Don Schaffner, guest barfblogger: Looking for ugly in the food industry
One of my favorite books of all time is "Out of Control" by Kevin Kelley. It's a non-fiction book that deals with understanding complex systems. Kelley is a bit of a polymath. He was a hippie, who edited the hippie bible, the whole earth catalog. He was there at the beginning of the internet with the creation of the Whole Earth 'Lectric Linkup. I've starting reading his blog recently, and he always has something interesting to say... like how to build foam robots.
Anyway, he recently blogged about "Looking For Ugly" where he writes "Preventing errors within extremely complicated technological systems is often elusive. The more complex the system, the more complex the pattern of error". He's writing generally, but I immediately thought about the food system. 
Kelley goes on to write specifically about the airline industry, saying "The safety of aircraft is so essential it is regulated in hopes that regulation can decrease errors. Error prevention enforced by legal penalties presents a problem, though: severe penalties discourages disclosure of problems early
enough to be remedied. To counter that human tendency, the US FAA has generally allowed airlines to admit errors they find without punishing them."
Hmmm. "severe penalties discourages disclosure of problems early enough to be remedied". Sounds to me like he's talking about a "zero tolerance" vs. regulatory limit for Listeria.
Of course the counter argument (for the airline industry) also maps well to the food industry, as Kelley writes "The general agreement in the industry is that a policy of unpunished infractions encourages quicker repairs and reduces the chances of major failures. Of course not punishing companies for
safety violations rubs some people the wrong way."
Yup. He's nailed it. This idea dovetails nicely with Doug's call to "make all data of Listeria testing in plants public so others in the industry can improve and consumer confidence can be enhanced with data not just words."
Clean the damn car once in a while and stop leaving food on the dashboard
I drove a Nissan Quest for about 8 years. Put on a lot of miles driving to Florida, saw a lot of vomit with four kids.
So for 6 a.m. hockey practices – and I was often the coach so I and whatever lucky kid was on that specific team had to be there at 5:30 or something stupid – I would often microwave an egg or two, slap it between some bread and away we’d go. I even sometimes put it on the dashboard.
Apparently I wasn’t alone. A poll by insurance.co.uk of 1376 car owners found that British motorists spend more than three years of their lives behind the wheel and over a quarter eat en route every week.
The poll also (...) revealed some startling hygiene calamities some drivers have faced.
Some motorist admitted finding dead mice, dog poo, fishing maggots, a three-year-old sandwich, a joint of beef, a partner's [or] ex's knickers, a used condom, child's vomit in a door pocket, and mushrooms growing in the floor.
My van wasn’t that bad.
Be wild - and safe
I am planning on going to Yellowstone Park next weekend. I read this story and got a little worried.
About 30 people came down with symptoms consistent with the norovirus infection at the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge and High Sierra camps in the area, said Shane Sims, a specialist in the safety office at Yosemite National Park…
The hiker camps are particularly vulnerable to the spread of norovirus illness, because people enjoying the outdoors aren't always careful about hygiene, Sims said.
So I decided to put together a few tips on how to keep your hygienic standards from home in the wild - especially if you have children or grandparents around.
1 - Pack one of those hand sanitizer bottles and use it as often as you can – before and after handling food, after bathroom breaks – you know it, whenever you would normally wash your hands with soap.
2 – While you’re at it, take a pack of wipes or moist towels (can probably be found at the baby section) and use it to clean your body (focus on face, underarms, groin, buttocks, and feet). You will not only kill bacteria that could make you sick, you will smell good and feel much better too.
3 – Take a small bottle of isopropyl alcohol and some cotton balls. Soak a cotton ball in alcohol and use it to rub your feet. This eliminates dangerous bacteria that could be forming around blisters or wounds. Change to clean socks.
4 – Quick bathroom tips: when going number one go directly into running water if possible or far away from the camp if not. When going number two go far away from the camp, and bury your poop like cats do. (Remember to use your hand sanitizer afterwards)
5 – Do not handle food if you have open sores on your hands, if you have diarrhea, or if you’re feeling sick in general. This will prevent a spread of infection.
