Safest food in the world alert: Texas edition
Todd Staples, the Agriculture Commissioner for the great state of Texas, has decided to alienate 488 Texas voters suffering from Salmonella Saintpaul inspired diarrhea that,
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“Texans can be assured that we continue to enjoy the safest food supply in the world.”
Staples also finds it necessary to remind Texans that,
“Consumers should always properly wash and prepare all food items, as this is a basic part of family food safety.”
Except this outbreak, from all available evidence, is not a consumer issue, unless people in 43 states are all mishandling produce in the same manner.
“Texans can be assured that we continue to enjoy the safest food supply in the world.”Staples also finds it necessary to remind Texans that,
“Consumers should always properly wash and prepare all food items, as this is a basic part of family food safety.”
Except this outbreak, from all available evidence, is not a consumer issue, unless people in 43 states are all mishandling produce in the same manner.
Follow the poop - not the bullshit
The award for the most silly statements in one media report that I’ve seen today – and I see a lot in one day – goes to North Carolina’s Asheville Citizen-Times.
In the context of the on-going Salmonella outbreak, with 971 confirmed illnesses and at least 189 hospitalizations, Charlie Jackson, director of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, says people should not be too concerned, adding,
“In the whole scheme of things, we have the safest food in the world. There is more danger in driving to the market than eating a tomato that is going to make you sick.”
How compassionate. If someone in industry or government said that they would be rightly skewered.
Jackson also said local food is inherently safer than food shipped in from far away, adding,
“The big and astounding problem is that they don’t know where it (the salmonella) came from. That doesn’t occur when you buy the product right from the farmer who grew it.”
Wrong. The big problem is poop on food, wherever it came from, along with bullshit statements from hucksters.
Renay Knapp, a family consumer science agent with the N.C. Cooperative Extension in Henderson County, says
“Probably the most important thing is to keep hot food hot and cold foods cold. That’s where it all starts.”
Nope. It starts on the farm and keeping poop away from the food.
And these are pictures, for no particular reason, of Wellington, New Zealand, where Amy and I are currently camped out, and yesterday’s lunch. We don’t get mussels like that in Kansas.
In the context of the on-going Salmonella outbreak, with 971 confirmed illnesses and at least 189 hospitalizations, Charlie Jackson, director of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, says people should not be too concerned, adding,
“In the whole scheme of things, we have the safest food in the world. There is more danger in driving to the market than eating a tomato that is going to make you sick.”
How compassionate. If someone in industry or government said that they would be rightly skewered.
Jackson also said local food is inherently safer than food shipped in from far away, adding, “The big and astounding problem is that they don’t know where it (the salmonella) came from. That doesn’t occur when you buy the product right from the farmer who grew it.”
Wrong. The big problem is poop on food, wherever it came from, along with bullshit statements from hucksters.
Renay Knapp, a family consumer science agent with the N.C. Cooperative Extension in Henderson County, says
“Probably the most important thing is to keep hot food hot and cold foods cold. That’s where it all starts.”
Nope. It starts on the farm and keeping poop away from the food.
And these are pictures, for no particular reason, of Wellington, New Zealand, where Amy and I are currently camped out, and yesterday’s lunch. We don’t get mussels like that in Kansas.
Safest food in the world - Barack Obama edition
Barack Obama may be the change candidate but his food safety rhetoric falls into a tired and unsubstantiated pattern.
Obama wrote on Friday in a letter to Cow Calf Weekly (great reading for the beach),
“America continues to have the safest, most abundant and cheapest food supply in the world. … Beef producers are a key component in a healthy and vibrant rural America. By strengthening USDA and working to enhance food safety and meat processing, my administration will assist the industry in providing a wholesome and safe product to your customers.”
Maybe Barack is using the same PR folks as the Taste of Chicago. And with over 800 people sick from Salmonella in tomatoes and no source in sight, is it really the right time to be making claims about who has the safest food?
Thanks to Kansas State PhD student Charles Dodd for forwarding the item.
Obama wrote on Friday in a letter to Cow Calf Weekly (great reading for the beach),“America continues to have the safest, most abundant and cheapest food supply in the world. … Beef producers are a key component in a healthy and vibrant rural America. By strengthening USDA and working to enhance food safety and meat processing, my administration will assist the industry in providing a wholesome and safe product to your customers.”
