Snakes shouldn’t be on a plane. And 50 of them shouldn’t be living with young kids (or anyone).

City officials in Albuquerque, New Mexico, say three kids, ages 8, 6 and 2, along with their mother, were found on Monday living with more than 50 live snakes and some lizards.

A city public safety spokesperson called the conditions "deplorable," saying there was pet feces and urine all over the apartment. He also says the people inside were hoarders making it difficult for investigators to move around.

Animal Welfare officials say the snakes were being bred to be sold and were found in boxes.

Cages of mice and rats were also found in the apartment. Animal welfare officials say they were being used to feed the snakes.

CYFD investigators made the discovery after one of the children showed up at school smelling of urine. CYFD then checked out the apartment and found the animals.

City officials say the mother is charged with child abuse. The children are now staying with relatives.
 

Barfing and crapping for days on end is not a minor issue; ask Chapman.

But Deputy County Executive Officer Kim Carpenter of Bloomfield, New Mexico, said that when 150 of the 300 county employees who attended a potluck last week at the County Administration Building became sick later that day,

"This really is a minor issue."

The suspected cause was a poorly prepared turkey.

The turkeys all were prepared at home by volunteers, but officials plan to change to a safer option for future events.

"In the future, the turkeys that we cook for our meal will be done at the correctional facility," Carpenter said.

The San Juan County Adult Detention Center prepares meals for hundreds of inmates and annual events, such as the annual Salvation Army Thanksgiving meal.

It is unclear what caused the illness, but officials believe it may be undercooked turkey.
 

As easy as it may be to assume, there’s no evidence that the swine flu spreading through Mexico and beyond is sickening pigs now.

The World Health Organization reports that illnesses in Mexico are climbing close to 1,000 with more than 50 deaths—all of which are human. Eighteen of those cases were laboratory confirmed by labs in Canada.

Though, as a precaution, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is “asking swine producers, veterinarians and labs to increase their vigilance in monitoring for and reporting swine disease.”

Is that a better use of resources than increasing monitoring activities of flu-like symptoms in humans?

The Public Health Agency of Canada website says of human swine influenza, “Sporadic human infections with swine flu have occurred, however these are usually caused by direct exposure to pigs,” and, “Human to human transmission of swine influenza has been documented.”

Are Canadians getting the whole story? Is this the best way to protect public health?

In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified 20 human cases of swine flu in several states, and an investigation website outlines what is known about the virus to this point (it’s susceptible to certain antiviral drugs) and the steps being taken to find out more.

This information gives the public a better picture of the possible risks to their health and how those risks are being managed.

The interested public can generally handle more, not less, information about food safety.
 

Buying any sort of fresh produce is an act of faith. The Associated Press explains why in a story today.

At the end of a dirt road in northern Mexico, the conveyer belts processing hundreds of tons of vegetables a year for U.S. and Mexican markets are open to the elements, protected only by a corrugated metal roof.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration suspects this packing plant, its warehouse in McAllen, Texas, and a farm in Mexico are among the sources of the United States' largest outbreak of food-borne illness in a decade, which infected at least 1,440 people with a rare form of salmonella.

A plant manager confirmed to The Associated Press that workers handling chili peppers aren't required to separate them according to the sanitary conditions in which they were grown, offering a possible explanation for how such a rare strain of salmonella could have caused such a large outbreak.

The AP has found that while some Mexican producers grow fruits and vegetables under strict sanitary conditions for export to the U.S., many don't — and they can still send their produce across the border easily.

Neither the U.S. nor the Mexican governments impose any safety requirements on farms and processing plants. That includes those using unsanitary conditions — like those at Agricola Zaragoza — and brokers or packing plants that mix export-grade fruits and vegetables with lower-quality produce. …

(There) is no public list of the chains that require sanitary practices, meaning there's no way to know whether the fruit and vegetables in any particular store is certified or not. …

Agricola Zaragoza is one of the uncertified plants, manager Emilio Garcia told the AP. He said the packing plant washes produce from both certified and uncertified producers, opening up the possibility for contamination. He refused to give details about his suppliers. …

Kathy Means, a vice president for the U.S. Produce Marketing Associations, said food safety is in the hands of the food industry, with most major produce buyers requiring both U.S. and foreign food producers to have third-party audit programs. However, Means said, not all buyers follow the same rules.

"It's not government-regulated, so it's up to the company to require it.”

I say, cut the BS and start deliberately marketing food safety. That way, someone has to back it up; not some dance with an auditor or certifier, or some other third party that has nothing to do with credibility and everything to do with providing distance when the shit hits the fan – or the produce.