Toronto restaurant fined maximum $20K for heavy cockroach problem
Oh Scarberia, suburb of Toronto, home to Mike Myers and some of the Barenaked Ladies. Why do your restaurants suck?
A takeout restaurant in Scarborough was fined $20,000 - the maximum penalty - after pleading guilty to four food-safety violations, including a "heavy" cockroach infestation.
The guilty plea last Friday by Chandra's Takeout Restaurant and Catering, at 201 Markham Rd., related to problems that closed it Aug. 24 to Aug. 28. It has since reopened and passed full inspections on Aug. 28 and Nov. 6.
The restaurant was fined $5,000 for each of four infractions: not controlling a pest/insect infestation; failing to protect food from contamination; not having a certified food handler; and for obstructing Toronto Public Health's red closure sign while the restaurant was shut down in August.
Food preparer Gordon Ramsey is boring, ineffective and inaccurate
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The National Hockey League season debuted on Thursday, and all 30 teams played on Saturday, including games in Finland and Sweden, the later featuring a ceremonial puck dropping by one of Heston Blumenthal’s love fathers, former Toronto Maple Leaf Mats Sundin.
The less I play hockey, the more I watch, which is somewhat sad. But it is fun to watch various coaching styles. The yellers never prosper, because after awhile, the players just don’t respond to the yelling.
Struggling microbiologist and food preparer Gordon Ramsey is an “,” and that’s probably why people watch him. But he’s a lousy coach.
Gonzalo sent me this youtube clip from Hell’s Kitchen last week, demonstrating coach Ramsey’s unique take on determining whether chicken, and later fish, is cooked or not.
About 1:25 minutes into the clip, Ramsey puts his slimy hands on some chicken and declares,
“Pink bloody chicken. That one is cooked, that one is raw.”
And Ramsey does a full Baby Huey by kicking a garbage can; that’s what happens when the yelling doesn’t work.
Gordon, baby, color is a lousy indicator of whether a piece of chicken is cooked or not. This picture of chicken courtesy of Pete Snyder (left), has been cooked to the required 165 F. Stick it in, man. And stop being so boring.
Woman's Day: Top-10 foods on a stick
While ironic that a magazine called Woman’s Day would feature the top-10 surprising foods on a stick – there’s probably an app for that – here they are:
Deep-Fried Spam (right)
Deep-Fried Bacon Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Octopus Tempura
Deep-Fried Tootsie Roll
Deep-Fried Mac-n-Cheese
Pizza
Deep-Fried Bacon and Fries
Deep-Fried Chocolate Cake (left)
Livermush
Deep-Fried Cheese
Safest food in the world: American cattlemen's edition
It’s been awhile, but Dr. Sam Ives, director of veterinary services and associate director of research at Cactus Feeders, Ltd., testified today on behalf of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) at a U.S. House Agriculture Committee Hearing on food safety that the U.S. has the safest food in the world.
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“There is no question that the United States has the safest food supply in the world and other countries consider the U.S. the 'gold standard.' Cattle producers support the establishment of realistic food safety objectives designed to protect public health to the maximum extent possible.
“…The U.S. has the safest food supply in the world, which is an achievement worth noting. Science is a critical component of the beef industry and through science-based improvements in animal genetics, management practices, nutrition and health, beef production per cow has increased from 400 pounds of beef in the mid 1960s to 585 pounds of beef in 2005. … The beef industry will continue to dedicate time and resources to ensure the safety of beef.”
But that doesn’t mean the U.S. has the safest food supply in the world. For a group so dedicated to science, perhaps they could provide some science to substantiate the claim?
The Little Couple sanitizes their hands
On last night’s episode of the Little Couple, Tuesday nights on TLC, Dr. Jennifer Arnold and her husband, Bill Klein, showed the world clips of their every day lives: honey-do lists, visiting another little person, and giving speeches. The most interesting moments, in my opinion, were the hand hygiene opportunities.
Dr. Arnold works at Texas Children’s hospital as the Medical Director of Pediatric Simulation Center and Neonatologist in Texas Children’s Newborn Center. After seeing a patient, who was prematurely born, Dr. Arnold used an alcohol based hand sanitizer to clean her hands. I was very proud that TLC did not edit this content out. It is important for healthcare workers to wash/sanitize their hands before and after patient contact.
The next scene was of Bill cleaning up dog urine; I like to believe TLC chose to edit his handwashing out. Handwashing is necessary after bathroom use and after cleaning up others’ (including dogs) bathroom mess.
Hamburger ads go skanky
Daughter Courtlynn graduated from elementary school last night and begins the teenage angst of secondary school in September (that’s grade 9, freshman for Americans)
As a 14-year-old who outgrew the nonsense of the TV show, The Hill’s about 6 months ago, Courtlynn’s miles ahead of the marketing geniuses at Carl’s Jr., who have decided to use Audrina Patridge’s bikini body to promote its Teriyaki Burger.
"My one indulgence is the Carl's Jr. Teriyaki Burger. I seriously crave it."