6 – If you want to be sure about the water you’re drinking, carry with you a water filter or purification tablets like Iodine. Regular unscented liquid chlorine bleach also works. Follow the instructions on the label. Most water sources are contaminated in North America and may contain guardia or cryptosporidium therefore are not safe to drink.
7 – Drink lots of fluids, rest plenty, and keep warm.
Follow these tips and reduce your chances of getting norovirus like the hikers above, or any other sickness that could ruin a fun trip. Enjoy the wild!
About 30 people came down with symptoms consistent with the norovirus infection at the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge and High Sierra camps in the area, said Shane Sims, a specialist in the safety office at Yosemite National Park…
The hiker camps are particularly vulnerable to the spread of norovirus illness, because people enjoying the outdoors aren't always careful about hygiene, Sims said.
So I decided to put together a few tips on how to keep your hygienic standards from home in the wild - especially if you have children or grandparents around.
1 - Pack one of those hand sanitizer bottles and use it as often as you can – before and after handling food, after bathroom breaks – you know it, whenever you would normally wash your hands with soap.
2 – While you’re at it, take a pack of wipes or moist towels (can probably be found at the baby section) and use it to clean your body (focus on face, underarms, groin, buttocks, and feet). You will not only kill bacteria that could make you sick, you will smell good and feel much better too.
3 – Take a small bottle of isopropyl alcohol and some cotton balls. Soak a cotton ball in alcohol and use it to rub your feet. This eliminates dangerous bacteria that could be forming around blisters or wounds. Change to clean socks.
4 – Quick bathroom tips: when going number one go directly into running water if possible or far away from the camp if not. When going number two go far away from the camp, and bury your poop like cats do. (Remember to use your hand sanitizer afterwards)
5 – Do not handle food if you have open sores on your hands, if you have diarrhea, or if you’re feeling sick in general. This will prevent a spread of infection.
6 – If you want to be sure about the water you’re drinking, carry with you a water filter or purification tablets like Iodine. Regular unscented liquid chlorine bleach also works. Follow the instructions on the label. Most water sources are contaminated in North America and may contain guardia or cryptosporidium therefore are not safe to drink.
7 – Drink lots of fluids, rest plenty, and keep warm.
Follow these tips and reduce your chances of getting norovirus like the hikers above, or any other sickness that could ruin a fun trip. Enjoy the wild!
U.S. Olympians will bring food to China
Olympic food has come a long way since the little chocolate donuts favored by John Belushi.
The N.Y. Times reports that in preparing to take a delegation of more than 600 athletes to the Summer Games in Beijing this year, the United States Olympic Committee faces numerous food issues. In recent years, some foods in China have been found to be tainted with insecticides and illegal veterinary drugs, and the standards applied to meat there are lower than those in the United States, raising fears of food-borne illnesses.
USOC has made arrangements with sponsors like Kellogg’s and Tyson Foods, which will ship 25,000 pounds of lean protein to China about two months before the opening ceremony, but will hire local vendors and importers to secure other foods and cooking equipment at the Games.
Why? Frank Puleo, a caterer from Staten Island who has traveled to China to handle food-related issues, went to a supermarket in China last year, and encountered a piece of chicken — half of a breast — that measured 14 inches.
"Enough to feed a family of eight. We had it tested and it was so full of steroids that we never could have given it to athletes. They all would have tested positive.”
The protein from Tyson is one of the few food products that will be shipped from the United States. Kellogg’s has been asked to supply cereals like Frosted Flakes and Mini-Wheats, as well as Nutri-Grain bars, because those products are not readily available in China.
Frosted Flakes and little chocolate donuts. Breakfast of champions.
The N.Y. Times reports that in preparing to take a delegation of more than 600 athletes to the Summer Games in Beijing this year, the United States Olympic Committee faces numerous food issues. In recent years, some foods in China have been found to be tainted with insecticides and illegal veterinary drugs, and the standards applied to meat there are lower than those in the United States, raising fears of food-borne illnesses.USOC has made arrangements with sponsors like Kellogg’s and Tyson Foods, which will ship 25,000 pounds of lean protein to China about two months before the opening ceremony, but will hire local vendors and importers to secure other foods and cooking equipment at the Games.
Why? Frank Puleo, a caterer from Staten Island who has traveled to China to handle food-related issues, went to a supermarket in China last year, and encountered a piece of chicken — half of a breast — that measured 14 inches.
