5 sick: Was it the refried beans at Mighty Taco

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Business was brisk Thursday night at the Mighty Taco location on Military Road — despite reports that several local health agencies were investigating the regional restaurant chain.

Officials with the Niagara County Department of Health announced Thursday afternoon that they are looking into reports of illness possibly associated with Mighty Taco restaurants.

The investigation is being conducted jointly with the New York State Department of Health, Erie County Department of Health and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Russell Jasulevich, Mighty Taco’s CEO, said on the company’s website that five customers from four store locations recently reported illness concerns after eating at the restaurant chain.

The complaints came from customers at four different locations in Erie County.

They ate at the restaurants sometime between Saturday and Tuesday, according to the New York State Department of Health.

“The focus has now turned to the New York State Department of Health testing an isolated batch of refried beans provided by a third-party supplier for any possible cause,” Jasulevich wrote. “There are no conclusive results at this time but, in an abundance of caution, Mighty Taco has voluntarily removed that sole suspect batch of refried beans from our stores and that batch is no longer available to customers.

For the past few days, added Jasulevich, the restaurant chain has been working “both internally and with the Erie County Health Department to investigate illness concerns expressed by a small number of customers.”

S. Korean men investigated after eating missing sheepdog

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Douglas Powell

South Korean police say they are investigating accusations that four men killed someone’s missing sheepdog before eating it in a case that has infuriated many and caused debate on the country’s dog-eating culture.

Police official Choi Won-kyu, from the rural city of Iksan, said Friday the men admitted to butchering and eating the dog but they said they found it dead on the side of the road.

Choi says a witness claimed seeing the dog hurt but alive hours before the men butchered it.

Although the popularity of eating dog meat is fading somewhat in South Korea, an estimated 2 million dogs are still slaughtered every year for food.

Silver Springs Farms recalls more beef for possible e. coli O157:H7 adulteration

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Silver Springs Farms, Inc., a Harleysville, Pa. establishment is recalling approximately 7,970 pounds of ground beef and burger products, as well as an undetermined amount of sandwich steak products that may be adulterated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The ground beef items were produced on August 19 and 20, 2016. The exact production dates for the various sandwich steak products are unknown at this time, but are believed to have been produced between August 19 and September 19, 2016. The following products are subject to recall: [View Labels (PDF only)]

20-lb. cases containing 4 packages of 5-lb ground beef 80/20.

10-lb. packages of “Camellia Beef Pattie 80/20,” with package codes 6235 and 6242.

10-lb. packages of “Silver Springs Farm Beef Pattie 80/20,” with package codes 6242 and 6237.

10-lb. packages of “Silver Springs Farm Beef Pattie 80/20 Flat,” with package code 6237.

10-lb. packages of “Silver Springs Farm Gourmet Beef Burger Flat,” with package code 6235.

10-lb. packages of “Silver Springs Farm Gourmet Beef Burger 80/20,” with package code 6237.

10-lb. packages of “Silver Springs Farm Gourmet Beef Pattie 80/20,” with package code 6242.

various sandwich steak products produced by the recalling firm.

There have been no confirmed reports of illness or adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

Clear Spring Foods recalls sun-dried tomato & roasted garlic trout due to E. coli O121

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Clear Spring Foods has recalled Sun-Dried Tomato & Roasted Garlic Trout because an ingredient (wheat flour) in the breading has the potential to be contaminated with E. coli O121.

To date, there have been no reports of illness associated with consumption of this product.

Schnucks customers who purchased any Sun-Dried Tomato & Roasted Garlic Trout filets between May 27, 2016 and Oct. 6, 2016 from the store’s seafood department should return any unused portions to their nearest store for a full refund.

UK holidaymakers sue Thomas Cook after contracting crypto at hotel where staff were seen ‘fishing feces out of the pool’

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Qin Xie of the Daily Mail reports a group of holidaymakers are suing Thomas Cook after they suffered diarrhea and stomach cramps following a stay at a Greek island resort.

One of the families, who stayed at Marelen Hotel on Zante in August, claimed that they saw staff fishing out fecal matter from the swimming pool before disinfecting it – all while the guests were still in the water.

Several of those filing the suit have allegedly been diagnosed as having contracted Cryptosporidium staying at the hotel.

A total of 17 people are currently involved in the lawsuit and are represented by personal injury lawyers Irwin Mitchell.

