No, no, no, no, … don’t phunk with my phood

Posted on September 14, 2007 by Douglas Powell

My hump, my hump, my hump … I’m hurling big lumps

Rapper, Taboo, of the Black Eyed Peas (exactly as shown, left) was apparently sent to hospital with food poisoning last night in Stockholm. When the band took the stage, Fergie announced that Taboo had been taken to the emergency room with stomach pain, adding, "We believe he has food poisoning."

TMZ spies say that Taboo was shaking and sweating as he was transported to the hospital by ambulance. By the time of the concert after party, Fergie told a reporter from Swedish newspaper Expressen that Taboo was already back at the hotel sleeping. No word on the suspect food or bug.

Let’s get retarded in here.

Casey Wilkinson, guest barfblogger: Poop on your shoes…

Posted on September 12, 2007 by admin

The Associated Press posted an article early this morning entitled, “Buffet worker stomps garlic with boots.” Visions of dog poop and day-old mud imbedded in the fine crevices of the soles of these boots flooded my mind and brought terror to my heart. Would someone actually do this? Could a fellow eater like myself be so distracted from the bacterial ramifications of using one’s shoes as a culinary instrument?
I clicked on the headline and waited for the story to appear. I read in horror as each word confirmed my deepest fears: the entire story was absolutely true.
Apparently the worker at a Great China Buffet restaurant was using a very innovative technique to press garlic cloves: stomping them with his boots in a back alley. A passerby had noted him there with a horror similar to my own and snapped a photo.
The Rockland County Health Department was notified and quickly came for an inspection. The worker was fired for his act, and the restaurant will be re-inspected soon.
I wish I could rest easy now, but I’m afraid there may be more out there just like him: full of ignorance and disregard for the safety of our food.
Don’t eat poop, people: Wash your hands. And don’t stomp the garlic.

Leaders have foresight

Posted on September 12, 2007 by Douglas Powell

The Western Mail writes in a scathing editorial this morning that the conditions in some Welsh schools, outlined in the final report of the E. coli O157 outbreak in 2005 that left a five-year-old dead and over 100 sick, would shame the Third World.

"It’s time to ensure children are not placed in environments which are breeding grounds for disease … to tolerate a situation where schools do not have toilet rolls, soap or hot water is reprehensible."

Hindsight is 20-20. What does it take to have foresight, to realize it’s not enough to tell someone to wash their hands, but to also remove any barriers to handwashing and ensure the proper tools — soap and paper towel — are available.

Not sure how this will increase produce food safety

Posted on September 12, 2007 by Ben Chapman

The Arizona Republic reports today that the Arizona Department of Agriculture has announced plans to introduce new technology that will make fresh produce inspection faster, cheaper and more effective.

The story says that officials believe that produced tainted with bacteria, such as E. coli and salmonella, will have a harder time ending up in the hands of consumers because the dept of ag can conduct more inspections (and cut their per-inspection time down to an hour)
"The introduction of the Fresh Electronic Inspection Reporting/Resource System allows inspectors to input inspection data, such as sugar content and produce quality, into special software developed specifically for that purpose."

It’s believed that by cutting down inspection time, there will be more time for more government random checks.

Maybe it will increase the visibility of inspectors on the farm, but I’m not convinced that more generic inspection is the way to go — having people on farms help farmers reduce risk (either through extension or industry consulting — people who know the risks, and how to manage them) seems a lot more productive to me. There is research to suggest that more restaurant inspections do not lead to a reduction of the likelihood of illnesses. Farms may be different, but I’m not sure.

I’m not versed in the Arizona Department of Ag’s inspection regime, but I did a quick search of the site and didn’t find any reference to inspecting for good agricultureal practices (searched "inspection" and all I got was the press release saying that they are using the new technology).

It’s delicious… It’s tailgating!

Posted on September 8, 2007 by Amy Hubbell

In college football, the Kansas State Wildcats opened at home tonight in Manhattan with a somewhat boring 34-14 victory over San Jose State. The Cats are full of surprises, and not always good ones. When you think they have the other team in check, they give up touchdowns, like in the 4th quarter tonight.

The same is true of K-State tailgating. We tailgated tonight in Cat Town with some of Doug’s lab members. First we ate brauts at the Veterinary Medicine tent, and then we found burgers at Animal Science. Angela asked me where the meat thermometers were, and I replied, “I’m sure they’re in that box with their cooking equipment.” We didn’t see one, so I proposed that maybe they had a standardized cooking procedure with pre-frozen patties and a clear cooking time charted out. Doug said that when they saw him arrive, the cooks called out, “Don’t worry. They’re done!” (We found out later that they use pre-cooked burgers; so indeed, they were done.)

We then went to a private tailgate party where the pregnant hostess, when introduced to Doug the Food Safety Professor, said, “We always try to keep things really safe here!” I didn’t look for thermometers there. By then my stomach was too full to even think about a cookie.

We’ve been thinking about tailgate publicity and reality research possibilities, like meat thermometers with Willie the Wildcat on them and final cooking temperature charts on stickers. Or tonight I thought it would be cool to have backpack coolers with cooking temps printed on them. We like slogans like, “Get‘r done,” and “Stick it in.” I also liked Andrew’s blogpost with the “Heat ‘em up, eat ‘em up” battle cry. But since we have a blog with, hopefully, a few readers, I thought I would put the question out to you. What would compel you to practice safe food handling at a tailgate? There are so many distractions, limited facilities, no running water in the parking lot, and plenty of people coming by and dipping into food unexpectedly. It’s delicious, and not just from the microorganisms’ point of view. Please share your comments, questions, and ideas on tailgating safely.