Maybe Barack is using the same PR folks as the Taste of Chicago. And with over 800 people sick from Salmonella in tomatoes and no source in sight, is it really the right time to be making claims about who has the safest food?
Thanks to Kansas State PhD student Charles Dodd for forwarding the item.
(Unsubstantiated) food safety statements
It's 4 a.m. on a Sunday morning, the thunder and trains both sound like they're in my living room, and I'm talking about Salmonella and tomatoes on Chicago's WGN News Talk Radio 720.
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I'll review the mp3 file when the producer sends it along and see if I said anything silly. I try to keep the unsubstantiated food safety statements to a minimum. But, while providing company for truck drivers, insomniacs and conspiracy theorists, who knows what will slip out (doing Coast-to-Coat AM radio from 1 - 2 a.m on June 10 was actually a lot of fun).
Ken Givens, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, wrote in a particularly lucid article in The Tennessean yesterday,
"Our agency alone licenses and inspects more than 9,200 retail food establishments, 900 food manufacturers and 475 food warehouses for sanitation and proper food storage and handling. ... Food safety starts at the farm. In association with the UT Institute of Agriculture, we're launching a new initiative aimed at helping fruit and vegetable growers and distributors institute good agricultural practices, such as using safe sources of irrigation in the field and proper washing and handling after harvesting. "
But then, Commissioner Givens joins our safest-food-in-the-world list, by stating,
"America still has the safest, most affordable and abundant food supply in the world."
Not to be outdone, Carol B. Dover, President/CEO, Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, Tallahasse, writes in yesterday's Orlando Sentinel that,
"… according to Florida Department of Health statistics, less than half of reported foodborne illness cases are attributable to restaurants. While it is easy to blame the last restaurant visited, the source is very likely improperly prepared home-cooked food."
It is very likely that Carol Dover can't back that statement up. It's easy to blame consumers, but there are too many outbreaks that are simply beyond a consumer's control. Sorta like Salmonella and tomatoes.
And for no particular reason, this is a picture Bill Marler sent me of a butcher's shop in Wales. Reminds me of last year in France and the rampant cross-contamination Amy and I witnessed at our local butcher in the beach town of Maubuisson.
I'll review the mp3 file when the producer sends it along and see if I said anything silly. I try to keep the unsubstantiated food safety statements to a minimum. But, while providing company for truck drivers, insomniacs and conspiracy theorists, who knows what will slip out (doing Coast-to-Coat AM radio from 1 - 2 a.m on June 10 was actually a lot of fun).Ken Givens, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, wrote in a particularly lucid article in The Tennessean yesterday,
"Our agency alone licenses and inspects more than 9,200 retail food establishments, 900 food manufacturers and 475 food warehouses for sanitation and proper food storage and handling. ... Food safety starts at the farm. In association with the UT Institute of Agriculture, we're launching a new initiative aimed at helping fruit and vegetable growers and distributors institute good agricultural practices, such as using safe sources of irrigation in the field and proper washing and handling after harvesting. "
But then, Commissioner Givens joins our safest-food-in-the-world list, by stating,
"America still has the safest, most affordable and abundant food supply in the world."
Not to be outdone, Carol B. Dover, President/CEO, Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, Tallahasse, writes in yesterday's Orlando Sentinel that,
"… according to Florida Department of Health statistics, less than half of reported foodborne illness cases are attributable to restaurants. While it is easy to blame the last restaurant visited, the source is very likely improperly prepared home-cooked food."
It is very likely that Carol Dover can't back that statement up. It's easy to blame consumers, but there are too many outbreaks that are simply beyond a consumer's control. Sorta like Salmonella and tomatoes.
And for no particular reason, this is a picture Bill Marler sent me of a butcher's shop in Wales. Reminds me of last year in France and the rampant cross-contamination Amy and I witnessed at our local butcher in the beach town of Maubuisson.
Who has the safest food in the world?
Scientists and journalists have a couple of things in common -- at least that's what I was told all those years ago.
Both require the ability to ask the right question. And both have to sell the same idea at least three times to make a living.
Yesterday, Bob Brackett, senior vice president and chief science and regulatory affairs officer for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, wrote in the Denver Post that "no other country in the world can claim a safer food supply than the United States."
