Tag Archives: California

Raw-food raid highlights a hunger; ‘how can we not have the freedom to choose what we eat?’ one says. Regulators say the rules exist for safety and fairness

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Watch the police in this action video raiding an organic grocery store. I was hoping one of them would hold their gun sideways so I’d really know they were serious as they walked through crates of arugula.

With no warning one weekday morning, investigators entered an organic grocery with a search warrant and ordered the hemp-clad workers to put down their buckets of mashed coconut cream and to step away from the nuts.

Then, guns drawn, four officers fanned out across Rawesome Foods in Venice. Skirting past the arugula and peering under crates of zucchini, they found the raid’s target inside a walk-in refrigerator: unmarked jugs of raw milk.

The Los Angeles Times has a feature on Sunday about how cartons of raw goat and cow milk and blocks of unpasteurized goat cheese were among the groceries seized in the June 30 raid by federal, state and local authorities — the latest salvo in the heated food fight over what people can put in their mouths.

On one side are government regulators, who say they are enforcing rules designed to protect consumers from unsafe foods and to provide a level playing field for producers. On the other side are "healthy food" consumers — a faction of foodies who challenge government science and seek food in its most pure form.

"This is not about restricting the public’s rights," said Nicole Neeser, program manager for dairy, meat and poultry inspection at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. "This is about making sure people are safe."

In the case of Rawesome, regulators allege that the group broke the law by failing to have the proper permits to sell food to the public. While the raid was happening at Rawesome, another went down at one of its suppliers, Healthy Family Farms in Ventura County. California agriculture officials said farm owner Sharon Palmer’s processing plant had not met standards to obtain a license.
 

Apparent Salmonella outbreak in Chico, California; 3 hospitalized, 7 confirmed sick

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The Butte County Public Health Department reports that since May 14 there have been seven confirmed cases of Salmonella of which three have been hospitalized. The average age of the seven cases is 29 years. In a typical year there are 32 cases of Salmonella reported in all of Butte County.

Mark Lundberg, M.D., Health Officer at Butte County Public Health, said,

“More cases have been identified, and all of the cases are in Chico. Public Health staff are conducting interviews to determine the source of the outbreak, and to prevent ongoing transmission.”

California store caught selling moth-infested almonds

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KTVU reports a Lucky’s grocery store in San Ramon, California, apologized Sunday for selling bags of almonds that contained live and dead insects.

After receiving a call from two customers saying they had bought a bag of almonds from the store and found live moths inside the bags, KTVU decided to check it out.

On Sunday morning, reporter Janine De la Vega went inside and bought a couple of bags of Sun Valley Almonds. She found insects inside these bags.

A corporate spokesperson said the store had removed the bad merchandise Friday and new bags of almonds were restocked on the shelves. But what store employees didn’t realize was those bags were also tainted.
 

E. coli in lettuce: Spongebob containment dome silencing public communications

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New developments in the Freshway Foods romaine lettuce E. coli O145 outbreak:

1. Why the corporate finance dude shouldn’t be the public spokesthingy.

Freshway Foods recalled romaine lettuce products sold for food service outlets, wholesale, and in-store retail salad bars and delis last week after links with over 50 sick people in Ohio, Michigan and New York were established.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that multiple lines of evidence implicated shredded romaine lettuce from one processing facility as a source of infections in a multistate outbreak to which this recall may be related.

“The evidence includes preliminary results of product traceback investigations that indicate:
• the shredded romaine lettuce consumed by ill persons in three states originated from one processing facility;
• preliminary results of a case-control study in one state that found a statistically significant association between E. coli O145 infection;
• ingestion of lettuce from the same processing facility; and,
• recovery of E. coli O145 from an unopened package of shredded romaine lettuce from the same processing facility that was obtained from a food service entity associated with the outbreak.”

To which Freshway Foods vp of finance Devon Beer told The Packer,

“It’s really a precautionary step.”

