First years and foodborne illness
Julie, my youngest sister, started her first year at Fanshawe College in London (Ontario) this fall. Like many first years she’s staying in residence, and like many first years she’s having a great drunken time – likely followed by painful mornings hovered over the toilet.
Although many a pukey morning could be attributed to alcohol overconsumption, Courier-Journal reports ways to avoid foodborne illness while living in dorms (or residence halls).
Food-related illnesses, such as E. coli and salmonella infection, can creep into a dorm — or any setting where people gather. But students aren't always alert to the risks…
The article identifies a few problem areas for this demographic.
Eating pizza that's been left out all night: In general, perishable food shouldn't be left out more than two hours at room temperature or no more than one hour in 90-degree weather, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
But as Doug explains, there are exceptions,
“If it's the kind of pizza that most people usually get, which is like cardboard and completely dry, it's probably going to be all right. But when in doubt, throw it out.”
Relying solely on a food's color or smell to tell whether it's safe to eat:
“If something smells gross, toss it,” said Doug Powell.
But while your nose and eyes may lead you right sometimes, they're not foolproof. For example, that hamburger or chicken you just cooked may look done, but you won't know for sure whether it's safe to eat unless you stick a food thermometer in it to check the temperature. You can pick one up at the nearest big-box store.
Your tongue can mislead you, too. A product can be contaminated with bacteria, such as salmonella, without tasting or looking odd.
That’s Julie, right, with the college staple food pizza.
Mon dieu: There's a mouse in my pizza
France Info reports that a Parisian Pizza Hut, where a consumer had found a dead mouse on his pizza last May, was closed by the Prefecture yesterday due to persistent hygiene problems.
A local union representative said there was an “ongoing problem with mice for several years” in this store on the Ledru-Rollin avenue in 7th district of Paris. Management denies the accusations and claims “an act of malice.”
OHIO: Tommy's Pizza cooks up critical violations
While on house arrest nursing my burnt foot I’ve become somewhat of a whiz in the kitchen. Using Doug’s recipe I’ve made homemade pizza at least four times in the past week, much to the delight of my flatmates.
In Columbus, Ohio a local pizza shop is facing Columbus Public Health after four inspections reported thirteen critical violations – those violations most likely to pose a health hazard – reports NBC 4.
Columbus Public Health (CPH) recommended a local pizza shop’s license be suspended for at least three days after four inspections with numerous critical violations.
Tommy’s Pizza, located at 3020 E. Broad St., was inspected several times during a four-month period and had numerous critical food-safety violations.
CPH inspectors were at Tommy’s Pizza May 21, and found one critical violation: cold-holding of potentially hazardous foods. A second inspection was held Tuesday, June 9, and two critical violations were found, including violations of cold-holding of potentially dangerous foods and unsafe food was not discarded.
A yellow sign, [indicating the business is in the enforcement process due to uncorrected violations] was posted at the shop June 12.
A follow-up inspection on June 19 found seven critical violations, [including unsafe food not discarded and improper employee handwashing]. Another inspection was held July 8, with three critical violations, including violations of cold-holding of potentially dangerous foods, food employee touching ready-to-eat foods with bare hands and potentially hazardous foods not being reheated to the proper temperature.
CPH recommended Tommy’s Pizza’s license be suspended for at least three days and the shop be placed on increased monitoring for 120 days.
In Columbus inspection results are available online, here, and at the premise in the form of colored cards.
Can I eat leftover pizza that stayed out all night?
.jpg)
As thousands of American college students prepare for their first classes this morning, Doug makes pizza and tries to answer the question: can I eat that pizza I left out last night?
Evan had fun editing and that’s not my baby sneezing (and falling out of the chair).
Beware of pizza in Halmsted, Sweden
The pizza in Halmstad, Sweden apparently sucks.
Food safety inspections allegedly found that almost 90 per cent of establishments that serve pizza failed to meet the minimum levels of hygiene.
The Hallands-Posten reported that just nine of the 70 restaurants in town that serve pizza made the grade. Food safety inspectors were genuinely shocked when they tallied the results of their unannounced checks on restaurants in the coastal town of Halmstad this spring. With the vast majority of the town’s restaurants miserably failing basic hygiene, the inspectors were left wondering what went wrong.
Food safety inspector Ulrika Cederberg told the Hallands-Posten,
“We’re quite shocked. We actually didn’t think it would be this bad. There were nineteen places that didn’t have access to a functioning washbasin with soap and paper towels.”
Among the most appalling findings was one restaurant that was infested with a species of beetle that lives off dried fish, meat and cheese. Inspectors shut the place down immediately.
Another restaurant was given a temporary reprieve when the staff stayed up all night to try and clean up the many failures given out by inspectors. Storing food in toilets and no washbasins were major failings at that restaurant.
Waste not, want not: food safety, discarding food, and tough times
Whenever I think of leftover pizza, I recall my teenage years listening to Rolling Stones on vinyl at George’s apartment, I wonder whatever happened to that stray puppy one of the visitors brought home until the fleas were discovered, and I wonder how long the pizza would be good. I’ve probably eaten pieces of pizza that spent the night on the turntable.
.jpg)
So when Susan Reef, president of US Food Safety Corp., says eating pizza that has spent a few hours at room temperature is a no-no, I sorta scoff (low water activity, no epidemiological history of outbreaks from morning-after pizza consumption, she probably doesn’t like the Stones).
Kim Painter reports in USA Today tomorrow that if Maribel Alonso, a food safety specialist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Meat and Poultry Hotline, brings home a broken egg, she discards it.
Doug Powell, a food safety person at Kansas State University, says he would cook with the egg, probably into a batch of pancakes, adding,
"It's just messy, but if it's been kept cold, it should be OK.”
(Messy means, be careful of cross-contamination).
Forget beer - Pittsburgh wins 4-2
When I think Detroit and Pittsburgh, I don’t think professional hockey or beer, I think Austrian Mozart Chocolate Cream Gold liquor that my mother brought us, on berries (a mixture of fresh and thawed).
After those pizzas, why not cap off an exhausting evening of child rearing and hockey watching and food porn with a delightful mix of berries and booze – and bed.
Pittsburgh wins, 4-2.
.jpg)
Thin-crust pizza, Pens and Wings - end of second
That first pizza was so delightful and light, I made another during the second period, modifying cooking times and adding a few asparagus spears.
Amy said the asparagus tasted “green” and not in a good way.
The crust was much better but still need to adjust the cooking times. Sorenne is almost 6-months-old and is interested in everything we eat. We have introduced several solids – orange wedges, sweet potato, banana, peas – but a bit early for pizza, homemade or not (below, left).
Amy says Detroit goalie Chris Osgood really needs to control his rebounds. Doug says he needs to position better, and maybe have some defensive help. Amy says, Osgood sucks -- and she's a Detroit fan.
Pittsburgh up 4-2 after two periods.
Thin-crust pizza, Pens and Wings
During our recent sojourn to Phoenix, Amy and me ate most of our dinners in the room because baby Sorenne would be tired and it was just easier.
There was a so-called authentic Italian pizza place just down the road so we tried it out – awesome.
I’ve been making pizza crust for a long time using a blend of semolina, white and whole-wheat flours, along with garlic and fresh rosemary in the crust. Tasty, but never quite great.
This Italian place had crust so thin and delicate, topped with mixed greens and prosciutto, I tried to modify my own attempts.
I also figured I better pre-bake the crust a bit before the toppings – in this case tomato sauce, red peppers, mushrooms and artichoke hearts (below, left).
It’ll take some more practice, but the result (above, right) was fairly delicious.
Pittsburgh and Detroit tied 1-1 at the end of the first period.
Domino's pizza girl whines she can't get a job
Megan K. Kelly-Hardigree, soon-to-be handwashing guru and latest barfblogger (right, pretty much exactly as shown), writes:
After being rightfully fired from a Dominos Pizza in North Carolina, Kristy Hammonds apologized to the public on ABC's Good Morning America this morning. Hammonds admits that the video she and co-worker, Michael Setzer, posted was meant to be a joke. And it was hilarious, what with the disgusting video of cheese in the nose and wiping of the rear with a sponge meant for cleaning pizza pans.
Unfortunately for Kristy and her two kids, the joke's on her. She is having a hard time (along with thousands of other non-pranking Americans) finding a job. Ironically, her applications are being rejected from other fast-food restaurants like McDonalds and Taco Bell.
I believe this is called karma. Or a bad Alanis Morissette song. She's Canadian even.
Domino's Employees of the Month arrested: mug shot below
Unfunnyman Dane Cook and untalented Jessica Simpson have a better chance of finding future employment in pizza preparation – actually, a ridiculously certain chance -- than the two below.
Police in Conover, North Carolina say two Domino's Pizza workers and home video enthusiasts, 31-year-old Kristy Lynn Hammonds of Taylorsville and 32-year-old Michael Anthony Setzer of Conover (right, not exactly as shown) have each charged with distributing prohibited foods.
The pair (below, exactly as shown when booked) produced some employee training videos for Domino’s Pizza that are available at GoodAsYou, including one of Michael wiping his ass with a sponge and then using it to clean a pan, and another in which Kristy says, "Did you all see that? He just blew a booger on those sandwiches.”
Does Domino's Pizza get new media?
Domino’s Pizza posted a youtube response last night and has moved quickly to douse the Internet-fanned yuckiness of poop in its pizza.
But when Domino's spokesman Tim McIntyre told USA Today today the company is considering banning video cameras in stores, I wonder if they actually understand this social networking stuff – and that anyone can have a video camera on their cell phone.
The USA Today piece explains that two Domino’s employees in Conover, N.C. — fired and facing charges — posted a video on YouTube on Monday that shows one of them doing gross things to a Domino's sub sandwich he is making, such as sticking cheese pieces up his nose and passing gas on the salami.
Although Domino's is getting fairly high marks from social-networking and crisis-management types about its response, McIntyre told the N.Y. Times today that company executives initially decided not to respond aggressively, hoping the controversy would quiet down.
Scott Hoffman, the chief marketing officer of the social-media marketing firm Lotame, said in social media, “if you think it’s not going to spread, that’s when it gets bigger.”
That’s actually traditional media 101, but sure, dress it up with terms like new and social media.
By Wednesday afternoon, Domino’s had created a Twitter account, @dpzinfo, to address the comments, and it had presented its chief executive in a video on YouTube by evening (see below).
Yet more than one commentator has said the video may make things worse.
Domino’s CEO Patrick Doyle fails to look into the camera. Instead his eyes peer at 45 degrees, presumably in the direction of a script. The effect is not reassuring. What is even more unfortunate for Domino's is that the posting of the video apology has caused even more YouTube commentary about the company, some of it extremely unflattering.
However, marketers are getting an instant lesson in the dangers of an online world where just about anyone with a video camera and a grudge can bring a company to its knees with lightning speed.
Here are key things experts say marketers can do to quickly catch and respond effectively to similar social-networking attacks:
• monitor social media;
• respond quickly;
• respond at the flashpoint (Domino's first responded on consumer affairs blog The Consumerist, whose readers helped track down the store and employees who made the video);
• educate workers about social media;
• foster a positive culture; and,
• set clear guidelines.
We covered many of the same points in our Food Technology paper about food safety blogging that appeared earlier this year.
Domino's YouTube pizza 'prank:' arrest warrants issued
Arrest warrants have been issued for Kristy and Michael, the two former Domino’s employees who had their 15-minutes of Internet fame yesterday.
The videos are available at GoodAsYou, including one of Michael wiping his ass with a sponge and then using it to clean a pan, and another in which Kristy says, "Did you all see that? He just blew a booger on those sandwiches.”
The Charlotte Observer reports that Catawba County health inspection records show the Domino's in Conover, on 10th Street N.W., has a very good sanitation rating -- 96.5. In fact, its last four inspections have produced scores ranging from 95.5 to 97.5.
Domino's officials and Catawba County health department inspectors took nothing to chance late Tuesday, sanitizing all equipment in the restaurant and throwing away all opened food items.
NewsChannel 36, the Observer's news partner, said Kristy sent an email to Domino's officials, saying it was a prank and that she and Michael never would prepare food that way -- in contrast to what they said on the video.
Domino's officials responded to the video Tuesday, sending out a news release that said, “We are appalled by the actions of these individuals and they do not represent the 125,000 hard-working men and women of Domino’s Pizza across the country and in 60 countries around the world.”
Domino's food prep disaster
Kristy and Michael used to work at Domino’s Pizza in North Carolina. Then they decided to upload their, uh, creative approach to food preparation to youtube.
The videos were later taken off of youtube, but GoodAsYou managed to snag all of them including one of Michael wiping his ass with a sponge and then using it to clean a pan.All the videos are there. Essential tools for future food service training.
Tim McIntyre, vp communications, Domino's Pizza, LLC, wrote to GoodAsYou to say,
“Thank you for bringing these to our attention. I don’t have the words to say how repulsed I am by this – other than to say that these two individuals do not represent that 125,000 people in 60 countries who work hard every day to make good food and provide great customer service. I’ve turned this over to our security department. We will find them. There are far too many clues that will allow us to determine their location quite easily.”
Sydney Pizza Hut fails third cockroach inspection by the Australian name-and-shame squad
Think a few small bugs won’t hurt you? Think again. Cockroaches are one of the most commonly noted pest insects. They can cause chaos in the food safety standards of a restaurant because they transport harmful microbes on their body surfaces and through their droppings. Cockroaches are also found to be a common allergen for humans.
Last week, after two previous warnings about cockroaches in the kitchen, food safety inspectors returned to a Sydney, Australia Pizza Hut only to discover a cockroach in the food preparation area of the kitchen.
The store was issued with a $650 fine for not taking steps to eradicate the pests, and a second fine for not having warm running water in the kitchen for staff to wash their hands...The Pizza Hut was one of 22 premises the Food Authority fined in its blitz in recent days, in which it issued a total of 27 fines.
They will join more than 175 outlets on the authority's website, launched last year to "name and shame" businesses that do not comply with NSW hygiene laws.
The best way to deal with cockroaches is to prevent them before they become present. Keep kitchen surfaces clean and store food off the ground. However, if a restaurant already suffers from cockroaches, the problem should be eliminated and the reason behind the infestation should also be addressed. There are various chemicals and traps available for cockroaches, some more traditional than others.
For more information about cockroach infestations, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d001201-d001300/d001251/d001251.html
You can also view an FSN infosheet about cockroaches at http://bp3.blogger.com/_Pzk3AzZPULs/R1cP6_KHaiI/AAAAAAAAAFA/MwcjU8l0_y0/s1600-h/iFSN-infosheet-12-5-07.jpg
Hepatitis A concerns at Detroit Papa Romano's
Hopefully the employee practiced excellent handwashing so the hepatitis A virus, found in the employee's poop, didn’t make its way to a salad or roll.Dude wash your damn hands. And don't eat poop.
New York pizza worker has typhoid fever
The department emphasized that Mama Sbarro's had passed two inspections since Friday evening, when the county was informed of the kitchen worker's condition. The restaurant, which did not know the employee had typhoid fever until Saturday, had no major health violations in the last two years and would remain open, authorities said, because it was safe to eat there.Authorities noted the disease may have been passed to the kitchen worker from relatives visiting from overseas, though they would not say from what country or when the relatives visited.
Typhoid fever is an acute illness associated with fever caused by Salmonella typhi. Medicinenet.com reports that less than 500 cases are reported annually in the United States, mostly in people who recently have traveled to endemic areas.
Like hepatitis A, typhoid fever passes through the bowel and can remain on hands after inadequate handwashing, potentially contaminating foods like salads, or pizza.
Don't eat poop.
Cooking the poop out of pepperoni pizza
General Mills said nine of 21 people in 10 states reported having eaten Totino's or Jeno's pizza with pepperoni topping at some point before becoming ill, although all recovered from the illness later on.The recall hit the Pillsbury USA ranges particularly hard, as net sales for the division fell two per cent.
The International Food Safety Network has started to load videos on YouTube, as a prelude to the on-line cooking show planned for next year, Live … From the Safe Food Café.
The first, entitled E. coli O157:H7 and Pizza, covers the recent E. coli O157:H7 outbreak and subsequent recall of Totinos and Jeno’s frozen pizzas. More videos will be uploaded soon, so keep an eye out, or subscribe to our YourTube profile “SafeFoodCafe.”
Food Safety on film
Video Link
iFSN's YouTube profile
Maybe it was the customers' fault
Calgary, which has a long history of blaming consumers for foodborne illness, decided to flex some muscle and actually penalize a couple of shady restaurateurs.A Pizza Hut restaurant that remained open after being told to close to correct deficiencies under the Public Health Act has been fined $11,500.
Provincial court Assistant Chief Judge Bob Wilkins said in sentencing Alberta Restaurants Inc., which operated the Pizza Hut location in the northeast community of Coventry Hills, the numerous violations over a one-year period were overshadowed by failing to obey the inspector's order.
"The most aggravating is the blatant disregard for the closure order. Although corrected quickly, the reality is they thumbed their noses and went ahead in face of the closure order."
Additionally, the husband and wife owners of a southeast meat market were fined $20,700 for breaching numerous orders under the Public Health Act relating to unsafe food and filthy conditions.
Judge Wilkins was quoted as saying,
"There was repeated contravention of the act, with 34 inspections in which opportunity was given to rectify the problems. They virtually ignored them. What was done here was strictly for economic gain."
Offences included meat scraps being left uncovered, meat and chicken waste left in a back of the property, open product lying on the floor in a walk-in freezer, mice droppings lying around and magpies carrying away meat left outside.
Can I have some electric kool-aid with that?
Dominick A. Rao, a janitor with the Fair Lawn, New Jersey, school district since 2000, is alleging in a lawsuit that his co-workers laced his pizza with the hallucinogen LSD in an attempt to poison him at an office party in 2005.His attorney, Richard Mazawey, was quoted as telling The Record of Bergen County for Monday editions that,
"He said he felt like his body and system were melting from the inside out, like he was living in a kaleidoscope."
