Faith-based food safety? Market microbial food safety directly at retail so consumers can choose
Most food purchases are based on faith. That’s why an extensive series of rules, regulations and punishments emerged beginning in 12th century Mediterranean areas.
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Faith-based food safety systems are prevalent from the farmer’s market to the supermarket, especially in the produce section. And almost anything can, and is, claimed on food labels – except microbial food safety.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced they are going to examine the growing number of nutrition claims found on the front of food packages after complaints the labels promote health fairytales.
In the U.K., the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has encouraged diners to boycott restaurants that cannot answer questions about the origin of their food.
British chefs Raymond Blanc, Peter Gordon, Martin Lam, Paul Merrett and Antony Worrall-Thompson issued a joint statement saying:
“The British public need to stop being so reticent in restaurants and start asking where their food comes from. It’s your right to know the origin of the food you are served and what types of farms are being used - and the mark of a good restaurant is one that is proud to tell you.”
In response to this news Freedom Food has launched a new long-term campaign called ‘Simply Ask’ which aims to get people asking about food provenance when eating out. This is in a bid to encourage restaurants, pubs and cafes to start sourcing products from higher welfare farms such as Freedom Food, free-range or organic.
Americans are questioning nutrition claims, Brits are questioning allegedly animal-friendly sources of food, maybe there’s room to ask for microbiologically safe food – the stuff that sickens up to 30 per cent of all people everywhere every year (so says the World health Organization).
Lots of companies and retailers are taking baby steps in the direction of empowering consumers to hold producers accountable, but lots aren’t.
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Maple Leaf Foods, whose listeria-laden cold-cuts killed 22 Canadians last year, is continuing on its bad Journey to Food Safety Leadership by announcing today that, “Industry and government come together to make food safer for Canadians.”
Invoking the two groups shoppers distrust the most – industry and government – and proclaiming they are working together to better things may not be the best communication strategy to build trust and confidence.
Dr. Randall Huffman, Chief Food Safety Officer for Maple Leaf Foods, stated,
"The Canadian food industry is united that food safety not be used as a competitive advantage. Every member at every step in the production process is a steward of food safety. This spirit of cooperation heralds a new beginning for our industry, and together we will make Canada the gold standard for food safety. This symposium is the first in a series to ensure we share experiences and knowledge, and gain insights into emerging risks, technology advances and cutting edge science that can deliver safer food for Canadians."
That’s nice. Computer companies share technology all the time but that doesn’t stop them from marketing their individual technological advantages.
Stop pandering. Companies that are serious about food safety will go beyond the trust-me approach of faith-based food safety systems and provide public access to food safety test results, provide warnings to populations at risk, and market food safety at retail, to enhance the food safety culture back at the producer or processor level, and to build consumer confidence. May even make money.
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Consumer groups, industry, lots of others, misuse food safety data for political gain
Chapman already commented on some of the, uh, failings of the recent top 10 (PR stunt) allegedly most dangerous foods issued by the poorly named Center for Science in the Public Interest – there wasn’t much science or public interest in that last report.
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The produce industry types responded with the blame-the-consumer routine, which is (incredibly dumb) unfortunate given that many outbreaks involving fresh fruits and vegetables clearly need to be prevented on the farm and have nothing to do with consumers.
“Consumers and other food handlers play a huge role in preventing illnesses, and they do need more information on safe handling.”
Neither approach is helpful. Casey Jacob and I tried to contribute to the public conversation about foodborne illness, where it happens and who’s to blame, with the appropriately titled paper, Where Does Foodborne Illness Happen—in the Home, at Foodservice, or Elsewhere—and Does It Matter? in the journal, Foodborne Pathogens and Disease.
The paper has been published online ahead of print. We conclude,
While some occurrences of foodborne illness result from unsafe practices during final preparation or serving at the site where food was consumed, others are consequences of receiving contaminated food from a supplier, or both. Data gathered on instances of contamination that lead to illness make greater contributions to the development of programs that reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses, than data or assumptions that describe locations where contaminated food is consumed.
The abstract is below.
Foodservice professionals, politicians, and the media are often cited making claims as to which locations most often expose consumers to foodborne pathogens. Many times, it is implied that most foodborne illnesses originate from food consumed where dishes are prepared to order, such as restaurants or in private homes. The manner in which the question is posed and answered frequently reveals a speculative bias that either favors homemade or foodservice meals as the most common source of foodborne pathogens. Many answers have little or no scientific grounding, while others use data compiled by passive surveillance systems. Current surveillance systems focus on the place where food is consumed rather than the point where food is contaminated. Rather than focusing on the location of consumption—and blaming consumers and others—analysis of the steps leading to foodborne illness should center on the causes of contamination in a complex farm-to-fork food safety system.
Dubai supermarkets start direct food safety messaging at deli counters
Dubai is hot, with daytime highs at this time of year regularly exceeding 40C (104 F). Local public health types determined that with the super shopping mega malls, people were buying food, placing it in the incubators they called cars, and then some more leisurely shopping.