No. It’s an outbreak and a public health step. At what point did FDA abandon epidemiology and require positive test results in an unopened package? How long were people eating potentially contaminated romaine lettuce at salad bars while regulators assembled sufficient evidence? What is the FDA policy on going public? (It doesn’t exist, at least not in any public form.) The six confirmed and suspected cases amongst students in New York’s Wappinger Central School District who came down with E. coli in April may want to know. And the lettuce they were served in the school cafeteria tested positive.

2. The suspect lettuce was grown in Yuma, Arizona

It was announced Friday that federal investigators were looking at a farm in Yuma, Ariz., as a possible source of the suspect romaine lettuce.

3. Look for pathogens and they will be found

In the wake of the E. coli O145 outbreak in romaine lettuce, a laboratory in Ohio started testing bags of romaine and found another E. coli which lead to a very private recall on Friday.

Misti Crane of the Columbus Dispatch reported this morning that the E. coli positive (strain not identified – dp) led a California company to recall about 1,000 cartons of produce that went to two customers who then processed the lettuce before sending it on to food-service establishments.

Amy Philpott, spokeswoman for Andrew Smith Co. in Spreckels, Calif., said none of the lettuce was sold in grocery stores and that only two food processors bought the cartons.

She said she didn’t know the names of those customers and did not know whether Freshway Foods in Sidney, Ohio, was one of them.

Ohio Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Kaleigh Frazier said the test was on an unopened bag of Freshway romaine shredded lettuce with a sell-by date of May 10, and her department is sending the sample on to federal officials for further testing.

Andrew Smith issued the recall privately on May 7 for lettuce that was shipped in mid-April, she said.

4. Our stuff is safe

As with the spinach outbreak of 2006, other regions are quick to proclaim the safety of their products, even in the absence of any data.

New Jersey State Agriculture Secretary Douglas Fisher said Friday that fresh romaine lettuce from New Jersey is safe.

"It certainly is an unfortunate coincidence of timing that this recall is occurring just as our farmers’ fresh romaine is coming into the market, but there is no connection between the two."

OK, but why not use the opportunity to explain the food safety steps taken by NJ lettuce growers to ensure microbiologically safe food, rather than saying we have a task force.

5. Blame consumers

Bob LaMendola of the Florida Sun Sentinel writes the E. coli is deadly but preventable by keeping raw meat separate from other foods, cooking meat to 165F, washing produce and hands vigorously.

This has nothing to do with romaine lettuce at salad bars.

After the 2006 E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to California spinach, the 29th outbreak linked to leafy greens and after years of warning from FDA, California growers formed the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, which is supposed to have food safety performance standards. Yet the most noticeable achievement since the Agreement has been the containment cone of silence that has descended upon outbreaks involving leafy greens, and an apparent shift in FDA policy that sets epidemiology aside and requires positive samples in unopened product – a ridiculous standard since no one routinely tests for other Shiga-toxin producing E. coli like O145.

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California petting zoo pays over $2 million after 2-year-old stricken with E. coli

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Five years after a young Fresno, Calif. girl became critically ill following a visit to the Big Fresno Fair, the fair has agreed to pay her more than two-million dollars.

Angela Malos was just two-years-old when her parents brought her to the fair … weeks later the child was barely alive. She suffered kidney failure and several strokes. Her family said they are relieved the legal battle is over, but Angela still has lingering health problems.

Angela Malos was awarded 2.2-million dollars … 2.15-millon from the fair, and an additional 50-thousand from Port O Sans, that’s the company that supplied the hand washing stations.

Outside court, the attorney representing the fair denied any responsibility.

Warren Paboojian, Angela Malos’ Attorney said, "They paid 2.15-million dollars, they can say what they want. She got the E. coli bacteria at the Fresno Fair and that’s why they are paying 2.15-million dollars."

"The insurance carriers for the fair decided it was in their best interest to settle the case," said Weakley.