Except that a couple of Canadian researchers at the University of Regina have done just that, issuing a report last week which purports to rank 17 industrialized countries.
The problem is, based on what is publicly available, it's impossible to tell how countries were ranked on various scores.
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For example, the report says,
"Canada would be considered as one of the world’s leading countries in relation to consumer affairs in food safety. In terms of incidences of reported illness by food-borne pathogens, Canada is (in) the normal range since it has the incidence between 5,000 and 15,000 per 100,000 persons. Even if Canada has more incidences, it has a decreasing trend of late, which means that all levels of the government had begun to control the situation."
Based on a population of just over 33 million, that means 1.65 -- 4.95 reported illnesses by foodborne pathogens, I'm assuming per year. Nowhere near that many cases of foodborne illness are actually reported. And the best guess on the actual incidence of foodborne illness in Canada is 11-13 million cases per year, slightly higher that the World Health Organization's estimate of 30 per cent of citizens in developed countries getting sick from the food and water they consume each year.
The report authors also claim,
"Canada was also rated as a 'progressive' country based on its food safety education programs for consumers. Unlike other countries, the level of cooperation among the different levels of government in the country is significant and most programs target all segments of the population."
Apparently, no effort was made to assess whether such information was accurate.
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Canada finished fifth, and the U.S. came in seventh. The United Kingdom had the highest ranking of the 17 countries studied. Make mine piping hot.
Who has the safest food in the world? Wrong question.
Both require the ability to ask the right question. And both have to sell the same idea at least three times to make a living.
Yesterday, Bob Brackett, senior vice president and chief science and regulatory affairs officer for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, wrote in the Denver Post that "no other country in the world can claim a safer food supply than the United States."
Except that a couple of Canadian researchers at the University of Regina have done just that, issuing a report last week which purports to rank 17 industrialized countries.
The problem is, based on what is publicly available, it's impossible to tell how countries were ranked on various scores.
For example, the report says,"Canada would be considered as one of the world’s leading countries in relation to consumer affairs in food safety. In terms of incidences of reported illness by food-borne pathogens, Canada is (in) the normal range since it has the incidence between 5,000 and 15,000 per 100,000 persons. Even if Canada has more incidences, it has a decreasing trend of late, which means that all levels of the government had begun to control the situation."
Based on a population of just over 33 million, that means 1.65 -- 4.95 reported illnesses by foodborne pathogens, I'm assuming per year. Nowhere near that many cases of foodborne illness are actually reported. And the best guess on the actual incidence of foodborne illness in Canada is 11-13 million cases per year, slightly higher that the World Health Organization's estimate of 30 per cent of citizens in developed countries getting sick from the food and water they consume each year.
The report authors also claim,
"Canada was also rated as a 'progressive' country based on its food safety education programs for consumers. Unlike other countries, the level of cooperation among the different levels of government in the country is significant and most programs target all segments of the population."
Apparently, no effort was made to assess whether such information was accurate.
Canada finished fifth, and the U.S. came in seventh. The United Kingdom had the highest ranking of the 17 countries studied. Make mine piping hot.Who has the safest food in the world? Wrong question.
Which country has the safest food in the world? No one knows
America has the safest food supply in the world. True or False?
It's impossible to say. The statistics don't exist to make such a claim. But that doesn't stop meatpackers, lobbyists, lawmakers and even government regulators who should know better, from repeating the claim every time there's a food-borne illness outbreak or major food recall.
So says Philip Brasher, writing today in the Des Moines Register.
Brasher says unfounded claims can undermine the credibility of the government and the industry and he cites barfblog.com and our special safest-food-in-the-world section at http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/articles/safest-food-in-the-world/.
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Kansas State University Professor Doug Powell wrote on a blog where he tracks food safety news,
"Bland blanket statements serve only to amplify rather than mollify consumers (concerns)."
Brasher goes on to say that the problem with making these claims is that it's now impossible to compare one country's statistics to another country's, experts say. Most foodborne illnesses go unreported, so government agencies must come up with estimates of how many actually occur. How to do that varies.