So, after a few meetings, all supermarkets in Dubai will now be offering warnings, similar to these, regarding ready-to-eat foods. The sign says, 'Cold Food Consume Immediately Or Refrigerate Within One Hour.'
Cool stuff.
Nestle Toll House cookie dough returns; Linda Rivera still hospitalized
In Room 519 of Kindred Hospital, Linda Rivera can no longer speak.
Her mute state, punctuated only by groans, is the latest downturn in the swift collapse of her health that began in May when she curled up on her living room couch and nonchalantly ate several spoonfuls of the Nestlé cookie dough her family had been consuming for years. Federal health officials believe she is among 80 people in 31 states sickened by cookie dough contaminated with a deadly bacteria, E. coli O157:H7.
The impact of the infection has been especially severe for Rivera and nine other victims who developed a life-threatening complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome. One, a 4-year-old girl from South Carolina, had a stroke and is partially paralyzed.
But good news. Two weeks ago, Nestle announced, in breathless PR-speak,
After almost two months of being out of the U.S. marketplace, Nestle USA is pleased to announce that Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough is returning to stores this week.
To make it easy for both retail partners and consumers to identify the new batch of cookie dough, a blue "New Batch" label will appear on all new production cookie dough items. Nestle Toll House shipping cases also are marked in blue (rather than the previous black) to denote new production and will contain the statement: "Do not consume raw cookie dough." The adoption of this distinct labeling is the result of helpful discussions between Food & Drug Administration (FDA) officials and Nestle, following reports of E.coli O157:H7 illnesses that appeared to be related to the consumption of raw cookie dough.
I bet the discussions were helpful. Probably similar to the ones ConAgra had with the U.S. Department of Agriculture geniuses who said, safe cooking instructions for frozen $0.50 pot pies should tell consumers to use a thermometer to make sure the pie is safe. Food safety is a shared responsibility apparently means it’s the consumer’s responsibility, especially in foods that may be perceived as ready-to-eat.
This is what the new Nestle cookie label looks like, on a package I picked up at a local store on Saturday (front, above, right; back, below, left).
Labeling is a lousy way to provide information about food safety risks, but better than nothing. I’m sure Nestle and ConAgra, in the best interests of their consumers, will publicly release the evaluative data they (probably? maybe?) acquired to show that these particular labels have a positive impact on consumer food safety behavior.
Raw seafood warning: Florida edition
As part of our search for decent seafood in Florida, Amy snapped this reminder of what is probably the most thorough food warning we’ve ever seen on a restaurant menu.
No idea whether people read these things.
Why blame the consumer when the outbreaks are elsewhere
Memorial Day is Monday, so it’s time to play, blame the consumer.
Foodborne illness outbreaks have been a regular feature in the news lately and are top of mind when consumers think of food and health issues, but new International Food Information Council Foundation research shows that fewer people are taking basic precautions that could significantly reduce their risk of becoming sick.
Are consumers supposed to cook their peanut butter? Extra roast those pistachios? Sauté the leafy greens and cook the tomatoes?
The survey results are based on self-reported behaviors – do you wash your hands, yes I wash my hands, but not really – so should be immediately consigned to the garbage-in-garbage-out bin.
My favorite question of late is to ask audiences of VP food safety types and other titans of industry how many of them use a digital, tip-sensitive thermometer when they grill chicken breast or burgers for their friends and family, since they are quality control types and really care about data.
Guess it’s follow what I preach, not what I practice.
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Preparing pot pies and blaming consumers
The N.Y. Times repeated my year-and-a-half-old home-alone reporting and video shoot with ConAgra pot pies and other frozen thingies in a front-page feature this morning and reached the same conclusion: the cooking directions suck.
(BTW, the Times video accompanying Friday's story also sucks, and they appear to use the wrong kind of thermometer -- always be tip-sensitive)
The frozen pot pies that sickened an estimated 15,000 people with salmonella in 2007 left federal inspectors mystified. At first they suspected the turkey. Then they considered the peas, carrots and potatoes.
Threatened with a federal shutdown, the pie maker, ConAgra Foods, began spot-checking the vegetables for pathogens, but could not find the culprit. …
So ConAgra — which sold more than 100 million pot pies last year under its popular Banquet label — decided to make the consumer responsible for the kill step. The “food safety” instructions and four-step diagram on the 69-cent pies offer this guidance: “Internal temperature needs to reach 165° F as measured by a food thermometer in several spots.”
… attempts by The New York Times to follow the directions on several brands of frozen meals, including ConAgra’s Banquet pot pies, failed to achieve the required 165-degree temperature. Some spots in the pies heated to only 140 degrees even as parts of the crust were burnt.
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And in a staggering example of corporate arrogance coupled with blame-the-consumer, Jim Seiple, a food safety official with the Blackstone unit that makes Swanson and Hungry-Man pot pies, said pot pie instructions have built-in margins of error, and the risk to consumers depended on
“how badly they followed our directions.”
