was isolated. L. monocytogenes was below the limit of enumeration (<10 cfu/g) for 99.8% (998/1,000) of samples and at 10 cfu/g for the remaining two samples, all well below the maximum legal limit of 100 cfu/g.

Some samples were tested for the presence of verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC). In total, 0/247 samples tested using the CEN/ISO TS 13136 method (which targets the major VTEC virulence genes stx and eae) were positive. In addition, 0/397 samples tested specifically for E. coli O26 were positive and although 1/403 samples tested specifically for the presence of E. coli O157 was positive, the isolate did not contain the genes required to produce verotoxin and therefore, was not of clinical significance.

This survey was carried out from June to October, the months when Irish produce was most likely on sale. Irish origin produce made up 62% of the samples tested in this survey, none of which were unsatisfactory.

Producers labelled fresh herbs and salad leaves with a wide range of storage instructions, particularly in relation to the temperature for chilled storage. Maximum storage temperatures as low as 3oC were recommended by some producers; however, the national recommended temperature for chilled storage is 0-5 oC. Food business operators that package ready-to-eat, pre-cut, fresh herbs and salad leaves should also be aware that the temperature in domestic fridges is generally higher than at retail and wholesale level.

In total, 87% of samples were stored or displayed in refrigerated conditions at the time the sample was collected.

The air temperature of the refrigeration unit for the majority (77%) of these samples was ≤5 oC. However, the air temperature of the refrigeration unit for 23% of chilled samples was >5oC. Indeed, an air temperature of 7.1oC was measured for the refrigeration unit in which the Salmonella-positive bag of rocket leaves was stored. This temperature could allow Salmonella numbers on the already contaminated product to increase if the shelf-life is sufficiently long. Food business operators should ensure that refrigeration units do not exceed the maximum chilled temperature of 5oC.

The bag of rocket in which Salmonella was detected was labelled as already washed. Washing (with or without the presence of sanitisers) cannot eliminate pathogens on fresh produce. Therefore, producers must take all reasonable measures to control potential points of contamination in the field, during harvesting, processing and distribution; for example using guides to good practice such as the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) Code of

Practice for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Supply Chain (FSAI, 2001a). In addition, food business operators should ensure that their traceability records for the fresh herbs and salad leaves are robust, as this will facilitate rapid control measures to be implemented should a pathogen be detected in a batch of fresh herbs or salad leaves or if they are implicated in an outbreak of illness. The FSAI has produced Guidance Note No.10 on

Product Recall and Traceability (FSAI, 2013).

 Survey of the microbiological safety of ready-to-eat, pre-cut and pre-packaged fresh herbs and salad leaves from retail establishments in Ireland (13NS7)

Food Safety Authority of Ireland, May 2015

file:///Users/sarahcope/Downloads/Fresh%20Herbs%20and%20Salad%20Leaves%20FINAL.pdf

Use a thermometer: Two outbreaks of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to raw, frozen, stuffed chicken thingies

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, along with CDC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS), are investigating two outbreaks of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to raw, frozen, breaded and pre-browned stuffed chicken entrees.

barfblog.Stick It InIn one outbreak, four people infected with a strain of Salmonella Enteritidis have been reported from Minnesota. Two of these ill people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

In the second outbreak, three people infected with a different strain of Salmonella Enteritidis have been reported from Minnesota. Two of these ill people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

On July 1, 2015, USDA-FSIS issued a public health alert due to concerns about illnesses caused by Salmonella that may be associated with raw, frozen, breaded and pre-browned, stuffed chicken products.

USDA-FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare and cook these products. Read more on the Advice to Consumers page.

As a result of the first investigation, on July 2, 2015, Barber Foods recalled approximately 58,320 pounds of Chicken Kiev because it may be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis.

The product subject to recall includes a 2 lb.-4 oz. box containing six individually pouched pieces of “Barber Foods Premium Entrees Breaded-Boneless Raw Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat Kiev” with use by/sell by dates of April 28, 2016, May 20, 2016, and July 21, 2016.

This is a frozen, raw, stuffed chicken product.

Consumers should check their freezers for the recalled Chicken Kiev product and should not eat it.

Consumers with the product should return it to the place of purchase or contact the company directly at (844) 564-5555.

Illnesses in other states linked to either outbreak have not been identified but the investigation is ongoing. Updates will be provided when more information is available.

raw.chicken.thingies.outbreakThe Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), along with CDC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS), are investigating two outbreaks of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to raw, frozen, breaded and pre-browned stuffed chicken entrees.

Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of these outbreaks. PulseNet is the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by CDC. DNA “fingerprinting” is performed on Salmonella bacteria isolated from ill people by using a technique called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, or PFGE. PulseNet manages a national database of these DNA “fingerprints” to identify possible outbreaks. Two DNA “fingerprints” (outbreak strains) are included in these outbreak investigations. The two strains represent the most common Salmonella Enteritidis strains in the PulseNet database. Because the two strains are so common, most of the illnesses identified as having matching PFGE patterns may not be related to this outbreak. Investigators are using additional laboratory methods, including whole genome sequencing, to help clarify which illnesses may be related to these outbreaks.