"Enough to feed a family of eight. We had it tested and it was so full of steroids that we never could have given it to athletes. They all would have tested positive.”The protein from Tyson is one of the few food products that will be shipped from the United States. Kellogg’s has been asked to supply cereals like Frosted Flakes and Mini-Wheats, as well as Nutri-Grain bars, because those products are not readily available in China.
Frosted Flakes and little chocolate donuts. Breakfast of champions.
Cajuns fete carnival with pig slaughter
Far from the Carnival balls, parades and raucous crowds of New Orleans, Cajuns in St. Martinville held their last ''bon temps'' before Lent in a far different fashion: with a grand boucherie, or slaughtering of a pig.
Associated Press reports that hundreds of people watched at least part of the ritual Saturday, though most have seen it before. The pig's skin was being shaved for cracklins, a Cajun snack, while the carcass was being prepared for transport to a butcher shop.
Every year, Catholic Cajuns in this community about 140 miles west of New Orleans hold ''La Grande Boucherie des Cajuns'' the weekend before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.
Stephen Hardy, 38, who leads the group organizing the event, said,
"This is a celebration that was started out of necessity. Before refrigeration, they had to share the slaughter. One family could not consume a whole hog before it would go bad. They would have family and friends over to help, and everyone would leave with something."
With meat readily available at any grocery store today, the boucherie is simply a celebration of an old tradition, bringing family and friends together once a year for one last hoorah before the Catholic season of fasting begins.
Federal health code regulations prevent attendees from eating what is slaughtered during the celebration, Hardy said. So the butcher, after showing what is done traditionally, will take the carcass and byproducts to his shop to finish preparing the meat.
Associated Press reports that hundreds of people watched at least part of the ritual Saturday, though most have seen it before. The pig's skin was being shaved for cracklins, a Cajun snack, while the carcass was being prepared for transport to a butcher shop.
Every year, Catholic Cajuns in this community about 140 miles west of New Orleans hold ''La Grande Boucherie des Cajuns'' the weekend before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.Stephen Hardy, 38, who leads the group organizing the event, said,
"This is a celebration that was started out of necessity. Before refrigeration, they had to share the slaughter. One family could not consume a whole hog before it would go bad. They would have family and friends over to help, and everyone would leave with something."
With meat readily available at any grocery store today, the boucherie is simply a celebration of an old tradition, bringing family and friends together once a year for one last hoorah before the Catholic season of fasting begins.
Federal health code regulations prevent attendees from eating what is slaughtered during the celebration, Hardy said. So the butcher, after showing what is done traditionally, will take the carcass and byproducts to his shop to finish preparing the meat.
United Egg Producers to launch new website
I'm on my way to Toronto, weather permitting, to speak at the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association annual meeting about one of my favorite topics -- ever-evolving food safety messages and mediums.
I've always been a fan of Marshall McLuhan and read all his stuff 25 years ago. The cameo he did in Woody Allen's Annie Hall, where McLuhan tells some pompous professor that he doesn't understand his theories at all and is not qualified to teach, is so … apt.
So after 10 years of urging agriculture and food groups, really anyone who wants to get out there -- to stop complaining and get out there -- they're starting to do it. The American Meat Institute posted its first youtube video a few months ago.
Now, United Egg Producers is getting ready to launch the new website USA Egg Farmers.
This website, available in February, will allow consumers online access to information about egg production and the UEP Certified animal welfare program, which covers ethics and science-based standards to deliver good hen welfare.
The new website will also include live broadcasts of UEP animal welfare conferences, as well as farm tours and interviews with producers.
Sure, people will take shots at you, but that's what happens when you stick your head up. Better than bitching in backrooms.
I've always been a fan of Marshall McLuhan and read all his stuff 25 years ago. The cameo he did in Woody Allen's Annie Hall, where McLuhan tells some pompous professor that he doesn't understand his theories at all and is not qualified to teach, is so … apt.So after 10 years of urging agriculture and food groups, really anyone who wants to get out there -- to stop complaining and get out there -- they're starting to do it. The American Meat Institute posted its first youtube video a few months ago.
Now, United Egg Producers is getting ready to launch the new website USA Egg Farmers.
