Arizona Food Safety Specialists, LLC., Food Safety Resources Blog

2011-12-29T00:30:00.000-08:00

8 Places Germs Hide in Your Home

By Dr. Charles “Chuck” Gerba” University of Arizona

1. Kitchen Sponges

Microwave the sponge. Your kitchen sponge is the germiest thing in your house. When researchers at the USDA tested common methods of disinfecting sponges—soaking them in bleach or lemon juice, microwaving, or washing in the dishwasher—they found that microwaving for one minute zapped the most germs, followed by a trip through the dishwasher. Every evening, after the last dishes are cleaned, zap the sponge.

2. Kitchen Sink

Scrub the Sink. After the sponge, the kitchen sink is the second most germ-laden place in your house (even worse than the toilet). Keep a spray bottle of cleaner handy, and spritz the sink after each use; then wipe and rinse with hot water.

3. Cutting Board

Scrub Your Cutting Board. There are 200 times more fecal bacteria on the average home cutting board than on the toilet seat, according to research by Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, and a nationally known expert on household germs. To get it clean, run it through the dishwasher; spray it with straight 5 percent vinegar, and let it set overnight; microwave it on high for 30 seconds; or swab it with alcohol.

4. Toothbrush

Protect Your Toothbrush. Store it at the opposite end of the bathroom from the toilet, in an upright position, so the water drains away from the bristles. Never store a wet toothbrush in a closed case. And don’t let the bristles of family members’ brushes touch. Still worried about germs? Consider a dunk in antimicrobial mouthwash. Studies show that a soak can eliminate germs. Don’t reuse the disinfecting liquid or soak more than one brush in it. Finally, if you’ve been sick, replace your toothbrush after you recover so you don’t re-infect yourself.

5. Washing Machine

Wash Laundry Right. Yes, even laundry can make you sick. “If you do undergarments in one load and handkerchiefs in the next, you’re blowing your nose in what was in your underwear,” Dr. Gerba notes. Make your underwear the last load, and at least once a month, run a hot cycle with vinegar to clear out germs in the machine. Also be sure to move washed laundry to the dryer as quickly as possible. Germs that survive the wash can start flourishing quickly.

6. Shower Curtain

Wipe Down Curtain After Showering. They get wet most every day, and they often stay wet, making them a perfect habitat for mold.

7. Indoor Garbage Can

Scrub Your Can. Particularly those in the kitchen and bathroom. Emptying them isn’t cleaning them. Regularly scrub them to make sure germs aren’t germinating.

8. Dishwashers

Watch for Mold. Take a close look at the edges of the door on your dishwasher. Many are breeding grounds for mold and mildew. The same goes for the rubber cushioning that surrounds most refrigerator doors.

Bonus added by Arizona Food Safety: Your telephones are germ magnets. Wipe your handsets daily and ensure all the ear wax is removed from the earpiece. Cell phone...do the same.

2011-12-13T13:51:00.000-08:00

Raw Cookie Dough Linked to E. Coli Outbreak

By Mikaela Conley
ABC News Blogs – Fri, Dec 9, 2011 9:02 PM EST

Licking the spoon for a couple tastes of raw cookie dough is an added bonus to the baking process, especially at holiday time, but the risk of falling ill from the batter might be greater than once thought.

New research published in the journal Clinical Infectious Disease found that the culprit of a 2009 multi-state E. coli outbreak was none other than the ready-to-bake prepackaged cookie dough found in most grocery stores. At the time of the outbreak, 77 people from 30 states became ill from the bad batter. About half of those people got so sick they had to be hospitalized.

After a thorough investigation, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control still have yet to fully pinpoint the ingredient in the cookie dough that caused the outbreak, but CDC study author Dr. Karen Neil said researchers believe the problem was in the flour. Raw flour does not go through the same rigorous process to kill pathogens the way in which eggs, molasses and sugar do in commercial products.
"You should not consume raw cookie dough or any other raw product that's intended to be baked or cooked, and food should always be prepared according to the recipe or instructions," Neil told ABCNews.com.

Because eating raw cookie dough is such a popular pastime (during the investigation, several people noted that they bought the uncooked batter with the intention to eat it as is), CDC researchers recommended manufacturers make the product safer as a ready-to-eat product. They also noted that more consumer education should be available about the risks of eating raw products such as cookie dough.

But Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, said characterizing eating cookie dough as a risky behavior might be a bit of a stretch. It's similar to eating a hamburger or steak rare or medium rare, he said.

"Eating cookie dough is part of growing up," Schaffner said. "We know people are going to do it. It's too delicious. It's too much of a habit. To ask people not to do it is like whistling in a graveyard."
Nevertheless, Schaffner did note that commercial cookie dough companies should heed the CDC's advice by making sure its raw products are safe to consume as is.

"In the modern world, we have the potential to distribute a tainted product to a lot of people, so manufacturers should process the materials safely and expect that it could be eaten raw," Schaffner said.

As you bake up a storm this holiday season, Neil recommended to visit www.foodsafety.gov to learn about the best ways to handle raw and uncooked foods to keep you and your family safe and healthy.

2011-11-19T07:07:00.000-08:00

McDonald's Dumps McMuffin Egg Factory Over Health Concerns

By CYNTHIA GALLI, ANGELA HILL and RYM MOMTAZ
Good Morning America – Fri, Nov 18, 2011 9:20 AM EST

McDonald's will be looking for a new source of eggs for many of its hugely popular Egg McMuffins.

The fast food company says it "will no longer accept" eggs from one of the country's biggest egg companies, Sparboe Farms, that is the subject of an ABC News investigation to be broadcast Friday on "20/20" and "World News with Diane Sawyer" and was cited Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration for "significant…and serious violations" in the production of eggs.

In one of the most forceful enforcement actions since last year's salmonella egg outbreak, the FDA issued a company-wide warning letter to Sparboe Farms, the country's fifth largest egg producer.

Citing "serious" and "significant violations" at five different locations, the FDA cited at least 13 violations of the recently enacted federal egg rule meant to prevent dangerous salmonella outbreaks.

"This is a warning that there is a systemic problem, not just at one barn or one location," said former FDA food safety chief David Acheson, now an industry consultant.
The ABC News broadcast will include undercover video taken over the summer inside Sparboe facilities in three states by an animal rights group, Mercy for Animals, that appears to show unsanitary conditions and repeated acts of animal cruelty.

Until today, the Sparboe facility in Vincent, Iowa, had produced all eggs used by McDonald's restaurants west of the Mississippi River.
In its statement, McDonald's said its decision was based on concerns about "the management of Sparboe facilities."

"McDonald's expects all of our suppliers to meet our stringent requirements for delivering high quality food prepared in a humane and responsible manner," the company said in a statement released to ABC News overnight.

The Mercy for Animals activist who went undercover to record the video inside Sparboe told ABC News chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross, "I saw workers do horrendous things to birds, they were thrown, grabbed by the neck, they're slammed in and out of cages."

Nathan Runkle, the executive director of Mercy for Animals, said the video shows how health hazards can be linked to large scale, low-cost egg producers, so-called "factory farms."

"They're the model of efficiency but they place an emphasis on profit over animal welfare," said Runkle, who says he and his members eat no animal products because of the animal cruelty they have seen.

Sparboe executives told Ross the employees seen on the tape abusing the chickens were all fired.

"We have a zero tolerance policy," said Ken Klippen, Sparboe's director of government relations. "People who violate that policy, we take that very seriously."

On a one-hour guided tour of the Sparboe facility in Vincent, Iowa, the source of all McDonald's eggs for restaurants west of the Mississippi, Klippen told Ross the Sparboe's facilities are "state of the art.

Sparboe has never had a single egg or chicken detected with salmonella, said Klippen, who added "there was no cause for any enforcement action.".
The 2010 salmonella outbreak affected more than 1,900 people and was traced to a different Iowa egg producer, Wright County Eggs.
More than a half-billion eggs had to be destroyed and the episode produced a nationwide health scare over the safety of eggs.
Salmonella in eggs is easily killed when both the white and the yolk are cooked thoroughly enough to be hard.

Many of those sickened last year ate custard at a California catering hall that had eggs from Wright County Eggs.

Federal authorities promised stepped up inspections and enforcement, and FDA officials said this week's action against Sparboe Farms was part of that effort.

McDonald's says its customers should have no health concerns because all of it eggs are thoroughly cooked before being sold.

"This is not a food safety issue for our menu items," McDonald's said in its statement. "We can assure our customers that eggs in our entire supply chain meet McDonald's high standards for quality and safety."

As to the allegations of animal cruelty, a spokesperson said the behavior seen on videos provided by 20/20 was "disturbing and completely unacceptable."

2011-10-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia'Consumer Reports': People 'ripped off when they buy fish'

By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY
Updated 2h 5m ago

About 18% of the fish sampled didn't match the names on placards, labels and menus, according to a study by 'Consumer Reports'.

About 18% of the fish sampled didn't match the names on placards, labels and menus, according to a study by 'Consumer Reports'.

Consumer Reports Friday will reveal a mislabeled seafood scam that leaves millions of consumers clueless whether the fish they think they're buying is the fish they're actually getting.

The world's largest independent product-testing organization Friday will reveal that 22% of the seafood it tested at supermarkets, restaurants, fish markets, gourmet stores and big-box stores in three states was either mislabeled, incompletely labeled or misidentified by store or restaurant employees.

"Consumers are getting ripped off when they buy fish," says Kim Kleman, editor-in-chief of Consumer Reports.

This is no small matter. Americans spent $80.2 billion on seafood last year, up $5 billion from 2009. Mislabeling can be a serious health issue. Some consumers have allergies to specific types of fish, and pregnant women can end up eating fish they shouldn't — with high concentrations of mercury. Others trying to purchase more sustainable fish are being sold cheaper, unsustainable species.

The investigation, which took place in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, included 190 pieces of fresh and frozen seafood that were DNA tested by two outside labs. The findings, in the December issue of Consumer Reports, do not speculate about the reasons for the fraud. Some mislabeling snafus:

•Only four of the 14 different types of fish purchased — Chilean sea bass, coho salmon and bluefin and ahi tuna — were always identified correctly.

•Not one of the 10 lemon soles tested was lemon sole — but more common and cheaper flounder. And of 22 red snapper samples, not one was definitively red snapper, though eight couldn't be ruled out.

•Some 18% of the samples didn't match the names on placards, labels or menus. Another 4% were incompletely labeled or misidentified.

Consumers Union, the public policy division of Consumer Reports, is calling for legislation and standardized seafood labeling.

Officials at the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees food labeling, say they're aware of the problem. "It's illegal to mislabel food," spokesman Doug Karas says. The agency recently supplied six labs with DNA-testing equipment for testing to begin in 2012, he says. But, he adds, "Primarily we look at food safety," not fraud.

But, Kleman says, "I don't think we should have to choose between safety and fraud."

2011-10-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

FDA Publishes Report on Factors Potentially Contributing to the Contamination of Fresh, Whole Cantaloupe Implicated in the Multi-State Listeria monocytogenes Foodborne Illness Outbreak

On October 19, 2011, FDA released a document1 which provides an overview of factors that potentially contributed to the contamination of fresh, whole cantaloupe with the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes which was implicated in a multi-state outbreak of listeriosis. In early September 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments, began to investigate a multi-state outbreak of listeriosis. Early in the investigation, cantaloupes from Jensen Farms in the southeast region of Colorado were implicated in the outbreak.

On September 10, 2011, FDA, along with Colorado state officials, conducted an inspection at Jensen Farms and collected multiple samples, including whole cantaloupes and environmental (non-product) samples from within the facility, for laboratory analysis to identify the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. Of the 39 environmental swabs collected from within the facility, 13 were confirmed positive for Listeria monocytogenes with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern combinations that were indistinguishable from three of the four outbreak strains collected from affected patients. Of the 13 positive environmental swabs, 12 were collected at the processing line and 1 was collected from the packing area. Cantaloupe collected from the firm’s cold storage during the inspection was also confirmed positive for Listeria monocytogenes with PFGE pattern combinations that were indistinguishable from two of the four outbreak strains.

FDA Environmental Swabs Positive Results

Processing Line

9 positive samples from the grading belt

Swabs 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30 & 33
2 positive samples from the conveyor

Swabs 20 & 28

1 positive sample from the felt rollers

Swab 13
Packing Area

1 positive sample from the conveyor belt

Swab 34

FDA Product Sample Results

1 Cantaloupe Sample collected from cold storage

5 subs tested positive

(10 whole cantaloupes or “Subs”)

Please refer to the section below for

FDA’s Sample Records and Results on Jensen Farms

As a result of the isolation of outbreak strains of Listeria monocytogenes in the environment of the packing facility and whole cantaloupes collected from cold storage, and the fact that this is the first documented listeriosis outbreak associated with fresh, whole cantaloupe in the United States, FDA initiated an environmental assessment in conjunction with Colorado state and local officials. FDA, state, and local officials conducted the environmental assessment at Jensen Farms on September 22-23, 2011. The environmental assessment was conducted to gather more information to assist FDA in identifying the factors that potentially contributed to the introduction, growth, or spread of the Listeria monocytogenes strains that contaminated the cantaloupe.

FDA identified the following factors as those that most likely contributed to the introduction, spread, and growth of Listeria monocytogenes in the cantaloupes:

Introduction:

There could have been low level sporadic Listeria monocytogenes in the field where the cantaloupe were grown, which could have been introduced into the packing facility.

A truck used to haul culled cantaloupe to a cattle operation was parked adjacent to the packing facility and could have introduced contamination into the facility.

Spread:
The packing facility’s design allowed water to pool on the floor near equipment and employee walkways.

The packing facility floor was constructed in a manner that made it difficult to clean the packing equipment was not easily cleaned and sanitized; washing and drying equipment used for cantaloupe packing was previously used for postharvest handling of another raw agricultural commodity

Growth:
There was no pre-cooling step to remove field heat from the cantaloupes before cold storage. As the cantaloupes cooled there may have been condensation that promoted the growth of Listeria monocytogenes

FDA’s findings regarding this particular outbreak highlight the importance for firms to employ good agricultural and management practices in their packing facilities as well as in growing fields. FDA recommends that firms employ good agricultural and management practices recommended for the growing, harvesting, washing, sorting, packing, storage and transporting of fruits and vegetables sold to consumers in an unprocessed or minimally processed raw form.

FDA has issued a warning letter2 to Jensen Farms based on environmental and cantaloupe samples collected during the inspection. FDA’s investigation at Jensen Farms is still considered an open investigation.

2011-08-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

Cargill recalling 36M pounds of ground turkey

By MARY CLARE JALONICK - Associated Press
AP – 16 hrs ago.

Products subject to meat giant Cargill's recall of 36 million pounds of ground turkey …

WASHINGTON (AP) — Meat giant Cargill is recalling 36 million pounds of ground turkey linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak that has killed one person in California and sickened at least 76 others.

Illnesses in the outbreak date back to March and have been reported in 26 states coast to coast.

Cargill said Wednesday that it is recalling fresh and frozen ground turkey products produced at the company's Springdale, Ark., plant from Feb. 20 through Aug. 2 due to possible contamination from the strain of salmonella linked to the illnesses.

Company officials said that all ground turkey production has been suspended at the plant until the company is able to determine the source of the outbreak.

"Given our concern for what has happened, and our desire to do what is right for our consumers and customers, we are voluntarily removing our ground turkey products from the marketplace," said Steve Willardsen, president of Cargill's turkey processing business.

The Minnesota-based company said it was initiating the recall after its own internal investigation, an Agriculture Department investigation and information about the illnesses released by the CDC this week.

All of the packages recalled include the code "Est. P-963" on the label, according to Cargill. The packages were labeled with many different brands, including Cargill's Honeysuckle White.

The CDC said this week that cultures of ground turkey from four retail locations between March 7 and June 27 showed contamination with the same strain of salmonella, though those samples had not been specifically linked to the illnesses. The CDC said preliminary information showed that three of those samples were linked to the same production establishment, but it did not name that plant.

A chart on the CDC's website shows cases have occurred every month since early March, with spikes in May and early June. The latest reported cases were in mid-July, although the CDC said some recent cases may not have been reported yet.

The CDC said the strain is resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics, which can make treatment more difficult. The agency said 38 percent of those sickened were hospitalized.

The states with the highest number sickened were Michigan and Ohio, 10 illnesses each, while nine illnesses were reported in Texas. Illinois had seven, California six and Pennsylvania five.

The remaining states have between one and three reported illnesses linked to the outbreak, according to the CDC: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

The CDC estimates that 50 million Americans each year get sick from food poisoning, including about 3,000 who die. Salmonella causes most of these cases and federal health officials say they've made virtually no progress against it.

Government officials say that even contaminated ground turkey is safe to eat if it is cooked to 165 degrees. But it's also important that raw meat be handled properly before it is cooked and that people wash their hands with soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling the meat. Turkey and other meats should also be properly refrigerated or frozen and leftovers heated.

The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight hours to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product. It can be life-threatening to some with weakened immune systems.

Cargill executive Willardsen said, "Public health and the safety of consumers cannot be compromised."

"It is regrettable that people may have become ill from eating one of our ground turkey products," he said, "and, for anyone who did, we are truly sorry."
___
Online:
CDC info on salmonella in ground turkey: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/heidelberg/080111/index.html

2011-07-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

FDA Recall Bulletin

Tucson Company
Arizona Canning Company Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Soy Protein In Sun Vista Brand Red Enchilada Sauce

Contact:
Consumer:
1-800-211-0600

Media:
Brian Mosley
520-663-4734

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 19 , 2011 -Arizona Canning Company is recalling its 29 ounce cans of Sun Vista Red Enchilada Sauce (Mild, Medium and Hot) because they may contain undeclared soy protein. People, who have allergies to soy, run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.

The recalled Sun Vista Red Enchilada Sauce (Mild, Medium and Hot) was distributed in California and Arizona. All lots of this product are being recalled.
No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.

The recall was initiated after it was discovered that the ingredient list on the label reads “Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein” instead of the more descriptive term “Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (Soy)”.
Consumers who have purchased the Sun Vista Red Enchilada Sauce (Mild, Medium and Hot) and are sensitive or allergic to Soy are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-211-0600 (Mon-Fri 7:30AM-4:00PM (MST)).

2011-06-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

Nutrition, Health and Consumer Advocates Applaud the Launch of the New MyPlate Icon to Help Consumers Make Healthier Food Choices

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Balancing Calories

● Enjoy your food, but eat less.

● Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase

● Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

● Make at least half your grains whole grains.

● Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

Foods to Reduce

● Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ― and choose the foods with lower numbers.

● Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Release No. 0226.11

Contact:
USDA Office of Communications (202)720-4623

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2011 – First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today unveiled the federal government's new food icon, MyPlate, to serve as a reminder to help consumers make healthier food choices.

MyPlate is a new generation icon with the intent to prompt consumers to think about building a healthy plate at meal times and to seek more information to help them do that by going to www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. The new MyPlate icon emphasizes the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups. Nutrition, health and consumer advocates applauded the MyPlate icon and reiterated their commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of Americans nationwide.

Nancy Chapman, Executive Director, Soyfoods Association of North America (SANA)

"Now more than ever the 2010 Dietary Guidelines are relevant for all Americans, regardless of age, cultural preferences, or dietary needs. By creating the new food icon, USDA helps all adults and children understand what a healthy plate should look like when they sit down at the dinner table. SANA applauds the Administration for taking another huge step with this practical guidance."

Scott DeFife, Executive Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs for the National Restaurant Association

"The National Restaurant Association applauds the work to create an icon that gives consumers a clearer idea of how to think of their everyday meal options. The industry will continue to play an active role in helping to create an environment that addresses today's healthy living challenges. Much like the upcoming national menu labeling standard, the new food icon will be a useful resource to help inform all Americans' food choices."

Ginny Ehrlich, CEO of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation

"In order to reverse the trend of childhood obesity in the U.S., both parents and kids need accurate, easy to understand information about what constitutes a healthy diet. First Lady Obama has done an excellent job helping parents and kids understand the importance of eating right and staying active, but many Americans still need help understanding how to plan healthy meals. We are pleased that the USDA has seized the opportunity to help consumers better understand the basics of good nutrition and hope that this new icon helps parents make healthier choices for their families."

Wayne T. Gattinella, CEO and President of WebMD

"WebMD fully supports the USDA's new initiatives to encourage healthy food choices for consumers. As an organization founded on the philosophy of empowering consumers with clear, actionable health information, WebMD will leverage its reach to over 90 million consumers to educate them on the USDA's new nutrition icon and guidelines."

James H. Hodges, President, American Meat Institute Foundation

"We are pleased that the new food icon unveiled today, just as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, affirms in a clear and simple fashion that protein is a critical component of a balanced, healthy diet. Lean meat and poultry products are some the most nutrient rich foods available, are excellent sources of complete protein, iron and zinc and maintain an excellent nutrition per calorie ratio. AMI will continue to voice support for the premise that a well-balanced diet, proper portion sizes and exercise are keys to overall good health and wellness."

Ric Jurgens, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Hy-Vee, Inc.

"As a company committed to making peoples' lives easier, healthier and happier, we applaud the USDA and the Let's Move! initiative for taking this important step forward in nutrition education. We will do all we can to support the icon's success."

Barbara Byrd Keenan, Executive Vice President for the Institute of Food Technologists

The new Dietary Guidelines set high standards that will require a concerted effort among numerous scientific disciplines to gradually change consumer behavior. This new icon will make it easier for consumers to incorporate the dietary guidelines into their food choices, which will ultimately help improve the health of our country."

2011-04-16T21:57:00.000-07:00

Wendy's Natural Cut Fries: Better Tasting, Yes. Natural, No

by Melanie Warner

Friday, April 15, 2011

When Wendy's (NYSE: WEN - News) created its Natural Cut Fries With Sea Salt, which it introduced last fall and is now promoting in new TV ads this week, the company's product development team found a way to leave the potato skins on, make the fries crispier and give them a much tastier flavor. What they didn't manage to do, however, is make the fries an actual all-natural product. That, says CMO Ken Calwell, would be too difficult given fast food customers' demands for items that are cheap and can be hoisted through a car window.

People are saying they want high integrity ingredients, things their grandmother would have used, that don't look like they came out of a chemistry lab," Calwell explained in an interview with BNET. "But they're also saying I've got a family to feed and can only afford to spend about $4 on my lunch, and I've only got about a minute or two to eat it."

So instead of going the more expensive Five Guys route of making their fries fresh and in-house, Wendy's settled for "natural cut." What this means is that inside the processing plant, the potatoes skip the step of getting steamed at such a high temperature that the skins burst off. Wendy's spuds go straight to the high tech cutters where they're sliced.