Paul Frenzen, a demographer with the Agriculture Department's Economic Research who specializes in food safety, said that even a factor that would seem relatively simple to measure, such as cases of food-related diarrhea, isn't easy to track because definitions vary, and there are also cultural differences between countries as to when victims of foodborne illness go to the doctor.
Other countries offer universal health insurance, making it more likely that people will get to a doctor when they're sick.
Brasher concludes that after the nation's largest meat recall was announced earlier this year, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer didn't claim that U.S. food is the world's safest. Instead, he said,
"The United States enjoys one of the safest food supplies in the world."
No one is going to argue with that.
It's impossible to say. The statistics don't exist to make such a claim. But that doesn't stop meatpackers, lobbyists, lawmakers and even government regulators who should know better, from repeating the claim every time there's a food-borne illness outbreak or major food recall.
So says Philip Brasher, writing today in the Des Moines Register.
Brasher says unfounded claims can undermine the credibility of the government and the industry and he cites barfblog.com and our special safest-food-in-the-world section at http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/articles/safest-food-in-the-world/.
Kansas State University Professor Doug Powell wrote on a blog where he tracks food safety news,"Bland blanket statements serve only to amplify rather than mollify consumers (concerns)."
Brasher goes on to say that the problem with making these claims is that it's now impossible to compare one country's statistics to another country's, experts say. Most foodborne illnesses go unreported, so government agencies must come up with estimates of how many actually occur. How to do that varies.
Paul Frenzen, a demographer with the Agriculture Department's Economic Research who specializes in food safety, said that even a factor that would seem relatively simple to measure, such as cases of food-related diarrhea, isn't easy to track because definitions vary, and there are also cultural differences between countries as to when victims of foodborne illness go to the doctor.
Other countries offer universal health insurance, making it more likely that people will get to a doctor when they're sick.
Brasher concludes that after the nation's largest meat recall was announced earlier this year, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer didn't claim that U.S. food is the world's safest. Instead, he said,
"The United States enjoys one of the safest food supplies in the world."
No one is going to argue with that.
Canada's food not the safest in the world: prof
In what must shurly be a shock for smugly complacent Canadians (we have the best health care in the world - not) Rick Holley, a professor in the department of food science at the University of Manitoba says that Canada’s food isn’t as healthy as everyone thinks.
In the most appropriate use of the word "eh" I've seen today, Holley asked his audience in a March 19 seminar,
"So food in Canada is the safest in the world, eh?"
Every year, one in three people suffered a food-related illness, and around 500 to 1,000 cases were fatal.
Holley said if an outbreak does occur, only one in five people seek medical attention and, out of these, samples are only collected from 13 per cent of these cases. Twice as many Canadians are infected with salmonella and camylobacter when compared to Americans, and eight times as many Canadians than American report E. coli infections.
"These aren’t exactly results you would expect to see if Canada’s food is the safest in the world."
Holley also noted the United States has set targets to drastically cut the spread of these illnesses, which Canada has not.
In the most appropriate use of the word "eh" I've seen today, Holley asked his audience in a March 19 seminar,
"So food in Canada is the safest in the world, eh?"
Every year, one in three people suffered a food-related illness, and around 500 to 1,000 cases were fatal.
Holley said if an outbreak does occur, only one in five people seek medical attention and, out of these, samples are only collected from 13 per cent of these cases. Twice as many Canadians are infected with salmonella and camylobacter when compared to Americans, and eight times as many Canadians than American report E. coli infections.
"These aren’t exactly results you would expect to see if Canada’s food is the safest in the world."
Holley also noted the United States has set targets to drastically cut the spread of these illnesses, which Canada has not.
Safest meat in the world -- especially in pot pies
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While introducing a Senate motion to block the movement of older Canadian cattle into the U.S., U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) couldn't help himself and played the "safest meat in the world" card."American beef is the safest in the world, but increased importation of higher risk Canadian beef and cattle would undermine the confidence of our trading partners and cause further damage to our domestic beef industry."
Observers said it was doubtful the motion would pass.
U.S. has safest meat in the world; outbreaks increase
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I don't know much about farm bills and state versus federal inspection. But claims that,
"U.S. consumers enjoy the safest meat and poultry products in the world,"
especially as E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks in the U.S. appear on the rise and more sick people are identified in Wisconsin, seems to be the height of hubris.
