Author Archives: Ben Chapman

Ben Chapman

About Ben Chapman

Dr. Ben Chapman is a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University. As a teenager, a Saturday afternoon viewing of the classic cable movie, Outbreak, sparked his interest in pathogens and public health. With the goal of less foodborne illness, his group designs, implements, and evaluates food safety strategies, messages, and media from farm-to-fork. Through reality-based research, Chapman investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers, and organizational decision-makers; the gate keepers of safe food. Ben co-hosts a biweekly podcast called Food Safety Talk and tries to further engage folks online through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and, maybe not surprisingly, Pinterest. Follow on Twitter @benjaminchapman.

‘Build a facility where people where people can wash their hands’; handwashing is never enough

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I’m passionate about food safety because real people – folks who are just like my family, my neighbors or the guys on my hockey team – get sick every day.

Amanda Collins is a real person. NBC Connecticut reports that Amanda and her daughter are two of at least 15 people are ill with pathogenic E. coli after visiting a Connecticut goat farm.imagejpeg_02

“I walked right in,” Collins said. “Me loving farms, I held the goats, pet the goats and brought my daughter into the stall.”

Collins said it was a wonderful experience, with a knowledgeable staff and plenty of children and their parents around petting the goats.

However, a few days after the visit, the symptoms started. At first, she thought she had a stomach bug, but when her daughter developed the same symptoms, she knew something was wrong.

“Friday is when it hit, when I ended up having inestinal pain, diarrhea, seeing bloody stool,” Collins said. “And just seeing her go through the same thing that I physically felt myself is agnozing.“

After trips to the doctor’s office and the emergency room, both she and her daughter tested positive for E.coli. She did not put all of the pieces together until she got a call from the CDC.

“That’s when it clicked and I was like I did visit a farm and I had a lot of interaction with the animals,” Collins said.

“I cried a lot,” Collins said. “I was very anxious. I was upset about it at first, but never angry at the farm though.”

Collins said both she and her daughter used hand sanitizer at the farm and wet wipes once they got to the car. She said this will not stop them from visiting farms in the future.

“The only thing I would have to said is please build a facility where people where people can wash their hands because I think that will stop a lot from spreading.” Collins said.

Reducing risk in animal contact settings is more than just handwashing. Soil, sawdust, rails and food are all vectors.

Click here for a table summarizing petting zoo and animal contact outbreaks over the past 25 years.

Food Safety Talk 96: Boom goes the dynamite

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Food Safety Talk, a bi-weekly podcast for food safety nerds, by food safety nerds. The podcast is hosted by Ben Chapman and barfblog contributor Don Schaffner, Extension Specialist in Food Science and Professor at Rutgers University.  Every two weeks or so, Ben and Don get together virtually and talk for about an hour.1459283728049

They talk about what’s on their minds or in the news regarding food safety, and popular culture. They strive to be relevant, funny and informative — sometimes they succeed. You can download the audio recordings right from the website, or subscribe using iTunes.

Episode 96 can be found here and on iTunes.

The guys are on a roll. They are very happy that they are releasing new episodes consistently. The show opens with a discussion of topics like Boom, Boom Goes the Dynamite, Dyn-o-mite, Beastie Boys, William Shatner, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, The Avett Brothers, The Sadies, and The Best of Little Feat.

They quickly transition with the Maytag Raw Milk Blue Cheese recall by Whole Foods. Ben says that there is a no way for customers to tell if milk was pasteurized; they must read the label, and he notes the absence of the word pasteurized makes the difference, not the presence of the word raw.  The discussion moves to the literature and a research paper on the survival of E. coli O157:H7 in Gouda and Cheddar aged for 60 days. Don emphasizes that the rate of pathogen decrease and not the days of survival which is important. Ben asked Don if it is safe to consume raw milk. “It depends, and it is complicated” he replies. The conversation turns to an article by David Gumpert “Is OPDC Bumping Scalability Limits, to Detriment of Raw Milk Nationally”. The guys note that exposure is less when a business is small. Don goes off a tangent, mentioning two articles about the brain and self-government. Ben responds to Don by recommending another on risk communication, which suggest that it is hard to change people beliefs.

From there the podcast digresses into Wordy Rappinghood and Kanye West Facts before turning to the boiling of water as affected by atmospheric pressure, and altitude in response to a question from Linda Harris. The show ends with a discussion of GFSI audits and poor food safety culture.

Alaska nursing home seeks to make safer seal oil for residents

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My botulism fears have been well detailed. I don’t mess with it; paralysis and the long term effects are enough to convince me to take risk management steps like avoiding risky foods.