And Then the Not-So-Natural Part

Then come the not-so-natural parts. The fries are sprayed with sodium acid pyrophosphate, a chemical that prevents them from turning brown from two baths in frying oil -- one at the factory and the other at the store. They're also dusted with dextrose, a sugar derived from corn, for similar purposes. For comparison, Five Guy's fries don't need sodium acid pyrophosphate or dextrose because they're only fried once and aren't frozen.

And just like every other large fast food chain, Wendy's frying oil is dosed with dimethylpolysiloxane, a silicone-based chemical that helps keep the vegetable oil from getting foamy after countless rounds of frying. (Five Guys doesn't use dimethylpolysiloxane either because their peanut frying oil is more stable than the standard soybean and canola varieties.) Wendy's Natural Cut fries are also frozen like everybody else's, even though it's a big point of distinction for Wendy's that their hamburgers aren't.

Wendy's has also highlighted that it uses "100% Russet potatoes," but John Keeling of the National Potato Council says that this is not a selling point. "Virtually all processed French fries are Russets," he said in an email.

Taste and Compare

But the new fries do succeed in taste tests, even beating those at McDonald's, according to the company's research. Wendy's hired an outside firm to do a national taste test and the results showed that 56% of people taking the test chose Wendy's skin-on fries, whereas only 39% preferred McDonald's (4% had no preference). And Wendy's 6,600 stores, orders that include fries are up almost 10%.

Nutritionally, the skins on the fries add 1 extra gram of fiber per serving for a total of 6 grams in a medium. Although the sodium content went up by 43% to 500 milligrams for a medium, an increase that no doubt helps with the taste factor.

Calwell says that making Wendy's menu items more natural and more real is the company's "North Star."

"We're taking it product line by product line to make our food closer to this real ingredients story. Over time, you'll see our ingredient labels getting shorter and more of those high integrity ingredients. It just takes time," he said.

2011-01-31T20:26:00.000-08:00

10 Things the FDA Won't Tell You

1. When it comes to food, we just got teeth.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 48 million Americans – or one out of every six people – get sick each year from food poisoning. That amounts to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. And up until very recently, the food safety system headed by the Food and Drug Administration did little to nip problems before they blew up, says David Plunkett, a senior staff attorney in the food safety department of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "People had to get sick, and then FDA sprang into action and tried to find out what was happening."

Now, the FDA is getting proactive. The Food Safety Modernization Act, passed this month, gives the agency much-needed muscle to inspect high-risk foods and products and immediately pull them off the market if needed, says Plunkett. "One of the things that nobody really talked about was that the FDA, even if they knew a food was dangerous, could not order a company to recall it," Plunkett says. In the past, the FDA instead had to negotiate a recall with the manufacturer – a process that could take weeks – so speeding up the process is a big victory for public health, says Sandra Eskin, the director of the food safety campaign at the Pew Health Group.

2. More inspections? That's not in our budget.

The new food safety law requires the FDA to conduct more frequent inspections of manufacturing facilities, inspect a greater percentage of imports, and send inspectors abroad to check out foreign companies. "Their budget right now is not adequate, and it's certainly not adequate to implement this law," Plunkett says. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that implementing the food safety law will cost the FDA an additional $1.4 billion between 2011 and 2015. That might sound like a lot, but it's a reasonable price to pay given that a Pew study found that foodborne illness costs the U.S. $152 billion a year, Eskin says. "As a society, we need to look at both sides of that equation," she says. The FDA will need to work with Congress to obtain the necessary boost in funding, says Siobhan Delancey, a spokeswoman for the agency.

3. At the farmer's market, you're on your own…

Eating locally may be in fashion, but those trendy locavores may be taking more of a risk than they realize. Under the new law, the FDA was given authority to write new produce-safety standards governing how farmers grow, package and ship high-risk foods like spinach or tomatoes. But small farms with direct sales to consumers of less than $500,000 a year are exempt from those new rules. And small manufacturers who sell their products locally are allowed to operate under a modified, simplified version of the food-safety system for large manufacturers. Consumer advocates had pushed to make these exemptions as narrow as possible, because food poisoning outbreaks linked to small producers do happen, even if they affect a relatively small number of people, Eskin says. "We hope it doesn't have any significant impact on public health, but we'll be monitoring to see if it strikes the right balance," she says.

4. …but we're gunning for your fancy cheese.

A foodie controversy erupted this fall when the FDA shut down a highly regarded artisan cheesemaker, the Estrella Family Creamery, based in Washington. The agency had asked the Estrella family to recall its cheese after finding evidence of contamination with listeria, a dangerous bacteria. When the Estrellas refused to recall the cheese, the FDA shut down the creamery. Supporters complained that this small family farm was being held to an unreasonable standard of sterility. "People feel very emotionally attached to their raw milk and raw milk products," Eskin says. But listeria is a potentially deadly contaminant, and the FDA shouldn't have to wait until it can prove people have gotten sick to take action, she says.

Listeria is a known hazard of all kinds of cheese making, and the agency has noticed that artisanal cheese making is a rapidly growing segment of the market, so investigators monitoring small or medium-sized cheese makers are specifically directed to test for listeria, says Delancey, an FDA spokeswoman. The FDA has also been seeing more incidents involving listeria in all types of cheese recently, Delancey says.

5. Feel free to buy drugs across the border.

It's illegal to import medication from abroad, including foreign-made versions of drugs that have been approved for use in the U.S. But with senators organizing bus trips for seniors to buy drugs in Canada, it's an open secret that individuals aren't prosecuted for bringing back legal meds from other countries – so long as they're for personal use. Christopher Kelly, a spokesman for the FDA, confirms that the agency focuses enforcement only on imports that are intended for resale, but notes that it can detain personal imports at the border. "Almost all prescription orders personally imported reach the consumer," says Gabriel Levitt, the vice president of PharmacyChecker.com, a website that checks out online domestic and international pharmacies. While there certainly are dangerous drugs sold over the web, lab tests conducted by researchers at the American Enterprise Institute found that international pharmacies which had a physical address and staff contact information on their websites tended to supply safe, legitimate drugs, says Roger Bate, the AEI fellow who led the study.

6. That defibrillator hasn't been tested.

Lana Keeton has had pieces of surgical mesh rubbing against her bladder for more than nine years, following a hysterectomy that led to serious complications. It feels "like I've got a little tiny dry corn cob on my bladder," Keeton says. She's hoping an upcoming surgery scheduled for April will finally remove the last of the mesh. But her ordeal has permanently shaken her faith in the medical establishment. "When I went to the hospital, I believed that every single product out there would have been tested, approved, and safe," Keeton says. Instead, the mesh that was used in her case was approved for use in the pelvis through a sort of fast-lane process called the 510K.

More than 90% of medical devices approved by the FDA go through the 510K process, which doesn't require any clinical trials before the device goes on the market, inspections of the facility where the device is being produced, or post-market studies once the device is already being sold, says Diana Zuckerman, the president of the National Research Center for Women and Families. The process is designed to allow companies to skip conducting clinical trials for low-risk devices that are similar to another device already on the market. But surgical mesh isn't the only type of product approved through this process that has gone on to cause serious problems for patients. One type of mechanical filter that's placed in blood vessels fractured inside the bodies of as many as 25% of patients in one study, says Dr. Rita Redberg, a cardiologist and the editor of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Doctors need to know that the benefits of using a device outweigh the potential harm, and without clinical trial data, they can't make that call, Redberg says.

7. We can't prevent drug makers from hyping "off label" uses.

Doctors can legally prescribe a medication to treat any condition they want, including conditions the FDA hasn't approved the drug to treat. But it's illegal for drug companies to promote such "off label" uses of their products. But that doesn't seem to stop them from doing it, as multiple settlements with major manufacturers demonstrate, says Larry McNeely, a health care advocate with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. The FDA can't review more than about 1% of the marketing materials companies send in for approval, says Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman, a professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. And there are plenty of subtler ways for companies to promote off-label uses, like sending doctors who've written papers advocating off label uses around to conferences to promote their work, or hiring ghostwriters to pen opinion pieces promoting such research, Fugh-Berman says.

8. We don't always make drug companies finish their clinical trials.

In a small but growing number of cases, the FDA has allowed companies to stop clinical trials early, as soon as the trial has found a statistically significant difference between the placebo and the treatment being tested. A 2005 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the percentage of trials published in major medical journals that had been stopped early "for benefit," meaning the treatment arm of the study has diverged significantly from the placebo arm, rose from 0.5% in 1990-1994 to 1.2% in 2000-2004. The study found that these cut-short trials often showed "implausibly large" benefits from the drugs being tested.

Many of the drugs in question were cardiovascular treatments or cancer drugs, according to the study, like a trial of blood-pressure drug bisoprolol in patients undergoing elective vascular surgery, which stopped after recruiting less than half of the number of subjects originally planned to test. A benefit that shows up early on in a trial might disappear by the time it's finished, Fugh-Berman says. "That's why we finish studies," she says. A decision to stop a trial early is made as part of a formal process with a review board, and is done when there's such a clear benefit that it's no longer ethical to give patients a placebo, says Karen Riley, a spokeswoman for the FDA.

9. Our conflict-of-interest policy shuts out experts.

When reviewing innovative new drugs, the FDA will often convene an advisory panel of outside experts to review the research on a drug and make recommendations. According to a conflict-of-interest policy adopted at the end of the Bush administration, those panels can't include anyone who's taken money from the company whose drug is under consideration. "On the surface, that makes sense," says Avik Roy, a health care analyst at Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co. But in practice, because the world of true experts in a specialized field can be very small, "you're excluding the people who have actually written the key papers in the field," Roy says. "What ends up happening is the FDA will often get bad advice from these panels, because the people involved are not actually the real experts in that particular disease."

The FDA can grant a waiver if a particular person's expertise is considered essential, notes spokeswoman Riley. "This cuts both ways. We also get criticized for having conflicts."

10. We want to help pharma investors.

As part of a broader Obama administration transparency push, the FDA has announced it's going to start offering the public detailed explanations when it rejects a drug or asks a company for more studies. The agency is doing everything it can to improve public health by explaining its decision-making process, while continuing to protect patient confidentiality and industry trade secrets, Riley says. In the past, the FDA would tell a company exactly what was wrong with its application, but that information was confidential, and drug makers could release as much or as little detail as they wanted. "That can lead to a lot of deception," Roy says. "Companies will sometimes say, 'Oh yeah, everything's cool, we just have to dot some i's,' when what the FDA has actually said is, 'You guys are lying punks and we don't want anything to do with your drug,'" he says. Providing an explanation for a rejection will give investors a clear understanding of whether a drug maker has hit a minor snag or a major obstacle, he says.

2011-01-24T21:07:00.000-08:00

New nutrition labels coming to the front of food packages

New nutrition labels coming to the front of food packages

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

Grocery shoppers will soon see the amount of calories, salt, sugar and saturated fat per serving plastered on the front of many popular food and beverage packages.

On Monday, the food industry unveiled its voluntary front-of-pack labeling, called Nutrition Keys, designed to help make healthful choices.

The Nutrition Keys also can include up to two other nutrients, such as potassium, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, iron or protein.

The program is designed to "promote healthier lifestyles," says Pamela Bailey, president of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which announced the program with the Food Marketing Institute.

Consumers will start seeing the labels on some food packages in the next few months, but they won't be widely found until the end of the year. The program applies to packaged foods, but not fresh foods such as individual bananas or apples.
The plan is already drawing fire from some critics who say the industry is trying a pre-emptive strike so it doesn't have to use a plan being developed by the Food and Drug Administration.

"Just putting those numbers on the front of packages could be confusing rather than helpful," says Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. "People may not know how to use these numbers in the context of a day's diet."

The program has not been tested or approved by an impartial group and doesn't contain a simple color-coding system that would help consumers make sense of the numbers, he says.

Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at New York University and author of Food Politics, says, "It's hard not to be outraged at industry pre-emption of what FDA is trying so hard to do."

But Bailey says that last March, first lady Michelle Obama challenged the industry to develop a front-of-pack labeling system to help busy consumers make informed decisions.

The White House issued a statement recognizing the companies "for the leadership they have shown in advancing this initiative" but stating that the FDA "plans to monitor this initiative closely and will work with experts ... to evaluate whether the label is meeting the needs of American consumers and pursue improvements as needed."

The government asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to come up with ideas for front-of-package labeling. The report on the first phase of that study is out, and the second phase will be released in the fall. The FDA has been reviewing the IOM report and conducting other research.

2011-01-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

Alcohol industry grapples with nutrition labeling

By Michelle Locke

SAN FRANCISCO — Pick up just about any beverage on store shelves and on the back of the packaging you'll find a numerical rundown of calories, carbs, etc.

Unless, that is, the beverage is alcohol.

Some folks want to change that.
"In the year 2011, it's sort of bizarre that alcohol's the only consumable product sold in the United States that you can't tell what's inside the bottle," says Guy Smith, executive vice president in North America for Diageo, the world's leading distilled spirits, beer and wine company.

Diageo is supporting a proposal presently before the federal Tax and Trade Bureau — the agency with authority over alcohol labels — to list nutrition information such as calories, carbohydrates, serving size and alcohol per serving.
But not everyone in the industry is as enthusiastic.

At the Beer Institute, a trade association based in Washington, D.C., officials support listing calories, carbs, protein and fat content, as well as alcohol by volume. But they oppose the idea of defining serving size by fluid ounces of pure alcohol, or as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor, on the grounds that you may get more than 1.5 ounces of liquor in a cocktail depending on what else is in the drink and the accuracy of the bartender.

But Smith says consumers know when they're getting a large martini. The point is, he says, to give them a point of reference so they can generally know what to expect.

At the San Francisco-based Wine Institute, officials are asking that the labeling requirements be on a voluntary basis only. (Diageo also supports voluntary compliance.)

If labeling is made mandatory, then the Wine Institute is asking for accommodations, such as being allowed to generalize the calorie and carb counts on wine, rather than needing to have each vintage of each variety analyzed. Additionally, they want the option of choosing the style of label, perhaps putting the information on a thin strip-style label rather than the more traditional (and much larger) box format that appears on other foods and drinks.

"There shouldn't be a significant cost impact on wineries," says Wendell Lee, general counsel for the institute.

It's unclear when federal officials might rule. Agency spokesman Tom Hogue said the Tax and Trade Bureau is working on the issue, but it's a complicated one that doesn't lend itself to a quick solution.

The current push for nutrition information was started in late 2003 by a coalition of consumer and public health advocates. Diageo announced its support for the move at the time and last December issued a statement calling on officials to rule.

The Distilled Spirits Council, based in Washington, also supports putting serving information on bottles.

Current labeling law is complicated.

Wine, beer and liquor manufacturers don't have to list ingredients — and the nutritional labeling proposals being considered don't require them to start doing that. However, they must list substances people might be sensitive to, such as sulfites, FD&C Yellow No. 5 and aspartame.

Wines containing 14% or more alcohol by volume must list alcohol content. Wines that are 7% to 14% alcohol by volume may list alcohol content or put "light" or "table" wine on the label. (Most wines in that category, however, do list alcohol by volume.)

"Light" beers must list calorie and carbohydrate content only. Liquor must list alcohol content by volume and may also list proof.

Food activist Marion Nestle, who researched the laws while writing about calories, was stunned by their piecemeal nature. She doesn't see the point of listing protein, fat and carb content of alcohol, since it contains none or little of those, but would like to see labels that list the amount of alcohol, number of calories, number of servings in the bottle and ingredients.

"Alcohol has calories and calories are an enormous issue," she says.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

2011-01-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

Germany halts poultry, pork, egg sales in scare

More than 4,700 farms closed after animal feed found contaminated with cancer-causing dioxin

David Hecker / AP

1/7/2011 12:39:21 PM ET 2011-01-07T17:39:21

BERLIN — Germany halted sales of poultry, pork and eggs from more than 4,700 farms Friday after animal feed was contaminated with cancer-causing dioxin, while authorities elsewhere rushed to figure out how far the tainted food had spread.

South Korea and Slovakia on Friday banned the sale of some animal products imported from Germany, while authorities in Britain and the Netherlands were investigating whether food containing German eggs — like mayonnaise or liquid egg products — was safe to eat.

A new, large study shows that the risk of autism rose three-fold when a child was conceived within 12 months of the birth of a first baby.

Prosecutors in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein have launched an investigation into the German firm Harles & Jentzsch GmbH, suspecting the company knew but failed to tell authorities that fat it had produced for use in feed pellets was tainted with dioxin.

Test results released Friday on the fat showed that some of it contained more than 77 times the approved amount of dioxin, the state's agriculture minister said. Out of 30 samples tested so far, 18 contained more dioxin than legally allowed.

Dioxins are contaminants that typically result from industrial combustion and other chemical processes. Exposure to dioxins at high levels is linked to an increased incidence of cancer.

Authorities believe 150,000 tons of feed pellets for poultry and swine may contain the contaminated industrial fat produced by Harles & Jentzsch. They are trying to determine how widespread the contamination may be and how long the tainted feed has been in circulation.

The scandal broke after regular random testing revealed excessive dioxin levels in eggs from chickens in the west of the country earlier this week. More than 8,000 chickens were ordered slaughtered and tainted food fears spread to Germany's famous pork industry.

Germany's Agriculture Ministry said Friday it had no immediate reports of health problems connected to the contaminated food, but it was stopping the sale of products from certain farms as a precaution until more tests could be carried out. About 1 percent of the country's farms have been affected so far.

"This strategy is resulting in a high number of closed farms, which in the course of testing and clarification in the coming days will be reduced," Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner said.

'Closely monitoring'

Test results are expected shortly on whether traces of dioxin have been found in milk or meat in two of the German states where the contaminated feed was delivered, Agriculture Ministry spokesman Holger Eichele said.

According to the most recent tests on eggs from farms where chickens consumed the contaminated feed, "two-thirds have been clean and about one-third have been right on the border of what is considered dangerous," he said.

Chris Elliott, an expert in food safety at Queens University, Belfast, said so far the danger to consumers appeared to be limited.

"The concentrations detected in this case are above the legal tolerance limits, but only just. That tells you that the potential risk of harm from these eggs is very low," Elliott said.

In Brussels, the European Commission said it was "closely monitoring the situation with the German authorities."

In 1999, dioxin from motor oil was mixed into animal feed in Belgium, leading to widespread import bans and food being pulled from the market. The scandal prompted the European Union to establish maximum levels for dioxins in livestock feed in 2001.

Geert De Poorter, lab director general at the Belgian food safety agency, told The Associated Press he didn't believe the German feed scandal would be damaging to public health.

"If we assess the figures we've got from Germany regarding tainted products and we extrapolate that to compare with the Belgian crisis, then we have a rough estimate of 50 to 100 times (less)," De Poorter said.

He further noted that measures to prevent such scandals have been considerably strengthened since Belgium's dioxin scare, when Europe had virtually no controls and tracing tainted products took weeks, not days.
German farmers are demanding compensation for losses they are estimating at up to €60 million ($79 million) a week, but Eichele said it was still too early to determine the overall damage.

"We first need to find out what led to this," Eichele said. "It needs to be cleared, then we need to see how severe the damage is and then how we can best help those farmers."

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press

2011-01-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

You might be eating more trans fats than you think

Researchers say food labels are misleading and call for FDA to change policy

MyHealthNewsDaily

updated 1/3/2011 4:49:34 PM ET 2011-01-03T21:49:34

People may be unknowingly consuming significant amounts of potentially harmful trans fats as a result of misleading food labels, researchers say.

The current Food and Drug Administration policy regarding the way trans fats are labeled on food is misleading, and prevents consumers from knowing the true amount of trans fat in their food, said Eric Brandt, a researcher at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Brandt called for a change in the FDA's policy in an article in the January/February 2011 issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.
The law allows foods that contain less than 0.5 grams of fat to be labeled as containing zero grams of fat. That's because the policy requires that fat amounts less than 5 grams be listed in 0.5 gram increments, and allows food producers to round down to the lower increment. Foods with more than 5 grams of fat are required to use one gram increments.

This means if a product has 0.49 grams of trans fat, manufacturers can label its trans fat content as zero.

Consuming as few as three such food items could lead a person to exceed the recommended intake of 1.11 grams daily without knowing it, Brandt said. For example, consuming three servings of food labeled "zero trans fat," each of which actually contained 0.49 grams of trans fat, would bring the total to 1.47 grams.

Trans fat consumption has been linked to increased risk of coronary artery disease, diabetes and sudden cardiac death.

Research shows that increasing daily trans fat consumption from 2 grams to 4.67 grams, will increase a person's risk of cardiovascular disease by 30 percent.

Brandt recommended the FDA revise its labeling protocol. He wrote that the FDA should require food labels to report trans fat content in smaller increments, enabling consumers to recognize significant levels of trans fat in food and properly manage their consumption. This change would increase awareness of the true amounts of trans fat in food, empower informed food choices, and improve public health outcomes, he said.

Brandt's article will be published in the January/February issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Pass it on: Food labeled "zero trans fat" can have up to 0.49 grams of the stuff. Researchers say the FDA policy allowing this should change.

2011-01-10T18:39:00.000-08:00

Dirty Wash. company blamed in cheese recall

Sally Jackson Cheese voluntarily recalled products over E. coli risk

The Associated Press
updated 12/22/2010 6:36:52 PM ET 2010

YAKIMA, Wash. — An artisan cheese maker who is known as a pioneer in the industry wore manure-soiled clothing during cheese production and milked livestock and stirred cheese curds with bare hands that went unwashed, according to a federal inspection report released Wednesday.

Sally Jackson Cheese of Oroville, Wash. voluntarily recalled all of its cheeses Friday after the Food and Drug Administration warned that the products should be avoided because they could be contaminated by E. coli. Eight people in Washington, Oregon, Minnesota and Vermont have been sickened, one of whom was briefly hospitalized.

Owner Sally Jackson disputes findings in the report, but said she plans to shut down her business. She said Washington state had ordered her to upgrade her aging, wooden facility a month ago.

"My argument then was that I have never made anybody sick in 30 years. That's what breaks my heart now, that this is how it ended," she said. "This has never happened."
The FDA confirmed Wednesday that the company's cheese had been linked to the eight illnesses.

A small farm business in rural north-central Washington, just south of the Canadian border, Sally Jackson Cheese opened 30 years ago and makes cheese from unpasteurized, raw milk from cows, sheep and goats.

Its products are distributed nationally to high-end retail shops, markets and restaurants. Whole Foods Market announced a recall of several Sally Jackson varieties, including some cheese that had been repackaged with a Whole Foods label.
Sally Jackson products do not have labels or codes, and are wrapped in plain brown paper, twine and either grape or chestnut leaves.

David Gremmels, owner and cheesemaker at Rogue Creamery in Central Point, Ore., and outgoing president of the American Cheese Society, said he also was brokenhearted for Jackson, calling her one of the "great cheesemakers of the American farmstead, artisan cheese movement."

