Improving sampling and risk communication at FSIS
Chuck Dodd is dreamy – as a student, that is.
What teacher wouldn’t be proud when a student does a class assignment, and it eventually gets published in a peer-reviewed journal?
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Chuck took my graduate course, Food Safety Risk Analysis, in the early part of 2008. For the final assignment, students are required to take a food safety risk issue of their choosing, and develop a risk analysis report for an audience, like a regulatory agency, integrating risk assessment, management and communication.
Chuck’s report – after editing and thoughtful comments from colleagues – was recently published in Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, entitled, Regulatory management and communication of risks associated with Eschericia coli O157:H7 in ground beef.
The Kansas State University press release that went out this morning says, in part,
What consumers may not be finding out about recalls and the inspection process, however, could make them doubt the effectiveness of what is actually a pretty good system to keep food safe, according to Kansas State University researchers.
Charles Dodd, K-State doctoral student in food science, Wamego, and Doug Powell, K-State associate professor of food safety, published a paper in the journal Foodborne Pathogens and Disease about how one government agency communicates risk about deadly bacteria like E. coli O157 in ground beef.
Publications, Web pages and recalls are all used in this risk communication.
Dodd said that although the Food Safety and Inspection Service generally does a good job of keeping meat safe, it's easy for consumers to think the opposite, particularly when a recall tells them that the food in the fridge or pantry may be dangerous. In their study, Dodd and Powell looked at what information consumers can take away from the Food Safety and Inspection Service's Web site, and suggest government agencies can more clearly communicate their role in keeping the food supply safe.
"We as Americans tend to expect more from regulatory agencies than we should, so we set ourselves up for disappointment," Dodd said. "Occasionally, regulatory agencies may create unrealistic expectations by the way they communicate with the public. The message of our paper is to say that the Food Safety and Inspection Service is doing a good job, considering the amount of resources it has. We are trying to open up dialogue about how its role could be communicated more effectively." …
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Testing is just one tool that the Food Safety and Inspection Service uses. Its role is to monitor what other stakeholders are doing to keep food safe. "As a regulatory agency, the Food Safety and Inspection Service is monitoring food safety, not necessarily testing it themselves," Dodd said. "I think that's what a lot of us consumers misinterpret. We need to remember that regulatory agencies allocate, not assume, responsibility."
He got an A in the class. And he collects his own cow pies for sampling (left).
Dodd, C.C. and Powell, D.A. 2009. Regulatory management and communication of risks associated with Eschericia coli O157:H7 in ground beef. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, 6(6): 743-747.
Abstract
Foodborne illness outbreaks and ground beef recalls associated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 have generated substantial consumer risk awareness. Although this risk has been assessed and managed according to federal regulation, communication strategies may hamper stakeholder perception of regulatory efforts in the face of continued E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks associated with ground beef. To mitigate the risk of E. coli O157:H7 contamination in ground beef, the beef industry employs preharvest and postharvest interventions, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) provides regulatory oversight. Policy makers must understand and clearly express that regulation allocates, not assumes, responsibility. The FSIS role may be poorly communicated, leading consumers, retailers, and others in the farm-to-fork food safety system to misrepresent risks and creating unrealistic expectations of regulatory responsibility. To improve this risk communication, revisions may be needed in FSIS-related documents, Web pages, peer-reviewed publications, and recall announcements.
E. coli sickens seven in Canada
Any cases of E. coli O157:H7 are "heart-wrenching.”
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That’s what Tanya Maksymic, whose daughter Julia became seriously sick with E. coli in 2007, told the Calgary Herald after hearing that public health types are investigating a cluster of five cases in Calgary, which appear related to additional cases in Edmonton and Saskatchewan.
Dr. Richard Musto, Calgary medical officer of health for Alberta Health Services, said,
"We think we see some patterns here. It's still early, but it looks like there is some . . . connection between these cases."
Two of the people required hospitalization, according to sources, who added the Calgary cases appear linked to three unnamed Vietnamese restaurants. …
In the latest cases, the seven people fell ill between Nov. 26 and Jan. 2.
Maksymic went on to add,
"I never let my guard down, I'm always taking extra precautions. You don't live normally after that (experience)."
