Tag Archives: Processing

7TH Heaven Gourmet spreads sold at CA farmers’ markets recalled due to botulism risk

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Lots of people make great-tasting homemade foods like dips, pickles or salsa. But, just like opening a restaurant isn’t as simple as throwing good dinner parties, moving a good product into commercial production takes a lot of work – including recognizing hazards and controlling them.

To reduce risks to business and brand damage, food retailers usually place a lot of requirements in place for suppliers prior to carrying their products – things like proof of inspection, a validated process, visits to the processor and insurance. These precautions don’t eliminate problems but are an indicator that a retailer is paying attention.

While requirements like these are anecdotally reported at some farmers’ markets, the same level of vendor verification isn’t always in place.

One of the ultimate truths in food safety is that putting low acid foods in a jar and sealing them without either acidifying (with vinegar/fermentation) or processing correctly is a bad idea. Correctly means that someone has validated the process and the operator knows how to verify that their procedure works every time.

In June 2012, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) urged people to avoid and dispose of One Gun Ranch and Organic Soup Kitchen soups sold at farmers markets in California because they potentially contained botulinum toxin. The vendors involved were quoted as saying they didn’t know the rules (or the risks). Although none of the products tested positive for the toxin (fortunately), the process/procedure to limit the germination of Clostridium botulinum and toxin outgrowth wasn’t validated by anyone.

CDPH is yet again warning patrons of a couple of California farmers markets to avoid a vendor’s wares (those produced by 7TH Heaven Gourmet) for the same reason – lack of validated processing.

No illnesses have been linked to any of the affected products at this time.

7th Heaven Gourmet of Hesperia, California is voluntarily recalling the following varieties of spreads: Pate Mediterraneo and Eggplant & Shitake Tapenade.  These products were sold under the 7th Heaven Gourmet label and packaged in 8 ounce, glass jars with screw-on metal lids.  These food products lack production or date codes.  Photos of affected products may be obtained HERE.

7th Heaven Gourmet jarred spreads were available for purchase between September 2011 and July 2012, and only sold at the following Farmer’s Markets:

• Victorville Farmers Market (Victor Valley College) 18422 Bear Valley Rd, Victorville, CA

• Victoria Garden Farmers Market, 12505 North Mainstreet, Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Consumers in possession of the recalled products should discard them in the trash.
 

X-ray food: companies do it to avoid recalls and protect their brand names

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I agree with Steve Alexander of the Minnesota Star Tribune when he writes, “If consumers only knew what went into food safety, they might think they’d slipped into a James Bond movie.”

Which is why I’ve been urging companies, producers, retailers, to publicly flaunt their food safety efforts for 20 years, and am now convinced an effective way to build a food safety culture within any operation from farm-to-fork is public marketing of food safety efforts.

At Legendary Baking in Chaska, the pies it makes for Bakers Square restaurants and local grocery stores are X-rayed to make sure there’s nothing inside but pie.

The completely automated machines X-ray a pie and use a computer to analyze the image in a second or less, then eject it from the assembly line if it appears to contain a foreign object.

That’s not unusual in the food industry, where products have long been subjected to X-ray machines, metal detectors or special weighing devices to weed out objects such as metal or plastic parts that might fall off an assembly line.

"We have been using X-rays for seven years to eliminate the potential for dense foreign objects in products," said Steven Hawkes, general manager of the bakery in Chaska, a unit of American Blue Ribbon Holdings in Denver.

Hawkes declined to say whether the machines had ever found any foreign objects in pies.

While assembly line X-ray machines are expensive — they sell for tens of thousands of dollars each — food companies find the cost is well worth it, said Ted Labuza, a food engineer in the Food Science and Nutrition Department at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul.

"Compared to the cost of product liability lawsuits, X-ray machines are cheap," Labuza said. "Under Minnesota law, manufacturers are 100 percent liable if their product causes damage, and in most other states it’s the same."

The X-ray machines, which cost $45,000 to $70,000 each, are about 98 percent accurate in detecting contaminant particles as small as 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter, said Bob Ries, Thermo Fisher’s lead product manager for metal detection and X-ray products.

At Legendary Baking, the Thermo Fisher machines can scan one or two pies per second, Ries said.

Consumers might be surprised to know how many products they use have been X-rayed, Ries said: "anything in foil, foil tops or cans" and a lot of glass bottles.

"If you walk through a grocery store, there’s a 99.9 percent chance that a product there went through either an X-ray machine or a metal detector," Ries said. "Companies do it to avoid recalls and protect their brand names."

What those X-ray googles to help see bacteria that might be contaminating a $0.50 pot pie?

