Meritech Food Safety News

Largest Food Recall in US History

2008-04-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

On Monday, February 18, the largest meat recall in the nation’s history was issued. Westland/Hallmark Meat Company of Chino, California was asked by the USDA to recall over 143 million pounds of beef. Westland/Hallmark distributes much of its beef products to schools across the United States.

Although the recall was classified as Level II with little risk involved, there are potential dangers with the consumption of the beef produced by Westland/Hallmark. The company was investigated by the Humane Society of the United States for mistreatment of downer cows. Not only were the animals abused, they were also slaughtered, processed and distributed. Downer cows are more likely to carry mad cow disease and bacterial illness, and the USDA does not permit them to go into the food supply. Increased risk of transmission of these diseases to humans generates a clear regulation.

The recall dates back to February of 2006 and has affected various other processors. The meat was used in school lunches and in products such as bouillon cubes, soup and ground beef.

The beef recall has created a trickle-down affect throughout the nation’s food supply. Meat and processing plants are experiencing an influx in inspections, and preparedness is of significant importance.

Foodborne Illness

2008-02-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

Did you know...?

Foodborne illness is caused when contaminated foods and liquids are consumed.

According to the CDC, an estimated 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur in the United States each year.

Annually, over 300,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths result from foodborne illness.

Foodborne illness costs the United States $35 billion each year in healthcare expenses and lost productivity.

Most cases of foodborne illness go unrecognized and unreported due to common symptoms that are perceived as the flu.

There are more than 250 recognized foodborne diseases. Foodborne pathogens are still emerging, and over 50% of all outbreaks are from unknown sources.

The most common foodborne infections are caused by the virus Norwalk and the bacteria Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7.

Immediate symptoms of foodborne illness include high fever, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Studies link long term symptoms of high blood pressure, kidney failure and arthritis to foodborne disease.

Raw foods including poultry, meat, eggs, unpasturized milk, shellfish, fruits and vegetables are most often associated with foodborne illness.

Food can become contaminated at any time throughout its life cycle – farm to plate.

The number one cause of food borne illness is improper temperature. The number two cause is cross-contamination through improper hygiene.

The Federal Food and Drug Administration has 20 percent of the food safety budget but is responsible for checking 80 percent of the nation’s food supply.

To help prevent foodborne illness: CLEAN, COOK, SEPARATE, AND CHILL.

*Facts & Figures from the FDA & the CDC*

FDA Report Concludes Animal Clones Are Safe To Eat

2008-01-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

The FDA is expected to release the "Final Risk Assessment" report concluding that healthy cloned animals and their offspring are safe as food. There has not been evidence that has suggested that meat and milk from cloned cattle, pigs and goats are unsafe to humans.

Innumerable studies showed no safety hazards in processed meat from clones, in addition to similar nutrient levels and animal behavior.

The FDA considered two main issues: Are the animals themselves healthy, and are the products nutritionally indistinguishable from those produced by non-cloned animals?

The FDA will be collaborating with scientific organizations, including the International Embryo Transfer Society. A database will be developed to track the health of cloned animals and to create a manual of animal care standards for clones.

It will likely be several years before food from cloned animals and/or their offspring hit consumer shelves. As of right now, most consumers are concerned about food from clones. The studies may change the minds of consumers, but if they don't, it is still very unlikely that cloned foods will be labeled as such.

China & U.S. Taking Steps to Improve Food Safety

2007-12-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

Over the past year, our country has faced countless food and product recalls. Although not all of the recent recalls have been the fault of our lacking regulatory import policies, many of the recalled products did come from China. The obvious missteps have pushed consumers and legislators to force change.

United States and Chinese officials signed agreements on December 11, giving the U.S. more involvement in the screening of Chinese products. The agreements not only help to protect American consumers, but also provide them with peace of mind. The “Made in China” label can begin to lose some of its current negative stigma. In turn, the Chinese economy will not suffer as anticipated.

Under the agreements, the FDA will still have to request permission to inspect processing and manufacturing facilities but cannot be easily turned away. China will implement certification and testing systems that will ensure shipments meet United States standards. Some Chinese exporters will also be required to register with China’s regulatory agencies, and the U.S. will have access to the list of registered exporters.

The new agreement applies to canned vegetables, farm-raised fish, pet food products and raw ingredients imported from China. Some medicines are also covered in the agreement, including antibiotics and human growth hormones.

The agreement is deficient in some areas, but it is a first step.

Common Antibacterial Triclosan Creating Cause for Concern

2007-12-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

Triclosan can be found in most of our homes. And our work environments. And in fact, in our bodies. Triclosans first emerged on the consumer market over 50 years ago through the Dial Corp. Obviously, the emergence of antibacterial products was done with good intentions, like preventing us from getting the flu and ingesting salmonella. Unfortunately, the extreme overuse has caused nothing but problems in today's world.

The most prominent issue is, of course, the manifestation of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, such as MRSA. Triclosan has made a significant contribution to these dangerous staph infections because it is found in so many consumer products. Overuse of triclosan causes our body to develop a resistance. In lab studies, triclosan has been shown to cause mutations of bacteria and cross-resistance. It is very likely that this problem will continue, and at this point, very unlikely that the innumerable companies marketing triclosan-based products will pull them off the shelves. Because of this, education is essential to curving the use of triclosan.

Triclosan can cause other effects on the body as well. Studies have shown that triclosan contributes to not only weakening of the immune system, but also allergies, decreased fertility, birth defects, altered hormones, and cancer.