"These are small, family-owned businesses that are making very high-quality, delicious, original recipes," he said. "There's just some work to be done in increasing awareness of food safety, therefore preventing such recalls and potential risk."

The Aniata Cheese Co. of Vista, Calif., distributes cheese to high-end restaurants, hotel and gourmet shops in southern California. The company has bought Sally Jackson cheese all eight years its been in business, owner Bob Stonebrook said. About 30 pounds on the shelf were recalled, plus about another 30 pounds that had just arrived.

Stonebrook declined to comment on the inspection reports, saying his customers have always been satisfied with the cheese and never had a problem with health concerns from it.

"From the standpoint of those in the artisan cheese business, she's considered one of the pioneers in the industry," he said. "It's a very small industry, but it's growing in terms of knowing each other and being aware of the cheeses that are out there, and she has always been very, very highly regarded."

According to the FDA inspection report, employees did not thoroughly wash or sanitize hands when they may have become soiled or contaminated, and hand-washing facilities were inadequate. Manure, mud, straw, wood chips and other debris had accumulated on the floors. Glazed ceramic flower pots, some broken or cracked with missing pieces, were used as cheese molds.

Jackson has two to four part-time employees, depending on the season. She said she was the only person in the cheese house making cheese, while her employees were in the milking room, and the inspector did not see her wash her hands because he was in the other room.

"He didn't see it. That's true," she said. "He wasn't there."
Jackson also disputed other findings in the report, but said inspectors have said her facility is too run down and needs to be rebuilt. With taxable income of just $12,000 per year, she said she will shut down instead.

"It was sudden," she said. "I didn't see it coming."

Food safety legislation that the House approved Tuesday would attempt to curb such outbreaks, forcing producers to create detailed food safety plans and let the Food and Drug Administration know how they are keeping food safe. Some smaller farms that sell locally would be exempted, though Jackson's likely wouldn't qualify because she sold her cheeses nationwide and through distributors.

Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

2011-01-09T18:57:00.000-08:00

Food Policy & Law

Report Says Food Safety is Good Business

by Mary Rothschild
Jan 07, 2011

Why should companies that sell food step up to the new food safety law?
Because making people sick can kill a business, say Leavitt Partners and PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) in a report issued Thursday.

Leavitt Partners is the consulting firm founded by former U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Michael Levitt, where Dr. David Acheson, former Associate Commissioner of Foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is the managing director for Food and Import Safety Practice.

The overview spells out some of the additional steps companies at "every link in the food chain" may need to take to comply with the law's new requirements for identifying and preventing safety hazards. But the report also stresses that companies should raise their standards to protect their brands.

The report, "Point of View: FDA Food Safety Modernization Act," suggests that in a new era of closer scrutiny and increased enforcement, the most successful food companies will go beyond minimum standards to "win the loyalty of consumers and investors and gain a competitive advantage."

As a cautionary example of how not to run a food business, the report cites the Peanut Corporation of America, "which shipped products contaminated with Salmonella, leading to one of the largest food recalls in U.S. history. More than 700 people in 46 states got sick, and nine died. The firm filed for bankruptcy, and a criminal investigation was launched."

Growers, food manufacturers and processors, importers, restaurants and food retailers must all undergo "a change in mindset at the highest level to ensure a culture of food safety," the authors state.

They say two trends that have made the U.S. food supply more vulnerable to foodborne illness outbreaks are the centralization of food production and the increase in imported food and ingredients. Tainted milk products from China, the report notes, wound up in candy sold in the United States.

Imports, the report goes on, account for 15 percent of the total food supply. Eighty percent of the seafood and 50-60 percent of the fresh produce Americans consume comes from abroad.

And while the mass distribution of foods means contaminations can affect large numbers of people--like the Salmonella-contaminated hydrolyzed vegetable protein in dressings, dips and 100 different foods last year--even small farms can be the source of multistate problems, such as the 2006 E. coli outbreak linked to a small lot of spinach from California.

Not surprisingly, the report characterizes the "modified requirements" for small businesses and farms as a gap in the new law and adds "it is unclear whether the final rules will give regulators the ability to quickly track tainted foods all the way from the store or restaurant back to the farm."

The report emphasizes that the new law was prompted by significant problems that have undermined public confidence, including contaminated eggs, peanut butter, cookie dough, spinach, hot peppers and green onions. And it points to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are 48 million cases of foodborne illness resulting in 128,000 hospitalizations and more than 3,00 deaths in the U.S. each year.

It also notes that many food producers, restaurants and retailers, what it calls "leading companies," are already successfully employing the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) approach to food safety plans, identifying each point where pathogens might contaminate their products.

"In the U.S. the FDA has used it to reduce the outbreaks of food-borne illness associated with juice since 2001, " the report states. "The record is less clear on seafood, where the FDA has required food safety plans since 1998, but the US Department of Agriculture, which regulates meat and poultry, has reduced food-borne illnesses by requiring HACCP plans."

Among the features of the new law the report highlights are:

Companies that now register with the FDA (as required under the Bioterrorism Act of 2002) will be required to analyze food safety hazards, how they plan to prevent those hazards and how they will monitor whether the controls are working.
Food defense plans (i.e., limiting access to production, background checks for employees, tamper-resistant packaging) aimed at preventing intentional contamination may be required for some food determined to be high-risk.
Registered companies will be required to maintain documents for at least two years and could be subject to expanded record-keeping for higher-risk foods.

The report also gives examples of what it calls "leading practices" that go beyond the new law, including:

Testing high-risk ingredients and using a combination of internal audits and "well-executed third-party" audits to check on suppliers' safety procedures, even limiting the number of suppliers so that they can be visited regularly.
Using technologies, such as bar codes and radio frequency identification tags, to track the movement of produce electronically.
Following standards approved by the Global Food Safety Initiative or other groups to certify food companies and suppliers.
Adapting food safety courses to meet the new requirements and encouraging managers and workers to go through such training.

2011-01-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

Four Loko, other drinks turned into ethanol at Virginia plant

By Elaine Thompson, AP

(AP) — Truckloads of Four Loko and other alcohol-laced energy drinks are being recycled into ethanol and other products after federal authorities told manufacturers the beverages were dangerous and caused users to become "wide-awake drunk."

Wholesalers from Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and other East Coast states started sending cases of the high-alcohol, caffeinated malt beverages to MXI Environmental Services in Virginia after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a crackdown on the sale of such beverages in November.
Brian Potter, vice president of operations at MXI's facility in Abingdon, Va., said about a couple of hundred truckloads of the drinks would be coming to the plant. Each truck holds 2,000 cases of the 23.5-ounce cans.

MXI Enterprises is one of three facilities in the U.S. that recycle ethanol, according to the American Coalition for Ethanol, an industry group. Potter said Thursday that his competitors also are taking shipments of the drinks.
"We're equipped to process four truckloads a day, and we're at full capacity," he said. "There are about 30 different products involved, and we've only seen a couple of them at this point. It could go on for several months."

The FDA issued warning letters to four companies on Nov. 17 saying the beverages' combination of caffeine and alcohol can lead to a "wide-awake drunk." The agency called the caffeine an "unsafe food additive." Warning letters were sent to Phusion Projects, Charge Beverages Corp., New Century Brewing Co. and United Brands Company Inc.

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said at the time that consuming the drinks has led to alcohol poisoning, car accidents and assaults.

Health experts have raised concerns that the caffeine can mask a person's perception of intoxication, leading them to drink more than they typically would before passing out. Many of those who consume the drinks are college-age and underage drinkers.

The four companies decided to pull their beverages from stores or reformulate them to remove caffeine or other stimulants after the FDA's ruling. Under pressure from states' attorneys general, Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors removed their Bud Extra, Tilt and Sparks drinks from the market two years ago.

In Virginia, wholesalers have been buying back the canned drinks from retailers to get them off the market, said Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control spokesman Philip Bogenberger.

In addition to accepting the drinks from wholesalers, MXI has a contract to take Phusion Projects' discontinued Four Loko beverages.

MXI distills the alcohol from the drinks, then sells the fuel to be blended into gasoline, Potter said. It sells the aluminum cans to a recycler. Potter estimated it takes "30 days until it's back on the shelf as another beer can." It also recycles the drinks' water, cardboard packaging and shipping pallets.

"These are actually things that could go directly into a landfill or incinerator or some other waste process that's not as environmentally friendly, so I think it's a good thing," he said.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

2011-01-05T19:08:00.000-08:00

"Dangerous" beetle found at Los Angeles airport

Reuters – A live kharpa beetle is found in a shipment of rice intercepted at Los Angeles International Airport

By Dan Whitcomb Dan Whitcomb – Wed Jan 5, 6:54 pm ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – U.S. customs officials said on Wednesday they had found a beetle considered one of the world's most dangerous agricultural pests in a shipment of rice arriving at Los Angeles International Airport.

Agricultural specialists with U.S. Customs and Border Protection found an adult khapra beetle, eight larvae and a shed skin in a shipment of Indian rice from Saudi Arabia last week, spokesman Jaime Ruiz said.

The khapra beetle, which is native to India and not currently established in the United States, is considered one of the most destructive pests of grain products and seeds.

"It is endemic to several countries and the reason it is very dangerous is that its life cycle is very long and it goes into all kinds of food grains," Naveeda Mirza, agriculture program manager for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told Reuters.

"It has several dormant stages. It can go dormant for a long time and then become active again. Its very very hard to get rid of and that's why its very dangerous," Mirza said. "It is one of the top 10 most dangerous pests not established here."

The khapra beetle can also survive for long periods of time without food and is resistant to insecticides and fumigants.

The rice was found in a box of food and personal effects being sent from one person to another, Mirza said.

The shipment was immediately quarantined and safeguarded and then destroyed under U.S. Customs and Border Patrol supervision, Mirza said.

According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture website, in 1953 an extensive infestation of khapra beetle was found in California, prompting a massive eradication effort.

Last March, Customs and border Protection officials in Detroit found a khapra beetle in a shipment of tile from China.

(Editing by Greg McCune)

2010-12-29T06:52:00.000-08:00

Salmonella outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts

A preliminary investigation of the salmonella outbreak shows a possible link to alfalfa sprouts
December 24, 2010 5:35 a.m. EST
By Saundra Young, CNN

(CNN) -- A salmonella outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts has sickened 89 people in 15 states and the District of Columbia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.

About 23% of those sickened were hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, according to the CDC.

Health officials say the first cases identified date to November 1. The preliminary investigation shows a possible link to alfalfa sprouts.

"Preliminary results of this investigation indicate a link to eating alfalfa sprouts at a national sandwich chain," the CDC said in a statement.

In Illinois, where the bulk of cases have been identified, the state Department of Public Health says many of 50 sickened residents reported eating alfalfa sprouts at locations of Jimmy John's.

The founder of Jimmy John's said test results of sprouts from its main supplier tested negative.

In a letter sent to all Jimmy John's franchises, founder Jimmy John Liautaud said store locations have all come up negative for the bacteria as well.

"As a goodfaith and goodwill gesture I am asking Illinois stores to pull sprouts until the state can give us some better direction," the letter states. "We are working closely with the state and they are doing a darn good job in helping find the source. Again, no source has been found yet, this is a precautionary measure."

According to the CDC, Illinois has 50 cases, Missouri reports 14 cases, Indiana reports 9, Wisconsin has three and Pennsylvania reports two. Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and the District of Columbia all have one confirmed case

The CDC is working with the Food and Drug Administration and state public health departments to investigate this outbreak. Health officials have identified the particular strain of salmonella through diagnostic testing.

The strain has been identified as Salmonella serotype I 4,[5],12:i:-.

This is a common type of salmonella, says Chris Braden, a physician and director of the CDC's Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases. "Alfalfa sprouts have been associated with a number of outbreaks" Braden adds.

The FDA and state health departments will be investigating the sprout growers, as well as the seed suppliers, in an effort to find the source the outbreak, Braden said.

"The FDA is aware of the situation and is working with the CDC to determine the cause of the illnesses," Michael Herndon, a FDA spokesman, confirmed Thursday. "As more information becomes available we will alert the public."

Salmonella is a bacterial infection that usually last four to seven days. The infected person develops fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea between 12 and 72 hours after becoming infected. Most people recover without treatment. Very young and very old people, as well as those with weakened immune systems, can suffer severe illness and, in the worst cases, possibly death, according to the CDC.

About 40,000 cases of salmonella are reported each year in the United States, the agency said.

The CDC recommends anyone suspecting he or she may be ill from eating contaminated food should talk to their doctor. Pregnant women, children and the elderly should avoid eating all raw or undercooked sprouts, the CDC suggests. The only way the bacteria can be killed is by thoroughly cooking the sprouts.

2010-12-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

Dannon's Activia, DanActive health claims draw $21M fine

By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY

The federal government appears poised to take a far more aggressive watchdog role under the Obama administration over deceptive ad practices.

Dannon, part of the world's biggest yogurt maker Danone, agreed to pay a $21 million fine and stop making exaggerated health claims for two popular Dannon products under a settlement with the federal government and attorneys general from 39 states on Wednesday.

It follows Monday's $2.1 million FTC settlement with kids-vitamin maker NBTY over unsupported health claims and because the products didn't have the amount of omega-3 claimed.

"It's a shot across the bow that food marketers are going to have to stop using unsubstantiated health claims as marketing tools," says New York University nutritionist Marion Nestle. "The claims aren't about health, they're about marketing."

Yogurt is a $4.2 billion-plus business in the USA, with sales up 8% over the past year, says researcher SymphonyIRI Group. The two Dannon products cited by the FTC both contain beneficial bacteria know as probiotics. But, Nestle says, "Yogurt is just food. It's not a miracle. No food is a superfood."

The government says Dannon will stop claiming that one daily serving of Activia yogurt relieves irregularity and that DanActive helps people avoid catching colds.

"These types of misleading claims are enough to give consumers indigestion," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz says. "Companies like Dannon shouldn't exaggerate the strength of scientific support."

In Dannon's case, some say, it's too little too late.

"Dannon's had so much television exposure of these claims that people will still believe them," says Katharine Paine, a corporate image expert. "They've already got the perception in the minds of consumers that this stuff is good for them."

The FTC charged that Dannon's ads were deceptive because it did not have substantiation. The FTC also charged that Dannon's claims that Activia and DanActive were clinically proven were false.

In one ad for Activia, actress Jamie Lee Curtis reassures viewers that eating Activia can help people who suffer from irregularities.

"I am proud of my association with Dannon, and I am reminded daily by consumers of the help that Activia has brought them," the actress said Wednesday via her publicist, Heidi Schaeffer. Curtis is still doing the ads and eats Activia regularly. Despite the settlement, Dannon was disputing some FTC claims on Wednesday. "We never made a claim that eating DanActive helps prevent colds or flu," spokesman Michael Neuwirth says. "We respectfully disagree."

2010-12-03T06:45:00.000-08:00

Ex-CFO says he refused to condone illegal use of chemicals; grower says allegations are false

Fired executive sues Eurofresh

David Wichner Arizona Daily Star Arizona Daily Star
Posted: Friday, December 3, 2010 12:00 am

Did you know

Founded in 1992 by Dutch investors, Eurofresh Inc. ranked 43rd this year in the Star 200 survey of the major employers of Southern Arizona, reporting 1,009 full-time-equivalent employees at the start of 2010.

The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in April 2009 and emerged from bankruptcy in November 2009.

A former executive of Willcox-based Eurofresh Inc. has sued the greenhouse-tomato grower in a California court, alleging he was wrongfully fired for refusing to go along with illegal use of pesticides and other chemicals.

Eurofresh said there is no truth to the allegations and that the company will fight the suit.

In the state lawsuit filed in Monterey County, Calif., former Eurofresh Chief Financial Officer Brian McLaughlin said he was fired after objecting to what he called the company's longtime practice of using unregistered pesticides and chemical growth regulators on its hydroponically grown crops.

Eurofresh, which markets its products as Eurofresh Farms, is a leading U.S. grower of fresh greenhouse tomatoes. It operates one of the largest greenhouse complexes in the world, growing tomatoes and cucumbers in more than 300 acres under glass near Willcox and at a smaller Arizona operation in Snowflake.

The company has in the past called its produce "certified pesticide-free" and has won marketing and workplace awards in part based on such claims.

But McLaughlin - CFO of Eurofresh from April 2008 to November 2009 - alleges that from the start of operations in 1992 until September 2009, Eurofresh achieved its competitive advantage in part by deliberately using "at least 15 unregistered, and therefore unlawful, chemicals and pesticides to enhance the company's tomato crops grown for human consumption."

Eurofresh founder and CEO Johan van den Berg said in a prepared statement that McLaughlin's allegations are false.

"To ensure its produce is safe for consumers and employees, Eurofresh Farms has not and will not improperly use any products to grow its tomatoes and cucumbers," van den Berg said Thursday.

Eurofresh constantly monitors its compliance with federal and state regulations, he said.

"Who signs your paycheck"

McLaughlin said he was threatened with termination after refusing to sign invoices for "unregistered" chemicals. He said he was later fired after disclosing the illegal-pesticide practices to the company's board of directors, which he said led to an investigation that confirmed his allegations.

The lawsuit alleges that Frank van Straalen, currently chief operating officer and chief financial officer for Eurofresh, warned McLaughlin after he reported his findings to the company's board to "think about who signs your paycheck. The last operations guy who was here raised this issue and he's gone. That's what is going to happen to you."

McLaughlin alleges that Eurofresh imported and used chemicals, including the growth regulator Ethrel and pesticides Asepta Carex and Calypso, and used them though they were not approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the Arizona Agriculture Department.

The former Eurofresh executive said he learned that van Straalen and CEO van den Berg had ordered the use of the chemicals. When van Straalen refused to halt the use, McLaughlin said, he told the company's board about the practices.

As a result, the suit alleges, the board formed a special committee to investigate the matter. The committee hired a local law firm that engaged an environmental-consulting firm to investigate. The lawsuit alleges that the firm confirmed the company's wrongdoing, and that van den Berg admitted during a board meeting that he had made the decision to use the unregistered chemicals.

Eurofresh eventually tried to register Ethrel with the EPA and the state, but the EPA refused to approve its use, according to the suit.

Around the same time, the suit says, the company changed its marketing materials to drop the phrase "grown without pesticides" and instead state the tomatoes were a "pesticide-free product."

But van den Berg disputed that account.

"The matters Mr. McLaughlin alludes to in his complaint were independently, objectively and thoroughly addressed in 2008 and 2009 by an independent consulting firm retained by Eurofresh to ensure practices surrounding pesticide usage were and are in compliance with all regulatory requirements," he said.

No Documentation yet

The suit does not include documentation of the allegations, but an attorney representing McLaughlin said that will be forthcoming.

"We wouldn't have brought the case if we didn't have the documents to support it," said Chuck Campbell, an attorney based in Larkspur, Calif.

Campbell noted that McLaughlin spent years in corporate banking and was chief financial officer for Fresh Express - a leading marketer of bagged greens acquired by Chi-quita Brands International in 2005 - from 1996 to 2006.

An EPA official said the agency will look into McLaughlin's allegations. "We take these types of complaints seriously and will certainly look into this one. However, we cannot comment on our investigation activities," Pam Cooper, manager of the EPA's pesticides office for the Pacific Southwest, said in a prepared statement.

Ethrel brand ethephon plant regulator is labeled for use on tomatoes, another EPA official said.

Laura Oxley, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Agriculture Department, said Ethrel initially was turned down by the EPA but was registered after additional data was provided.

McLaughlin is seeking unspecified damages for lost wages and benefits and emotional distress, as well as punitive damages. The suit was filed in Monterey because that's where McLaughlin lived and worked much of the time while he was with the company, Campbell said.

The lawsuit alleges violations of pesticide laws and laws designed to protect employees from retaliatory actions by employers, including California labor law and parts of the U.S. Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act.

Contact Assistant Business Editor David Wichner at dwichner@azstarnet.com or 573-4181.
Copyright 2010 Arizona Daily Star. All rights reserved.

2010-11-30T19:25:00.000-08:00

Senate passes overhaul of food safety system
By Charles Abbott

11/30/2010 3:00:28 PM ET 2010-11-30T20:00:28

WASHINGTON — The Senate passed the largest overhaul of the U.S. food safety system in decades on Tuesday, a response to massive recalls such as last summer's recall of half a billion eggs in a salmonella outbreak.

The Senate voted 73-25 to pass the bill. The House of Representatives backed a different version in July 2009. With their post-election session due to end by mid-December, lawmakers have just weeks to resolve their differences and send legislation to President Barack Obama to sign into law.

"I urge the House -- which has previously passed legislation demonstrating its strong commitment to making our food supply safer -- to act quickly on this critical bill, and I applaud the work that was done to ensure its broad bipartisan passage in the Senate," Obama said in a statement.

The Senate legislation would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the power to order a food recall when a company refuses the agency's request that it do so voluntarily.

It also would allow the agency to step up inspections at the riskiest food processing plants, expand FDA capabilities to trace the source of foodborne disease outbreaks such as E. coli and salmonella, and increase the number of FDA inspectors at food plants.

"Today's vote will finally give the FDA the tools it needs to help ensure that the food on dinner tables and store shelves is safe," said Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, a sponsor of the bill.

Pressure to overhaul the food safety system has grown after high-profile outbreaks of illness involving lettuce, peppers, eggs, peanuts, spinach and, most recently, eggs that have shaken public confidence in the safety of the food supply. U.S. regulation food safety is fragmented -- split up among federal agencies. Consumer activists have complained that industry is given too much power to police itself.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration oversees the bulk of the U.S. food supply, but about 20 percent of the supply is overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

BIGGEST REFORM SINCE 1930'S

The legislation would deliver the biggest changes in the U.S. food safety system since 1930s.

The Senate measure would give the FDA more access to food processors' records. It also would require food makers to have a written food safety plan describing risk at their facilities and controls they use to prevent contamination.

A key difference between the two versions of the bill passed by lawmakers is language in the Senate measure applying a softer regulatory hand to small farms and food processors than to big companies.

Family-farm groups said the Senate language was a common-sense recognition that small producers who market directly in their regions operate in a different setting than multi-state or national food processors and retailers.

But industry groups like the National Cattlemen's Beef Association said there should be a single, uniform federal standard when it comes to food safety.

Consumer groups and food industry trade groups called on Congress to enact a final version of the bill before adjourning next month.

The Senate bill would:

-- require food makers to write a plan that identifies contamination risks and steps to keep food pure;

-- allow the FDA wide access to a food maker's records during a food emergency;

.-- require importers to verify the safety of their merchandise;

-- allow the FDA to deny entry into the United States of imported food from plants that refuse U.S. inspection;

-- and permit the FDA to withhold food from sale for a short time if the food might be contaminated or mislabeled.