Like seal oil.

A 2014 botulism outbreak linked to seal oil led to over 25 illnesses in Alaska. There was another outbreak in 1997. There have been others too.garlic-scapes-2

But the food has a lot of cultural importance – and a according to the Daily Mail, nursing home is working with bot experts to process the oil, often home made and donated, safely.

An Alaskan Native organization asked for permission to serve its nursing home residents nutrient-rich seal oil.

Regulators are working with the Kotzebue-based Maniilaq Association to possibly serve the seal oil, a traditional staple that’s banned in public settings because of its high risk for botulism if not properly processed.

Lorinda Lhotka with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, said the agency would grant an exemption to the Kotzebue-based Maniilaq Association if it can demonstrate a safe method for rendering the oil, which can taste like a heavy, if slightly fishy, olive oil when fresh.

It’s used like a dipping sauce in Native households across the state.

‘We know that it’s a really healthy food, but there’s also some hazards associated with it if it’s not prepared safely,’ said Lhotka, a member of an unofficial task force looking at ways to make seal oil legally available.

Alaska consistently ranks among the highest in the nation for rates of foodborne botulism. The numbers vary widely, but generally range between zero and as many as 15 people affected each year.

Deaths, however, are rare, occurring in Alaska only twice in the last 10 years, according to Louisa Castrodale, a state epidemiologist.

Maniilaq, a regional tribal health care nonprofit based in Kotzebue, hopes it can add seal oil to the list of traditional foods that can legally be donated to facilities such as its Kotzebue nursing home, which serves elderly Inupiat Eskimos.

For its seal oil quest, Maniilaq has teamed up with University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers, as well as University of Wisconsin botulism expert Eric Johnson, to assess the oil rendering process at its new Kotzebue processing plant for traditional foods.

 

 

Your dog wants duck batch sliders; but without Listeria and Salmonella

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I’ve had small batch beers and whiskeys. Some are good. Some are small batches for a reason.

I’ve never had any small batch duck batch 1 oz sliders. But I’m also not that into dog food.

According to a press release, Smallbatch Pets Inc. is recalling one lot (or small batch?) of duck sliders because of potential contamination with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.

Small Batch Pet

Smallbatch Pets Inc. is voluntarily recalling one lot of frozen dog duckbatch sliders due to their potential to be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.

However, because of their commitment to safety and quality, Smallbatch Pets is conducting a voluntary recall of this product. Consumers should also follow the Simple Handling Tips published on the Smallbatch Pets package, when disposing of the affected product.

The potentially affected lots of dog duckbatch sliders were distributed to retail pet food stores in States CA, CO, OR, WA through pet food retailers/distributors. Eighty cases of this product were sold between the dates of 2/23/16 – 3/10/16. The affected products are sold frozen in 3lbs. bags. The products affected by this recall are identified with the following manufacturing codes: LOT #: CO27 Best By Date: 01/27/17 UPC: 713757339001 The “Best By” date is located on the back of the package below the seal.

This recall was initiated after routine testing by the Food and Drug Administration of a 3lb bag of dog duckbatch sliders, that was collected at a distributor, revealed the presence of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.

Smallbatch Pets lists this info on its website:

Additionally, we strive to only use meats that are free-range, pasture raised and always free of hormones and antibiotics. Our produce is 100% certified Organic and our supplements are always pure, organic, and unrefined. No HPP (high pressure pasteurization) always 100% raw, the way nature intended.

Pathogens are natural too.

Chilliwack Butcher recalls meat due to E. coli

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Fraser Health has issued an alert about raw ground beef products produced by Fraser Valley Meats.

The health authority says raw lean and extra lean ground beef produced and sold between March 5th and March 8th from the butcher shop may be contaminated with E. coli.

A sample tested positive, but Fraser Health says there were no food safety issues with the process in which the products were prepared.

Seven E. coli illnesses linked to Connecticut farm

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Visiting animal displays are risky. Some animals shed pathogens in crazy high concentrations. The pathogens move around with foot traffic, sawdust and soil; end up on hand rails, rafters, water bottles and snacks.

Addressing risks is not just about handwashing.

According to the Hartford Courant a cluster of seven cases of pathogenic E. coli are linked to visiting a farm in Connecticut.

Officials said Thursday that six of the seven patients had visited the Oak Leaf Dairy Farm, and as a precaution the farm is not allowing people to visit the animals.

The seven patients are between 2 and 25 years old, according to DPH.