Investigation of the Outbreaks

In the first outbreak, MDH identified four people infected with a strain of Salmonella Enteritidis with illness onset dates ranging from April 5, 2015 to June 8, 2015. Two people were hospitalized. Epidemiologic and traceback evidence linked these illnesses to eating Barber Foods brand Chicken Kiev raw stuffed chicken breast. This investigation is ongoing.

In the second outbreak, MDH identified three people infected with a different strain of Salmonella Enteritidis with illness onset dates ranging from May 9, 2015 to June 8, 2015. Two people were hospitalized. The MDH and MDA investigation found that illnesses occurred after the people had eaten Antioch Farms brand Cordon Bleu raw stuffed chicken breast. This investigation is also ongoing.

On July 1, 2015, USDA-FSIS issued a public health alert due to concerns about illnesses caused by Salmonella that may be associated with raw, frozen, breaded and pre-browned, stuffed chicken products. In the alert, USDA-FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare and cook these products to a temperature of 165°F.

As a result of the first outbreak investigation, on July 2, 2015, Barber Foods recalled approximately 58,320 pounds of Chicken Kiev because it may be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis. The product subject to recall includes a 2 lb.-4 oz. box containing six individually pouched pieces of “Barber Foods Premium Entrees Breaded-Boneless Raw Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat Kiev” with use by/sell by dates of April 28, 2016, May 20, 2016, and July 21, 2016. The product was available for purchase at Sam’s Club retail stores in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Illnesses in other states linked to either outbreak have not been identified but the investigation is ongoing. CDC and state and local public health partners are continuing laboratory surveillance through PulseNet to identify additional ill people and to interview them. Updates will be provided when more information is available.

Johnny Depp visits Australian children’s hospital as Captain Jack

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Actor Johnny Depp is around town filming the latest Pirates of Caribbean installment, and has taken to winning over the locals after some bizarre behavior, so he went to visit an Australian children’s hospital.

johnny.deppDressed as his character Captain Jack Sparrow, he arrived at the oncology and neurology wards of Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Brisbane on Tuesday.

When his daughter Lily Rose contracted E. coli poisoning and suffered kidney failure in 2007, she was admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, spending nine days there.

Depp was so grateful for the help they received that he donated £1million to the hospital and made a surprise visit dressed as Captain Jack two years later.

But here’s the real inspiration for Captain Jack.

More fairytales: Kim Jong Un is paranoid about food safety

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The Dalai Lama isn’t the only one relying on antiquated methods of food safety.

kim-jong-il-team-americaEvery leaf of lettuce headed for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s dining table must pass meticulous inspection, and new food tests require the use of microscopes – signs Kim is paranoid about what he eats, according to a source.

North Korea’s June 17 Farm in the Yongsong district of Pyongyang exclusively produces fruits and vegetables for Kim and North Korea’s privileged class, South Korean news outlet Daily NK reported.

The farm was a gift from the late Kim Jong Il to his father Kim Il Sung in the 1980s. The greenhouses surrounded by mountains are known to grow North Korea’s finest fruits and vegetables.

Quality control, however, has never been as rigorous as it has become after Kim Jong Un fully assumed power in 2012.

North Korea’s “highest authorities” now scrutinize fruits and vegetables cultivated in the greenhouses, the source told Daily NK.

“Produce headed for Kim Jong Un’s table undergo a thorough cleaning. It then undergoes general, then specific inspections at a factory,” the source said.

Kim Jong Un'sFood safety is a particular concern for Kim Jong Un and the farm only employs young, single North Koreans in their twenties of good class standing. Nearly all workers are graduates of elite universities in Pyongyang, and they are responsible for carefully inspecting the produce for “germs, toxins and health hazards,” according to the source.

Kim’s field guidance visits, however, have not always run so smoothly.

The manager of a terrapin farm was reportedly executed, after Kim expressed his displeasure with its condition.

 

Food taster, Dalai Lama style (it’s all fairytales)

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Amy had a student who used to call me Dr. Richard Gere, because at one point I used to look like him: not so much now.

dalai.lama.richard.gereMaybe if I were a practicing Buddhist I wouldn’t age so much.

I agree with many of the Buddhist philosophies, but the idea that the divine leader is born, not chosen, seems ridiculous.

And their take on microbial food safety really sucks.

The Dalai Lama reportedly used a food taster when he visited Brisbane last month.

In Medieval times, men of power had tasters who valiantly sampled their food in case an enemy tried to poison them.  This practice was built on a myth that survives today – if you get food poisoning, it’s from the last thing you ate, and the symptoms will commence rather immediately.

Several  years ago, Amy and I had the privilege of an after-hours chat with some FDA-types who spoke of the precautions they would take when preparing safe salmon for Laura Bush and any other meal fit for a President. They had thermometers. And knew how to use them.

We had salmon for dinner tonight. It was temped and safe.