Outbreaks of foodborne illnesses have been linked to peanut butter and contaminated produce, and recently a large salmonella outbreak was linked to contaminated eggs, forcing the recall of more than half a billion eggs.

Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

2010-11-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

11 E. coli cases in Arizona likely tied to Costco cheese, state officials say

By Stephanie Innes, Arizona Daily Star Arizona Daily Star Posted: Thursday, November 4, 2010 5:54 pm

Arizona has confirmed 11 E. coli cases likely tied to cheese sold or tasted at Costco stores in October, state health officials said Thursday.

None of the cases is in Southern Arizona, said Joli Weiss, foodborne-illness epidemiologist for the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Overall, more than two dozen cases of E. coli in five states, also including Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and California, are likely tied to such cheese, the Arizona Department of Health Services said in a news release.

Federal, state and local health officials are working to determine the type of cheese causing illness. Preliminary data are pointing to the Dutch style Gouda, but health officials are still investigating, the news release said. The Arizona State Public Health Laboratory is now testing several samples.

The illnesses may be associated with cheese served and sold at “Cheese Road Shows” Costco held in October, the Arizona health officials said. “Costco is fully cooperating with the investigation and stores are voluntarily removing suspect products from its shelves. In order to protect consumer health, Costco is also notifying customers who purchased the cheese and is asking members to return all cheese from the road show,” the Arizona officials said.

With E. coli people usually experience symptoms between one and 10 days after consuming a contaminated product. Certain strains of E. coli can cause severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps; sometimes the infection causes non-bloody diarrhea or no symptoms. Usually little or no fever is present, and the illness goes away in five to 10 days.

If you have these symptoms and are concerned, contact your healthcare provider, the health officials say. If you have concerns about your cheese, take it to the Costco where it was purchased.

2010-10-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

The best and worst trick-or-treat candy for your health
Of the 37 most popular Halloween candies, these are tops, based on fat and sugar content
You can munch on candy corn relatively guilt-free, as it has a moderate about of fat and sugar content

By Amanda Chan
MyHealthNewsDaily
updated 10/26/2010 3:07:04 PM ET 2010-10-26T19:07:04

What's Halloween without piles of candy — and what's candy without the fat and sugar, wreaking havoc on our waistlines?

Although candy has little — if any — redeeming nutritional value, you don't have to forgo it altogether on the sweetest of sugary holidays, said Heather Mangieri, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

"Don't have endless amounts, but one to three pieces" of candy on Halloween night isn't bad, Mangieri told MyHealthNewsDaily.

MyHealthNewsDaily took at look at 37 of the most popular Halloween candies — from Blow Pops to Skittles, Baby Ruths to 100 Grands — and found the five best and five worst of these for your health, based on their fat and sugar content. Take a look to see where your favorite candy landed on our list:

The best

1. Jolly Ranchers: Three of these hard candies have 70 calories, no fat and 11 grams of sugar. It's hard to do much better than that.

2. Blow Pops: This 18-gram candy-gum combo has 60 calories, no fat and 13 grams of sugar.

3. Gobstoppers: Nine pieces of this everlasting treat have 60 calories, no fat and 14 grams of sugar.

4. Pixy Stix: There are 60 calories, 0 grams of fat and 15 grams of sugar in seven straws of this fruit-flavored candy.

5. Candy corn: Nineteen pieces of this ultimate Halloween candy has 140 calories, no fat and 32 grams of sugar.

The worst

1. Mr. Goodbar: A 49-gram Mr. Goodbar will cost you 250 calories, 17 grams of fat (including seven grams of saturated fat) and 23 grams of sugar.

2. NutRageous: Another nutty candy, a 51-gram NutRageous bar, will run you 260 calories, 16 grams of fat (including five grams of saturated fat) and 22 grams of sugar.

3. Snickers: Maybe a Snickers bar really should be a meal on its own. A 59-gram bar has 280 calories, 14 grams of fat — (including five grams of saturated fat) and 30 grams of sugar.

4. Baby Ruth: A 60-gram bar has 280 calories, 14 grams of fat (including 8 grams of saturated fat). It also has 33 grams of sugar, the second-highest sugar total among the candies examined, better only than a 60-gram 3 Musketeers candy bar that has 40 grams of sugar (though a 3 Musketeers bar has only eight grams of total fat).

5. Mounds: The only candy on our "Worst 5" list to not have peanuts, a 49-gram bar of this coconut treat has 230 calories, 13 grams of fat and 21 grams of sugar. It also has 10 grams of saturated fat, the most of any of the 37 surveyed candies.

Most candies have a lot of sugar, so it's better to find sweets that are low in fat, or fat-free, Mangieri said.

Candies on "the least healthy list are things that have a higher amount of saturated fats," Mangieri said. Saturated fats can increase levels of artery-clogging cholesterol and raise the risk of heart disease.

When giving out treats to kids, it's better to stick to healthier items like sugar-free gum, popcorn, pretzel packs and raisin boxes, Mangieri said. For example, a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of pretzels has 110 calories, one gram of fat and less than one gram of sugar. And a quarter of a cup of raisins has 130 calories, no fat and 29 grams of sugar, in addition to fiber, protein, potassium, iron and calcium.

Candy is one of the top three expenses for Halloween – the average American consumer plans to spend $17.99 on candy this year, compared to $20.75 on costumes and $14.54 on decorations, according to the National Retail Federation.

2010-10-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

Texas closes plant after tainted celery sickens at least 6
RECALL: Texas orders SanGar Produce to close, recall products
By Paul J. Weber and Betsy Blaney, Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — Texas health officials have shut down a processing plant linked to contaminated celery that sickened at least six people this year, four of whom died, and ordered the recall of all of the produce that passed through the plant since January.

SanGar Produce & Processing issued the recall Wednesday after its plant in San Antonio was shuttered. The Texas Department of State Health Services traced six of 10 known cases of listeriosis in the state during an eight month period to celery processed there. The agency is investigating the origins of the other four cases, which include one death.

Health inspectors found problems with sanitation at the plant, including a condensation leak over a food production area. The health department is trying to determine who the now-recalled produce was sold to and whether it was used in other products. The agency recommends that customers throw out or return all SanGar products.

RECALL: Texas orders Sangar Produce to close, recall products

Department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said Thursday that the state asked the company to close voluntarily but it refused.

"They refused, so we shut them down and ordered a recall," she said.

Kenneth Sanquist Jr., the company's president, said in a statement Thursday that the state used flawed methods to collect its samples. The sample at the plant "appears" to have been taken by someone not wearing proper lab attire and proper gloves, and was transported in a nonrefrigerated container, he said.

"We question the validity of the state's lab results," Sanquist said, adding that the company offered use of a refrigerated container but the state declined.

Williams said the agency stands by its analysis and lab results.

"Our experts are well-trained and pull samples according to protocal," she said. "We would not have taken this serious action had we not been certain."

Health officials are trying to determine how much potentially tainted produce passed through the plant since January and whether it could have ended up in other products. Some of the celery was grown in California, but there appeared to be no problem with it until it reached the SanGar plant, Williams said.

Health officials the produce was sold to restaurants, schools and hospitals, but that they don't believe it was sold in grocery stores.

"We know their customers include schools and hospitals. It was absolutely crucial that we protect these populations," Williams said.

The 10 people who contracted listeriosis were in Bexar, Travis and Hidalgo counties, in central and southern parts of the state. Williams said the agency has no information so far that the recalled produce — which also includes lettuce, pineapple and honeydew — were distributed outside of Texas.

"We know other products are chopped at the plant on the same line," Williams said.

On its website, SanGar says that "indirectly through several of our customers, our products are distributed in the Rio Grande Valley, Houston, Dallas and Oklahoma."

There have been three reported cases of listeriosis in Oklahoma this year, but the state is not aware of any cases connected to the recall, Oklahoma State Department of Health spokesman Larry Weatherford said.

"We have not seen an increase related to this recall," Weatherford said.

In an earlier statement, Sanquist Jr. defended the company's safety record.

"The state's claim that some of our produce now fails to meet health standards directly contradicts independent testing that was conducted on the same products," Sanquist said in a statement. "This independent testing shows our produce to be absolutely safe, and we are aggressively fighting the state's erroneous findings."

Sanquist declined to comment to The Associated Press on Thursday and referred all questions to the Uresti Law Firm, which did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

All 10 people who contracted the disease in Texas already had seriously underlying health problems, the health department said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 500 people die of listeriosis each year in the U.S., and about 2,500 people become seriously ill.

Those with weaker immune systems — including pregnant women, young children, the elderly and those battling serious illness — are most at risk of becoming seriously ill or dying because of listeriosis, the CDC says. Healthy adults and children occasionally are infected with the disease but rarely become seriously ill.

The health department prohibited SanGar from reopening the plant without agency approval.

Williams said the agency found "relatively minor sanitation" issues during a routine inspection last year but took no action. She said the company assured the agency it would correct the issues.

SanGar has been licensed by the state since May 2008, Williams said.

Blaney reported from Lubbock. Associated Press writers Ken Miller in Oklahoma City, Okla., and Diana Heidgerd in Dallas contributed to this report.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

2010-09-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

States expand efforts to combat 'funny honey' that isn't pure

By Tom Breen, Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. — You might call them the Honey Police — beekeepers and honey producers ready to comb through North Carolina to nab unscrupulous sellers of sweet-but-bogus "funny honey."

North Carolina is the latest state to create a standard that defines "pure honey" in a bid to curb the sale of products that have that label but are mostly corn syrup or other additives. Officials hope to enforce that standard with help from the 12,000 or so Tar Heel beekeepers.
"The beekeepers tend to watch what's being sold, they watch the roadside stands and the farmer's markets," said John Ambrose, an entomologist and bee expert at North Carolina State University who sits on the newly created Honey Standards Board.

Florida was the first state to adopt such standards in 2009. It's since been followed by California, Wisconsin and North Carolina. Similar efforts have been proposed in at least 12 other states, including North and South Dakota, the nation's largest producers of honey, together accounting for roughly one-third of U.S. output.

Beekeepers and honey packers around the country are fuming about products masquerading as real honey, and they hope the state-by-state strategy will secure their ultimate goal: a national rule banning the sale of any product as pure honey if it contains additives.

BOGUS CLAIMS? FDA warns Canada Dry, Lipton about green-tea claims

Americans consume about 350 million pounds of honey per year, but just 150 million pounds are made domestically, creating a booming market for importers and ample temptation to cut pure honey with additives such as corn syrup that are far less expensive to produce.

This month, the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago announced the indictments of 11 German and Chinese executives and six companies on charges that they avoided nearly $80 million in honey tariffs and sold honey tainted with banned antibiotics.

The scale of the problem nationwide is hard to gauge. It's largely a concern for the big producers who make most of America's honey, said Bob Bauer, vice president of the National Honey Packers and Dealers Association.

"The honey industry is looking to be proactive and take whatever steps are necessary not only to keep it from becoming a widespread problem, but to get rid of it entirely," he said.
The most passionate supporters of the laws tend to be beekeepers and other small producers outraged at what they see as the corruption of their craft.

"They're trading on the good name of honey to sell their product," Kenosha, Wis., beekeeper Tim Fulton said of phony honey peddlers.

Ambrose said the North Carolina board — formed by the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the state Beekeepers Association — won't be a "honey patrol."
The board will instead respond to complaints about improperly marketed honey, which under state law is now defined as what honeybees produce: no more, no less. Once a complaint has been received, a state-approved lab will test the product. If it's not pure honey, the state can order it to be removed from sale and impose fines for subsequent violations.

"You can go to roadside stands throughout the western part of the state and they'll try to sell you Karo syrup and swear it's sourwood honey," said Charles Heatherly, a North Carolina beekeeper.

Sourwood — Heatherly calls it "the Cadillac of North Carolina honey" — is mostly found in the state's mountainous west. It can cost up to $10 a pound, making it an attractive target for adulteration.

It was a similar impersonation of local honey that provoked Nancy Gentry, a beekeeper who owns Cross Creek Honey in Interlachen, Fla., to launch a bid to get a honey standard not just in her home state, but around the country.

"People were taking raw honey, adding high fructose corn syrup and marketing it as grade A USDA No. 1 honey, but there is no such thing," said Dick Gentry, Nancy's husband and a retired trial lawyer who helped steer the campaign in Florida.

But the real sting in the Florida provision, and in standards adopted in California, Wisconsin and North Carolina, is that it makes it easier to file lawsuits against purveyors of bogus honey.

Agencies have been reluctant to create standards for honey ever since a Michigan jury in 1995 found in favor of a honey processing firm that had been accused of cutting the product with an additive. The jurors said there weren't enough regulations governing honey to make the charge stick and that the government failed to identify the additive.

Under the new laws, it isn't necessary to know what's being added to honey. Any additive, from cane sugar to corn syrup, deprives it of the label "pure honey."

That could prompt retailers or beekeepers to file more lawsuits.

"For us, it is through the civil courts, then, that we take back the product," Nancy Gentry told an industry group in Fresno, Calif., according to a transcript of her speech. "We crush unscrupulous packers and throw out honey pretenders."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has worked to block the sale of honey contaminated with potentially harmful chemicals, and it's reviewing a petition seeking a national honey standard, spokeswoman Siobhan DeLancey said.

In the meantime, North Carolina beekeepers promise to keep on the lookout to ensure every jar of honey holds what the label says.

"Some of the people who think they've been buying sourwood all these years have actually been buying corn syrup, and they have no idea what they're missing," Ambrose said.

2010-08-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

A supplier in egg recall has history of violations

By MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press Writer Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Writer – Sun Aug 22, 9:17 am ET

WASHINGTON – Two Iowa farms that together recalled more than half a billion potentially tainted eggs this month share close ties, including suppliers of chickens and feed.

Both farms are linked to businessman Austin "Jack" DeCoster, who has been cited for numerous health, safety and employment violations over the years. DeCoster owns Wright County Egg, the original farm that recalled 380 million eggs Aug. 13 after they were linked to more than 1,000 reported cases of salmonella poisoning.

Another of his companies, Quality Egg, supplies young chickens and feed to both Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, the second farm that recalled another 170 million eggs a week later.

Jewanna Porter, a spokeswoman for the egg industry, said the two companies share other suppliers as well, but she did not name them.

The cause of the outbreaks is so far unknown, as Food and Drug Administration investigators are still on the ground at the farms trying to figure it out. The federal Centers for Disease Control has said the number of illnesses, estimated as high as 1,300, would likely grow.

DeCoster is no stranger to controversy in his food and farm operations:

• In 1997, DeCoster Egg Farms agreed to pay $2 million in fines to settle citations brought in 1996 for health and safety violations at DeCoster's farm in Turner, Maine. Then-Labor Secretary Robert Reich said conditions were "as dangerous and oppressive as any sweatshop." He cited unguarded machinery, electrical hazards, exposure to harmful bacteria and other unsanitary conditions.

• In 2000, Iowa designated DeCoster a "habitual violator" of environmental regulations for problems that included hog manure runoff into waterways. The label made him subject to increased penalties and prohibited him from building new farms.

• In 2002, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced a more than $1.5 million settlement of an employment discrimination lawsuit against DeCoster Farms on behalf of Mexican women who reported they were subjected to sexual harassment, including rape, abuse and retaliation by some supervisory workers at DeCoster's Wright County plants.

• In 2007, 51 workers were arrested during an immigration raid at six DeCoster egg farms. The farm had been the subject of at least three previous raids.

• In June 2010, Maine Contract Farming — the successor company to DeCoster Egg Farms — agreed in state court to pay $25,000 in penalties and to make a one-time payment of $100,000 to the Maine Department of Agriculture over animal cruelty allegations that were spurred by a hidden-camera investigation by an animal welfare organization.

It is unclear what role DeCoster's company played in the current salmonella outbreak. The FDA investigation could take months, and sources of contamination are often difficult to find. The current recall goes back to April, and many of the eggs have already been consumed.

There was no immediate comment Sunday from a spokeswoman for DeCoster.

Still, DeCoster's Wright County Egg is already facing at least two lawsuits related to the egg recall. One is from food distributor Dutch Farms, which says the company used unauthorized cartons to package and sell eggs under its brand without its knowledge.

The other is from a person who said they became ill after eating tainted eggs in a salad at a restaurant in Kenosha, Wis.

The CDC said investigations by 10 states since April have identified 26 cases where more than one person became ill. Preliminary information showed that Wright was the supplier in at least 15 of those.

Almost 2,000 illnesses from the strain of salmonella linked to both recalls were reported between May and July, nearly 1,300 more than usual, the CDC said. No deaths have been reported.

The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight hours to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product. The disease can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems.

Associated Press Writer Jeff Baenen in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

Online:

Food and Drug Administration: http://tinyurl.com/25ot6ss
Centers for Disease Control: http://tinyurl.com/27lla8y
Egg Safety Center recall information: http://www.eggsafety.org

2010-08-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

Recall expands to more than half a billion eggs

Outbreak Causes Massive Egg Recall

AP – A sign warns customers of the recall of certain lots of eggs that had been previously sold at a supermarket … By MARY CLARE JALONICK 46 mins ago

WASHINGTON – A half-billion eggs have been recalled in the nationwide investigation of a salmonella outbreak that Friday expanded to include a second Iowa farm. More than 1,000 people have already been sickened and the toll of illnesses is expected to increase.

Iowa's Hillandale Farms said Friday it was recalling more than 170 million eggs after laboratory tests confirmed salmonella. The company did not say if its action was connected to the recall by Wright County Egg, another Iowa farm that recalled 380 million eggs earlier this week. The latest recall puts the total number of potentially tainted eggs at over half a billion.

An FDA spokeswoman said the two recalls are related. The strain of salmonella causing the poisoning is the same in both cases, salmonella enteritidis.

The eggs recalled Friday were distributed under the brand names Hillandale Farms, Sunny Farms, Sunny Meadow, Wholesome Farms and West Creek. The new recall applies to eggs sold between April and August.

Hillandale said the eggs were distributed to grocery distribution centers, retail groceries and food service companies which service or are located in fourteen states, including Arkansas, California, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin.

A food safety expert at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., said the source of the outbreak could be rodents, shipments of contaminated hens, or tainted feed. Microbiology professor Patrick McDonough said he was not surprised to hear about two recalls involving different egg companies, because in other outbreaks there have also been multiple sources.

Both plants could have a rodent problem, or both plants could have gotten hens that were already infected, or feed that was contaminated.

"You need biosecurity of the hen house, you want a rodent control program and you want to have hens put into that environment that are salmonella free," McDonough said.

The salmonella bacteria is not passed from hen to hen, but usually from rodent droppings to chickens, he added. This strain of bacteria is found inside a chicken's ovaries, and gets inside an egg.

CDC officials said Thursday that the number of illnesses related to the outbreak is expected to grow. That's because illnesses occurring after mid-July may not be reported yet, said Dr. Christopher Braden, an epidemiologist with the federal Centers for Disease Control.

Almost 2,000 illnesses from the strain of salmonella linked to both recalls were reported between May and July, almost 1,300 more than usual, Braden said. No deaths have been reported. The CDC is continuing to receive information from state health departments as people report their illnesses.

The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight hours to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product. It can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems.

The form of salmonella tied to the outbreak can be passed from chickens that appear healthy. And it grows inside eggs, not just on the shell, Braden noted.
Thoroughly cooking eggs can kill the bacteria. But health officials are recommending people throw away or return the recalled eggs.

Associated Press writer Melanie S. Welte in Des Moines contributed to this report.

2010-08-18T18:10:00.000-07:00

Egg recall tied to salmonella grows to 380 million

By MIKE STOBBE and MARY CLARE JALONICK (AP) – 15 minutes ago

ATLANTA — Hundreds of people have been sickened in a salmonella outbreak linked to eggs in four states and possibly more, health officials said Wednesday as a company dramatically expanded a recall to 380 million eggs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with state health departments to investigate the illnesses. No deaths have been reported, said Dr. Christopher Braden, a CDC epidemiologist involved in the investigation.

Initially, 228 million eggs, or the equivalent of 19 million dozen-egg cartons, were recalled by the company Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa. But that number was increased to nearly 32 million dozen-egg cartons.

Minnesota, a state with some of the best food-borne illness investigators in the country, has tied at least seven salmonella illnesses to the eggs.

Other states have seen a jump in reports of the type of salmonella. For example, California has reported 266 illnesses since June and believes many are related to the eggs. Colorado saw 28 cases in June and July, about four times the usual number. Spikes or clusters of suspicious cases have also been reported in Arizona, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.
Salmonella is the most common bacterial form of food poisoning. And the strain involved in the outbreak is the most common strain of salmonella, accounting for roughly 20 percent of all salmonella food poisonings.

Unfortunately, current lab tests do not allow health officials to fingerprint this form of salmonella as precisely as other kinds of food-borne illness. So determining the size of a salmonella enteritidis outbreak is a little more challenging, Braden said.

The Food and Drug Administration also is investigating.
Much of the investigation so far has been centered on restaurants in California, Colorado, Minnesota and North Carolina. They are not necessarily breakfast places — it's possible some got sick from eating a salad dressing that had a raw egg in it, or eating soup with an undercooked egg dropped in, Braden said.

In North Carolina, a cluster of about 80 illnesses in April were linked to meringue-containing chocolate pie and banana pudding served at a Durham barbecue restaurant, health officials said.

Eggs from Wright County Egg were linked to illnesses in the four states. The eggs were distributed around the country and packaged under the names Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph's, Boomsma's, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemp. It wasn't immediately clear when the eggs were produced and distributed.

The initial recall was issued last week. Eggs affected by the expanded recall were distributed to food wholesalers, distribution centers and food service companies in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, Oregon, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

"We are undertaking this additional recall to further protect the safety of consumers — this voluntary measure is consistent with our commitment to egg safety, and it is our responsibility," Wright County Egg officials said in a statement Wednesday evening.

In an earlier statement, company officials said the FDA is "on-site to review records and inspect our barns." The officials said they began the recall Aug. 13.

The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight hours to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product. It can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems.

This form of salmonella can be passed from chickens that appear healthy. And it grows inside eggs, not just on the shell, Braden noted.

Thoroughly cooking eggs can kill the bacteria. But health officials are recommending people throw away or return the recalled eggs.

Associated Press writers Ken Ritter in Las Vegas, Bob Christie in Phoenix, Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Judith Kohler in Denver and Todd Richmond in Madison contributed to this report.

Online:

Centers for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/enteritidis
Egg Safety Center: http://www.eggsafety.org
(This version CORRECTS Corrects in lede that company expanded the recall, not health officials.)

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

2010-08-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

Plant recalls ground beef in 4 states, including AZ

Saturday, August 7, 2010 12:00 am
SAN FRANCISCO - A meat processor recalled about 1 million pounds of ground beef products Friday after seven people were sickened by E. coli contamination.