More recently, scientists discovered that triclosans may have a negative effect on the environment. A U.S. Geological Survey published in 2002 claimed that triclosan and similar compounds can be found in nearly 60 percent of our streams and rivers. Wastewater treatment plants cannot remove triclosan. This is also triggering negative effects on our food-chain. When chlorine and triclosan mix, they create dangerous dioxins. These dioxins are reaching aquatic life, in turn effecting the food-chain.

The damaging effects of triclosans will continue to be studied over the next several years. In the meantime, take this information into consideration the next time you or your company buys soap or detergents.

CSPI Recommendations for a Modern Food Safety System

2007-11-05T10:15:00.000-08:00

The Centers for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) released a white paper last week reviewing proposed food safety bills under review by Congress, which are a result of this year's increase in recalls and the safety issues with imports from China.

CSPI recommended the following elements to modernize food safety programs in the United States:

Process controls systems, such as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, should be mandatory for all food processors regulated by the FDA. HACCP is already required for meat, poultry, seafood, and juice processors.

Government agencies should establish and enforce meaningful public-health based performance standards, including limits on the incidence or levels of contamination.

Inspections of high-risk products should be frequent and intensive, and there should be a minimum inspection frequency for other foods, as currently required for drugs and medical device manufacturers. (FDA currently inspects the average food-manufacturing facility only once a decade, whereas USDA inspects every single beef or chicken carcass.)

Imported food should be produced under safety systems at least as strong as those in the U.S., and the FDA should begin certification of food safety programs and facilities in foreign countries.

Research and education mandates should be broad and well-funded enough to help solve a wide range of food safety problems.

On-farm programs should begin with written food safety plans for every farmer.

Enforcement should include mandatory recall authority, greater civil and criminal penalties, product traceback and detention, and whistleblower protection.

For more information, visit the Centers for Science in the Public Interest at http://www.cspinet.org/.

Recalls a cause for concern in U.S. food safety

2007-10-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or are there more recalls in the United States food and consumer goods products now than ever? It certainly feels that way. The USDA has announced almost weekly recalls. Last week alone, we saw three separate recalls of frozen beef and poultry products. Over the past several months, we've come to learn that lead paint tainted toys imported from China have become a real issue for our children.

Experts do not believe the recent news is contributed to one factor, rather a combination of flaws in the food safety system and heightened public awareness.

Consumers are now more aware of the issues in food safety. With recalls in the last several years at the forefront of the media, the terms e-coli and salmonella are well known and understood. Stomach flus are more often recognized as food borne illness, a reception of both patients and doctors.

The food safety system has problems on a multitude of levels, mostly due to big business and lack of proper regulations. Among the causes in the food production and distribution system:

Industrialization centralization of the U.S. food system
Globalization of food production
Inadequate inspections of food plants
Lack of mandatory recalls by the USDA
Lack of centralized food safety control

With the heightened scrutiny of the U.S. food safety system, we can only hope for positive changes.

September is Food Safety Month!

2007-09-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

September is Food Safety Education Month; a nationally recognized campaign created by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation in 1994. Food Safety Month was developed to educate the public about food safety at home and reinforce food safety education among food service workers - goals that have proven positive the last several years. Food safety topics were virtually unknown to the public before the push to improve the statistics.

This year’s theme, Viruses: It’s in your hands, is a topic often ignored in the past but in the forefront recently. The most important ingredient in food safety is clean hands; handwashing prevents the spread of germs and disease, and significantly reduces the risk of foodborne illness.

With the nearly constant reports of recalls and e-coli cases in restaurants, utilizing Food Safety Month to train employees on the importance of hygiene and handwashing may help to reduce those threats.

Promotional and educational materials are available through the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation at http://www.nraef.org/nfsem/.

Are gloves all you need?

2007-08-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

Gloves have long been controversial in the food service industry. They've been around for years - in healthcare, food plants, cafeterias. But it wasn't until the 1990s that they became prevalent in restaurants and hospitality. After several high profile outbreaks, the FDA updated the food code, and restaurants began implementing more stringent food safety programs.

More recently, state health departments have adopted their own bare hands regulations with ready to eat (RTE) foods. According to the FDA, 49 of 56 U.S. states and territories have adopted some version of the uniform Food Code, beginning with the 1993 code, which had a better focus on food safety. The regulations prohibit bare hand contact with RTE foods, resulting in a significant increase in glove use. But are gloves the answer?

Studies have shown that quality gloves can prevent transmission of dangerous bacterias to food products; however, there are two major issues. First, disposable gloves often tear or rip while in use. New gloves can have small holes before they are even taken out of the box, creating an easy opportunity to contaminate food.

The second issue is more complicated and certainly more rampant. The frequency of glove changing and hand hygiene is lacking. Gloves provide a sense of false security to both the public and the employees. If gloves are not changed on a regular basis and hands are not washed each time the gloves are changed, the effect is opposite the intention. Rather than providing a barrier for bacteria, the improper use actually promotes the growth of pathogens.

In 2005, the Journal of Food Protection published a study comparing bare hand contact to glove contact at fast food restaurants. 400 flour tortillas were purchased from fast food establishments. 46% of the samples were handled by workers with gloves and 52% by bare hands. The study analyzed the tortillas for common food borne pathogens - E. Coli, Staph, and Klebsiella sp. The results were startling. Bacteria were found on less than 5% of the food handled with bare hands, but more than twice the bacteria were found on the food handled by gloved workers.

Gloves are here to stay. So what can we do to reduce the risk of transmitting germs to food? Change gloves often and between tasks. More importantly, WASH YOUR HANDS. Washing and sanitizing hands before and after donning gloves will drastically decrease risk. Furthermore, using a soap or sanitizer with a persistent effect will prevent bacteria transmission when gloves tear.

So the answer to the question, "Are gloves all you need?" Definitely not.