Know where food comes from
Traceability was a popular topic when I started working for Doug last summer, with the Salmonella-linked-to-tomatoes-or-was-it-peppers outbreak. The current peanut butter-linked outbreak follows the same trends as the list of recalled products is on the rise. As a consumer, I wonder: do producers know their suppliers and where their food is coming from? 
The FDA warned consumers to postpone consumption of anything containing peanut butter or peanut butter paste. This is where labeling becomes important. Not only should consumers read labels, they also need some assurance that labels are accurate.
A woman suffered a severe allergic reaction after eating a parfait in a Canadian Starbucks last week. She purchased the parfait after an employee assured the dessert was nut-free. The ingredients list also failed to mention nuts. I am pretty sure this woman will have a hard time trusting labels after this.
I was diagnosed with celiac disease a few weeks ago and I know how this feels. I have to avoid products containing gluten – a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and triticale.
Gluten can also be found as a food additive in the form of flavoring, or as stabilizing or thickening agent. In such cases, producers are not required to include the protein on the label because it is classified as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by the FDA. There is also no official definition as to what constitutes a gluten-free product, so celiacs like me are recommended to buy products from trusted sources.
That Canadian Starbucks is not a trusted source.
Whether it’s because of food allergies, intolerance to gluten, or salmonella, food processors need to be aware of where their products come from and what they contain.
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.