Valley Meat Co., of Modesto, Calif., sold the potentially contaminated beef patties and ground beef in California, Texas, Oregon, Arizona and internationally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

The beef was processed from Oct. 2, 2009, to Jan. 12, 2010. Most of the products were sold frozen. The company was working with the USDA to identify stores where the products were sold and remove the items from shelves.

The USDA would likely have a list of retailers available in three to 10 working days, department spokesman Neil Gaffney said.

"This is the first recall in our history and we will investigate the matter thoroughly and take any measures deemed necessary to further elevate our safety standards, protect consumers, and ensure confidence in our products," Valley Meat said in a statement.

All of the recalled products have the establishment number "EST. 8268" inside the label's USDA mark of inspection. Valley Meat said consumers should discard possibly affected meat or return it to stores for a refund.

The affected 2009 products will carry a number between 275 and 365 before the "09" ending. The affected 2010 products will carry a number between 001 and 012 before the "10" ending.

Consumers with additional questions should call 1-866-221-6474

The California Department of Health notified the USDA in mid-July of a cluster of E. coli-related illnesses, leading to the recall.

2010-07-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Salmonella warning for guacamole, salsa, tamales
Associated Press
5:19 p.m. CDT, July 23, 2010

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Linn and Johnson County Public Health Departments are warning the public not to eat guacamole, salsa and uncooked tamales prepared by La Reyna Supermarket & Taqueria of Iowa City before July 19.

The products were sold at farmers' markets in Linn, Johnson and Dubuque counties and may be contaminated with salmonella. The departments say any guacamole, salsa and uncooked tamales should be thrown away and not eaten. The salmonella investigation was initiated by Linn County Public Health officials and illnesses were traced to products produced by the restaurant in Johnson County.

The owners of La Reyna are fully cooperating in this public notice and have measures to ensure the future safety of their products. ------

2010-07-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

Public Health: Food safety key for farmers market shoppersSaturday, July 17, 2010 6:15 am

DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Public Health is investigating more than 10 illnesses that may be related to a freshly prepared fruit and vegetable product sold at a farmers’ market in east-central Iowa.

While farmers’ markets are an excellent source of fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods, it’s important to remember that any freshly prepared fruit and vegetable product that is not properly refrigerated can be a potential health risk because they can allow bacteria to grow.

Because of warm temperatures, Iowans should be especially aware of food safety at farmers markets:

• Be aware that any freshly prepared fruit or vegetable product, such as hummus, salsa, cut fruit salad, and guacamole can be a potential health risk if not handled correctly.

• All these products must be kept refrigerated, both before and after the sale.

When shopping at a farmers’ market, remember:

• Only buy products from vendors who keep freshly prepared fruit and vegetable products cold, either in refrigerator units or on ice.

• Once purchased, keep freshly prepared fruit and vegetable products cold. If you plan to spend a lot of time at the market, bring a cooler or ice pack for storage.

• When you arrive home, place these products immediately in the refrigerator and eat within days.

• Any freshly prepared fruit or vegetable product that is not properly refrigerated should not be eaten, and should be discarded.

Posted in Local on Saturday, July 17, 2010 6:15 am
Iowa Department Of Public Health, Farmers Markets

2010-07-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Salsa and Guacamole Increasingly Important Causes of Foodborne Disease

Press Release
For Immediate Release: July 12, 2010
Contact: CDC Division of Media Relations
(404) 639-3286

Nearly 1 out of every 25 restaurant-associated foodborne outbreaks with identified food sources between 1998 and 2008 can be traced back to contaminated salsa or guacamole, more than double the rate during the previous decade, according to research released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.

"Fresh salsa and guacamole, especially those served in retail food establishments, may be important vehicles of foodborne infection," says Magdalena Kendall, an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) researcher who collaborated on the CDC study. "Salsa and guacamole often contain diced raw produce including hot peppers, tomatoes and cilantro, each of which has been implicated in past outbreaks."

To better assess the role of these popular foods in outbreaks, Kendall and her colleagues searched all foodborne outbreaks reported to the CDC for those with salsa, guacamole or pico de gallo as a confirmed or suspected food vehicle and analyzed trends in the proportion of all outbreaks with identified food sources.

CDC began conducting surveillance for foodborne disease outbreaks began in 1973, yet no salsa- or guacamole-associated (SGA) outbreaks were reported before 1984. Restaurants and delis were the settings for 84 percent of the 136 SGA outbreaks. SGA outbreaks accounted for 1.5 percent of all food establishment outbreaks from 1984 to 1997. This figure more than doubled to 3.9 percent during the ten-year period from 1998 to 2008.

Inappropriate storage times or temperatures were reported in 30 percent of the SGA outbreaks in restaurants or delis and may have contributed to the outbreaks. Food workers were reported as the source of contamination in 20 percent of the restaurant outbreaks.

"Possible reasons salsa and guacamole can pose a risk for foodborne illness is that they may not be refrigerated appropriately and are often made in large batches so even a small amount of contamination can affect many customers," Kendall says. "Awareness that salsa and guacamole can transmit foodborne illness, particularly in restaurants, is key to preventing future outbreaks."

Risk can be lowered by following guidelines for safe preparation and storage of fresh salsa and guacamole to reduce contamination or pathogen growth.

"We want restaurants and anyone preparing fresh salsa and guacamole at home to be aware that these foods containing raw ingredients should be carefully prepared and refrigerated to help prevent illness," says Kendall.

The International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases is organized by the CDC, the American Society for Microbiology, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, the Association of Public Health Laboratories and the World Health Organization.

More information on the meeting can be found online at www.iceid.org

2010-07-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

Food Recalls
Mango Candy Recalled for Lead Contamination
by Suzanne Schreck Jul 06, 2010

The California Department of Public Health is warning consumers not to eat "Food World Aam Papad Candy Spicy"--Dry Mango Candy Spicy--which was imported from India, due to unacceptable levels of lead.

Food World Aam Papad Candy Spicy is imported and distributed by Quality Products, Inc. of San Jose. CDPH is currently working with the distributor to ensure that the contaminated candies are removed from store shelves.

Health department analysis of the spicy mango candy determined that it contained as much as 0.29 parts per million (ppm) of lead. California considers candies with lead levels in excess of 0.10 ppm to be contaminated.

The candy is sold in 5.25 ounce clear plastic containers with red tops.

The containers are approximately 5 1/2 inches tall and have white labels displaying a red rectangle that contains the words, "Food World." The name of the candy is in black lettering.

Pregnant women and parents of children who may have consumed this candy should consult a physician to determine if medical testing is needed. Consumers who find Food World Aam Papad Candy Spicy for sale are encouraged to call the California Department of Public Health Complaint Hotline at (800) 495-3232.The health department provides more information about lead contamination on its Website.

2010-07-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

Bison meat recalled over E. coli scare
66,000 pounds possibly contaminated; five illnesses reported
updated 7/5/2010 7:14:06 AM

WASHINGTON — A Colorado company has issued a recall of ground bison meat and tenderized bison steaks possibly contaminated with a bacteria that causes food poisoning, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Saturday.

Rocky Mountain Natural Meats' recall covers 66,000 pounds (30,000 kg) of six different ground meat and steak products produced in May with "sell or freeze by" dates in June, the USDA said in a release.

The company's ground bison meat has been linked to five cases of E.coli 0157:H7 illnesses in Colorado last month, the USDA said. Another possible case has been identified in New York.
"There is concern that some product may still be frozen and in consumers' freezers," the USDA said.

The products were sold in retail stores across the United States and food service distributors in Utah and Arizona. One of the steak products went to restaurants, the USDA said.

The products were carried in Hannaford, King Soopers, Market Basket, Price Chopper and Whole Foods stores, the USDA said.

The USDA said it was continuing to work with public health departments in Colorado and New York as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Rocky Mountain Natural Meats in the investigation.

Symptoms of E.coli 0157:H7 include bloody diarrhea, dehydration and severe cramping. In severe cases, the infection can cause kidney failure.

For a complete list of the products subject to the recall and their labels, click on: http://link.reuters.com/suh65m
Copyright 2010 Reuters.

2010-06-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

Reusable-bag advice: Wash or risk illness
Becky Pallack Arizona Daily Star Posted: Friday, June 25, 2010 12:00 am

Reusable shopping bags are everywhere, it seems. Some are colorful string bags, some organic cotton fabric, some made of recycled materials. Some are insulated. Many are compact and easily foldable.

Tote-bag tips
• Separate produce, meat and other food.

• Don't use a food bag as a book bag, laundry bag or gym bag.

• Bags should be cleaned between uses.

That grocery tote bag that helps you use less plastic could actually be a bag of bacteria.

Researchers stopped shoppers at grocery stores in Tucson, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and swabbed 80 reusable polypropylene bags and a few others. They found "fairly large numbers" of bacteria - sometimes more than the number on your toilet seat, said University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba.

He's a co-author of the new study, which was funded by about $30,000 from the American Chemistry Council.

Juices from produce and meat get on the bags, and the micro-organisms grow there, Gerba explained. On bags that had meat juices spilled on them and were put in the trunk of a hot car, the bacteria grew quickly.

The researchers found E. coli in 12 percent of bags.

Along the way, the researchers also asked shoppers how often they washed their bags and were surprised to find 97 percent never washed them.

"The last thing you want to be doing is growing salmonella in your sack," Gerba said.

As more people begin to use polypropylene bags, they must learn to wash them regularly, he said.

The researchers also purposefully spiked new sacks with bacteria, washed and dried them, and then did the same test. They didn't detect bacteria on cleaned bags.

It would be hard to link an illness to a bag as an exact cause, but if you don't wash your bags, you're taking a gamble, Gerba said.

Tucson shoppers are sticking with their reusable bags.

Marina Joy, 24, said she feels guilty choosing paper or plastic at the checkout line, so she started using tote bags years ago. They rarely get washed.

"I hadn't really thought about it," she said. But as a vegan, she doesn't put meat in them.

Her friend Anchen Texter, 28, said her bags are "convenient, they hold a lot of stuff, and they hold together." She washes them when they look like they need it, she said.

Shelley Michael, 56, said she has had reusable bags for at least five years "so I don't have to use a bunch of plastic."

But the self-described "germaphobe" also said she regularly puts her bags in the washing machine.

2010-06-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

Ban peanuts on planes? It's not nutty to allergics
Allergic reaction: Feds may ban airlines from serving peanuts as mile-high grub

Russ Bynum, Associated Press Writer, On Saturday June 12, 2010, 12:05 am

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) -- Federal regulators are considering a snack attack on the nation's airlines that would restrict or even completely ban serving peanuts on commercial flights.
Advocates say the move would ease fears and potential harm to an estimated 1.8 million Americans who suffer from peanut allergies. Peanut farmers and food packagers, however, see it as overreaching and unfair to their legume.

"The peanut is such a great snack and such an American snack," says Martin Kanan, CEO of the King Nut Companies, an Ohio company that packages the peanuts served by most U.S. airlines. "What's next? Is it banning peanuts in ballparks?"

Twelve years after Congress ordered it to back off peanuts, the U.S. Transportation Department gave notice last week that it's gathering feedback from allergy sufferers, medical experts, the food industry and the public on whether to ban or restrict in-flight peanuts.

The peanut proposals were listed in an 84-page document including several other proposed consumer protections for air travelers.

Three options were given:
banning serving of peanuts on all planes;
prohibiting peanuts only when an allergic passenger requests it in advance;
or requiring an undefined "peanut-free zone" flight when a passenger asks for one.

While those options only pertain to peanuts served by flight crews, the document also states "we are particularly interested in hearing views on how peanuts and peanut products brought on board aircraft by passengers should be handled."

Spokesman Bill Mosely said the department is responding to concerns from travelers who either suffer from peanut allergies or have allergic children, "some of whom do not fly" because they're afraid of exposure.

"We're just asking for comment on whether we should do any of these three things," Mosely said. "We may not do any of them."

Peanut allergy can cause life-threatening reactions in people ingesting even trace amounts. Just breathing peanut dust in the air can cause problems -- though usually minor ones -- such as itching, sneezing and coughing.

A few limited studies on airline passengers with peanut allergies found a number of people reporting symptoms while flying, but few were severe or life-threatening, said Dr. Scott Sicherer, who studies food allergies at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

"But there's discomfort," Sicherer said. "It's sort of like if you were allergic to dogs and all of a sudden they brought 50 dogs onto the plane."

Why worry about peanuts on airplanes, as opposed to other public spaces?

Advocates with the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network say the answer's simple: planes are confined spaces where the air and dust particles get re-circulated. And there's no way to stop and get off during a severe reaction during flight.

"It's a different environment when you're basically 30,000 feet in the air," said Chris Weiss, the group's vice president of advocacy and government relations. "If you're sitting around a bunch of people and all of a sudden they're all handed packages of peanuts, that could release enough peanut dust into the air to trigger a reaction."

The Transportation Department previously weighed imposing peanut-free zones on airliners in 1998. The agency retreated after getting a hostile response from Congress, which threatened to cut its budget.

Several airlines such as Continental, United, US Airways and JetBlue have voluntarily stopped serving packaged peanuts as mile-high grub. Delta and Southwest still hand out goobers as in-flight snacks. American Airlines doesn't serve packaged peanuts, but it does offer trail mix and other snacks that can contain peanut ingredients.

Not surprisingly, government regulation of peanuts on planes is a woefully unpopular idea in Georgia -- the nation's top peanut producing state and home to former President Jimmy Carter, who grew up on a peanut farm.

"The peanut industry feels like we're being picked on," said Armond Morris, who grows peanuts on about 270 acres in rural Irwinville and serves as chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission. "If we're going to go targeting food products, maybe we just need to ban all food" on planes.

Arlene de Armas of Miami sees things differently as she makes plans for her family to fly to Pennsylvania for a summer vacation. Her 7-year-old son, Leandro, is allergic to peanuts.
She's already planning on what precautions to take -- calling the airline ahead to request no peanuts are served on her son's row, bringing sanitary wipes to clean the folding table in front of his seat and packing epinephrine -- or adrenaline -- to administer if he suffers a severe reaction.
"It's the added stress of knowing, God forbid, you could have a situation where he has a reaction and you have no way of getting to a hospital," de Armas said. "Peanut allergies are severe enough and common enough. Why not serve fruit?"

Online:
U.S. Department of Transportation rule proposal, http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2010/dot11010.html

Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, http://www.foodallergy.org

Georgia Peanut Commission, http://www.gapeanuts.com

2010-06-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

USDA gets picky over what makes olive oil 'extra virgin'
Updated 6/4/2010 11:09 AM

Is it really extra virgin? The USDA will enforce new standards for what constitutes "extra virgin" and "virgin" olive oil.

By Juliana Barbassa, Associated Press Writer
CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. — Extra virgin, light, with lemon, unfiltered, cold-pressed: the variety of olive oil on most supermarket shelves is dazzling. But what does it all mean?
These terms might be common currency among foodies and the farmer's-market crowd, but they have never been enforceable, or legally defined in the United States — until now.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW:
About olive oil regulations
http://i.usatoday.net/money/_pdfs/oliveoil.pdf?loc=interstitialskip

The U.S. Department of Agriculture in April adopted scientifically verifiable standards for nomenclature such as "virgin" or "extra virgin." They will start enforcing them in October, just in time for the harvest of trees that are now in full flower.

The definitions will differentiate cheaper impostors from the best oil: those cold-pressed, pure, golden-hued products that lead connoisseurs to talk of grass tones, apple or nut flavors, and peppery finishes in language usually reserved for wines.

"It will put an end to marketing terms that are confusing to the consumer, such as light, extra light — language that really doesn't meant too much," said Patricia Darragh, executive director of the California Olive Oil Council, a trade association of producers responsible for most U.S.-grown olive oil.

The standards will also conform to international and trade group definitions, reassuring buyers that they can be sure of what's behind that fancy label before they plunk down $15, $20 or more for a bottle.

"You have so much to chose from, it's good to know there will be a way to weed out the masses," said shopper Katheryn Kealey, 23, who stopped in the olive oil aisle of an upscale San Francisco supermarket to read the fine print on a bottle.

The regulations also were welcomed by Dean Griggs, whose Tres Osos olive oil won Best in Show in the COOC's competition this year. But when he talks of his oil — made mostly of taggiasca olives from the western Italian coast and bottled by Griggs himself in small batches — he doesn't use the language of chemical composition.

"You put it under your nose, the first thing you notice is grass," he said. "You pull it back over your tongue, there a little fruitiness, a little nuttiness with that grass. It finishes off, you get that pepper burn."

In 2003 the California Olive Oil Council adopted their own mandatory quality test for its members. To get their seal of approval, an oil purporting to be "extra virgin" had to meet requirements including an acidity test and a taste test.

Soon after that, the association petitioned the USDA to adopt a similar approach to protect their boutique products from competition with olive oils of lesser quality, or even oils altered with cheaper products like hazelnut or sunflower seed oil.

"There has been a concern for some time about the quality and truthfulness of oil brought into the United States," said Darragh. "In the absence of a federal standards, some unscrupulous importers have flooded the market."

Olive oil fetches a higher price than nut or seed oils but is far more costly and labor intensive to produce. Adulteration scandals in the 1990s led the European Union, which produces the majority of the world's supply, to establish an investigative task force to handle the matter.

It also hurt the developing U.S. industry, said Darragh.

The new regulations provide specific chemical parameters of purity and freshness that provide a basis for enforcement. They include indicators for fatty acid composition, which helps separate olive oils from seed oils, and the ultraviolet light absorption, which indicates the oil's state of preservation, as well as a taste test by experts.

Rayne Pegg, an administrator with the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, said the standards establish "a common language for trade, while providing consumers more assurance about the quality of olive oil that they purchase."

Local oil producer Griggs has had trouble breaking even, though he loves what he does. "This is my soul right here," he says of the rolling hills of Monterey shale, where olives and wine grapes grow within reach of Pacific Ocean's cooling breeze.

The standards will ease the pressure on price and make it a little easier to have a presence in the market, Griggs said.

"Now it'll be a level playing field," he said. "I'll still put out the same product, but I won't have to compete with garbage that's out there."

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

2010-04-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

The HACCP seven principles

Principle 1: Conduct a hazard analysis. Plans determine the food safety hazards and identify the preventive measures the plan can apply to control these hazards. A food safety hazard is any biological, chemical, or physical property that may cause a food to be unsafe for human consumption.

Principle 2: Identify critical control points. A Critical Control Point (CCP) is a point, step, or procedure in a food manufacturing process at which control can be applied and, as a result, a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to an acceptable level.

Principle 3: Establish critical limits for each critical control point. A critical limit is the maximum or minimum value to which a physical, biological, or chemical hazard must be controlled at a critical control point to prevent, eliminate, or reduce to an acceptable level.

Principle 4: Establish critical control point monitoring requirements. Monitoring activities are necessary to ensure that the process is under control at each critical control point. In the United States, the FSIS is requiring that each monitoring procedure and its frequency be listed in the HACCP plan.

Principle 5: Establish corrective actions. These are actions to be taken when monitoring indicates a deviation from an established critical limit. The final rule requires a plant's HACCP plan to identify the corrective actions to be taken if a critical limit is not met. Corrective actions are intended to ensure that no product injurious to health or otherwise adulterated as a result of the deviation enters commerce.

Principle 6: Establish record keeping procedures. The HACCP regulation requires that all plants maintain certain documents, including its hazard analysis and written HACCP plan, and records documenting the monitoring of critical control points, critical limits, verification activities, and the handling of processing deviations.

Principle 7: Establish procedures for ensuring the HACCP system is working as intended. Validation ensures that the plants do what they were designed to do; that is, they are successful in ensuring the production of safe product. Plants will be required to validate their own HACCP plans. FSIS will not approve HACCP plans in advance, but will review them for conformance with the final rule.

Verification ensures the HACCP plan is adequate, that is, working as intended. Verification procedures may include such activities as review of HACCP plans, CCP records, critical limits and microbial sampling and analysis. FSIS is requiring that the HACCP plan include verification tasks to be performed by plant personnel. Verification tasks would also be performed by FSIS inspectors. Both FSIS and industry will undertake microbial testing as one of several verification activities. Verification also includes 'validation' - the process of finding evidence for the accuracy of the HACCP system (e.g. scientific evidence for critical limitations).

2010-03-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

PepsiCo will cut sodium, sugar, fat in drinks, chips
By Emily Fredrix, AP Food Industry Writer

NEW YORK — PepsiCo (PEP) plans to cut the sodium in each serving of its key brands by one-fourth in five years.

The maker of Frito-Lay chips and Pepsi drinks announced several nutrition goals on Monday at the start of a two-day investor conference.

The company also set two goals for the next 10 years: to cut the average added sugar per serving by 25% and saturated fat per serving by 15%.

An array of food makers have announced similar goals recently as they come under more pressure from government and consumers.

Last week Kraft Foods (KFT)pledged to cut salt in its products sold in North America by an average of 10% over the next two years. ConAgra Foods (CAG) and Campbell Soup (CPB) have also announced sodium cuts.

Many health leaders have urged food makers to reformulate their products to reduce salt. First lady Michelle Obama has made the fight against childhood obesity a top priority. Last week she asked the nation's largest food makers at a meeting of the Grocery Manufacturers Association to "step it up" and put less fat, salt and sugar in foods.

PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi told investors Monday that shoppers are focusing more on value amid the recession and on improving their health. She said governments around the world are exerting pressure to improve nutrition, but the company isn't waiting for mandates.

"So we're off doing our thing because the consumer is shifting," she said at the event at Yankee Stadium.

Last week the company announced it would remove full-calorie, sweetened drinks from schools worldwide by 2012. Both PepsiCo, the world's second-biggest soft drink maker, and No. 1 player Coca-Cola (KO), adopted guidelines to stop selling sugary drinks in U.S. schools in 2006.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

2010-01-05T06:35:00.000-08:00

FDA finds roaches, listeria at airline caterer
FDA cites LSG Sky Chefs airline food facility in Denver for roaches, listeria
By David Koenig, AP Airlines Writer , On Monday January 4, 2010, 8:24 pm EST DALLAS

(AP)-- A company that prepares food for major airlines says it has cleaned up its Denver kitchen after federal inspectors found live and dead roaches and listeria bacteria at the facility.

The Food and Drug Administration warned the company, LSG Sky Chefs, that it could be barred from selling food to the airlines at the Denver airport if it flunks further inspections.

LSG Sky Chefs said Monday it took the FDA's comments seriously, fired the general manager and head chef, and believes it will pass a follow-up review.LSG is owned by Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the big German carrier.

Its U.S. subsidiary provides food to Delta, American, United and other airlines from 43 kitchens around the country.According to an FDA letter to the company, inspectors who examined the Denver facility found live and dead roaches "too numerous to count" in several areas of the kitchen, including at least 40 live insects in the silverware station.