Botulism toll climbs to 8 in France; company not registered, inadequate processing

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Those stricken with botulism in France has climbed to eight as investigators determined the company that produced the suspect tapenade was never registered and had never undergone inspection.

In Avignon, five people who had shared a family meal on Thursday evening were admitted over the weekend to intensive care, where they are still on life support. "Two are close to sixty and three octogenarians," said the prefecture.

At Amiens (Somme), three young women, two sisters, aged 23 to 29, were placed for "at least three weeks" and a respirator under general anesthesia. The first symptoms manifested themselves in the aftermath of Sunday dinner.

Cans of green olive tapenade with almonds produced by the establishment "hive" of Cavaillon (Vaucluse) and sold under the brand " The delights of Marie Claire" have been fingered in the outbreak.

"The material used is unsuitable for sterilization was done with a washing machine type," said the secretary general of the prefecture, Martine Clavel.

The factory, installed in 2000, had never been subject to control. The owners did not make any inspection themselves and they had not asked for technical assistance.

According to the information provided, the suspect consignment contains about 60 jars of tapenade sold in grocery stores in the Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, Var and Vaucluse.

Add air and water, charge more; food processing explained

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Stephen Colbert finally figured out what a smart food science professor told me 20 years ago: food processing is all about adding air and water and charging more.

As Colbert said Monday night, “I always try to eat locally, in that if something’s within arm’s reach, I jam it in my mouth.

“This is thought for food.

“As commodity prices soar, candy makers are adding air to recipes.”

When wasn’t air added to recipes?

“Air. The same thing that makes tires delicious.”

“Adding air pockets offers a better mouth experience.”
Paul Pruett

“Mouth experience is also the name of the very worst ride at Epcot”

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Thought for Food – Chocolate Air, Denny’s & Bacon Cologne
www.colbertnation.com
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Botulism risk: Hawaii health dept, forces company to close, recall 3 years of product

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The state health department has issued a recall for more than one hundred locally produced food products including jams, salad dressings, and sauces that were manufactured at a Waipio processing plant because of a risk for botulism.

The Health Department issued an Order to Cease and Desist, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found evidence of improper manufacturing standards at the First Commercial Kitchen plant.

A recall issued last Thursday only included two products: Ohana Flavors Black Bean Sauce and Barbs Local Style Black Bean Sauce.

But now, the recall includes everything that was manufactured there over the past three years.

The Health Department says it issued the mass recall after the company failed to produce required documentation and because of inadequate testing to ensure no bacteria growth.

A number of restaurants have responded to the recall, saying they haven’t done business with First Commercial Kitchen in years, and their names were incorrectly added to the recall list.
 

New IFT report reviews the role of food science and technology in providing, uh, food

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The world’s food system provides food for nearly seven billion people each day. But according to a new report from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), more advances are critical for an adequate food supply, which must nearly double during the next several decades, for the future world population.

The first-of-its-kind scientific review, to be published in the September 2010 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, takes a historical look at the food system, the many challenges ahead, and the crucial role of food science and technology in meeting the needs of the growing population.

The report summarizes the historical developments of agriculture and food technology, details various food manufacturing methods, and explains why food is processed. The report also describes and stresses why further advancements in food science and technology are needed — to more equitably meet growing world population food needs with enhanced food security in developing countries and solutions to complex diet-and-health challenges in industrialized countries.
Impact of Modern Food Manufacturing Methods

John Floros, PhD, of the Pennsylvania State University Department of Food Science said,

"Thanks to food science and technology and modern food manufacturing methods, nutritional deficiencies and inconsistent food availability can be addressed, harvests can be protected, and various commodities can be transformed into new products having specific nutrients for better health and wellness. However, this success has distanced consumers from the agricultural origins of today’s food products and understanding of why processing is important. As a result, there are concerns and misconceptions regarding food safety, and the food system’s effect on health and the environment.”

Uh-oh. That sounds condescending.
 

Higher processing temperature may reduce listeria risk in smoked salmon

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I’m a big fan of smoked salmon, especially the farmed kind – it’s more sustainable. The convenience and nutrients are hard to top – except maybe with a slice of tomato.

The problem with such refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods is listeria, the bacterium that’s everywhere and grows at refrigerator temperatures.

Last night, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Classic Smokehouse (2003) Inc. warned the public not to consume Classic Canadian Wild Sockeye Trims because the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The affected product, Classic Canadian Wild Sockeye Lox Trim, was sold in 454g vacuum packages bearing UPC 3000550008256 and PACKED ON dates from MA 02 (May 2, 2009) to JL 28 (July 28, 2009) inclusive.

