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US: What does the label on your chicken really mean?
5/13/2008
Science Daily
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)—“100 percent natural” means the poultry doesn’t contain artificial ingredients like preservatives. But experts warn—there are no guarantees. “100 percent natural—remember—no inspections are done. So we don’t know if those claims are really true,” says Shannon Wallace, R.D., registered dietitian with Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.
Chicken labeled as “organic” must meet much stricter standards. Inspections are conducted and organic chicken cannot contain artificial ingredients, hormones or antibiotics. But are those really harmful to consumers?
“The USDA does not make any claims that organically produced food is any safer or more nutritious than conventionally produced food,” adds Wallace.
For the complete news item, please visit http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512145154.htm
Read the whole story: US: What does the label on your chicken really mean?
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US: Start at the store: 7 ways to prevent foodborne illness
5/13/2008
U.S. FDA Press Release
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Safeguarding your home against foodborne illnesses begins not at home, but at the supermarket, grocery store, or any other place where you buy food that you plan to store and serve.
Combating foodborne illnesses is a top priority at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That's because, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), foodborne ailments cause about 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,200 deaths nationwide each year.
You as a consumer can play a key role in preventing these illnesses. While shopping for food, you should:
1. Check for cleanliness. Buying from a retailer who follows proper food handling practices helps assure that the food is safe. Ask yourself: What is the general impression of this facility? Does it look and smell clean?
2. Keep certain foods separated. Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods in your grocery shopping cart. Place these foods in plastic bags to prevent their juices from dripping on other foods. It is also best to separate these foods from other foods at checkout and in your grocery bags.
3. Inspect cans and jars. Don't buy food in cans that are bulging or dented. Also, don't buy food in jars that are cracked or have loose or bulging lids.
Since foods sold in cans or jars are processed to be sterile, they can "keep" for a long time if the can or jar is intact. A bulging can or jar lid may mean the food was under-processed and is contaminated. A dent in a can, especially if the dent affects a seam, may cause an opening in the seam which may allow contamination, as would a crack in a jar. A loose lid on a jar means the vacuum has been lost and the product may be contaminated. Don't buy a food product whose seal seems tampered with or damaged.
4. Inspect frozen food packaging. Don't buy frozen food if the package is damaged. Packages should not be open, torn or crushed on the edges. Also, avoid packages that are above the frost line in the store's freezer. If the package cover is transparent, look for signs of frost or ice crystals. This could mean that the food in the package has either been stored for a long time or thawed and refrozen. In such cases, choose another package.
5. Select frozen foods and perishables last. Meat, poultry, fish and eggs should be the last items placed in your shopping cart. Always put these products in separate plastic bags so that drippings don't contaminate other foods.
6. Choose fresh eggs carefully. Before putting eggs in your cart, open the carton and make sure that the eggs are clean and none is cracked. Buy only refrigerated eggs and follow the "Safe Handling Instructions" on the carton.
7. Be mindful of time and temperature. It's important to refrigerate perishable products as soon as possible after grocery shopping. Food safety experts stress the "2-hour rule"—because harmful bacteria can multiply in the "danger zone" (between 40° and 140° F), perishable foods should not be left at room temperature longer than 2 hours. Modify that rule to 1 hour when temperatures are above 90° F, as they often are in cars that have been parked in the sun.
If it will take more than an hour to get your groceries home, use an ice chest to keep frozen and perishable foods cold. Also, when the weather is warm and you are using your car's air conditioner, keep your groceries in the passenger compartment, not the trunk.
Read the whole story: US: Start at the store: 7 ways to prevent foodborne illness
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OHIO: Man files first lawsuit in Casa Fiesta salmonella outbreak
5/13/2008
Ginger Gillenwater
LawyersandSettlements.com
Norwalk, OH -- After eating at Casa Fiesta on April 25, 2008, a man became very ill with Salmonella poisoning. The man, Kody Dewitt, has filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for medical bills and hardships that equal over $25,000. The lawsuit has been filed in Huron County Common Pleas Court and follows an Ohio Department of Health investigation into 25 other confirmed Salmonella cases that have been traced back to Casa Fiesta.
According to the lawsuit, soon after eating at Casa Fiesta, Dewitt fell violently ill. This illness required him to be hospitalized, which resulted in lost wages, bodily injury, and damage that he says is permanent. This permanent damage is said to limit his earning capability indefinitely. Local news agencies have reported that others who were infected by the tainted food plan on filing lawsuits as well.
Although all of the Salmonella cases involved have been traced back to the restaurant, health officials are not sure what the source of contamination was. The food samples that were tested in a laboratory came back negative. The health department has said that all 26 of the individuals had eaten something different at the restaurant. Unfortunately, Salmonella can exist on anything from ice to vegetables. Test results that were conducted on the staff are scheduled to come back on May 16.