The FDA said inspectors saw employees touching food with bare hands or while wearing unwashed gloves. They also noted problems with the building, including water dripping from the ceiling into utensil-cleaning areas and holes in walls that could house insects or vermin.

H. Thomas Warwick Jr., director of the FDA's Denver office, said in an interview that such conditions were more common 10 to 15 years ago but are seen rarely today because of better sanitation practices and more inspections by federal, state and local agencies.LSG "has been pretty good" over the years, Warwick said.

"This one sort of slipped a little. We will be back very shortly."LSG spokeswoman Beth Van Duyne said the company took the FDA's findings seriously and fired the general manager and executive chef in Denver. When chemical treatments failed to kill listeria found in a kitchen floor drain, the company replaced the pipes and drain, she said.

Listeria is a bacteria linked to food-borne illness."We make no excuses for this report," Van Duyne said. "We've taken immediate and aggressive actions after we received the initial findings in October. We're confident we'll pass" the follow-up inspection.Van Duyne said the company hasn't received any reports of airline passengers becoming ill from its food. She said FDA inspectors were back in the Denver building on Monday.

2009-12-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

Company issues 2nd recall for tainted beef
Updated

For the second time this year, a Fresno beef company is recalling thousands of pounds of ground beef contaminated with a drug-resistant strain of salmonella.

Beef Packers Inc., owned by Cargill, announced the recall Friday. It covers 22,723 pounds of ground beef products that were sent to stores in Arizona and New Mexico.

WHY: Recall didn't include school lunches

SECOND INFECTION: Family's nightmare begins

The Arizona Department of Health Services has linked two illnesses to the ground beef, made at the Beef Packers plant on Sept. 23. The beef was "repackaged into consumer-size packages and sold under different retail brand names," according to a news release issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Safeway announced that the recall affects ground beef sold at its stores in Arizona and one outlet in Gallup, N.M. A Safeway spokesman said the recalled product is no longer in stores and urged customers to check all ground beef in their freezers and discard any with "sell by" dates of Sept. 28 through Oct. 11. Recalled products include fresh ground beef, beef patties, meat balls and stuffed peppers.

In August, Beef Packers recalled almost 826,000 pounds of ground beef contaminated with salmonella Newport, the same strain that prompted the current recall. At least 39 people were sickened in the weeks before the summer recall, which included orders produced at the plant in June.

Salmonella Newport infections can be life-threatening, especially to young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, cramps and vomiting. Because this strain is resistant to antibiotics, the risk of hospitalization is increased.

A USA TODAY investigation published last week raised questions about whether orders the company made for the National School Lunch Program also should have been included in the summer recall. Although the orders made for schools tested negative for salmonella, food-safety experts and lawmakers say the beef produced for schools should have been rejected by the government. Instead, it was sent to schools.

Beef Packers has been a major supplier to the school lunch program. Since July, however, it has bid on no contracts and produced no ground beef for schools, Cargill spokesman Mark Klein says. It has been suspended from the school lunch program three times, twice for repeatedly failing to produce ground beef that was free of salmonella, USA TODAY found.

2009-12-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

Stop & Shop, Giant pull College Inn No MSG broth
The Associated Press\
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. and Giant Food chains both removed College Inn No MSG Chicken Broth from their stores this weekend, following a nationwide voluntary recall by the product's maker, Del Monte Foods Co. due mislabeling.

The product contains an undeclared wheat allergen and its label incorrectly states that it does not contain monosodium glutamate — or MSG — when it does in fact contain the flavor enhancer.

The following code dates and UPCs are affected:

-- College Inn No MSG Chicken Broth, individual 14.5 ounce cans, all, with code dates, UPC 2400032230.

Del Monte has not received reports of illness related to consumption of the product, the retailers said in statements Saturday. They said all other sizes and types of College Inn Chicken Broth are unaffected.

Consumers can call the College Inn Consumer Hotline at 1-800-552-7684.

People who have bought the product can return any unused portions or bring in a receipt for a full refund.

Giant Food operates stores in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C., and Stop & Shop has stores in New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

2009-11-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

'All hands on deck' as FDA aims to fix food safety
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

It's tough enough these days just finding enough money to put food on the table. Americans shouldn't also have to worry about whether it's safe to eat, Vice President Biden said today as he announced proposals to make the U.S. food supply more safe.

Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius together announced recommendations from President Obama's Food Safety Working Group, a panel of administration officials and outside experts created in March. Biden and Sebelius are co-chairs of the group.

"The focus is to have a completely different emphasis than we've had in the past," Biden said. "We're going to make our new priority preventing (food contamination) from happening in the first place."

Coming changes that can be implemented without Congressional approval:

•Within 90 days, an improved individual alert system at foodsafety.gov to give consumers immediate access to "critical food safety information" such as recalls.

•New safeguards designed to cut salmonella in raw eggs, E. coli in ground beef and other pathogens in leafy greens, melons and tomatoes.

•A better tracking system to pinpoint the origins of outbreaks.

•Better communication between government agencies that regulate food safety.

•New positions at the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to oversee food safety.

"This is a good beginning for the Obama administration when it comes to food safety," says Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. But she noted that the FDA and the USDA will have to work hard to "fix a weakened federal food safety structure."

The Grocery Manufacturers of America said in a news release, "These new rules in combination with pending legislation in the House and Senate will lay a new foundation for our food safety system by making prevention of contamination the focus of our food safety strategies."

George Washington University food safety expert Michael Taylor began work Monday as senior adviser on food safety to FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg. He calls the recommendations "a huge undertaking. It's a transformative strategy."

The new proposals give the FDA "real teeth" in requiring companies to track food safety problems and make that information available to the government, Taylor says. It will require public-health-oriented performance standards and risk-based inspection programs.

For example, in this summer's recall of Nestlé Toll House Brand refrigerated cookie doughs, it was revealed that when FDA inspectors had toured the plant over the past several years, the company — well within its rights under current rules — refused to provide inspectors with complaint logs, pest-control records and other information.

Under the new rules, the company would have been required to do so, Taylor says.

The switch won't be easy. "It's going to take all hands on deck at FDA to figure out how to do this right," he says.

This has been a bad spring and summer for food safety. Salmonella in peanut plant in Georgia sickened hundreds and was suspected of causing at least nine deaths.

Last month, E.coli was found in Nestlé Toll House refrigerated cookie dough and nearly 400,000 pounds of beef produced by the JBS Swift Beef Co. of Greeley, Colo.

This month, salmonella contamination in powdered milk from a Minnesota milk cooperative has resulted in recalls of products as diverse as popcorn topping, hot chocolate mix and packets of oatmeal.

2009-09-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

In Dairyland, Pollan's 'Food' book sparks debate

By RYAN J. FOLEY, Associated Press Writer Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press Writer – Wed Sep 23, 8:07 pm ET

MADISON, Wis. – One best-selling book advocating fresh, local foods is shaking up America's Dairyland.

Students across University of Wisconsin-Madison's campus, organic grocers, scientists, and dairy farmers large and small have jumped into the debate on how food is produced and eaten. The discussions started last month when the university began giving Michael Pollan's book, "In Defense of Food," free to all incoming freshmen and school officials urged professors to use it in class.

"I have not seen the students this excited about something in years," Irwin Goodman, a horticulture professor who is vice dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences said of the buzz on campus about Pollan's field-to-table philosophies.

The book urges readers to "eat food, not too much, mostly plants" and criticizes food companies and scientists for replacing traditional foods with unhealthier, highly processed substitutes and confusing consumers with health claims.

Pollan's work has been used on college campuses from the University of California-Berkeley, where he is a journalism professor, to Columbia University in New York City for courses ranging from science journalism to environmental politics. But the program at UW-Madison is unique because the book and related topics are being discussed everywhere from French and political science courses to an exhibit on the history of food. And Pollan is to speak at the 17,000-seat Kohl Center Thursday in the liberal college town.

Kelsey Ward, an 18-year-old freshman from Naperville, Ill., said she's talked about the book in chemistry and diversity classes, and with her roommate, a food science major.

"It's really cool how they've connected everyone on campus through this project," she said. The book, which earlier this year won the James Beard Foundation Award for best food writing, has prompted her to eat more salads and fewer processed foods.

But not everyone is so excited.

Bill Bruins, who has a dairy farm near Waupun and is president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, called the book "a direct attack on the way we farm today." His group is working with the university to have farmers go into classrooms to present their points of view.

"Pollan has narrow and elitist ideas about how you should eat and how farmers should (or shouldn't) feed a hungry and growing world," Bruins wrote on the farm bureau's Web site.
Another critic, John Lucey, is a UW-Madison professor and food scientist. Pollan blames food scientists for replacing food with "nutrients," and Lucey wrote on a university Web site that scientists have helped preserve foods longer, improved food safety and cut meal preparation time for busy parents.

UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin started the "Go Big Read" program, in which the campus is asked to read the same book, and hopes it becomes a tradition. She was involved with a similar project for several years as provost at Cornell University.

She said she picked "In Defense of Food" because it covered several topical national issues. And as a bonus, Pollan was already planning to visit campus.

After facing criticism for picking Pollan, Martin has spoken to agricultural groups, hosted farmers at her university residence and visited a Madison-based agricultural company. At every turn, she contends the university is not endorsing Pollan's views and noted that many events will offer competing opinions.

"This is our core business at the university — taking something that interests a significant number of people and let people talk about it from every conceivable point of view," Martin said. "I love this give and take. That's what a university is about."

Pollan's Thursday lecture is in an arena normally reserved for presidential candidates and rock stars.

Hundreds of farmers wearing green will be there too, ready to answer questions about food production and tell their side of the story, said Laura Daniels, a dairy farmer in Cobb, Wis., who is organizing the group.

"To imagine the Kohl Center filled not only with faculty and students but with farmers and foodies from all over the state and beyond is extraordinarily exciting," said Sara Guyer, director of the Center for the Humanities and professor of English who was on the selection committee for the book.

Miriam Grunes, executive director of the Madison-based Research, Education, Action and Policy on Food Group, said the book is helping "to showcase what small, sustainable farm products look like."

"It's a really important topic for young people to be thinking about as they become consumers and decision makers for the future, to be aware of the way food does come to our table," she said. "It's great the light is being shined on those issues. Too many people are disconnected from them."

2009-08-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

* U.S. Food and Drug Administration * *

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition *
CONSTITUENT UPDATE

Constituent Updates are also available on the web at http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/default.htm

FDA Issues Guidance on Labeling of Certain Beer Products Made without Malted Barley and Hops
August 18, 2009

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week issued draft guidance to manufacturers on the labeling of non-malted beers that contain substitutes for malted barley such as sorghum, rice or wheat, or are made without hops. Such beer products fall under FDA rather than the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) regulatory authority. The guidance advises industry on how to label beers that are subject to the FDA's labeling laws.

This action follows a July 2008 ruling by the TTB that beers made from substitutes for malted barley or that do not contain hops do not meet the definition of a malted beverage contained in the Federal Alcohol Administration Act (FAA Act). Under that Act, the TTB regulates the labeling and other aspects of malted beverages. The 2008 TTB ruling means that beers that are not made from malted barley or that do not contain hops are subject to labeling requirements under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, and fall under FDA regulatory authority.

FDA's new draft guidance -- "Labeling of Certain Beers Subject to the Labeling Jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration" -- specifies the mandatory information required on the labels of these non-malt beers. These mandatory labeling components include, among other information, a listing of ingredients in the product, a nutrition facts panel, and the name of any major food allergen present in the product.

Malt beverage is a term for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic fermented beverages in which the primary ingredient is barley. The most predominant malt beverage is beer. FDA also regulates the labeling of wine beverages containing less than 7 percent alcohol by volume, such as wine coolers, cooking wine, and ciders (in which the alcohol has been removed).

Manufacturers of non-malt beers are expected to comply with the FDA's labeling requirements by Jan. 1, 2012. The Federal Register notice (74 FR 41438) can be viewed on the GPO Access web site and the guidance can be viewed on the FDA website.

2009-07-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

Organic food is no healthier, study finds
Review of 162 studies over 50 years show no significant benefits

July 29: The food industry pulls in more than $300 billion a year, making major profits off America’s growing obesity problem. Now it seems obesity could even affect homeland security. NBC’s Dr. Nancy Snyderman talks with former FDA commissioner Dr. David Kessler and domestic policy expert Ezra Klein.

LONDON - Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food, according to a major study published Wednesday.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its perceived health benefits, creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007.

A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference.

"A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance," said Alan Dangour, one of the report's authors.

"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."

The results of research, which was commissioned by the British government's Food Standards Agency, were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Sales of organic food have fallen in some markets, including Britain, as recession has led consumers to cut back on purchases.

The Soil Association said in April that growth in sales of organic products in Britain slowed to just 1.7 percent in 2008, well below the average annual growth rate of 26 percent over the last decade, following a plunge in demand at the end of the year.

Copyright 2009 Reuters

2009-06-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

Why Michael Jackson's toxicology results could take weeks.
Madison Park
CNN

(CNN) -- Unlike television crime shows in which machines can instantly spit out results, toxicology testing to determine what drugs are in a person's body can be a long and painstaking process.

For toxicology screenings, blood samples are drawn from the leg and heart, as drugs can circulate around the body.

The Los Angeles County coroner's office estimates that toxicology tests on the body of Michael Jackson could take six to eight weeks. The results are needed to determine the singer's cause of death, a spokesman for the coroner said. The singer's autopsy last week was inconclusive, although officials said there were no indications of external trauma or foul play.

Identifying drugs in the human body requires a lengthy sequence of tests and confirmations that can take weeks and even months, forensic experts said.

It's not as if "you go and buy a pregnancy test and drop urine on it, " said Dr. Yale Caplan, the former chief toxicologist for the state of Maryland, who is now a consultant for federal agencies. "Forensic testing is much, much more complicated.

Questions about the possible role of prescription medications in Jackson's death have swirled since Thursday, when the singer was found unconscious. Edward Chernoff, attorney for Dr. Conrad Murray, who tried to revive Jackson at the singer's rented home, said the doctor was not aware of any prescription drug abuse by Jackson.

"I think those are just rumors," Chernoff told CNN's "American Morning." "When toxicology comes back ... that's going to be all cleared up."

The medical examiner determines whether a toxicology test is required. The testing becomes more exhaustive in cases of a suspected drug death or one in which the cause of death is unclear.

"What is routinely done? In the case of celebrity deaths, probably a lot," said William Anderson, chief toxicologist for the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, in Reno, Nevada.

Anderson was a graduate student at the toxicology lab in 1977 in Memphis, Tennessee, when singer Elvis Presley died. While Anderson was not involved in testing Presley's samples, he was frequently in the laboratory. Presley's death was ruled the result of an irregular heartbeat, and his autopsy report was sealed amid accusations that abuse of prescription drugs caused the problem. Anderson said that the process seemed thorough and that specimens went to multiple labs for confirmation.

In standard screening, blood samples are drawn from various areas of the body, including the leg and heart, because drugs and poisons can circulate, toxicologists say. The initial screening test using blood and urine samples indicates what type of drugs -- for example opiates, cocaine or amphetamines -- might be present.

"It points you in the right direction," Anderson said. But the results are not conclusive.
In order to confirm that a person had a specific type of drug in his or her system, the drug must be extracted from the specimen. More complicated cases could require samples of the liquid in the eye, bile, or tissue from the liver, kidney, stomach or lungs.

"The drugs must be physically separated from the biological matrix," Caplan said. "If it's liver or blood, you have to do preparations for the extraction procedure, which is often multistep." This can also take several days, he added.

The specimen is mixed with an oil solvent, which attracts the drugs away from blood or tissue sample. Then the solvent is evaporated, leaving the various chemicals.

"You have to purify the drugs out of this mix of things, which has lots of other chemicals in it that may interfere," Anderson said. This preparation has to be done for every specimen undergoing analysis.

An instrument called a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer separates the compounds and provides information to enable toxicologists to identify them as specific types of drugs. One positive finding can lead to more tests of different samples, triggering a sequence.

"You have to make a series of tests," Anderson said. It "can take a long time to complete the whole battery of tests. If you find something, you go back and quantify it. And you do have a lot of other investigations you're going through at the same time."

If a lab worked on only one case, the work could be completed in about a week, Caplan said, but that is not a reality for public labs.

While simpler cases are likely to be completed in about two weeks, "it usually takes four to six weeks if they run into unusual things. If unusual drugs are involved, they may have to be referred to a private lab or FBI lab," Caplan said.

After receiving the results, toxicologists must analyze the data and verify all the facts and findings "to cover all their bases," said Dr. Roy Altman, a retired forensic toxicologist.
"He wants to get all the ducks in a row, run another analysis that will confirm the first positive [finding]," Altman said. "He will do other analyses to make sure everything holds up in court, if it turns into a legal case and he has to testify in court his findings."

In sensitive or high-profile cases, the samples probably will be sent to other labs for confirmation, scientists said. "That's really what takes the time," Caplan said.
After the lab determines what drugs and poisons were present in a person's body, the medical examiner determines the cause of death, and a death certificate can be issued.

2009-06-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

U.S. beef recall expanded, 18 illnesses suspected

Sun Jun 28, 12:25 pm ET
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A Colorado meat company is expanding a recall of beef due to possible contamination by E.coli O157:H7 bacteria after an investigation found 18 illnesses may be linked to the meat, the company and the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Sunday.

Greeley, Colorado-based JBS-Swift Beef Co is voluntarily expanding its June 24 recall to include about 380,000 lbs of assorted beef products, for a total recall of about 421,000 lbs, USDA and the company said.

The affected beef was produced on April 21 and was distributed nationally and internationally.
"The contamination may have come from further processing by other companies," Chandler Keys, JBS spokesman, said on Sunday.

USDA said the recalled products are typically used for steaks and roasts rather than ground beef. However, it said some of the beef may have been processed into ground products by other companies.

It is unlikely the recall will be expanded further, and JBS will be contacting customers that received the beef to learn how the product was distributed, said Keys.

The contamination was investigated by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

E.coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and, in severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors, and persons with weak immune systems are at the most risk.

Consumers with questions can call 1-800-685-6328.

JBS Swift is a unit of Brazilian meat company JBS S.A.
(Reporting by Bob Burgdorfer; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

2009-06-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

FDA warns of salmonella risk in pistachio brands

REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

By Julie Steenhuysen Julie Steenhuysen – Tue Jun 23, 3:25 pm ET

CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. consumers should avoid two brands of pistachios tied to a salmonella-related recall because they may have been repackaged and sold in airports and hotels, the Food and Drug Administration said.

The federal agency identified the suspect brands late on Monday as California Prime Produce and Orange County Orchards, which were repacked by Orca Distribution West Inc of Anaheim, California.

The potentially tainted pistachios came from Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, California, which issued a nationwide recall of its products in late March after salmonella was found in some nuts.
The bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

The FDA said it discovered the potential problem at Orca after conducting a follow-up audit of Setton and that it issued the warning because the company had failed to alert the public that it was recalling the products.

"The company (Orca) did not publicly announce its recall. We are warning consumers not to eat these brands of pistachio," FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Kwisnek said on Tuesday in a telephone interview.

Jan Caselli, who heads Orca, said the company took swift action after learning in April that there might be problems with its pistachio products.

"We immediately pulled what we had out there and replaced it," Caselli said. Orca and those selling its products have received no customer complaints of illnesses tied to the company's products, she added.

The FDA has come under increased scrutiny for its oversight of U.S. food safety, following a steady stream of high-profile outbreaks of food poisoning since 2006 involving lettuce, peppers, spinach, peanuts and peanut butter.

Last week, a U.S. House panel approved a proposal that would broaden the FDA's regulatory authority, and give the agency the power to order recalls. The recall at Setton, the nation's second largest pistachio processor, was voluntary.

More than 660 products have been linked to that recall.

The FDA only has enough staff to conduct annual inspections of 7,000 of the 150,000 U.S. food processing plants and warehouses and often relies on state inspectors and the firms themselves to issue food safety alerts to the public.

Last week, Nestle's U.S. baking division recalled all varieties of its Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough after the FDA warned of the risk of E. coli bacterial contamination.

As of Monday, 70 people in 30 states had become ill from eating raw refrigerated cookie dough.
An estimated 76 million people in the United States get sick every year with foodborne illness and 5,000 die, according to the CDC.
(Editing by Andrew Stern and Paul Simao)

2009-06-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

Editorial
The proposed Food Safety Enhancement Act is missing some ingredients
June 20, 2009

The legislation contains needed reforms, but it needs to include a system that would track the origins of ingredients in processed foods.

Americans are past the point of regarding unsafe food as a freak occurrence or something that happens only in Third World countries.

The numerous recalls and widespread outbreaks of salmonella in this country are well documented: a fragmented food inspection system; imports from nations with lax regulation; the commingling of foods from many sources in giant processing plants; and insufficient funding and authority granted to the Food and Drug Administration.

Still unclear is whether Congress is as fed up with bad food as its constituents, more than 300,000 of whom were hospitalized with food poisoning last year. Its commitment to safeguarding the national health will be tested by the latest legislative attempt at food reform.

Early signals are mixed. The Food Safety Enhancement Act :energy-and-commerce-subcommittee-the-food-safety-enhancement-act-of-quickly passed out of a House subcommittee, but not before it was weakened by deal-making.

Instead of phasing in a system that would track the origins of ingredients in processed foods, the measure now orders the FDA to study the issue. The mingling of foods from sources around the world is a significant factor in the magnitude of recent salmonella outbreaks, because a small amount of tainted food from one source can contaminate much more.

This is why it was so difficult to trace the source of the salmonella in a 2008 case involving salsa that sickened more than 1,300 people. Congress should restore the tracking provision to a bill that otherwise contains many of the elements for meaningful reform.

The bill would tighten food oversight by requiring companies to develop safety plans and by funding more frequent FDA inspections through a fee on food producers. Before consumers get too excited, they should know that "more frequent" means once every four years instead of once a decade, and as often as once every 18 months for foods considered most at risk for contamination.

The bill also would enable the FDA to issue recalls, a provision so obviously overdue that most Americans think the agency already has that authority.The objective of safeguarding consumers would be more effectively met if the bill didn't perpetuate the existing system of splitting oversight among multiple agencies.

Most notably, the Department of Agriculture -- which receives 80% of the food safety funding, although it's responsible for just 20% of the nation's food -- would continue to oversee meat and eggs. Combining the missions under one agency would make better organizational sense and provide more flexibility for spending regulatory dollars where they are most needed.

2009-06-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

Nestle recalls Toll House cookie dough products

AP – Nestle is voluntarily recalling all Nestle TOLL HOUSE refrigerated cookie dough products.