Meatingplace.com reports that Carl's Jr. and its sister chain Hardee's, which are both wholly owned subsidiaries of Carpinteria, Calif.-based CKE Restaurants, also are hosting a contest for female consumers to show how they eat the chains' burgers by posting videos to HotChicksEatingBurgers.com.
This is barfblog.com worthy because I threw up a little bit in my mouth while writing this. And Courtlynn thought Audrina was the skanky one. Smart kid.
Organic basil contaminated with salmonella
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Farmer John’s Herbs are warning the public not to consume Farmer John’s Herbs brand Organic Basil Leaf because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella.
All lots of Farmer John’s Herbs brand Organic Basil Leaf, sold in 6 gram packages, bearing UPC 7 73353 50002 1 are affected by this recall.
This product was distributed in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
There has been no reported illness associated with the consumption of this product.
Finding the right words
Valentine’s Day isn’t so much about the chocolate or the candlelight or the bling; it’s a reminder of the kind words that should be shared between lovers all the other days of the year.
I didn’t get that off a greeting card.
Finding the right words can be rewarding. As Jimmy Buffett sings,
“But the right word at the right time
May get me a little hug
That’s the difference between lightening
And a harmless lightening bug.”
Barry Glassner, a sociology professor at the University of Southern California, said many more children will die from being hit by lightning than tainted peanut butter, which has so far killed nine and sickened 636 people.
"Are you going to prohibit your child from going outside every time it rains? If you're rational, what you'll do is, if there's lightning outside, you'll keep them in, and when that's done, you let them go out safely and go to school in the rain. I think this is the same thing. It's very reasonable to take peanut butter off the menu until we knew what was going on, but then it's not anymore."
Risk comparisons are risky. I’m not sure how lightening compares to the deliberate, criminal, douchebaggery of knowingly sending out product laced with Salmonella.
Associate Professor Mark Kantor with the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Maryland blamed the current outbreak on former U.S. president Ronald Reagan (1980-1988).
"The current problem of salmonella in peanuts can be traced back to the Reagan presidency when a nationwide climate of deregulation began.”
If someone like Stewart Parnell, CEO of Peanut Corporation of America, wants to break the law, it will get broken, regardless of who is President.
Others have exploited the survey route for instant news coverage.
On Thursday, a couple of PR firms released an online survey showed that 23 percent of consumers questioned said the most recent food scare would change their long-term buying habits.
“Almost all of the 501 consumers surveyed (93 percent) said they had recently read about or heard of food safety issues and recalls.”
This is not news. It’s an Internet survey to apparently draw attention to “Burson-Marsteller’s expertise in food communications and product recalls.”
These are the same people who brag, Burson Helps Old Navy Celebrate the "First Official Day of Flip-Flops"
In Seabrook, Texas, Dayna Steele is more worried that her 9-year-old son will become sick if he doesn't eat peanut butter. After years of trying to get him to eat other foods, his pediatrician said, "He's fine. Let him eat all the peanut butter he wants. When he meets a girl, he'll start eating something else."
Feel the Valentine’s Day love.
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Chicago's Wiener's Circle closed after inspection
A Chicago eatery famous for “its rambunctious late-night crowd and foul-mouthed staff,” was closed after an inspection Thursday.
Wiener's Circle, an iconic hot dog stand on the North Side, was shut down by the city today after inspectors found several food safety violations, including finding no hot running water at the Lincoln Park restaurant. …
The inspection followed an inspection Dec. 12 after a customer called 311, claiming the restaurant had a rodent infestation. There was no evidence found of rodents, the release stated, but management was ticketed for having an overflowing garbage container.
Listeria and Mother's Milk
Doug wrote a book called Mad Cows and Mother’s Milk about a decade ago. I still haven’t read it. I feel bad about that, but I don’t think it has the answers to my recent nursing questions.
When we were meeting with the lactation consultant in the hospital (Melanie – you are fabulous, by the way), we asked her if foodborne illness could be passed on to the baby. She said no. She said not to worry about viruses such as flu or colds and that the baby cannot get Listeria or Salmonella from anything I eat. 
Once home from the hospital, I immediately went for the pâté, brie, goat cheese (thank you Graduate Students!), and smoked salmon. Who knew that motherhood could be so delicious?
Someone says they're sorry; Harvey's president apologizes
Harvey's Canada president Rick McNabb said Tuesday at a North Bay, Ontario, hotel that he’s sorry for the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has now stricken 190 people, of which 36 are laboratory confirmed.
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". . . On behalf of our company, I just want to say how sorry we are that something happened here, despite the fact that we don't know what it is, but it's clear we were associated with it."
McNabb said the local franchise operator, Cindy Gibb, is distraught and this is overwhelming for her.
I speak to her daily," he said. She's hurt, sorry and scared. The best-case scenario for everyone is to find the source."