This website, available in February, will allow consumers online access to information about egg production and the UEP Certified animal welfare program, which covers ethics and science-based standards to deliver good hen welfare.
The new website will also include live broadcasts of UEP animal welfare conferences, as well as farm tours and interviews with producers.
Sure, people will take shots at you, but that's what happens when you stick your head up. Better than bitching in backrooms.
From Seinfeld to science: Dip once or dip twice?
Harold McGee of the New York Times reports that a new study, to be published later this year in the Journal of Food Safety, is the only one McGee's ever seen to proclaim that it was inspired by an episode of “Seinfeld.”
It was conducted as part of a Clemson University program designed to get undergraduate students involved in scientific research. Prof. Paul L. Dawson, a food microbiologist, proposed it after he saw a rerun of a 1993 “Seinfeld” show in which George Costanza is confronted at a funeral reception by Timmy, his girlfriend’s brother, after dipping the same chip twice.
“Did, did you just double dip that chip?” Timmy asks incredulously, later objecting, “That’s like putting your whole mouth right in the dip!” Finally George retorts, “You dip the way you want to dip, I’ll dip the way I want to dip,” and aims another used chip at the bowl. Timmy tries to take it away, and the scene ends as they wrestle for it.
Peter Mehlman, a veteran “Seinfeld” writer, wrote the episode, and said,
"At the time I was living in Los Angeles, in Venice. There was a party on one of the canals, and apparently someone dipped twice with the same chip. And a woman flipped out. ‘You just dipped twice! How could you do that? Now all your germs are in there!’ I thought, this is just too good not to use on the show.”
The story says that on average, the students found that three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eater’s mouth to the remaining dip.
Each cracker picked up between one and two grams of dip. That means that sporadic double dipping in a cup of dip would transfer at least 50 to 100 bacteria from one mouth to another with every bite.
It was conducted as part of a Clemson University program designed to get undergraduate students involved in scientific research. Prof. Paul L. Dawson, a food microbiologist, proposed it after he saw a rerun of a 1993 “Seinfeld” show in which George Costanza is confronted at a funeral reception by Timmy, his girlfriend’s brother, after dipping the same chip twice.“Did, did you just double dip that chip?” Timmy asks incredulously, later objecting, “That’s like putting your whole mouth right in the dip!” Finally George retorts, “You dip the way you want to dip, I’ll dip the way I want to dip,” and aims another used chip at the bowl. Timmy tries to take it away, and the scene ends as they wrestle for it.
Peter Mehlman, a veteran “Seinfeld” writer, wrote the episode, and said,
"At the time I was living in Los Angeles, in Venice. There was a party on one of the canals, and apparently someone dipped twice with the same chip. And a woman flipped out. ‘You just dipped twice! How could you do that? Now all your germs are in there!’ I thought, this is just too good not to use on the show.”
The story says that on average, the students found that three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eater’s mouth to the remaining dip.
Each cracker picked up between one and two grams of dip. That means that sporadic double dipping in a cup of dip would transfer at least 50 to 100 bacteria from one mouth to another with every bite.
You can say organic is safer, we just won't push it
Laura Telford, executive director of Canadian Organic Growers, said in Toronto's Globe and Mail today that companies that sell organic food make a conscious effort to avoid branding themselves as being safer than other products, but the industry doesn't discourage the positive association, stating,
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"[Consumers] perceive that organic food is going to be safer. Whether that's true or not is a whole other issue. We don't make food safety claims."
No kidding. Katija and I wrote a paper about this in 2004.
Joseph Odumeru, food science professor at the University of Guelph, said although a reduction in pesticides can eliminate some health issues, the most common food safety problems have nothing to do with chemicals, adding,
"Whether you have an organic product or not, all products are susceptible to risks. Where you grow a product, it can become contaminated with bacteria like salmonella."
Canada's organic industry has been growing from 15 to 20 per cent each year, growth that is being fuelled mainly by consumers who are becoming increasingly health-conscious.
"[Consumers] perceive that organic food is going to be safer. Whether that's true or not is a whole other issue. We don't make food safety claims."No kidding. Katija and I wrote a paper about this in 2004.