By LAUREN SHEPHERD, AP Business Writer Lauren Shepherd, Ap Business Writer – 57 mins ago

NEW YORK – Federal authorities are investigating a new outbreak of bacteria-triggered illness related to a sweet treat treasured by the heartbroken and children-at-heart — packaged raw cookie dough.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday that, since March, 66 people in 28 states have fallen ill with symptoms caused by e. coli bacteria after eating Nestle Toll House dough raw.
About 25 people have been hospitalized but no one has died. E. coli is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and, in the most severe cases, kidney failure.

Nestle USA voluntarily recalled all of its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products after the FDA advised consumers to throw away any Nestle Toll House cookie dough products in their homes and asked retailers, restaurateurs and other foodservice operations not to sell or serve any of the products.

Customers also can return any Nestle cookie dough product where they bought it for a full refund. The recall does not affect other Toll House products, including ice cream that contains Toll House raw cookie dough.

The federal Centers for Disease Control also are investigating the illnesses.
"This has been a very quickly moving situation," said Roz O'Hearn, spokeswoman for the company's baking division, adding the company took action within 24 hours of learning of the problem.

Nestle USA spokeswoman Laurie MacDonald said the company has temporarily stopped making the dough while the FDA investigates its factory.

"We hope to resume production as soon as possible," she said.
Nestle holds a 41 percent share of the prepared cookie dough market.

The recall includes refrigerated cookie bar dough, cookie dough tubs, cookie dough tubes, limited edition cookie dough items, seasonal cookie dough and Ultimates cookie bar dough. Nestle said about 300,000 cases of Nestle Toll House cookie dough are affected by the recall, which covers chocolate chip dough, gingerbread, sugar, peanut butter dough and other varieties.

The FDA said consumers should not try to cook the dough, even though it would be safe to eat if cooked, because the bacteria could move to their hands and to countertops and other cooking surfaces.

The cookie dough is nearly as popular raw as it is cooked. There are more than 40 raw cookie dough groups on Facebook — one with more than 3,000 members — complete with photos of dough and postings that read like love notes.

Most do not relate directly to Nestle products.
Stacey Oyler, a 33-year old San Francisco resident, called raw cookie dough her "secret indulgence" — a treat that became irresistible when she was pregnant with her second child last August. She said she still indulges occasionally.
"I love the combination of the salt and sweet," she said. "You can't get that from a piece of chocolate."

Raw cookie dough may be tasty, but it isn't necessarily safe. The eggs in Nestle Toll House's dough are pasteurized, which eliminates most of the risk of salmonella infection that is present in raw eggs. But other raw ingredients could contain other pathogens or bacteria. The company warns in product labels not to eat the dough raw.

Several recent food recalls have been related to bacterial contamination, including a salmonella outbreak last winter traced to a peanut company that sickened more than 600 people and that was blamed for at least nine deaths. A separate outbreak of salmonella last year linked to jalapeno peppers from Mexico led 1,400 people to become ill.

Sarah Klein, staff attorney in the food safety group at consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, called the news disheartening.

"Unfortunately, I don't think that people who have been working in food safety for years can be surprised at this point and sadly, I don't think the American people are surprised, either," Klein said.
___
AP Business Writer Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

2009-06-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Contaminants lurk in many ‘natural’ products
Tests find some herbal supplements may be doing more harm than good

Chris O'Meara AP

Lead in ginkgo pills. Arsenic in herbals. Bugs in a baby's colic and teething syrup. Toxic metals and parasites are part of nature, and all of these have been found in "natural" products and dietary supplements in recent years.

Set aside the issue of whether vitamin and herbal supplements do any good.
Are they safe? Is what's on the label really what's in the bottle? Tests by researchers and private labs suggest the answer sometimes is no.

One quarter of supplements tested by an independent company over the last decade have had some sort of problem. Some contained contaminants. Others had contents that did not match label claims. Some had ingredients that exceeded safe limits. Some contained real drugs masquerading as natural supplements.

"We buy it just as the consumer buys it" from stores, said Dr. Tod Cooperman, president of ConsumerLab.com. The company tests pills for makers that want its seal of approval, and publishes ratings for subscribers, much as Consumer Reports does with household goods.

Other tests, reported in scientific journals, found prenatal vitamins lacking claimed amounts of iodine and supplements short on ginseng and hoodia — an African plant sparking the latest diet craze.

"There's at least 10 times more hoodia sold in this country than made in the world, so people are not getting hoodia," said Dr. Mehmet Oz, a heart surgeon and frequent Oprah Winfrey guest who occasionally has touted the stuff.

Industry groups say that quality problems are the exception rather than the rule.

"I believe that the problem is narrow, that the well-established and reputable brands deserve their reputations," said Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association.

Of course, prescription drugs have had problems, too. Dozens of deaths were linked last year to tainted heparin, a blood thinner produced in China, for example. However, pharmaceutical drugs must show evidence to the government of safety and effectiveness before they go on sale. Not so for dietary supplements.

Fifteen years ago, Congress passed a law that treats supplements like food and allows them to go straight to market without federal Food and Drug Administration approval. The FDA can act only after consumers get sick or a safety issue comes to light.

"We called it 'the body rule,"' said William Obermeyer, a chemist who left the FDA to found ConsumerLab.com with Cooperman. If a supplement was harmful, "we had to have so many adverse events before we could make a move on it. It was really like closing the barn door after all the animals left."

The law said the FDA could write quality control rules for products sold in the U.S. It took the FDA 13 years to adopt these, and they are just now taking effect. But the rules do not say what tests companies must do to prove what is in their products, and some tests can be fooled by subbing other ingredients. The rules also set no limits on toxins such as lead; nor do they change the fundamental way these products are sold to the public.

"It leaves the level of quality up to the manufacturer," Cooperman said.

In a written statement, FDA spokeswoman Susan Cruzan said the new rules contain what is "needed to ensure quality," and that products that contain contaminants or whose labels do not honestly describe their contents, are considered adulterated and subject to further action by the agency. But she conceded that the agency is spread thin.

"In that FDA has limited resources to analyze the composition of food products, including dietary supplements, it focuses these resources first on public health emergencies and products that may have caused injury or illness," she wrote.

Millions of Americans take vitamin, herbal or other dietary supplements. Annual sales exceed $23 billion, and more than 40,000 products are on the market. Tens of thousands of supplement-related health problems are handled by U.S. poison control centers each year, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002.

Until last year, supplement makers were not required to report problems to the FDA, and even now they must report only serious ones. The agency estimates that more than 50,000 safety problems a year are related to supplement use.

The Institute of Medicine, an independent science panel that advises the government, studied the situation in 2005.

"The committee is concerned about the quality of dietary supplements in the United States. Product reliability is low," says its report, which urged amending the 1994 law to tighten consumer protections.

Trade associations say the FDA's new rules do that.

"We are FDA-regulated products," though not in the same way as prescription or over-the-counter drugs, said Steven Mister, president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition.

Although many people take supplements with no apparent ill effects, there have been many quality problems that a consumer might never realize because they don't always produce symptoms.

ConsumerLab.com found lead in at least one brand each of zinc, black cohosh and ginkgo products tested in recent years. Lead can accumulate and cause many health problems, and the testing company wants a national limit of 0.5 micrograms per day — a level that in California requires a warning on the label.

A fungal toxin was found in four red yeast rice products in March 2008. And in 2007, federal officials warned about a liquid herbal supplement sold for colic and teething pain after finding cryptosporidium, a waterborne parasite that causes severe diarrhea.

Ayurvedics — popular herbals used in traditional medicines from India — often contain hazardous metals, studies in medical journals report. In 2004, researchers tested 70 ayurvedic remedies in the Boston area and found that one in five had potentially harmful levels of lead, mercury or arsenic. Tests in Houston, Chicago, San Francisco and New York City turned up similar results.

Metals naturally accumulate in certain herbs and come from the soil they are grown in. Many supplement ingredients come from Europe, India and China.

Potency problems In ConsumerLab.com testing last November, four out of seven supplements contained less ginkgo than claimed on their labels, and one failed to break apart properly to release its ingredients. Seven out of nine failed in tests in 2003, as did six out of 13 in 2005.

"It is now believed that ginkgo is among the most adulterated herbs," the company reports.
Tests by California scientists of two dozen ginseng supplements, reported in a nutrition journal in 2001, found that many differed from their labels. The concentrations of some ginseng compounds varied by up to 200-fold from product to product.

In ConsumerLab.com tests, six out of nine chondroitin supplements failed testing in April 2007. One had only 8 percent of what it claimed to contain, and one "maximum strength" product had none.

Vitamins and minerals had problems, too. A "high potency" iron supplement contained less than half the amount claimed. Of 23 top-selling vitamin C pills, one provided less than half the amount promised; the suggested dosages of some others were beyond recommended safe levels.
Last year, nearly 200 people were sickened by supplements containing up to 200 times the amount of selenium stated on the label.

Hidden prescription drugsThe FDA has repeatedly warned about herbal pills found to contain versions of Viagra and similar drugs to help men get an erection. These can pose a heart hazard, especially when taken with certain medications.

In December, the FDA expanded warnings about dozens of brands of weight loss pills that contained prescription drugs not disclosed on labels.

Drug interactionsGinkgo, vitamin K, garlic, ginseng and other herbals can cause bleeding or clotting problems if taken with certain medications or before surgery. St. John's wort, promoted for depression, affects metabolism of more than half of all prescription drugs and can undermine birth control pills. Other supplements that can interfere with medicines include glucosamine, saw palmetto, soy and valerian.

Other risksEven "safe" supplements can be harmful. Beta-carotene takers still had increased rates of lung cancer six years after one study was stopped. These supplements "appear to increase rates of the disease, particularly among smokers," the National Cancer Institute warns.
In another study, men taking vitamin E were slightly more likely to get prostate cancer, and those taking selenium were a little more likely to develop diabetes. The results could have been due to chance, but federal officials stopped the study last October.

Other studies suggest that high doses of vitamin C may help shield cancer cells from treatments designed to kill the cancer.

"Antioxidants are not the magic bullets that the supplement industry would like consumers to believe," said David Schardt, a nutrition expert with the consumer advocacy group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "They're not even necessarily benign."

Supplement safety:

The federal Food and Drug Administration does not analyze the content of dietary supplements, which do not need proof of safety or effectiveness before they go on sale. Here are tips from the government on their use:
— Don't self-diagnose a health condition or substitute a supplement for medicine.
— Ask your doctor before taking a supplement, especially if you are pregnant, taking other medicines or are having surgery soon.
— Request proof from the manufacturer or distributor to back up any claims.
— Ask the seller or manufacturer for information on tests showing safety or effectiveness of ingredients, and whether consumers have complained of adverse events.
— Look for "seals of approval" from independent groups that have standards to help ensure the product was properly made, contains what the label says, and is free of contaminants. These groups include Consumerlab.com, NSF and the U.S. Pharmacopeia.

© 2009 The Associated Press

2009-06-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

2 dead, dozens injured in blast at N.C. plant

More than 300 workers were on duty as explosion ripped off Con Agra plant roof

GARNER, N.C. - A blast at a meat products plant Tuesday blew workers off their feet, ripped the building's roof off its supports, killing two people and critically burning four others.

Dozens were taken to hospitals, including three firefighters who needed medical attention after inhaling ammonia gases that left a distinct scent around the sprawling ConAgra Foods Inc. plant just south of Raleigh. The explosion left gaping holes in the roof. An exterior wall collapsed, smashing cars parked next to the 500,000-square-foot (152,000-meter) building.

Police said they have found the bodies of two people in the rubble. Garner Police Sgt. Joe Binns said Tuesday night that the bodies have not yet been recovered.

Binns said the search continues for a third person believed to have been inside. About 900 people cover four shifts at the plant, one of ConAgra's largest, Jackson said. The ammonia is used to refrigerate meat before it's turned into Slim Jim beef jerkey.

Workers described chaosThroughout the day, crew searched for the missing workers who had been at the plant in the morning, said Frank McLaurin, a battalion chief with North Carolina Task Force 8 Urban Search-and-Rescue. Their bodies weren't found until later Tuesday. Crews relied on cameras and listening equipment as thunderstorms delayed the search. They were also concerned because the building was unstable.

Some of the more than 300 workers on duty described chaos after the explosion. Authorities could not say exactly where in the plant the blast happened or what caused it.

ConAgra spokesman Dave Jackson said someone called the plant over the weekend and threatened to start a fire. He said company officials don't believe the threat was connected to the explosion, but Garner Police Sgt. Joe Binns would not say whether police think there is a link.

Four people were in critical condition at UNC Hospitals with burns covering between 40 percent and 60 percent of their bodies, said Dr. Charles Cairns, professor and chairman of the department of emergency medicine at the University of North Carolina.

Blast injuries among workersDebbie Laughery, a spokeswoman for WakeMed, said its hospitals in Raleigh and Cary were treating 17 patients, including two in serious condition, for broken bones, bruises and burns consistent with blast injuries. She said some complained of burning in their throats.

2009-05-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

FDA: Pistachio plant knew some nuts were tainted

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Food safety inspectors sad Friday that the California plant at the center of a salmonella scare knew some of its pistachios were tainted but continued shipping nuts for another six months.

The Food and Drug Administration issued a sweeping national warning in March for consumers to avoid eating pistachios after concerns surfaced about nuts from Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella,.

In an inspection report released this week, FDA officials said Setton got results in October showing some of its roasted nuts tested positive for salmonella. But, officials said, it didn't make proper adjustments to its processing procedures and kept shipping out nuts.

Officials haven't said whether Setton will face sanctions.

A Setton spokeswoman didn't immediately return calls seeking comment Friday.
No illnesses have been confirmed as a result of contaminated pistachios.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

2009-04-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

What salmonella? Many ignore food recalls

Only 60 percent of Americans search homes for contaminated items
WASHINGTON - Only about 60 percent of Americans search their homes for foods recalled because of contamination, researchers reported on Tuesday.

The United States has had several major food recalls in recent years, including a Salmonella outbreak that sickened 700 people and was linked to the deaths of nine this year and an ongoing recall of pistachios contaminated with the bacteria.

But a survey by Rutgers University in New Jersey showed that many Americans believe they are less likely than others to have bought recalled products.

“Getting consumers to pay attention to news about recalls isn’t the hard part. It’s getting them to take the step of actually looking for recalled food products in their homes,” said William Hallman, a professor of human ecology who led the study.

The Rutgers team surveyed 1,101 Americans in August and September of last year.
“Most Americans (84 percent) say that they pay close attention to news reports about food recalls and 81 percent say that when they hear about a food recall, they tell others about it,” the report said.

In 2006, there were 34 recalls of meat and poultry products and 65 recalls of other foods.
The survey, found at http://www.foodpolicy.rutgers.edu, found that 80 percent correctly said that recalls of food were more frequent lately than in past years.

It found that 40 percent of people who paid attention to recalls said they believed the foods they bought were less likely to be recalled than those purchased by others.
About half said recalls have had no impact on their lives.

Clear instruction neededThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 76 million people become ill from food every year, with 325,000 sick enough to go to the hospital and 5,000 dying from food poisoning.

“While this suggests that nearly every American has experienced symptoms of a foodborne infection, only 18 percent of the respondents reported that they had ever been personally made sick as the result of eating contaminated food,” the report said.

Nearly 75 percent of those surveyed said they would like to receive personalized information about recalls on store receipts, and more than 60 percent said they also would also like to receive such information via letter or e-mail.

Just 12 percent reported eating a food they thought had been recalled, while more than 25 percent said they threw out food after hearing about a recall.

“Our research also points out that instructions to consumers must be clear and comprehensible if you want them to act appropriately after a food recall,” Hallman said in a statement.

The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, suggested that instructions from regulators such as the Food and Drug Administration and USDA must be very clear and simple.

Copyright 2009 Reuters.

2009-04-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

Ashdon Farms Voluntary Recall of Girl Scouts Pistachios Containing Pistachios Recalled by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc.
Contact:William Womack262-832-8254
wwomack@alschutzman.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Waukesha, WI – April 9, 2008 - Ashdon Farms, Waukesha, WI, announced a voluntary recall involving certain code dates of 7.5 oz Girl Scouts Pistachios packed in pop top cans. This recall is in response to the voluntary recall of pistachios announced by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc. on April 6, 2009 as a result of possible Salmonella contamination.

Product involved in the recall is 7.5 oz Girl Scouts Pistachios packed in pop top cans. Affected product will have a code date beginning with 8264A6, 8266B6, 8297A6, 8297B6 or 8318A6 on the bottom of the can. Only products with these codes are affected. No illnesses have been reported in relation to this product.

Product was distributed by Girl Scout Councils as part of fundraising efforts. With the exception of product distributed in Northeastern Illinois and Northwestern Indiana in March 2009, all of the product was distributed between October and early December 2008. The 2008 product was distributed by Girl Scout Councils in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

For more information on Salmonella, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Website at http://www.cdc.gov.

Consumers that have product with the above code dates should not consume the product. For additional information contact Ashdon Farms at 800-274-3666 between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm Central time Monday through Friday.

2009-04-08T09:48:00.000-07:00

FDA News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2009
Media Inquiries: Stephanie Kwisnek, 301-796-4737
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Serves Warrant for Inspection of Westco Fruit and Nuts, Inc
New Jersey-based company received peanuts implicated in Salmonella outbreak; refused to provide access to records and refused to recall products

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals today executed an inspection warrant at Westco Fruit and Nuts Inc. (Westco/Westcott), an Irvington, N.J.-based company. Westco/Westcott did not provide access to distribution documents and declined to recall products after an FDA request. Regulated companies are required by law to grant FDA entry for inspection, as well as provide access to distribution records. The FDA does not have authority to compel companies to recall food products, such as peanuts.

The company, which produces and distributes peanuts and peanut products, received peanuts and peanut product from the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), a Georgia company that recalled products in January due to concerns of Salmonella contamination.

Despite PCA's effort to remove the affected product from the market and FDA's intervention, Westco/Westcott has refused to recall its products.

"FDA's enforcement action against Westco Fruit and Nuts is an appropriate step toward removing potentially harmful products from the marketplace, especially when, as in this case, a company is unwilling to share information FDA needs to ensure food safety," said Michael Chappell, the FDA's acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. "The FDA uses all appropriate legal means necessary to obtain information and fully investigate firms or individuals who put the health of consumers at risk."

On March 23, 2009, the FDA formally requested Westco/Westcott to initiate a recall of all of its products containing peanuts from PCA because such products may be contaminated with Salmonella. On March 26, 2009, the FDA also issued a formal notice to Westco/Westcott requesting access to certain records concerning the distribution of PCA peanut containing products. The company declined both requests.

Investigations by the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified products from PCA's Blakely, Ga., facility as a source of the current Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak. These efforts led to PCA's recall of peanuts and peanut-derived products.
Between Nov. 19, 2008, and Dec. 30, 2008, Westco/Westcott received three shipments of Oil Roasted Salted Redskin Jumbo Peanuts from PCA's Georgia facility.

Westco/Westcott sold these peanuts in various size/packaging configurations and also used them as an ingredient in a variety of mixed nut products and trail mix produced between Nov. 19, 2008, and early February 2009.

On Feb. 9, 2009, New Jersey officials executed an embargo action at Westco/Westcott's distribution facility to prevent the company from further distributing potentially contaminated peanuts or peanut-derived products in the company's inventory.

The FDA has no reports of illness or death at this time associated with consumption of Westco/Westcott products. The FDA urged consumers on March 23, 2009, to check their homes for peanut-derived products made by or distributed by Westco/Westcott and repeats that advice today.
For those consumers who find Westco/Westcott products, they should dispose of the peanuts in a safe manner by placing them in a plastic bag, sealing the bag properly and placing in a trash bin; they should wash their hands after handling. Salmonella is bacterium that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

As of March 17, 2009, 691 people infected with Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 46 states, and infection may have contributed to nine deaths.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (infected aneurysms, endocarditis, and arthritis).

For more information on the FDA's investigation into the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak, including a complete list of all the products being recalled, visit:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html.

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2009-04-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

Superfoods or super-hype?
7 products that claim to shrink your belly, fight cancer and help your heart
By Bridget Murray Law

Introduction
It’s not enough to fill your plate with fresh fruits and vegetables. Mere vitamins and minerals are old hat. These day you have to load up with antioxidant-packed, cancer-fighting curative superfoods.

Gulp green tea and it’ll help shrink your waist while fighting cancer. Same for the açai berry, one of the most heavily hyped foods of the last decade. Somehow chocolate has evolved from a tasty indulgence into a daily must-have for anyone looking to live longer.
Is there anything to these claims?

Maybe a little. But no one food can guarantee a long, disease-free life. It's more important for your diet to include a wide variety of basic foods, nutritionists say. In addition, superfoods tend to be pricey, which can cut into people's budget for less expensive but equally healthy foods.

"I don't want you blowing $37 on a bottle of designer fruit juice, then passing up the produce aisle," says Joan Salge Blake, R.D., and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

Açai berry
Claims: This small purple berry, harvested from the Açai Palm in Brazil, is said to fight heart disease due to a potent mix of antioxidants, minerals and amino and fatty acids. Some product makers also claim the berry helps people lose weight, prevents aging and stops cancer.

Reality check: Açai berries do contain beneficial fatty acids and high levels of phytochemicals, an anti-inflammatory, fibrous, antioxidant blend that research suggests may reduce chronic-disease risk.

However, there isn't enough scientific evidence to claim that açai berries are more beneficial than other phytochemical-rich berries such as blueberries, raspberries or cranberries, says Joshua Bomser, an Ohio State University nutrition professor.

“And these other berries are much less expensive and widely available to us." For example, compared with $2 to $3 for a 12-ounce container of fresh blueberries, you'll pay $8 or more for about 14 ounces of frozen imported açai pulp at your local health-food store.

Most Americans buy açai berry as a juice mixed with other juices, such as a brand known as MonaVie. A bottle of this blend goes for $40. As for the claims about weight loss, aging and curing disease, they are unsubstantiated, says Bomser.

Green tea
Claims: This relatively low-caffeine, less processed form of tea is said to contain high levels of antioxidants that help prevent cancer and heart disease. Some vendors also claim it helps people lose weight.

Reality check: Research confirms that green tea is rich in antioxidants. However, evidence that it benefits heart health or prevents cancer is not conclusive, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

What about the weight-loss claims? They're not completely unfounded, says Washington, D.C., nutritionist Katherine Tallmadge, an American Dietetic Association spokesperson. Green tea contains the fat-burning compounds catechins, but you'd have to drink at least three cups of it daily for the slightest drop in weight, she says.

Black tea actually packs a bigger weight-loss wallop, she says, because in addition to catechins, it contains more caffeine — also a weight-loss aid.

Another cautionary note: Most research on tea and weight loss was done on animals. Findings must still be confirmed in humans.

Mangosteen fruit
Claims: This purple fruit from Asia is said to contain powerful antioxidants called xanthones, which are found in a few tropical fruits. Xanthones are supposed to boost the immune system, improve intestinal health and ward off cancer.