This product has been distributed in British Columbia.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

At least not this time.

Such listeria-related recalls are common, and why work continues to increase the safety of refrigerated RTE foods. A recent study from the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists, determined that smoking salmon at adequately high temperatures is a step in reducing the risk of Listeria monocytogenes in the fish.

Researchers from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Wyndmoor, PA, found greater inactivation rates of Listeria monocytogenes occurred in samples processed at higher temperatures and in samples containing higher concentrations of salt and smoke compound.  The inactivation rate increased tenfold when the temperature increased by 5° C, indicating that smoking temperature is a main factor affecting the inactivation of the pathogen.  In addition, salt and smoke compounds also contribute to the inactivation effect.

While such research continues, pregnant women should avoid refrigerated RTE foods like smoked salmon. Amy’s back on the smoked salmon, and this is her lunch for later today: smoked salmon and walnuts over spring mix, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (left).
 

Source, not criticism, top priority in outbreak

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I just wrapped up a food safety talk at the World Congress for Processing Tomatoes. Delegates from 34 countries have converged in Toronto for meetings, mirth and merriment. The Salmonella in fresh tomatoes outbreak was up for discussion, but these are the processing folks — it’s all cooked.

This picture (right) was taken by in Cincinnati, Ohio, and posted on The Consumerist. Just weird.

And The Packer says today in an editorial that the source, not criticism, should be the top priority in outbreak.

Too vague. Too slow. Too aggressive.

All of the above criticisms may apply to the handling of the recent linkage of Salmonella Saintpaul to tomatoes by the Food and Drug Administration and various federal and state agencies.

Unfortunately, the criticisms are easy to level, but not so easy to apply in reality.
The FDA was too specific in warning consumers in Texas and New Mexico to avoid round red and roma tomatoes. Shouldn’t consumers in other states receive the warning? On the other hand, the warning was too vague. Many cocktail-style tomatoes are round and red. Many greenhouse tomatoes are round and red yet not sold on the vine, but the FDA was saying it was OK for consumers to eat tomatoes on the vine from greenhouses.

The New Mexico Department of Health was perhaps too aggressive June 4 in naming Mexico as the likely source of the product. At that time, the FDA stated it was impossible to say whether the tomatoes were domestic or imported.

And because the foodborne illnesses occurred over so long a stretch, the tomatoes very likely did not come from one single grower. There is a possibility they were contaminated somewhere along the supply chain.

Yet, despite the rush to a conclusion, there is legitimate criticism that parties have acted too slowly. This situation affects the entire tomato category. By extension, it affects products that are used with tomatoes, such as fresh basil and some salad items. A lot of people will lose a lot of money over this.
In outbreaks that decimate a category, it’s absolutely imperative to say the right thing at the right time.

There needs to be better coordination between state and national organizations. The overseeing parties must work closely with both the growing community and retailers to ensure that public comments do not unintentionally mislead consumers or create false perceptions.

The utmost importance is finding the source. Until then, all handlers are presumed guilty and suffer the consequences of lower sales.

Gordon Ramsey has a problem with food processing

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Chef Gordon Ramsay told the BBC that British restaurants should be fined if they serve fruit and vegetables which are not in season, and that fruit and vegetables should be locally-sourced and only on menus when in season.

"There should be stringent laws, licensing laws, to make sure produce is only used in season and season only. If we don’t restrict our movements within this industry of seasonal-produce only, then the whole thing will spiral out of control."

Ramsay also went on to vent his anger at fellow TV chef Delia Smith, whose latest book, How to Cheat at Cooking, encourages people to mix together ready-made food rather than cook from scratch if they are short of time or on a tight budget, adding,

"I would expect students struggling on £15 a week to survive eating from a can but the nation’s favourite, all-time icon reducing us down to using frozen, canned food. It’s an insult. And it makes our lives, from a chef’s point of view, a lot harder. Here we are trying to establish a reputation across the world for this country’s food and along comes Delia and tips it out of a can. That hurts."

Me, I’m a fan of freezing, canning, fresh and whatever. It’s about mixing it up. Frozen corn, peas (left) and others, canned tomatoes and sauces, the garden out back, Amy and I got it all (and enjoyed our first spinach and lettuce salad of the season this evening, with frozen scallops, which don’t grow so well in Manhattan — Kansas).

I’ll have more to say about this in the next couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, Oxfam’s head of research, Duncan Green, said he was sure "the million farmers in east Africa who rely on exporting their goods to scrape a living would see Gordon Ramsay’s assertions as a recipe for disaster."