That’s assuming people can read, that they can read English, that the instructions are microbiologically validated and that the instructions are clear – meaning there has been direct or video observation of consumers attempting to cook following the instructions.
Sydney KFCs fined $73,000 for filth
Franchisee QSR Pty Ltd, the owner of two KFC restaurants in Sydney’s south, has been convicted of 11 charges of breaching food hygiene laws between May 2007 and February 2008 and has been fined $73,000.
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NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said the potential health issues were compounded by the fact the company ignored directives to lift its game.
Inspectors discovered the problems after a complaint from a member of the public.
Mr Macdonald said the case was a "textbook example" of how consumer complaints helped inspectors police food safety in NSW.
But KFC defended QSR Pty Ltd, saying the breaches were just a "temporary breakdown" in standards.
KFC -- Food Safety Assured (right).
When danger lurks in the grocery aisles, call the Recaller
Deciphering recall information is tough for the regular consumer. 
Automated phone calls to shoppers have been appreciated. Pictures of products have also helped to clear things up.
But it seems that retailers need some assistance accessing and utilizing recall information to better aide consumers.
Recalled products were found on grocery and convenience store shelves after:
- Salmonella bacteria were discovered in Veggie Booty snacks,
- botulinum toxin was found in Castleberry’s chili,
- Topps meat was recalled due to E. coli contamination,
- Listeria monocytogenes was detected in Maple Leaf deli meats, and
- dairy products were found to contain melamine.
Growing up, my brother Skyler had an awesome Batman alarm clock. When it was time to get up, the Bat-Signal would shine on the ceiling and a voice would say, “Gotham City is in trouble; call for Batman!” It was a great call to action.
I think the citizens need another hero: The Recaller.
Along with a handful of producers, some grocery retailers have specialized personnel on staff to manage food safety issues.
Barry Parsons fills that role for the three Stauffers supermarkets in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
When he gets news of a recall, Parsons says,
"Twenty minutes to a half an hour and it's off the shelf."
POW. BAM. WHAP. The threat is negated.
My bother Jesse (currently a third grader) found a hero in Spiderman.
All the aforementioned recalls have shown that the production and distribution of food today has the power to reach and—positively or adversely—affect many, many people. And you know what Uncle Ben says about great power….
"There's a lot of responsibility being in the food business," Parsons said. "I really care about this.
"Because it could be a child. I've had children myself. Imagine if your child got sick. How would you feel as a parent? The elderly — they're susceptible. My parents are in their 80s. That really hits me."
That’s what I see as a culture of food safety.
The superhero I favored was a good guy from Kansas: Superman. 
(At right: Dean Cain's costume from 'Lois and Clark' was on display alongside old mining equipment and [representative] boxes of stored film reels at the Kansas Underground Salt Museum when Bret took me last year.)
The Pennsylvania Recaller says of his position,
"You've really got to be dedicated to it, and you've really got to have a sense of caring.
"You've got to say, 'No matter what's going to happen, I'm going to make sure my customers are safe, my employers are safe.'
"This is not something I do as a job. It's just what I do. It's who I am."
Genetically engineered and conventional sweet corn -- Sept. 2000
I recently discovered some of that old video. This was way before youtube, but the idea was, for those who couldn't visit the farm, we would bring the farm to them. The original press release can be found at http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu/en/news-details.php?a=3&c=29&sc=220&id=46895.
We'll be releasing a bunch of Farmer Jeff videos on youtube over the next couple of months, to provide some insights into the food production trade-offs that farmers face every day.
Did your microwave nuke the bacteria?
N.Y. Times business columnist Andrew Martin writes in Sunday's paper (Oct. 14/07) that he's gotten used to the idea that hamburgers can make you sick. But frozen dinners?The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says at least 165 people in 31 states have become ill with the same strain of salmonella, with the Banquet pot pies being the likely source.
Martin says,
"it is relatively easy to figure out when a hamburger is well done by checking to see that it is no longer pink."
Uh-oh. Color is a lousy indicator of doneness. But more about that in upcoming weeks.
Martn continues,
"it’s preposterous to expect consumers to know how the cooking power of their microwave compares with others."
Douglas Powell, an associate professor and scientific director of the International Food Safety Network at Kansas State University said,
"Even if I have a 1,000-watt microwave, how do I know if it’s high, medium or low?"
Professor Powell bought one of the pot pies and cooked it, following the instructions, then checked the temperature with a thermometer.
After four minutes, the pie was 48 degrees, leading him to conclude his microwave was low wattage. After six minutes, it was 204 degrees near the top but 127 degrees farther into the pie.
He finally ate it after zapping it for another two minutes, when the pie temperature was 194 degrees. (An account of the experiment is at barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu)
Martin further says,
with the proliferation of ready-to-cook foods in the frozen foods aisle, the variation in the cooking times is a little scary. Is it long enough to kill the bugs, even if my microwave is 15 years old?
ConAgra Foods finally came to its senses on Thursday night and recalled all of its pot pies. It also acknowledged problems with its cooking instructions.