Reality check: As with some açai berry manufacturers, a marketing network is selling mangosteen as a blended juice. In the U.S., a bottle of XanGo goes for $37. And as with the açai berry, no rigorous research on humans exists to back the immunity-boosting claims, notes nutritionist Salge Blake.

Also, when a fruit is juiced you concentrate the calories and lose the beneficial fiber. "It takes three whole oranges to equal the calories in one glass of orange juice," says Salge Blake.

Dark chocolate
Claims: The cocoa in dark chocolate contains phytochemicals known as flavonols, which marketers say help the heart by controlling bad cholesterol and ease blood pressure by expanding blood vessels.

Reality check: The flavonols in dark chocolate — not regular or milk chocolate — do appear to fight cholesterol and may even give your brain a boost, research indicates.

But it’s worth remembering that chocolate is higher in fat and calories than other flavanol-rich foods such as apples, cranberries and onions. To avoid weight gain, limit yourself to an ounce or less daily.

Red wine
Claims: It contains flavonoids and a substance from grapes called resveratrol. Both help the heart by reducing inflammation and aids in preventing artery damage caused by buildups of bad cholesterol in the blood vessels.

Reality check: Studies indicate that red wine does appear to boost heart health, says nutritionist Salge Blake. However, a large British study linked having just one alcoholic drink a day to an elevated risk of cancer of the breast, liver and rectum in women.

Those findings have yet to be confirmed in other studies. Meanwhile, conventional wisdom holds that no more than one glass of red wine a day for women, and two for men, is beneficial, notes Salge Blake.

"As with chocolate, higher amounts start working against you," she says. The extra calories can contribute to weight gain, and excessive alcohol intake puts you at risk for alcoholism, liver disease and heart problems.

Also sobering: By one glass of wine daily, Salge Blake means five ounces. "Take a hard look at five ounces of liquid to see how much you're really pouring," she advises. "If you're filling the glass, you might be drinking twice that."

Soy
Claims: The list of benefits from this rather blah-looking bean seems endless. The bean offers plenty of protein, and its isoflavones (a type of phytoestrogen) are said to aid heart and bone health, cancer prevention, and ease the symptoms of menopause.

Reality check: While soy's phytoestrogens may ease menopausal hot flashes, research has also linked those same compounds to breast cancer and other estrogen-related diseases such as uterine fibroid tumors and endometriosis.

Recent research reviews also cast doubt on the bean's supposed heart and bone benefits. Should you still eat it? "Absolutely," says Tallmadge. But don't take it as an isolated supplement. Rather, eat the whole food versions such as edamame, tofu or milk, says Tallmadge.

Spirulina (blue-green algae)
Claims: This form of blue-green algae from lakes and the ocean is touted as a great source of antioxidants and complete protein and B vitamins. Marketers say it helps prevent cancer and heart disease, boosts energy and immunity, and aids weight loss, among other benefits.

Reality check: There is no rigorous scientific research to support any claims linking spirulina to disease prevention, boosting immunity or helping with weight loss. There is, however, some preliminary animal research indicating that it could aid in healing wounds and ulcers.

The American Dietetic Association discounts spirulina as a valid B12 source. For those seeking protein, inexpensive kidney beans provide a potent source. "Plus they have all that wonderful soluble fiber to help lower cholesterol," says Salge Blake.

2009-04-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

Plant at center of recall had salmonella last year
Nuts from the California company tested positive in 2008, says sister plant

FRESNO, Calif. - A company at the heart of a nationwide pistachio recall said Friday that Kraft Foods Inc. detected salmonella in its pistachios more than six months ago but did not inform them until last week.

A Kraft spokeswoman said the food products giant did not know until recently that pistachios were the cause of salmonella contamination in a trail mix and promptly informed their nut supplier, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc.

Lee Cohen, a production manager for the California firm's sister plant, said Setton's pistachios tested positive for the bacteria in a Kraft snack mix in September 2008.

The tainted nuts were found in a blend of fruits and nuts that also contained salmonella-tainted cherries, he said.

Setton Pistachio recalled more than 2 million pounds of its roasted nuts on Monday after a Kraft manufacturer in Illinois detected salmonella in another batch of its pistachios on March 20.
The California plant never knowingly shipped contaminated nuts to Kraft, and its own tests of roasted pistachios never found salmonella, he said.

Cohen said Kraft did not tell Setton Pistachio of the September test until March 24.

Susan Davison, a Kraft spokeswoman, said their manufacturer Georgia Nut Co. first found the bacteria in its Kraft Back to Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix in September, but it took more than six months of careful ingredient testing to determine what caused the contamination.
Once Georgia Nut determined it was pistachios on March 20, the two companies issued a recall days later, she said.

Dr. David Acheson, FDA's assistant commissioner for food safety, said he believes Kraft destroyed or recalled the tainted trail mix. He said the FDA learned last week about the problems from six months ago.

Neither federal nor state laws require food manufacturers to test the safety of their products. If companies test and find contaminated food, they are also not required to report it, although many do if they plan to issue a recall, Acheson said.

On Monday, federal regulators issued a sweeping warning, telling the public not to eat any pistachios until further notice.

"Through September, November, Kraft found some positive samples and they started to say 'what is the cause of this?'" Acheson said. "If they find problems in a product prior to shipment, they'll pull it back and destroy it. I wouldn't call that a good manufacturing practice, but that is clearly a good public health practice."

Salmonella, the most common cause of food-borne illness, causes diarrhea, fever and cramping. Most people recover, but the infection can be life-threatening for children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

Roasting is supposed to kill the bacteria in nuts. But problems can occur if the roasting is not done correctly or if roasted nuts are re-contaminated. That can happen if mice, rats or birds get into the facility.

Cohen said Friday that some of Setton Pistachio's internal tests had detected salmonella on its own raw pistachios in the past. He did not say when, but said all tainted pistachios were later roasted.

"We have found salmonella on raw pistachios, but that doesn't mean anything because those nuts are coming straight from the orchards where you could have had a very small localized contamination from birds," Cohen said. "Those nuts never hit the marketplace."

The Long Island sister firm is one of 36 wholesale customers that gets its nuts from the California plant. On Friday, Setton International Foods announced it was voluntarily recalling about 118,000 pounds of pistachio products.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

2009-04-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

More pistachios recalled as salmonella verified
FDA says inspectors found traces of the bacteria at California plant

NEW YORK - Federal officials confirmed Monday they found traces of salmonella in a central California pistachio processing plant that sparked a nationwide recall of the nut.

The Food and Drug Administration said state and federal inspectors found the bacteria in "critical areas" at Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc., the second-largest pistachio processor in the nation.

FDA officials also said they found places at the facility where raw and roasted nuts could have become cross-contaminated with salmonella.

Setton Pistachio, which sells its nuts to Kraft Foods Inc. and 35 other wholesalers across the country, temporarily shut down after voluntarily recalling more than 2 million pounds of nuts last week.

The company expanded its recall of pistachios on Monday to include all roasted, shelled pistachios, roasted in-shell pistachios and raw shelled pistachios from its 2008 crop. A company spokeswoman did not immediately return messages seeking further details.

Federal regulators say consumers should avoid eating pistachios or foods made with the nuts until they can determine that they don't contain any nuts that Setton has recalled. The FDA on Monday also advised wholesalers, retailers, and operators of restaurants and food service establishments against selling or serving any pistachios or pistachio products until they can figure out whether they came from Setton.

No illnesses from consumers eating tainted pistachios have been reported.

Pistachios are used in everything from ice cream to cake mixes, and the FDA believes more recalls are imminent.

Salmonella, the most common cause of food-borne illness, causes diarrhea, fever and cramping. Most people recover, but the infection can be life-threatening for children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

Roasting is supposed to kill the bacteria in nuts. But problems can occur if the roasting is not done correctly or if roasted nuts are re-contaminated.

2009-04-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

Pharmaceuticals found in fish across U.S.
Residue of allergy, cholesterol, other meds were in fish near 5 major cities

Fish caught near wastewater treatment plants serving five major U.S. cities had residues of pharmaceuticals in them, including medicines used to treat high cholesterol, allergies, high blood pressure, bipolar disorder and depression, researchers reported Wednesday.
Findings from this first nationwide study of human drugs in fish tissue have prompted the Environmental Protection Agency to significantly expand similar ongoing research to more than 150 different locations.

"The average person hopefully will see this type of a study and see the importance of us thinking about water that we use every day, where does it come from, where does it go to? We need to understand this is a limited resource and we need to learn a lot more about our impacts on it," said study co-author Bryan Brooks, a Baylor University researcher and professor who has published more than a dozen studies related to pharmaceuticals in the environment.

A person would have to eat hundreds of thousands of fish dinners to get even a single therapeutic dose, Brooks said. But researchers including Brooks have found that even extremely diluted concentrations of pharmaceutical residues can harm fish, frogs and other aquatic species because of their constant exposure to contaminated water.

Brooks and his colleague Kevin Chambliss tested fish caught in rivers where wastewater treatment plants release treated sewage in Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Orlando, Fla. For comparison, they also tested fish from New Mexico's pristine Gila River Wilderness Area, an area isolated from human sources of pollution.

MSNBCEarlier research has confirmed that fish absorb medicines because the rivers they live in are contaminated with traces of drugs that are not removed in sewage treatment plants. Much of the contamination comes from the unmetabolized residues of pharmaceuticals that people have taken and excreted; unused medications dumped down the drain also contribute to the problem.

The researchers, whose work was funded by a $150,000 EPA grant, tested fish for 24 different pharmaceuticals, as well as 12 chemicals found in personal care products.

Traces of meds found at all sites testedThey found trace concentrations of seven drugs and two soap scent chemicals in fish at all five of the urban river sites. The amounts varied, but some of the fish had combinations of many of the compounds in their livers.

The researchers didn't detect anything in the reference fish caught in rural New Mexico.

2009-04-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

Pistachio warning could signal food safety shift
Rather than wait until contaminated products surfaced, alert was swift

TERRA BELLA, California - It could take weeks before health officials know exactly which pistachio products may be tainted with salmonella, but they've already issued a sweeping warning to avoid eating the nuts or foods containing them.

The move appears to indicate a shift in how the government handles food safety issues — from waiting until contaminated foods surface one-by-one and risking that more people fall ill to jumping on the problem right away, even if the message is vague.

Officials wouldn't say if the approach was in response to any perceived mishandling of the massive peanut recall that started last year, only that they're trying to keep people from getting sick as new details surface about the California plant at the center of the pistachio scare.

"What's different here is that we are being very proactive and are putting out a broad message with the goal of trying to minimize the likelihood of consumer exposure," said Dr. David Acheson, FDA's assistant commissioner for food safety. "The only logical advice to consumers is to say 'OK consumers, put pistachios on hold while we work this out. We don't want you exposed, we don't want you getting salmonella."

Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, the president's new acting commissioner who started Monday, made it clear staff needed to move quickly, Acheson said.

2 million pounds of pistachios recalled. The agency announced Monday that Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc., the second-largest pistachio processor in the nation, recalled more than 2 million pounds of its roasted pistachios.

Suspect nuts were shipped as far away as Norway and Mexico, Acheson said Tuesday. One week after authorities first learned of the problem, they still had little idea what products were at risk, he said.

As federal health inspectors take swabs inside the plant to try to identify a salmonella source, a whole range of products from nut bars to ice cream and cake mixes remain in limbo on grocery shelves.

Company officials said Tuesday they suspected their roasted pistachios may have been contaminated by salmonella-tainted raw nuts they were processed with at the hulking facility.
Roasting is supposed to kill the bacteria in nuts. But problems can occur if the roasting is not done correctly or if roasted nuts are re-exposed to bacteria.

The firm sells its California-grown pistachios to giants of the food industry such as Kraft Foods Inc., as well as 36 wholesalers across the country.

"We care about our business and our customers greatly," said Lee Cohen, the production manager for Setton International Foods Inc., a sister company to Setton Pistachios. "We've never had an illness complaint before but obviously this affects the whole industry. It's not good."

California supplies 99.99 percent of the U.S. pistachio market, according to the California Pistachio Board.

"What's scary is that it's after the nuts have been processed that this stuff is getting into it, so it really makes you wonder," said Marcia Rowland, an avid pistachio eater in Apopka, Fla.

The FDA learned about the problem March 24, when Kraft notified the agency that routine product testing had detected salmonella in roasted pistachios. Kraft and the Georgia Nut Co. recalled their Back to Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix the next day and expanded the recall to include any Planters and Back to Nature products that contain pistachios Tuesday.

Kraft spokeswoman Laurie Guzzinati said her company's auditors visited the plant early last week, and "observed employee practices where raw and roasted nuts were not adequately segregated and that could explain the sporadic contamination."

She said she didn't know specifically what they saw.

Last federal inspection in 2003Federal inspectors last visited the plant in 2003, and the California Department of Public Health was there last year, Acheson said. Federal officials made note of several problems — an open door into one of the nut rooms, and an employee wearing street clothes that weren't adequately covered — but nothing that posed a food safety threat, he said.

2009-04-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

Pistachio recall widens amid salmonella fears
Frito-Lay, other companies warn of products; testing done to establish link

NEW YORK - The U.S. recall of pistachio nuts due to potential salmonella contamination widened as more snack makers and retailers removed their nuts from store shelves as a precautionary measure.

PepsiCo Inc's North American snack division Frito-Lay recalled its unshelled pistachios in 1.75 ounce packages with sell-by dates between July 14, 2009 and December 29, 2009. The company said it has received no reports of illness related to the product, but is issuing the recall as a precaution.

Frito-Lay is also recalling its bagged pistachios in Canada, where they are sold under the Munchies brand. The recalled Munchies nuts have sell-by dates between August 4, 2009 and December 15, 2009.

Frito-Lay and its Canadian unit said their pistachios were supplied by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc, the California grower and processor which issued a recall on Tuesday of selected lots of pistachios due to salmonella.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that it was conducting genetic testing of samples to see if there were a link between pistachios and several illnesses reported by consumers.

The Western Pistachio Association said on Wednesday that its growers and processors are working to ensure the safety of their inventories and would keep testing shipments going forward.

Another snack maker, John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc, recalled bulk packaged and small packages of roasted unshelled pistachios under its Fisher brand as a precaution. Ciao Bella Gelato said it recalled 3.5-ounce cups of its pistachio gelato since they contain diced pistachios supplied by Setton.

Meanwhile, grocery chain Kroger Co widened the recall of its Private Selection shelled pistachios on Tuesday, adding other "sell by" dates.

Copyright 2009 Reuters.

2009-04-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

100 sickened after eating at N.Y. Applebee’s
Health department investigating source of Shigellosis bacteria

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Health officials say more than 100 people reported getting sick after eating at an Applebee's restaurant near Syracuse.

The county health department says there are seven confirmed cases of Shigellosis among people who ate at the Applebee's in Camillus in early March. The bacterial infection is associated with consuming water or food contaminated with fecal matter.

Health officials advised about half of the more than 100 people who complained of illness to get tested for Shigellosis.

Investigators haven't identified the source of the bacteria. They are focusing their investigation on lemons and limes.The restaurant is cooperating with investigators and remains open. A man who said he was the manager referred questions to county health officials.

Copyright 2009 AP

2009-03-30T22:50:00.000-07:00

FDA says to avoid pistachios amid salmonella scare

FRESNO, Calif. – Federal food safety officials warned Monday that consumers should stop eating all foods containing pistachios while they figure out the source of a possible salmonella contamination.

Still reeling from the national salmonella outbreak in peanuts, the Food and Drug Administration said central California-based Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc., the nation's second-largest pistachio processor, was voluntarily recalling a portion of the roasted nuts it has been shipping since last fall.

A Setton spokeswoman said that amounts to more than 2 million pounds of nuts. "Our advice to consumers is that they avoid eating pistachio products, and that they hold onto those products," said Dr. David Acheson, assistant commissioner for food safety. "The number of products that are going to be recalled over the coming days will grow, simply because these pistachio nuts have then been repackaged into consumer-level containers."

Two people called the FDA complaining of gastrointestinal illness that could be associated with the nuts, but the link hasn't been confirmed, Acheson said. Still, the plant decided to shut down late last week, officials said.

The recalled nuts represent a small fraction of the 55 million pounds of pistachios that the company's plant processed last year and an even smaller portion of the 278 million pounds produced in the state in the 2008 season, according to the Fresno-based Administrative Committee for Pistachios.

California alone is the second-largest producer of pistachios in the world.

According to the company's Web site, Setton Pistachio is in the corporate family of Commack, N.Y.-based Setton International Foods Inc. The company sells nuts, dried fruit, edible seeds, chocolate and yogurt-coated candies.

The FDA learned about the problem last Tuesday, when Kraft Foods Inc. notified the agency that it had detected salmonella in roasted pistachios through routine product testing. Kraft and the Georgia Nut Co. recalled their Back to Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix the next day.
The FDA contacted Setton Pistachio and California health officials shortly afterward, in what Acheson called a "proactive move."

By Friday, grocery operator Kroger Co. recalled one of its lines of bagged pistachios because of possible salmonella contamination, saying the California plant also supplied its nuts. Those nuts were sold in 31 states.

Fabia D'Arienzo, a spokeswoman for Tulare County-based Setton Pistachio, said the company was only recalling certain bulk roasted in-shell and roasted shelled pistachios that were shipped on or after September 1.

Because Setton Pistachio shipped tote bags of nuts weighing up to 2,000 pounds to 36 wholesalers across the country, it will take weeks to figure out how many products could be affected, said Jeff Farrar, chief of the Food and Drug Branch of the California Department of Public Health.

"It will be safe to assume based on the volume that this will be an ingredient in a lot of different products, and that may possibly include things like ice cream and cake mixes," Farrar said. "The firm is already turning around trucks in transit to bring those back to the facility."

Salmonella, the most common cause of food-borne illness, is a bacteria that causes diarrhea, fever and cramping. Most people recover, but the infection can be life-threatening for children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

For nuts, roasting is supposed to kill the bacteria. But problems can occur if the roasting is not done correctly or if roasted nuts are re-contaminated. That can happen if mice, rats or birds get into the facility.

Last winter, a national salmonella outbreak was blamed on a Georgia company under federal investigation for flouting safety procedures and knowingly shipping contaminated peanuts.
The outbreak is still ongoing.

More than 690 people in 46 states have gotten sick. Nearly 3,900 products made with peanut ingredients from Peanut Corp of America have been recalled.

California public health authorities have taken hundreds of samples at Setton's processing facility, but lab results have not yet determined whether salmonella was found at the plant, Farrar said. The food companies' own tests of the contaminated products isolated four different types of salmonella, but none were the same strain as the one found in the peanuts, Acheson said.

2009-02-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

Peanut company owner refuses to testify
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR and BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE, Associated Press Writers Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar And Brett J. Blackledge

WASHINGTON – The owner of a peanut company refused to testify to Congress on Wednesday amid the disclosure that he urged his workers to ship bacteria-tainted products, pleading with employees to at least "turn the raw peanuts on the floor into money."

Stewart Parnell, owner of Peanut Corp. of America, repeatedly invoked his right not to incriminate himself before the House subcommittee holding a hearing on a national salmonella outbreak blamed on his company. The outbreak has sickened some 600 people, may be linked to nine deaths — the latest in Ohio — and has led to one of the largest product recalls, with more than 1,800 pulled.

Parnell sat stiffly, his hands folded in his lap at the witness table, as Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., held up a clear jar of his company's products wrapped in crime scene tape and asked him if he would be willing to eat the food.

"Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, on advice of my counsel, I respectively decline to answer your questions based on the protections afforded me under the U.S. Constitution," Parnell said.

After repeating the statement several times, he was dismissed from the hearing.
The House panel released e-mails obtained by its investigators showing Parnell ordered products identified with salmonella shipped and quoting his complaints that tests discovering the contaminated food were "costing us huge $$$$$$."

At one point, Parnell said his workers "desperately at least need to turn the raw peanuts on our floor into money." In another exchange, he told his plant manager to "turn them loose" after products once deemed contaminated were cleared in a second test.

Parnell's response to a final lab test showing salmonella was about how much it would cost, and the impact lab testing was having on moving his products.

"We need to discuss this," he wrote in an Oct. 6 e-mail to Sammy Lightsey, his plant manager. "The time lapse, beside the cost is costing us huge $$$$$$ and causing obviously a huge lapse in time from the time we pick up peanuts until the time we can invoice."
Lightsey also invoked his right not to testify when he appeared alongside Parnell before the subcommittee.

The disclosures came in correspondence released by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee Wednesday during a hearing on the salmonella outbreak that has sickened 600 people, may be linked to eight deaths and has led to one of the largest recalls in history with more than 1,800 products pulled.

"Their behavior is criminal, in my opinion. I want to see jail time," said Jeffrey Almer, whose 72-year-old mother died Dec. 21 in Minnesota of salmonella poisoning after eating Peanut Corp.'s peanut butter. Almer and other relatives of victims urged lawmakers to approve mandatory product recalls and improve public notice about contaminated food.

A federal criminal investigation is under way.

"We appear to have a total systemic breakdown," said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the committee's investigations subcommittee.

After peanut granules made in Georgia were connected to the Salmonella outbreak, Parnell tried to salvage whatever he could from the plant, looking for loopholes in what the government said they could use.

In a Jan. 19 e-mail about a truck with more than 33,000 pounds of raw peanuts, Parnell noted that Georgia agriculture officials are "putting a hold on everything else in the plant" beside what was on the truck.

"Obviously we are not shipping any peanut butter products affected by the recall but desperately at least need to turn the raw peanuts on our floor into money," he wrote. "We have other raw peanuts on our floor that we would like to do the same with."

In another exchange, Parnell complained to a worker after they notified him salmonella was discovered in more products.

"I go thru this about once a week," he wrote in a June 2008 e-mail. "I will hold my breath .......... again."

A laboratory owner told the House panel that the peanut company's disregard for tests identifying salmonella in its product is "virtually unheard of" in the nation's food industry and should prompt efforts to increase federal oversight of product safety.

Charles Deibel, president of Deibel Laboratories Inc., said his company was among those that tested Peanut Corp. of America's products and notified the Georgia plant that salmonella was found in some of its peanut stock. Peanut Corp. sold the products anyway, according to a Food and Drug Administration inspection report.

"It is not unusual for Deibel Labs or other food testing laboratories to find that samples clients submit do test positive for salmonella and other pathogens, nor is it unusual that clients request that samples be retested," Deibel said. "What is virtually unheard of is for an entity to disregard those results and place potentially contaminated products into the stream of commerce."
Deibel said he hopes the crisis leads to a greater role for FDA in overseeing food safety and providing more guidance to food makers.

The company, now under FBI investigation, makes only about 1 percent of U.S. peanut products. But its ingredients are used by dozens of other food companies.
___
AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein contributed to this report.