E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks close 4 Ontario restaurants
At least one media outlet is reporting this morning that outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 in southern Ontario have been linked by DNA fingerprinting.
But I'd like to see that confirmed elsewhere.
Dr. Robin Williams, medical officer of Health for Niagara Region, said,
"We are trying to track through the supply and the source of the foods ... we're not just looking at the restaurants (involved) we're also looking at the cross-link between distributors.”
So far 208 food samples have been taken from those restaurants for analysis
The Little Red Rooster in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., was closed last Friday to let Niagara Region Public Health officials investigate potential sources of contamination. On Tuesday, M.T. Bellies in nearby Welland, Ont., was closed. The number of sick related to these two eateries has climbed to 31, with nine confirmed.
Thursday afternoon, Johnathan's Family Restaurant of Burlington, Ontario, after the Halton Region Health Department linked several new cases of E. coli O157:H7 to the '50s-style diner.
Owner Greg Tasoulis told the Toronto Star yesterday he had no option.
"A health department representative came and said `I want you to close the restaurant down.' … How do they know it doesn't come from the lettuce I got from our supplier. What if it's not us? The cost is tremendous to us ... over 5,000 people come through here in a week.”
An outbreak at a Harvey's fast-food restaurant in the central Ontario city of North Bay has led to 237 cases of E. coli O157:H7, of which 46 are laboratory confirmed. At this time there is no link between the southern Ontario outbreak and the North Bay outbreak.
E. coli outbreak in ground beef linked to Whole Foods Markets
When I was a graduate student at the University of Michigan, Whole Foods was adjacent to my apartment complex. It was cruel, really. I couldn’t afford to shop there very often but the food always looked so delicious, and, well, wholesome. Yesterday, however, Whole Foods Market recalled fresh ground beef sold between June 2 and August 6 for a possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7. Seven are sick in Massachusetts and two in Pennsylvania. None in Ann Arbor, yet.
Whole Foods has successfully built its reputation on natural and organic foods with high prices to make you believe you are doing good to your body by shopping there. Personally, I shopped there for the wide array of cheeses and pâté that wasn’t available in my favorite (more affordable) grocery. This outbreak raises the question for me – why are people still getting sick from ground beef processed at Nebraska Beef Ltd. that was previously recalled? And, as Bill Marler points out, why was Whole Foods selling Nebraska Beef? He offers a list of hard-hitting questions for the elite grocery chain that touts its own high standards.
On a side note, the Whole Foods that used to be in my backyard in Ann Arbor has since become a Trader Joe’s. Whole Foods moved down the street to a much larger and fancier location.
Cheese pornographers don't know poop
Murray's Cheese in New York City perpetuates poop.At Murray's, we take pride in the quality of our products and strive to provide our customers not only with exceptional food but also the knowledge to become a happy, healthy eater.
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The latest blog post from Murray's -- and some past ones would be hilarious except that their BS has serious public health consequences -- regurgitates crap about E. coli O157:H7 not being found in grass-fed cattle.Cows poop E. coli O157:H7 -- regardless of diet.
Cows poop E. coli O157:H7 -- regardless of diet
Mike Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota and Russo's target, does a nice job of, um, crushing Russo's assertions in today's Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune:
"Russo cited conclusions from a 1998 study from Cornell University that cattle fed a diet of grass, not grain, had very few E. coli, and that those bacteria that survived in the cattle feces would not survive in the human when eaten in undercooked meat, particularly hamburger. This statement is based on a study of only three cows rotated on different diets and for which the researchers did not even test for E. coli O157:H7. Unfortunately, the authors extrapolated these incredibly sparse results to the entire cattle industry. The Cornell study is uncorroborated in numerous published scientific papers from renowned research groups around the world. Finally, work conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health as part of a national study on foodborne disease recently showed that eating red meat from local farms was a significant risk factor for E. coli infection. ...