Malos says his daughter is still not back to normal … Angela has suffered long term effects from the bacteria. She requires additional care, even when she’s in school.

Several other children reported getting sick after visiting the petting zoo, but Angela’s injuries were the most severe. Each case is being handled separately.

The Great American Petting Zoo was also listed in the lawsuit; they have yet to reach any settlement because their insurance company has denied coverage. A judge will have to hear that matter as well.

Calif. Jack in the Box closed due to sewage backup

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Fast-food joint Jack in the Box may have a great food safety program after its 1993 E. coli O157:H7 disaster which killed four and sickened over 600, but that ain’t worth much if an outlet allows raw shit to flood into the kitchen.

The polite write-up on the inspection for the restaurant, at 1440 Moraga Way, Contra Costa County, California, says it was ordered closed Feb. 1 after inspectors discovered the floor sink, a drain that is connected to sewers and other contaminated water, was flooding the kitchen.

Contaminated wastewater was found on the floor near areas where food is prepared and dishes are washed.

Breakfast all-day.
 

No soup for you: Cafe for sale after cockroach infestation found

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Perhaps one of the most popular Seinfeld episodes, The Soup Nazi, best sums up the feelings at a Sacramento, California soup cafe after a recent inspection discovered a cockroach infestation.

FOX40 News reports,

The owner of a popular soup cafe has put a "For Sale" sign in the window of his restaurant after Sacramento health officials shut it down Wednesday.

La Bonne Soup Café was shut down Wednesday morning during a routine health inspection after a cockroach infestation was discovered. Previously, the restaurant had been inspected with a clean bill of health.

Does the grade meet consumer expectations?

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One of the factors that make for a successful restaurant inspection grading system is consumer confidence in the system. Do consumers feel the grade accurately represents the risk associated with dining at a particular establishment? If the answer is no, it’s unlikely the system will be used to its full potential. Sure, there will always be consumers that don’t notice (or care) about the inspection grade in an establishment window; but consumers who do care, and want to use the system, should feel it is reliable.

The Press-Enterprise Online reports that in San Bernardino or Riverside, CA counties the “A” card at an establishment may not mean what consumers think it means.

An "A" placard hanging in the window doesn’t necessarily reflect a sparkling-clean kitchen…San Bernardino County unveiled its retooled Department of Environmental Health Services Web site, where you can check restaurant inspection reports online.

[In both counties] restaurants can get A grades even if they had unsanitary kitchens when the inspector showed up.

The Cheesecake Factory in Riverside, for example, got an A grade on July 7, even though the inspector found food that wasn’t being kept at the proper temperature to inhibit bacterial growth. Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar in San Bernardino, when it was inspected April 16, got an A grade despite having food-contact surfaces that weren’t clean and sanitized.

But those violations were immediately corrected. When inspectors find critical health hazards like those, they don’t leave until the problem is fixed. If a serious hazard can’t be corrected on the spot, the restaurant is closed, program managers in both counties told me in separate phone interviews.

Riverside County also retooled its online restaurant-grading information. Since June, it has been possible to view inspection reports back to April 2008.
San Bernardino County allows you to see restaurants’ inspection histories back to October 2004 online. (Riverside County plans to add prior-year inspections.)

Riverside and San Bernardino counties use the A, B, C letter grade system, pictured right.
 

Produce in public: Spinach, safety and public policy

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That’s the title of a book chapter that’s just been published and attempts to answer the question: what does it take for farmers, processors and retailers to pay attention to food safety risks – in the absence of an outbreak?

Last week, trade magazine The Packer did a story about Earthbound Farms, the producer of E. coli O157:H7 tainted-spinach in 2006, which quoted president Charles Sweat as saying,

“Now that we are three years beyond that, it’s almost always hard to go back and put our mind where it was in 2005 and 2006 because we know so much more today than we knew then.”