Read the whole story: OHIO: Man files first lawsuit in Casa Fiesta salmonella outbreak
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NEW YORK: Fairbank Farms recalls 22,000 lbs. of ground beef after plastic pieces found
5/13/2008
Progressive Grocer
Fairbank Reconstruction Corp., Ashville, N.Y., recalled approximately 22,481 pounds of ground beef distributed to retailers because the product might contain pieces of plastic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said yesterday.
Fairbanks said it had distributed the products to Northeast grocers Price Chopper, Shaw's, BJ's, and Wilson Farms, as well as wholesaler C&S Wholesale, to stores in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York.
The meat processor made the recalled products on May 3. The problem was discovered after the company received consumer complaints about small pieces of hard plastic found in the meat, said FSIS. The agency said yesterday it had not received any consumer complaints, and that no injuries have been reported.
Fairbanks said all recalled products have either a "sell-by" date of 05/13/08, 05/15/08, or a "Julian date 124" on the package's label. It said the following products are subject to recall: -- 1.2-pound trays of "Shaw's Fresh Ground Sirloin 90/10." The labels on the bottom of the package bear a Julian Date of "124" on the bottom right hand corner, as well as the establishment number "EST. 492" inside the USDA mark of inspection. -- 1.3-pound trays of "Shaw's Fresh Ground Beef 80/20." The labels on the bottom of the package bear a Julian Date of "124" on the bottom right hand corner, as well as the establishment number "EST. 492" inside the USDA mark of inspection. -- 1-pound trays of "Shaw's Fresh Ground Beef Patties 80/20." The labels on the bottom of the package bear a Julian Date of "124" on the bottom right hand corner, as well as the establishment number "EST. 492" inside the USDA mark of inspection. -- 3-pound trays of "Shaw's Fresh Ground Beef Patties Family Pack 80/20." The labels on the bottom of the package bear a Julian Date of "124" on the bottom right hand corner, as well as the establishment number "EST. 492" inside the USDA mark of inspection. -- 1.3-pound trays of "Price Chopper Fresh Ground Beef Sirloin Patties, 90% Lean 10% Fat." The labels on the bottom of the package bear a "Sell-by" date of "05/13/08" as well as the establishment number "EST. 492" inside the USDA mark of inspection. -- 1.3- and 3-pound trays of "Price Chopper Fresh Homestyle Ground Beef Round Patty, 85% Lean 15% Fat." The labels on the bottom of the package bear a "Sell-by" date of "05/13/08" as well as the establishment number "EST. 492" inside the USDA mark of inspection. -- 3-pound trays of "Price Chopper Pub Style Ground Beef Chuck Patty, 80% Lean 20% Fat." The labels on the bottom of the package bear a "Sell-by" date of "05/13/08" as well as the establishment number "EST. 492" inside the USDA mark of inspection. -- 1.3-pound trays of "Price Chopper Fresh Homestyle Ground Beef Chuck Patty, 80% Lean, 20% Fat." The labels on the bottom of the package bear a "Sell-by" date of "05/13/08" as well as the establishment number "EST. 492" inside the USDA mark of inspection. -- 5.3-pound trays of "BJ'S Fresh Ground Beef, 100% Beef, Contains 15% Fat." The labels bear a "Sell-by" date of "05/15/08" as well as the establishment number "EST. 492" inside the USDA mark of inspection. -- 1-pound trays of "Fairbank Farms Ground Chuck Patties, 100% Beef, Contains 20% Fat." The labels on the bottom of the package bear a "Sell-by" date of "05/15/08" as well as the establishment number "EST. 492" inside the USDA mark of inspection.
Read the whole story: NEW YORK: Fairbank Farms recalls 22,000 lbs. of ground beef after plastic pieces found
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US: Scientists closer to developing botulinum toxin antidote
5/13/2008
hernews
Empowher.com
U.S. scientists say they've made a breakthrough in efforts to develop an effective antidote for botulinum toxin, which is a common cause of food poisoning and a potentially devastating biological weapon. One gram of the poison can kill hundreds of thousands of people, according to defense experts, BBC News reported.
The Clostridium botulinum bacterium produces seven different neurotoxins that can block the chemicals nerve cells use to communicate with each other and with muscles. This can paralyze the breathing muscles and cause suffocation.
The researchers developed a protein that blocks the effects of the most powerful of these toxins by fooling it into not attacking cells in the body, BBC News reported. It will take at least four to five years before this finding results in an approved drug, said the researchers at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.
The findings are published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Currently, there are vaccines for botulinum toxin designed to be given before an attack. This research could produce as drug that would work after exposure.
Read the whole story: US: Scientists closer to developing botulinum toxin antidote
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Food safety news is compiled from a number of sources and is provided only
for informational purposes. Many of the news stories have been compiled,
selected, and edited by the Food
Safety Network at the University of Guelph with permission. News stories
from other sources are added as appropriate. Accuracy and completeness cannot
be guaranteed by Iowa State University. Headlines are sometimes rewritten
for clarity or to fit space. Original sources are indicated whenever possible
and full stories may not be posted to honor the original author copyright.
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