"Russo would understand this issue in an entirely different light if he had been with me when I had to explain to distraught parents that their young daughter's death was due to eating an undercooked hamburger, prepared by them, and the E. coli that caused her illness came from meat from a cow raised only on pasture grass and processed by the local meat packer. The cow also came from Grandpa's farm down the road."Lawyer Bill Marler offered his own take on the exchange, so I'll jump in to reiterate that the natural reservoirs for E. coli O157:H7 and other verotoxigenic E. coli is the intestines of all ruminants, including cattle -- grass or grain-fed -- sheep, goats, deer and the like. The final report of the fall 2006 spinach outbreak identifies nearby grass-fed beef cattle as the likely source of the E. coli O157:H7 that sickened 200 and killed 4.
As my colleague David Renter wrote in Sept. 2006,
"Cattle raised on diets of 'grass, hay and other fibrous forage' do contain E. coli O157:H7 bacteria in their feces as do other animals including deer, sheep, goats, bison, opossum, raccoons, birds, and many others.
"Cattle diet can affect levels of E. coli O157:H7, but this is a complex issue that has been and continues to be studied by many scientists. To suggest switching cattle from grain to forage based on a small piece of the scientific evidence is inappropriate and irresponsible. Several pieces of evidence suggest that such a change would not eliminate and may even increase E. coli O157:H7 in cattle.
"The current spinach outbreak may be traced back to cattle manure, but there are many other potential sources. Simplistically attacking one facet of livestock production may be politically expedient, but instead provides a false sense of security and ignores the biological realities of E. coli O157:H7. In 1999, for example, 90 children were felled by E. coli O157:H7 at a fair in London, Ont. The source? A goat at a petting zoo, hardly an intensively farmed animal."
Images courtesy of the IFSN video Poop in the Field, available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL8iXUbTqgI
Creepy creeping beef recall continues in Canada
What is going on at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency? Yesterday, CFIA and Cardinal Meat Specialists Ltd. yet again expanded a creeping recall of hamburgers possibly contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 to more burgers, and said no one had gotten sick from any of the products.
Maybe not any of the newly recalled products -- most with a best before date of June 2007, nice gumshoe work, CFIA -- but a Nov. 13/07 CFIA press release said Cardinal Meat Specialists Ltd. was recalling some burgers and that one person was sick with E. coli O157:H7 from those lots of burgers.
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The story begins Sept. 29/07 when Topps Meat of New Jersey issued the second largest ground beef recall in U.S. history. After 40 illnesses in eight states, and recalling 21.7 million pounds of frozen hamburger -- one year's worth of production -- Topps filed for bankruptcy Wednesday.On October 26, USDA said a now-defunct Canadian firm, Rancher's Beef of Balzac, Alberta, was the likely source of bacteria-contaminated meat used by Topps. CFIA said it was investigating 45 illnesses and one death caused by E. coli O157:H7 but wouldn't say if it was linked to Rancher's Beef.
They've been playing footsie with the public ever since.
The recall prompted the USDA to announce changes in how it will inspect meat plants and would move faster to encourage recalls. On Nov. 4, 2007, USDA FSIS announced that it would increase testing of Canadian beef imports at the border.
CFIA is ncreasingly irrelevant - except in their own minds. I've received e-mails from food and health-types at both local and provincial levels asking what's going on at CFIA and complaining about bureaucracy run amok.
A single federal food inspection agency has its drawbacks.
Letter to Canada: This is what we're testing
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A letter from Dr. William Jam, Acting Assistant Administrator Office of International Affairs FSIS, USDA, to his Canadian counterpart, just released, says in part:This letter is to alert you that on Friday, November 9, 2007, the Food Safety and Inspection Service(FSIS) will begin increased productexams of exported Canadian meat and poultry products, and pasteurized egg products at import houses in the United States (US). FSIS will also increase testing of raw groundbeef for E. coli OI57:H7. Also, FSIS will begin testing of raw beef manufacturing trim, boxed beef, and subprimals normally sent for grinding for E. coli Ol57:H7. Additionally, FSIS will increase testing for Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella in ready-to-eat products. The increase product exams, testing of raw ground beef for E. coli Ol57:H7, and for Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella in ready-to-eat products will be at the rate of approximately double that of the past year for Canada.