Joseph Odumeru, food science professor at the University of Guelph, said although a reduction in pesticides can eliminate some health issues, the most common food safety problems have nothing to do with chemicals, adding,
"Whether you have an organic product or not, all products are susceptible to risks. Where you grow a product, it can become contaminated with bacteria like salmonella."
Canada's organic industry has been growing from 15 to 20 per cent each year, growth that is being fuelled mainly by consumers who are becoming increasingly health-conscious.
GAO: FDA should be clearer on food safety plan
Christopher Doering of Reuters reports that the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's failure to discuss clearly its strategy and the money needed to better protect the country's food supply could make it harder for a plan to succeed.
The GAO report also noted that FDA must better leverage its existing resources "as staffing levels and funding have not kept pace with the agency's growing responsibilities" to oversee the food supply.
GAO noted that even as food imports surge, FDA inspectors of foreign food firms has dropped from 211 in fiscal year 2001 to fewer than 100 in 2007. About 15 percent of the overall U.S. food supply is imported.
Rep. John Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce committee, said,
"Our constituents are growing weary of these events. They are losing confidence in this agency's ability to protect them from the products they use daily."
The GAO report also noted that FDA must better leverage its existing resources "as staffing levels and funding have not kept pace with the agency's growing responsibilities" to oversee the food supply.
GAO noted that even as food imports surge, FDA inspectors of foreign food firms has dropped from 211 in fiscal year 2001 to fewer than 100 in 2007. About 15 percent of the overall U.S. food supply is imported.
Rep. John Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce committee, said,
"Our constituents are growing weary of these events. They are losing confidence in this agency's ability to protect them from the products they use daily."
Naughty Nigella -- food and sex
My parents, hoping to escape the Canadian cold, are arriving in Manhattan (Kansas) this evening.
It was -5 F this morning.
They may be disappointed.
But the sun is shining, things are warming, and by the time they hit southern Texas next week there are supposed to be highs in the 70s.
My father was the inspiration for our 2004 cooking show paper which documented the food safety failures of the high-profile chefs on The Food Network, including Nigella Lawson.
Marieke Hardy of Melbourne, Australia's The Age newspaper wrote a column yesterday that took aim at Nigella, including,
"We like food, certainly. Some of us are also partial to boobies, and innuendo, and ladies with big. round bottoms, but even then Nigella seems to make selected members of the wymmyn's network slightly suspicious.
Perhaps it's the chocolatey vowels and habit of rolling herself all over the preparation space in a fashion that would be considered deeply unhygienic by most food and safety officers."
How about sexy and safe food?
It was -5 F this morning.
They may be disappointed.
But the sun is shining, things are warming, and by the time they hit southern Texas next week there are supposed to be highs in the 70s.
My father was the inspiration for our 2004 cooking show paper which documented the food safety failures of the high-profile chefs on The Food Network, including Nigella Lawson.Marieke Hardy of Melbourne, Australia's The Age newspaper wrote a column yesterday that took aim at Nigella, including,
"We like food, certainly. Some of us are also partial to boobies, and innuendo, and ladies with big. round bottoms, but even then Nigella seems to make selected members of the wymmyn's network slightly suspicious.
Perhaps it's the chocolatey vowels and habit of rolling herself all over the preparation space in a fashion that would be considered deeply unhygienic by most food and safety officers."
How about sexy and safe food?
Use a meat thermometer
Marc Bouchard of Hudson, the executive chef at Stellina Restaurant in Watertown, Mass., writes in The Nashua Telegraph that people may hesitate at handling raw chicken and tend to overcook it.
Bouchard blames it on the media, "with its glorified tales of salmonella we've been scared into thinking that illness, disease and toxins lurk in every package."
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There's nothing glorious about salmonella.
Bouchard says always keep a box of disposable latex or plastic gloves in the kitchen. Put them on whenever you handle any raw meats or fish. And immediately sterilize your cutting board and knife with a commercial disinfectant or a solution of diluted chlorine bleach before going on to any other task.
OK.
Bouchard also says the answer to the problem of overcooking is to use the sear-and-bake method of cooking.
"In 15 minutes, we had perfectly cooked chicken, with the meat cooked through but still tender and juicy. The same cooking technique could be applied to cuts of pork, beef, turkey or even fish."