83 sickened: Long list of food safety failures identified at Adelaide InterContinental, source of Salmonella outbreak

Posted on October 8, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Katrina Stokes of The Advertiser reports that documents released under the freedom of information act highlighted numerous potential problems with the Intercontinental’s cooking practices, which left 83 people ill with salmonella poisoning after eating at the Riverside restaurant on Sunday, July 31. These include the known safety risk of using the same whisk in both cooked and raw eggs.

An Adelaide city council report, obtained by The Advertiser from Duncan Basheer Hannon, confirms the common link between the affected individuals was the consumption of scrambled eggs. Test results identified Salmonella Typhimurium.

An investigation led by the council in early august concluded a long list of “issues” with cooking processes at the hotel.

They included:

A whisk used throughout the (scrambled egg) cooking process from a raw egg mix to a cooked mix.

Scrambled eggs were continually topped up and not fully replaced between the hours of 6.30am and 9.15am.

Serving spoons were replaced only when deemed necessary, posing a potential risk for cross-contamination.

The stick blender used to mix raw eggs was inadequately sanitised.

The nightshift chef responsible for preparing the raw-egg mix did not adequately understand correct cleaning and sanitising processes.

Scrambled egg reheat temperatures were not recorded on July 31 and there was no thermometer to record temperatures because it was “lost three months ago.”

A plastic container storing raw egg slurry had a damaged lid and rough internal surfaces, which were identified as difficult to clean and sanitise.

Intercontinental Adelaide general manager Colin McCandless said the report was a “hypothesis.”

Mr McCandless said the hotel had produced a score of “100 per cent” in a recent external audit of food safety procedures.

Audits often mean little.

That’s the same McCandless who in early Augest said it was ‘absolutely safe’ to eat at the hotel.

The hotel’s $37 full breakfast buffet at the Riverside restaurant includes scrambled eggs.

Killer of old people and ‘everyone’s too anal’ about produce given awards by Canadian grocers

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Pete Luckett (right in photo) and is one of this year’s recipients of the “Life Member Designation”, awarded for lifetime contributions to independent grocery in Canada.

Three recipients for the annual award were announced by the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers on Tuesday.

What a circle jerk.

Luckett, founder of Halifax-based Pete’s Fine Foods, who has been growing and selling fresh produce for more than 45 years, famously said in 2005, when over 700 people in Ontario were sickened by raw sprouts, that, “everybody’s getting too anal about it. I mean, come on now, we’re dealing with living fruits and vegetables.”

Also getting an award this year is Michael McCain, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods. He takes the “Spirit of the Independent Award,” given for his “significant contributions to the growth of the entrepreneurial spirit of Canadian grocers,” said Tom Barlow, chief executive at CFIG.

It was McCain’s deli meats in 2008 that killed 23 elderly Canadians with Listeria.

Way to go, Canada.

Shigellosis outbreak in Flint, Mich. because people afraid to wash hands

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Don’t eat poop (and if you do, make sure it’s cooked).

Wash your hands.

These are the basics of public health.

Most of us are taught from a very early age that hand-washing is an easy, essential way of keeping ourselves clean and healthy. But residents of Flint, Michigan and surrounding areas have been forgoing this common practice out of fear of the water’s toxicity. Genesee county, of which Flint is a the largest city, and the adjacent county of Saginaw combined have experienced an outbreak of 131 cases of Shigellosis (named after the bacteria that causes it, Shigella). It’s a bloody diarrheal disease transmitted via tiny amounts of contaminated fecal matter. It typically lasts about a week, but can also cause patients to feel like they have to go to the bathroom even when they have no more waste in their systems. Additionally, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also notes that “may be several months before [patients] bowel habits are entirely normal.”

In 2013, there were just under five cases reported per every 100,000 people in America. The outbreak in Michigan far exceeds that number, and it’s likely because residents in the area are afraid to use their tap water, which was found to have toxic levels of lead, a heavy metal that can cause neurological problems when it builds up in the body, in 2015. Even though the water was deemed safe for consumption with a proper filter, people in the area are still scared to wash their hands at all, according to the Washington Post.

Instead, they’re cleaning themselves using baby wipes—aren’t nearly as effective as disinfectant as good old-fashioned scrubbing—which should take about 20 seconds to ensure that any potential pathogens are washed down the drain.

“Some people have mentioned that they’re not going to expose their children to the water again,” Jim Henry, Genesee County’s environmental health supervisor, told CNN.

Hockey, food safety and losing

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Now that things are normalized, with the kids back in school, I’ve had some time to think about Sunday’s practice.