These measures are consistent with the statement of Dr. Richard Raymond, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety released on November 3, 2007 . The measures are a reflection of our concern about the Canadian inspection system based on the audit findings of May 1-Jtrne 6, 2007, and the circumstances related to the unsafe practices employed by Ranchers Beef, Ltd., Establishment 630.
The increase in tests for pathogens will continue while the two US teams currently in Canada complete their audits of Establishment 630, the six establishments that received Notices of Intent to Delist in the last US audit of Canada, the one establishment that was delisted in the last US audit of Canada, and beef slaughter establishments identified as similar to Est. 630 in terms of start-up and operations.
The complete letter is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Canada_O157_Testing_Letter.pdf
U.S. to boost testing of imported Canadian meat
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The Canadians are jumping through so many hoops I'm not sure who can sort out this Topps Meat-Rancher's Beef recall mess. Talk about bureaucratic.On Oct. 26, 207, USDA, oh and CFIA, said that the multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to the Topps Meat Company has been traced back to a defunct Alberta company that apparently provided beef trim to Topps.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency PR notes that,
"The investigation is examining 45 cases of E. coli O157:H7 that were found in New Brunswick, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Ontario and British Columbia. These cases were previously reported from July to September, 2007. As a result of these cases, eleven people were hospitalized and one elderly individual died."
By Nov. 3, 2007, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, perhaps befuddled by the Canadian approach, said it would increase testing for salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 on meat and poultry products being imported from Canada after the Topps E. coli outbreak in several U.S. states was traced to beef from a Canadian company.
Dr. Richard Raymond said,
"Effective next week, FSIS will increase testing for Salmonella, Listeria Monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 and will require that shipments be held until testing is complete and products are confirmed negative for these pathogens. In addition, Canadian meat and poultry products will receive increased levels of re-inspection by FSIS to confirm they are eligible to enter commerce when presented at the U.S. border.
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"FSIS will also immediately begin an audit of the Canadian food safety system that will focus on Ranchers Beef, Ltd. and will include other similar establishments that export beef to the U.S. Based on information provided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), FSIS had previously identified this Canadian plant, which has ceased operations, as a likely source of the multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to the Topps Meat Company. As the result of that recall investigation, FSIS delisted Ranchers Beef, Ltd., Canadian establishment number 630, on October 20, 2007. No product from that firm has been eligible to enter into the U.S. since that date.
"The audit and stepped up actions at the border are being conducted because of concerns about testing practices at Ranchers Beef, Ltd. that were discovered as part of the ongoing investigation."
Ted Haney, president of the Canadian Beef Export Federation, told The Canadian Press on Saturday,
"This is very serious, at least in the short term," and that major beef processing plants have already made the decision to either not operate for the next couple of days or to reduce processing volumes and not trade to the United States.
"This is excessive," he said of the audit, which he called an "excessive and capricious'' protocol. It was done without consultation, it was done unilaterally, it doesn't reflect the risk of E. coli O157:H7 in both Canada and the United States. … I think they have a born-at-home public relations issue that
they're attempting to deal with. … Our industry has been struggling with costs of regulation in Canada; it's struggled with a lack of market access in Asia .... This will be very, very disruptive, at least in the short term."
So instead of explaining what Canadian safeguards are in place, and the kind of testing that is currently undertaken at Canadian plants -- the kinds of things the Americans are looking for -- Haney essentially says the big Canadian meat plants are going home and won't play in the sandbox anymore and regulations are just too much.
Now tonight, a Canadian Press wire story says that even though the 40 sick people in the U.S. and the 45 people in Canada had the same E. coli O157:H7 genetic pattern, the product from the now defunct Rancher's Beef Ltd. of Balzac, Alta. had not been definitively linked to the Canadian sick folks; just the Americans.
Here's some questions: Why were the Americans -- again -- the first to notify Canadians about an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7? What's with all the rhetoric? Who knew what when?
Test away, America.
Blame Canada some more
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After 45 illnesses including 11 hospitalizations and one death over the past three months, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) at 3 a.m. Eastern time this morning warned Canadians not to consume certain packages of ground beef, most of it produced in produced as far back as June.The products are being recalled as a result of the CFIA’s investigation and traceback conducted on contaminated beef involving Ranchers Beef Ltd.(Establishment 630), Balzac, Alberta.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.