“Earlier today, DPH was informed of several patients from southeastern Connecticut who have become ill with E. coli,” said DPH Commissioner Raul Pino in a statement. “We are closely monitoring the situation and working with our partners at the CDC and other relevant stakeholders. We will continue to work diligently to provide the public with the information it needs as we investigate.”

Additionally the DPH was notified of two cases of hemolytic ermic syndrome, which affects the kidneys and the bloods ability to clot, officials said. It can develop in patients who have contracted E. coli.

A call to the farm Oak Leaf Dairy Farm was not immediately returned.

A table of petting zoo related outbreaks can be found here.
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Wright’s Farm open again after post-noro cleaning

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Wright’s Farm restaurant is open again following a week-long clean up after 30 patrons came down with norovirus after eating there.

According to WPRI a child barfing in the dining room was the cause of the outbreak.

Wright’s owner Frank Galleshaw told Eyewitness News they cleaned and sanitized every inch of the building, and double-washed every utensil and dish.vomit

“Steam cleaned our carpets, rugs, cleaned our kitchen. Cleaned all of the tables, chairs, sanitized everything, sanitized our walls, windows, pictures,” he said. “Then we ran our plates, silverware, salt pepper shakers, we emptied all of those out, and ran everything through our dishwasher two times just to make sure that this place was ready to open up and everything was clean and sanitized.”

Cleaning and sanitizing after vomit events are tricky. The virus particles can spread about 10 feet from the vomit spot and can persist for weeks. Lee-Ann Jaykus and I submitted an issue to be discussed at the Conference for Food Protection about written procedures for cleaning up vomit events to be included in the FDA Model Food Code.

Some Austin food trucks are not alright, alright, alright according to inspection reports

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In 2014 Dani and I visited Austin, Texas – the land of moon towers, SXSW, City Limits, beef BBQ, Wooderson & Randall ‘Pink’ Floyd and daytime drinking – and ate our way through the city.

We had breakfast tacos, a bloody mary garnished with a rib and sausage and about 9 meals at food trucks. With complex foods (other than the standard just reheating cooked meats) in a mobile kitchen comes complicated preparation and handling steps.IMG_4002 Multiple raw ingredients need to be kept at the right temperature; operators have to avoid cross-contamination; clean and sanitize their equipment; and, keep bacteria and viruses off of their hands. All within the confines of a cart or trailer. It can be yummy, but making the meals safely is a tricky activity.

KEYETV in Austin detailed the increasing challenge of regulating food safety at over 1000s mobile kitchens – and that many have inspection issues.

Austin can’t get its fill of food trucks. More than a thousand roving restaurants are wheeling around the city, and the latest reports from Austin/Travis Co. Health and Human Services show 15 to 20 percent of them are failing their inspections.

“We have events every single weekend,” said Environmental Health Supervisor Marcel Elizondo.

Elizondo says inspectors have one goal. “Looking out for food safety,” said Elizondo. “To help keep them on the straight and narrow.”

During two weeks in March inspectors drove around Austin checking 97 food trucks. 15 were shut down for health violations and reopened after fixing the problems listed on the food inspection report.

Inspectors also keep an eye on temporary food booths. Last year, during SXSW, 318 inspections uncovered a few vendors operating without permits. The biggest problem was having no way for workers to properly wash their hands. This year inspectors found the same problems at an East Austin food trailer court.

“He didn’t have any kind of proper hand wash set up, which is basically a water jug with an open tap on it where he can wash both hands at the same time,” said Harris.

Greg Parish runs the gourmet popcorn booth and blames bad timing.

“We have it set up. It’s just that, we were just in the middle of setting it up and I just hadn’t pulled it out,” said Parish. “Going to go get this done and get ready to get started.”

“I think the biggest challenge is the temperature thing,” said Chef Charlotte Gordon with Pink Avocado Catering. “Making things like ice chests work and keeping them filled and keeping everything nice and cold.”

10 years ago Austin only had one inspector keeping tabs on the city’s mobile restaurants. In 2016 there are six.

 

My worlds collide: Eichel misses game vs. Leafs with gastro illness

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Buffalo Sabres superstar in the making, number two pick in the 2015 draft, the guy who isn’t Connor McDavid – Jack Eichel – missed his first NHL game in Toronto over the weekend with an illness that was described by Buffalo News as the flu. But was more likely norovirus.norovirus-2

He was back on the ice Tuesday as the Sabres beat my hometown Hurricanes (and Eichel was -2 with no points).

Norovirus isn’t fun.