I’m quite proud of the kids at Coff’s Harbour; we went from a team that was beating us 15-0 at the start of the year, to a 1-1 tie; great improvement

And Kaleb was awesome in goal (come practice whenever you like at acacia ridge, i can work with him).

Anyone else want to play goal this weekend and get some practice in? Alex? Liem?

I’ve got a coupe of drills I want to run, and one is attached below, along with short area games; we can divide the ice up into 3 sections, so children are not standing around too long

I regret to inform you that Kyle has resigned as head coach of the atom majors. This was not a decision taken lightly, but we’re all volunteers, and sometimes it’s best to move on.

I have always supported Kyle and think he is a great coach. He has done wonderful things with the atom majors this year.

He will be out on the ice Sunday to help out — cause that’s how he is — but will no longer have to deal with the politics.

I fully understand, and it’s why I stood down as head coach for the club a couple of months ago.

For Kyle and I, our shared coaching philosophy is continuous improvement, lotsa smiles.

ADM kids

Even Sporer

http://www.admkids.com/news_article/show/700395?referrer_id

In the vast ocean of youth hockey, the best way for some of the youngest fish to learn is not by swimming in a single-file, straight line, but by spreading their fins and doing a little of everything.

And it’s not opinion. It’s science.

“Chaos can be fun,” said Dave Starman, masters-level instructor for USA Hockey’s Coaching Education Program and college hockey scout for the Montreal Canadiens.

Less Structure, More Development

NHL practices can be military-like in precision. When it comes to practices for younger players, less – in terms of structure – can be more.

“It’s important, especially at the younger level, because if they’re not moving around, they don’t have the ability to teach themselves to do a lot of things,” Starman said. “I can stand there and tell a kid to move his foot one way, or move his foot another way, but when that kid goes out there and starts moving his feet around, and falls down, and gets up, all that trial-and-error just makes you a better player because you’re teaching yourself a lot of stuff.”

More than Cross-Ice

That’s where USA Hockey’s American Development Model (ADM) comes in, a program Starman said is tailor-made to be the guiding principle of an 8U practice.

“Number one is, people need to realize that the ADM is more than just cross-ice playing,” Starman said. “The beauty of the ADM is that it’s laid out so clearly, and part two of it is it’s so science-based.

“What you’re reading is not hypothesis; what you’re reading is fact.”

Keeping Kids Engaged

Keeping things fresh and lively, Starman said, are keys to maximizing what a young player is getting out of a practice.

Unconventional drills and games can be the key to helping harness different skills a hockey player needs to be successful.

“For 8Us, look at sharks and minnows,” Starman said. “Sharks and minnows is chaos, but the beauty of sharks and minnows for our little kids is they can skate from one side of the rink to the other in any pattern they want to.

“They’re not getting told, ‘Go in a straight line, and make a left,’ or, ‘Make two circles, and take a shot.’ They’re figuring out where to go, they’re finding open space, and they’re figuring out a way to avoid being tagged. They’re keeping their head up, conscious of where the danger is.”

No Standing Around

At such a young age, and still firmly in developmental mode, Starman said keeping hockey enjoyable and a fun game is also paramount.

“There’s no sport for taking out the garbage, because kids don’t want to do it,” Starman said. “For hockey, it’s kind of the same thing. If you make it something they have to go to, or make it something that’s not enjoyable, they’re not going to play.”

That’s precisely where the ADM comes in.

“The one thing the ADM has done is allow both coaches and players to have a little more fun because of the fact that you’re in more small-area games, you’re in more stations, your compete level is higher, your ability to get more kids moving at the same time (is higher), and I’m talking even up to the bantams,” Starman said. “The best way to make a kid not want to play is to make him or her stand around and watch others play. With what we’re doing right now, everybody is in motion; there’s not a lot of standing around.”

Teach a Kid to Fish

It can create chaos, like Starman said, but a little chaos in the ocean could be just what the fishes need.

“You know the expression ‘You give a man a fish, he can eat for a night, but you teach him to fish, he can eat forever?'” Starman said. “A lot of that is true when you get into unstructured situations in their small areas because they’re teaching themselves.

“When you teach yourself something, you tend to remember it a lot longer than being taught something that either, one, you may not understand right away, or two, you’re not in the mental frame of mind to learn.

“That’s one of the major reasons why we’ve made a lot of strides with our younger players. They’re having more fun because they’re picking a lot of things up through their own play and competition.”

Food Safety Talk 109: Pooped on an airplane

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Ben Chapman

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.

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 109 can be found here and on iTunes.

Show notes so you can follow along at home: