Higher processing temperature may reduce listeria risk in smoked salmon
I’m a big fan of smoked salmon, especially the farmed kind – it’s more sustainable. The convenience and nutrients are hard to top – except maybe with a slice of tomato.
The problem with such refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods is listeria, the bacterium that’s everywhere and grows at refrigerator temperatures.
Last night, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Classic Smokehouse (2003) Inc. warned the public not to consume Classic Canadian Wild Sockeye Trims because the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The affected product, Classic Canadian Wild Sockeye Lox Trim, was sold in 454g vacuum packages bearing UPC 3000550008256 and PACKED ON dates from MA 02 (May 2, 2009) to JL 28 (July 28, 2009) inclusive.
This product has been distributed in British Columbia.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
At least not this time.
Such listeria-related recalls are common, and why work continues to increase the safety of refrigerated RTE foods. A recent study from the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists, determined that smoking salmon at adequately high temperatures is a step in reducing the risk of Listeria monocytogenes in the fish.
Researchers from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Wyndmoor, PA, found greater inactivation rates of Listeria monocytogenes occurred in samples processed at higher temperatures and in samples containing higher concentrations of salt and smoke compound. The inactivation rate increased tenfold when the temperature increased by 5° C, indicating that smoking temperature is a main factor affecting the inactivation of the pathogen. In addition, salt and smoke compounds also contribute to the inactivation effect.
While such research continues, pregnant women should avoid refrigerated RTE foods like smoked salmon. Amy’s back on the smoked salmon, and this is her lunch for later today: smoked salmon and walnuts over spring mix, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (left).
Source, not criticism, top priority in outbreak
This picture (right) was taken by in Cincinnati, Ohio, and posted on The Consumerist. Just weird.
And The Packer says today in an editorial that the source, not criticism, should be the top priority in outbreak.
Too vague. Too slow. Too aggressive.
All of the above criticisms may apply to the handling of the recent linkage of Salmonella Saintpaul to tomatoes by the Food and Drug Administration and various federal and state agencies.
Unfortunately, the criticisms are easy to level, but not so easy to apply in reality.
The FDA was too specific in warning consumers in Texas and New Mexico to avoid round red and roma tomatoes. Shouldn’t consumers in other states receive the warning? On the other hand, the warning was too vague. Many cocktail-style tomatoes are round and red. Many greenhouse tomatoes are round and red yet not sold on the vine, but the FDA was saying it was OK for consumers to eat tomatoes on the vine from greenhouses.
The New Mexico Department of Health was perhaps too aggressive June 4 in naming Mexico as the likely source of the product. At that time, the FDA stated it was impossible to say whether the tomatoes were domestic or imported.
And because the foodborne illnesses occurred over so long a stretch, the tomatoes very likely did not come from one single grower. There is a possibility they were contaminated somewhere along the supply chain.
Yet, despite the rush to a conclusion, there is legitimate criticism that parties have acted too slowly. This situation affects the entire tomato category. By extension, it affects products that are used with tomatoes, such as fresh basil and some salad items. A lot of people will lose a lot of money over this.
In outbreaks that decimate a category, it’s absolutely imperative to say the right thing at the right time.
There needs to be better coordination between state and national organizations. The overseeing parties must work closely with both the growing community and retailers to ensure that public comments do not unintentionally mislead consumers or create false perceptions.
The utmost importance is finding the source. Until then, all handlers are presumed guilty and suffer the consequences of lower sales.
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Gordon Ramsey has a problem with food processing
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"There should be stringent laws, licensing laws, to make sure produce is only used in season and season only. If we don't restrict our movements within this industry of seasonal-produce only, then the whole thing will spiral out of control."Ramsay also went on to vent his anger at fellow TV chef Delia Smith, whose latest book, How to Cheat at Cooking, encourages people to mix together ready-made food rather than cook from scratch if they are short of time or on a tight budget, adding,
"I would expect students struggling on £15 a week to survive eating from a can but the nation's favourite, all-time icon reducing us down to using frozen, canned food. It's an insult. And it makes our lives, from a chef's point of view, a lot harder. Here we are trying to establish a reputation across the world for this country's food and along comes Delia and tips it out of a can. That hurts."
Me, I'm a fan of freezing, canning, fresh and whatever. It's about mixing it up. Frozen corn, peas (left) and others, canned tomatoes and sauces, the garden out back, Amy and I got it all (and enjoyed our first spinach and lettuce salad of the season this evening, with frozen scallops, which don't grow so well in Manhattan -- Kansas).I'll have more to say about this in the next couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, Oxfam's head of research, Duncan Green, said he was sure "the million farmers in east Africa who rely on exporting their goods to scrape a living would see Gordon Ramsay's assertions as a recipe for disaster."