What Ben Chapman, Casey Jacob and I asked in the book chapter is, why didn’t companies like EarthBound know a lot more about microbial food safety before over 200 became ill and four died in 2006?

In October, 1996, a 16-month-old Denver girl drank Smoothie juice manufactured by Odwalla Inc. of Half Moon Bay, California. She died several weeks later; 64 others became ill in several western U.S. states and British Columbia after drinking the same juices, which contained unpasteurized apple cider — and E. coli O157:H7. Investigators believed that some of the apples used to make the cider might have been insufficiently washed after falling to the ground and coming into contact with deer feces (Powell and Leiss, 1997).

Almost 10 years later, on Sept. 14, 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that an outbreak of E. coli O157: H7 had killed a 77-year-old woman and sickened 49 others (United States Food and Drug Administration, 2006). The FDA learned from the Centers for Disease Control and Wisconsin health officials that the outbreak may have been linked to the consumption of produce and identified bagged fresh spinach as a possible cause (Bridges, 2006a).

In the decade between these two watershed outbreaks, almost 500 outbreaks of foodborne illness involving fresh produce were documented, publicized and led to some changes within the industry, yet what author Malcolm Gladwell would call a tipping point — "a point at which a slow gradual change becomes irreversible and then proceeds with gathering pace" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipping_Point) — in public awareness about produce-associated risks did not happen until the spinach E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in the fall of 2006. At what point did sufficient evidence exist to compel the fresh produce industry to embrace the kind of change the sector has heralded since 2007? And at what point will future evidence be deemed sufficient to initiate change within an industry?

We conclude:

Ultimately, investigators showed that the E. coli O157:H7 was found on a transitional organic spinach field and was the same serotype as that found in a neighboring grass-fed cow-calf operation. These findings, coupled with the public outcry linked to the outbreak and the media coverage, sparked a myriad of changes and initiatives by the industry, government and others. What may never be answered is, why this outbreak at this time? A decade of evidence existed highlighting problems with fresh produce, warning letters were written, yet little was seemingly accomplished. The real challenge for food safety professionals, is to garner support for safe food practices in the absence of an outbreak, to create a culture that values microbiologically safe food, from farm-to-fork, at all times, and not just in the glare of the media spotlight.

Powell, D.A., Jacob, C.J., and Chapman, B. 2009. Produce in public: Spinach, safety and public policy in Microbial Safety of Fresh Produce: Challenges, Perspectives, and Strategies ed. by X. Fan, B.A. Niemira, C.J. Doona, F.E. Feeherry and R.B. Gravani. Blackwell Publishing.

Salmonella not your fault? Prove it

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The Associated Press reports that certain packages of Kowalke Organics alfalfa spouts are being recalled due to possible salmonella contamination.

The California Department of Public Health said the packages were mostly distributed at Gelson’s and Whole Foods grocery stores in Southern California. According to Kowalke’s owner, Mike Matthews, only one package purchased in a store as part of a "secret shopping" investigation by state agents tested positive for salmonella, and it had a sell-by date of June 21.

The health officials "looked at our paperwork and we’re 100 percent clean. The test we have for that batch was negative," Matthews said. "Since we know it was clean when it left our truck, the only way that it could have happened was in cross-contamination down the line in the store."

Officials disagreed with that deduction—and solitary test result (which came from a sample on Kowalke’s premises, according to Matthews, and not on the truck)—and recommended a recall of all of Kowalke’s sprouts with sell-by dates from June 18 to June 30. Public health spokesman Al Lundeen said most sprout contamination comes from seeds, so all the products that were grown from that seed lot should be recalled.

Cross-contamination at retail is certainly a possibility. I’d be more apt to believe it, though, if I knew more about the testing procedure, and perhaps found out that more than one sample was tested per batch. With the limited information Matthews has provided, I have to agree with the health officials’ recommendation to issue a broader recall.

If you’ve got a food safety plan in place, tell the public about it—all of it. The public can always handle more information about food safety, not less.