But there have been lots of illnesses in both the U.S. and Canada linked to product from the same Ranchers Beef facility, including the Topps outbreak across the U.S.
You Buy -- You Kill -- You Dress -- You Take Home
Amy has survival skills. She knows how to field-dress animals. And has pretty good bowstaff skills.At Tom Prince's farm 20 miles west of Indianapolis, a Muslim man kneels over a goat, says a brief prayer, then cuts the animal's throat. It's hard to imagine a greater cultural mishmash than the early morning gatherings that take place here every Friday and Saturday.
Tim Evans, who reports for The Indianapolis Star, writes in USA Today this morning that since 1999, Prince has operated a self-service slaughterhouse that specializes in providing goat meat to the Indianapolis area's growing international community. His card reads "You Buy — You Kill — You Dress — You Take Home," and business is booming. Prince also sells lamb and sheep, but goats are the big seller.
Prince, 80, runs the facility from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Friday and Saturday, selling an average of about 50 goats per weekend. In the weeks before Muslim and other religious holidays, he says, sales often double.
The story provides an excellent overview of several facets of the intersection between food, language and culture, something we at iFSN are beginning to explore in a more structured manner (really, I'm getting' some culture from Amy the French professor and outdoor survivalist).
Prince's slow Southern drawl stands out from the languages spoken by customers who have found their way to Central Indiana from Morocco, Yemen, Nigeria, Kenya, Pakistan, Mexico and other places around the globe where goat is a dietary staple.
For some, butchering their own meat helps maintain a link to cultures they've left behind in Africa, Central America and the Middle East. Others, including the large number of Muslims who buy from Prince, prefer to kill and butcher the animals themselves to ensure food preparation standards of their faith are followed.
Prince said he doesn't know a lot about Islam, but he is savvy enough as a businessman to make sure the slaughterhouse meets their needs — including situating the killing table so it faces east toward Mecca.
Goats, like all ruminants, are natural reservoirs for E. coli O157:H7. So be clean, be safe, unlike the employees of the Captains Galley's restaurant in China Grove, N.C., who earlier this year slaughtered a goat after hours, leading to an O157 outbreak that sickened 21 and killed an 86-year-old. Safety and culture can go together.
It's more than barbeques
Food safety is not simple.Yet the food safety folks in Calgary, Alberta, continue to insist that there are generally more E. coli cases in the summer because more people barbeque hamburger. That's blaming consumers, a standard tactic, especially in Canada.
Since the beginning of June, 58 people have become sick with E. coli O157:H7 in the Calgary area. Now they've apparently decided to call in the feds for help.
Tanya Maksymic, whose two children were sickened, including the hospitalization of her 17-month-old, said the health region's decision to get help from the federal government about the unusually high number of cases this summer is too little too late.
I chimed in on Aug. 2/07, with the following letter in the Calgary Herald:
Re: "E. coli infections stymie officials," July 28.
Dr. Judy MacDonald said 28 people have tested positive for E. coli in Calgary, more than five times the number the city usually sees in a typical month.
Despite not knowing the food source, MacDonald stated, "There are simple ways to prevent this -- wash your hands before you prepare food or eat food, after you change a child's diaper, or after you've been to the bathroom."
What's so simple about the recent outbreaks in produce, pet food and peanut butter? Once the products were home, there was nothing individuals could have done to prevent the illnesses and deaths.
Are consumers really expected to cook all their fresh tomatoes and leafy greens to 165F to kill salmonella? Fry up peanut butter? Bake the cat food?
Food safety is complex, constant and requires commitment. Consumers have a role to play, but not if the E. coli is linked to produce like lettuce or spinach.
Everyone in the farm-to-fork food safety system has a responsibility to reduce risk. The opportunities for cross-contamination are numerous, and it's not that easy to cook a safe burger.
Every grower, packer, distributor, retailer and restaurant must work on developing their own culture that values and promotes microbiologically safe food.
Douglas Powell,
Manhattan, Kan.
Douglas Powell is scientific director of the International Food Safety Network at Kansas State University.