Canadian Food Inspection Agency can communicate about risk - at least when Evans is involved
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When counseling future PhDs, I still recall, how after successfully defending my PhD, driving back to campus after a celebratory lunch during which I ate nothing – Linda Harris, you remember – I had to ask Bill and my supervisor, Mansel Griffiths, to pull over while going up the Gordon Street hill so I could vomit. I hurled again as we arrived in the parking lot outside the food science building.
It may have been stress. It may have been a comment on Guelph.
Anyway, we wrote this book, it got decent reviews, and then a few years ago, Bill asked if I wanted to publish a second edition.
I said no.
My explanation was, been there, done that, armchair quarterbacking through retrospective case studies was interesting as a student, but I was on the frontlines, throwing out risk messages and taking arrows. I quoted a Neil Young line about how I’ve been on the road and I’ve been in the ditch and the ditch is more interesting.
He didn’t respond.
But he did publish a second edition, in which his name was first. Males are always compensating for something.
I had nothing to do with the second edition. Although I did e-mail Bill after Canada’s first homegrown case of mad cow disease was discovered in May 2003. He had become publicly vocal about failures of the Canadian regulators, so I asked him, why weren’t you that vocal when we were writing a book, with Mad Cows in the title, back in 1996.
He said I had bad manners and wouldn’t talk to me until I improved my manners, the manners that children learn from their mothers.
Guess I haven’t learned.
But if I’m going to briefly resume the armchair quarterback position, kudos to Brian Evans of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Evans, executive vice president, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and chief veterinary officer for Canada, wrote in the Ottawa Citizen yesterday that,
“The health and safety of Canadians is, and will always remain, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's highest priority.
In 2007, the CFIA undertook a strategic review to ensure our resources are allocated to where there is the greatest need to ensure the health and safety of Canadians and to provide the best value for taxpayers.
There was no five-per-cent reduction in funding for the CFIA as a result of this exercise. The savings identified in the review were redirected to food safety to support Canada's Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan.
The 2008 budget allocated more than $113 million for this action plan which will result in more inspectors and increased surveillance of domestic and imported foods. We continue to modernize our system to better protect Canadians, enhance the safety and reliability of consumer, food, and health products, and ensure we maintain one of the most stringent safety systems in the world.
We are continually modernizing and improving our inspection systems to meet the challenges of a changing environment whether it is emerging food safety risks or changes to technology or the marketplace.
There has been no reduction of inspectors. In fact, the number has risen to 3,020 by March 2008 from 2,820 in 2006. The number of inspectors will continue to grow under that food and consumer safety action plan.
As always, before any changes are phased in, CFIA will consult with stakeholders on the implementation of program changes. Any proposal that would change our regulatory system would be based on international standards to provide the highest level of trust of Canadians and our trading partners.
Any changes to the federal inspection system will always include strong enforcement and compliance action by the CFIA to make sure industry meets the requirement to produce safe food. Food safety is and always will be the CFIA's top priority.
I’ve complemented Evans before, in a paper that was published last year.
While risk analysis theory is fundamentally important, how such theory is put into action during actual outbreaks of foodborne illness or crises of confidence can be instructive and better elucidate the importance of individual components. For example, on May 20, 2003, Canada publicly announced its first home-grown case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease). But, unlike every other country that has discovered BSE, consumption of beef actually increased. While price discounts, advertising, and promotional statements from various social actors about the safety of Canadian beef probably contributed to the sales increase, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency was completely transparent, publicly showcasing -- in the form of daily press conferences lead by Canada's chief veterinarian, Dr. Brian Evans -- a vigilant, proactive regulatory system, while acknowledging the likelihood that the disease was not limited to just one animal. In essence, Dr. Evans and his team provided daily updates that said, this is what we know, this is what we don't know, and this is what we're doing to find out more. And when we find out more, you will hear it from us first. Transparency, along with efforts to demonstrable that actions match words, is the best way to enhance consumer confidence.
Being on the frontlines is far more interesting than academic babble.
Bubba stands for Boys Un-afflicted By Briefcases or Attaches (really)
"Food safety is going to become a major issue in the future. With the quality of help going down, I see something disastrous happening."The Charlotte Observer reports that in Miller's world, ensuring food safety for customers is a matter of knowing the national standards for safe food handling and embracing them.
Miller points out that his restaurant, on Sunset Road near Interstate 85, consistently earns top scores from local health inspectors, adding,
"People will plan their trips around eating lunch and supper with us. This is a safe and clean place to eat."
Way to market food safety, Bubba. I'm with ya.
Tennis star Federer's weakness might have been an illness
One of my favorite lines from Wayne's World, if only because it was so apt: I had mononucleosis when I was 17, and would sleep for hours on end, but maybe I was just really bored.
That probably doesn't apply to Roger Federer, 26.Last month, after falling ill for the third time in six weeks, he had extensive tests in his native Switzerland and in Dubai, where he lives part time. According to Federer, the conclusion was that he had contracted mononucleosis.
Federer had already said he experienced food poisoning before the Australian Open, which he said disrupted his preparation for that tournament.
But Federer, who complained of feeling sluggish during the Open, said it appeared that the mononucleosis was the more serious issue.
Mike Myers can empathize.