But that's what Ron de Yong, director of the Montana Department of Agriculture, wrote in the Montana Billings Gazette this morning.
An outdated federal law prohibits state-inspected plants from selling products across state lines despite a provision in the law that requires these plants to have safety standards that equal or exceed those of USDA-inspected facilities. …
There are many reasons to abolish the 1967 prohibition on interstate shipments of state-inspected meat. … Enabling interstate sales of state-inspected meat and poultry will provide economic fairness and open markets. New marketing opportunities not only will benefit producers, processors and small businesses, but also will give consumers more choices at the supermarket. This change is common sense and it's the right thing to do.
Maybe. But spouting off about the safest anything in the world without the comparative data to back up such claims seems like a bad way to sell an idea.
"Safest meat products of any country in the world"
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Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., apparently ignored my plea for a moratorium on the "we have the safest food in the world" comments unless some data was provided. Go figure.
The Billings Gazette cited Rehberg as saying Wednesday that U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab has assured him that the Bush administration will not push a free-trade agreement with South Korea until the country opens its market to U.S. beef.
Rehberg said the country was using "false arguments" to keep its markets closed.
"We have the safest meat products of any country in the world."
Bland blanket statements serve only to amplify rather than mollify consumer concerns.
China GM: Our food is the safest in the world
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Those Chinese learn fast. No sooner had I posted about a USDA official proclaiming that the U.S. had the safest meat supply in the world as 25 were barfing from E. coli O157:H7, then China jumped into the fray, borrowing a page from the US, Canadian, British and Kiwi (and lots of other countries) playbook.
Zhong Yuhua, the general manager, Fusheng Food Co., was quoted as telling reporters who were invited on a government-organized tour of three food exporters in Shandong province, southeast of Beijing that,
"I am very confident in saying our food is excellent and the safest in the world."
The story says that Fusheng is part of a Chinese food industry elite of export-oriented companies that, often with foreign help, have improved quality to meet import standards in Japan, the United States and elsewhere.
I don't believe any of youse. How about a moratorium on, "We have the safest food in the world," until someone publishes some meaningful comparative data in a peer reviewed journal. Or at least back the statement up with some data. Anything. Bland blanket statements serve only to amplify rather than mollify consumer concerns.
U.S. official says meat supply safest in world; 25 react by barfing
Dr. Richard Raymond, the Agriculture Department's undersecretary of food Safety, said on CBS's ""The Early Show'' this morning that,
"I think the American meat supply is the safest in the world. A recall like this does show that we are on the job, we are doing our inspections, our investigation, and we respond when we find problems to make sure that supply is safe.''
Raymond joins the Brits, Canadians and Kiwis, who all apparently have the safest food supply in the world.
They can't all be right.
Meanwhile, an Associated Press story notes cited a Topps official as saying over the weekend that the company has now augmented its procedures with microbiologists and food-safety experts.
I'm sure all this is a tremendous relief to the at least 25 individuals who have been barfing with E. coli O157:H7 in eight states.
Jittering jingoism
First it was the Brits, now the Kiwis are jumping into the jingoism wars.AgResearch New Zealand senior microbiologist Guill le Roux was quoted as telling the Waikato Times, "Eat it (meat) and enjoy it; we have the safest meat in the world. But for goodness sake, prepare and cook it properly."
le Roux was further quoted as saying,
"In general, we are better than most other places in the world. In the States, for instance, they use largely untrained Mexican labour, so there's a language problem for a start. They have about 80 per cent staff turnover annually. And they work with very dirty animals, which are kept on feed lots where there's mud and manure, which increases the possibility of disease. … We are lucky here, there is very little risk, even in hamburgers which are notorious overseas. But we can't get complacent, because the goal posts are moving all the time especially in export markets."
The story notes that le Roux gained a certain profile a few years ago when he was reported as saying that New Zealand had the worst incidence of campylobacter in the world, adding, "We were at a conference and everyone else was saying the same thing, but the media focused on me."
He is quick to point out the statement needs clarification. "These bacteria can be found in water and in many food products such as chicken, fruit and vegetables. However, the high reported incidence in New Zealand is probably due to our good reporting systems as much as anything else."
Any country that claims to have the safest food in the world is probably wrong. Only one can be correct. Some data would bolster a claim of safety.
