Tag Archives: Flood

Microbiologically safe produce – local or otherwise

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The Obama’s – meaning Michelle – have started a gardening craze. Robert Kenner, the director of Food Inc., told Vanity Fair the solution to so-called industrial food issues was “to go to a farmers’ market whenever possible … it kind of feels like a religious experience.” And on rolls the bandwagon.

Massive rainfalls and 100F days has lead to some ideal growing conditions here in Manhattan (Kansas) but also presents some challenges in the form of floodwater (I’m convinced there’s just no drainage around here).

The microbiological safety of water sources is critical when growing fresh produce that is not going to be cooked. Did that floodwater come downstream from any sort of livestock operation (or human outhouse)? Did the water provide a vehicle for bird or rodent or lizard poop and pathogens to contaminate produce, inside and out? Will those pathogens now flourish in heat?

Those issues and more are discussed in the latest video from the SafeFoodCafe, the bites.ksu.edu digital video subsidiary. The new video guy, Evan, did his best to make me look cool with what he had. He needs better source material.
 

Bad canned fish donated to Thailand’s flood victims

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Five bridges, six schools, 78 roads, and 2,225 rai (880 acres) of farmland are under water in Thailand’s deep South.

Victims of the flooding have been given relief kits that included cans of fish that TOC News described as “rotten.”

Several residents dumped the cans in front of their City Hall in protest.

Thailand’s The Nation reported hundreds of flood victims became sick from apparent food poisoning linked to the donated fish.

The Nation explains that Thailand’s FDA “is studying the legal process on whether to charge the company for violating the law by illegally producing canned fish and other canned food items after its factory was closed by the local public health office due to a substandard production process and producing poor quality products.”

America’s Good Samaritan law protects people that donate food to those in the event it accidentally makes someone sick.

Of course, the law stipulates that the donor cannot consciously and voluntarily offer any food that is “likely to be harmful to the health and well-being of another person.”

The manufacturer of the assumedly improperly canned fish “could face a fine of up to Bt30,000 and see bosses jailed for up to three years due to the substandard factory. It could also face a fine of Bt50,000 to Bt100,000, plus jail terms of six months to 10 years for the firm’s bosses for fraudulent food production or fake labeling.”

Nice try, guys. Flood victims deserve safe food, too.
 

Hurricane Gustav and food safety

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I have been following Hurricane Gustav closely on the news. I choke when I see images of the storm and people evacuating their homes, the same homes that were devastated by Katrina 3 years ago.

As reported by the New York Times:

“More than one million households in Louisiana were without power, with most of the outages — about 300,000 — concentrated in the greater New Orleans area, Gov. Bobby Jindal said at a televised news conference. As flood waters and tidal surges continued to subside, city and state officials struggled to get electricity to hospitals and sent thousands of emergency workers onto streets to clear debris and fix downed power lines.”

Residents who are left without power should take the following precautions to minimize risk of foodborne illness:

1 – The refrigerator and freezer doors should be kept closed as much as possible to keep the cold temperature longer. A refrigerator keeps food at safe temperatures for about 4 hours if unopened. Dry or block ice also helps maintain the proper temperature: at or below 40°F for a refrigerator and 0°F for a freezer. 

2 – If any meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, where left over 40°F for more than two hours, it is safer to discard it.  A thermometer in your refrigerator helps you determine the temperature (make sure it is working properly).

Residents who are in flood areas:

1 – The safest is to stick with bottled water. However, if you don’t have access to this, you can also filter (through clean cloths) and boil the water for at least a minute. Water can also be disinfected with household bleach, which kills some, not all, pathogens. Add 1/8 teaspoon (8 drops) of bleach per gallon.

2 – Discard food that has come in contact with floodwater, including anything in cardboard boxes, home canned foods, or damaged cans.

A more complete guide can be found here, and please, stay safe.

Local is good — what about flooding and tornadoes?

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Driving through Oklahoma yesterday on our way to Longview, Texas for a couple of talks, I was reminded several times by billboards that local is good in Oklahoma.

It’s the same in Arkansas, Texas, and pretty much every other state and province in North America.

What happens to the local food supply when there is torrential rainfalls and tornadoes. Seriously. For 10 of the 11 hours we spent on the road yesterday, it was pouring. Much of Texas got at least 6 inches of rain. Texas flood (right). And shortly after we arrived in Longview last night, the tornado warning sirens went off and we all congregated in the laundry room. The storm also knocked out most Internet connections, so news and blogging are delayed.

But back to the local is good. Bob Woldrop, president of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative, told NewsOK.com,

"I think local foods are better and safer. Local foods are processed in smaller facilities. When I buy beef through the Oklahoma Food Co-op, I buy it from a particular farmer, and it all comes from one animal."

Samantha Snyder, horticulture educator at the Oklahoma County Extension Center, said,

"Some people really prefer the organic, and some people say it is safer because they know where it’s coming from and how it’s been treated."

Snyder also urges people to plant their own vegetable gardens as a step in ensuring safety and freshness of their food.

Freshness maybe. But safety depends on the grower taking steps to manage and mitigate microbial contamination. Floods make that difficult, no matter the size or location of the farm.