No, not eating dogs …

Posted on September 6, 2007 by Douglas Powell

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Chicago last night approved an ordinance that will allow doggie dining — allowing dogs to accompany their owners to sidewalk cafes.

The new doggie dining ordinance will take effect Jan. 1. Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), who co-sponsored the ordinance, said doggie dining would "go a long way to restoring our prestige as one of the most dog-friendly cities in America."

He added that it "allows restaurant owners to decide for themselves if they wish to allow dogs at their sidewalk cafes. … The market will shift with consumers. Restaurants that find that dogs are not so popular will likely eliminate those options."

So no more being left in the backyard for some Chicago pups. I approve, as long as some very specific guidelines, like those practiced in Florida, are followed.

Don Schaffner, guest barfblogger: Troubled times had come to my hometown…

Posted on September 5, 2007 by admin

Bruce Springsteen wrote those words about his hometown, Freehold, NJ in 1984 for the song "My Hometown" on his Born in the U.S.A. album.

I’m not a huge "Bruce" fan, but for the past 20 years, Bruce’s hometown has also been my hometown so I’ve developed more than a passing interest in the song. (N.B. Bruce doesn’t live here anymore, he lives in a mansion in Rumson, NJ).

Bruce writes about racial strife in Freehold in 1965 "between the black and white". There is a different sort of racial strife in Freehold now, between Latino’s and whites, and that strife regularly plays out in the editorial pages of our local weekly newspaper, the News Transcript. Like many cities in the United States we have a burgeoning Latino population, and this sometimes creates tension.

But I’m here to write about food safety. And that’s what you are here to read about. So what does any of this have to do with food safety?

Well, the story I want to relate starts back in September 2006. A police officer from a neighboring town, who owns several rental properties in Freehold Borough was cited for having an illegal restaurant operating at one of those properties. The restaurant was being operated by one of his
tenants. (For more on the story, look here).

While my sympathies tend to run toward leniency when it comes to illegal immigrants (who will cook and wash dishes in our restaurants, cut our grass, and do all the other hot, boring jobs that Americans won’t), and laissez faire when it comes to innovative business practices, given the trouble that legit restaurants have keeping food safe, I’m not sure illegal restaurants are a good idea.

You’ve got to give this illegal restaurant credit for persistence… Flash forward to earlier this summer. The illegal restaurant had apparently begun operating again. This time the fines involved were almost $11,000. Maybe everyone involved has learned their lesson.

I doubt I fit the demographic to get served in the illegal "Casa de Mechanic Street", so I’ll have to settle for having my meals prepared by potentially illegal immigrants in definitely legal restaurants elsewhere in my hometown. Maybe at the new Olive Garden?

Don Schaffner is an Extension Specialist in Food Science at Rutgers
University.

Tank in the Tavern

Posted on September 4, 2007 by Brae Surgeoner

As a public service, the Manhattan Mercury in Manhattan, Kansas, home of iFSN at Kansas State University, publishes a weekly list of findings by the food service inspector at the local health department.

This week’s area food inspections report for the week ending August 12 includes results for Applebee’s, Tanks Tavern, and Sonic Drive In.

The paper emphasizes that the findings should be seen as a snapshot of conditions existing at the exact time of the inspection rather than as a reflection of the permanent conditions in an establishment.

The report for Tanks Tavern (712 N. Manhattan Ave), a new addition to the bar scene in Aggieville has to be my favourite. On August 2, in response to a complaint inspection, two critical violations were noted: 1. No handsink in bar area; 2. Found live dog in bar and dog food stored under sink. Four non-critical violations were also noted and a follow-up inspection was required.

Prior to the tavern’s opening at the end of January, tavern owner, Brett Allred told the Kansas State Collegian that the Tavern’s mascot, Tank, a pitbull mix, would be at the bar at all times — guess not.

Know thy supplier

Posted on September 2, 2007 by Douglas Powell

Andrew Bridges of the Associated Press writes in a wire story today that companies increasingly are paying others to make the foods we eat — or the ingredients in them — and then selling it under multiple brand names, prompting a growing debate about food safety.

While it’s psychologically comforting to blame others, the bottom line is that any food producer, around the corner or around the globe, is responsible for producing safe food.

Dr. David Acheson, who leads the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety efforts, stated he knew of no evidence that outsourcing production is inherently less safe than traditional arrangements in which companies make what they sell.

Me, Dr. Douglas Powell, scientific director of the International Food Safety Network at Kansas State University, was quoted as saying,

"The lesson for everyone is: Know your supplier."

And as Madeleine Ferrières, a professor of social history at the University of Avignon, wrote in the introduction to her 2002 book, Sacred Cow, Mad Cow: A History of Food Fears,

"All human beings before us questioned the contents of their plates. … And we are often too blinded by this amnesia to view our present food situation clearly. This amnesia is very convenient. It allows us to reinvent the past and construct a complaisant, retrospective mythology. Let us strive for lucidity, and let us look to the past for support."

Hmmm…I read this in a book, now what was it?

Posted on August 30, 2007 by Brae Surgeoner

Earlier this week, Doug posted a link to HealthInspections.com for the video of an Ohio city councilman being chased by a TV reporter who wanted to ask him a few questions about his dirty restaurant.

Today HealthInspections.com has posted audio of restaurant managers failing basic food safety questions. Click the audio link above to listen to the Webcast and hear restaurant managers in Orlando, FL stumble over basic food safety questions.

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