Wrong. The only way to tell if meat like chicken is properly cooked is to use a tip-sensitive digital thermometer. And it will make you a better executive chef cause you won't overcook meat.
Stick it in.
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Bouchard blames it on the media, "with its glorified tales of salmonella we've been scared into thinking that illness, disease and toxins lurk in every package."
There's nothing glorious about salmonella.Bouchard says always keep a box of disposable latex or plastic gloves in the kitchen. Put them on whenever you handle any raw meats or fish. And immediately sterilize your cutting board and knife with a commercial disinfectant or a solution of diluted chlorine bleach before going on to any other task.
OK.
Bouchard also says the answer to the problem of overcooking is to use the sear-and-bake method of cooking.
"In 15 minutes, we had perfectly cooked chicken, with the meat cooked through but still tender and juicy. The same cooking technique could be applied to cuts of pork, beef, turkey or even fish."
Wrong. The only way to tell if meat like chicken is properly cooked is to use a tip-sensitive digital thermometer. And it will make you a better executive chef cause you won't overcook meat.
Stick it in.
Really, wash your damn hands
Michele Samarya-Timm, a health educator with the Franklin Township Health Department and guest barfblogger, told New Jersey's Home News Tribune,
"We need a national handwashing campaign. We need it on hand towels and billboards. We need to market it on video games and commercials. We need to have rock songs about handwashing."
Couldn't agree more. Wash your hands. And if a restroom doesn't have the proper tools -- soap, water, paper towel -- be sure to let someone know. Proper handwashing requires access to proper tools.
Don't eat poop. Wash your hands..jpg)
"We need a national handwashing campaign. We need it on hand towels and billboards. We need to market it on video games and commercials. We need to have rock songs about handwashing."
Couldn't agree more. Wash your hands. And if a restroom doesn't have the proper tools -- soap, water, paper towel -- be sure to let someone know. Proper handwashing requires access to proper tools.
Don't eat poop. Wash your hands.
Wash your damn hands (and don't eat poop)
Researchers were cited as saying on Wednesday that, based on a review of 14 different studies, encouraging people to wash their hands properly can reduce the rate of diarrhea by 30 percent, in rich and poor countries alike.
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Dr. Regina Ejemot of the University of Calabar in Nigeria, who led the study, said,
"This is a huge benefit. For people in low-income areas this effect is comparable to providing clean water. The challenge is to find ways of promoting handwashing, as well as to set up long-term trials that test whether good practice has become part of a person's way of life."
Don't eat poop.
Dr. Regina Ejemot of the University of Calabar in Nigeria, who led the study, said, "This is a huge benefit. For people in low-income areas this effect is comparable to providing clean water. The challenge is to find ways of promoting handwashing, as well as to set up long-term trials that test whether good practice has become part of a person's way of life."
Don't eat poop.
Blame consumers -- German style
Apparently it's International Green Week in Berlin, described as an Exhibition for the Food Industry, Agriculture and Horticulture, from Jan. 18 -- 27 (that seems longer than a week).
Food News reports that the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is presenting its work so consumers can find out more about the risks lurking in their kitchens.
The story says,
around 200,000 food infections are reported every year in Germany. Experts believe that the actual number is far higher since by no means everyone who is affected goes to see a doctor. Most of the infections with Salmonella, Campylobacter or other germs are not contracted in canteens or restaurants but in the home.
BfR President Professor Dr. Andreas Hensel said,
"Many consumers have never learned how to store and cook food properly in the home. By following simple rules it is possible to avoid unpleasant food infections."
Like Bill Marler wrote about the Chinese this morning, maybe the Germans are on to something as well.
I'll stick with a farm-to-fork approach to food safety. There are outbreaks everywhere. Stop blaming consumers.
Food News reports that the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is presenting its work so consumers can find out more about the risks lurking in their kitchens.
The story says,
around 200,000 food infections are reported every year in Germany. Experts believe that the actual number is far higher since by no means everyone who is affected goes to see a doctor. Most of the infections with Salmonella, Campylobacter or other germs are not contracted in canteens or restaurants but in the home.
BfR President Professor Dr. Andreas Hensel said,
"Many consumers have never learned how to store and cook food properly in the home. By following simple rules it is possible to avoid unpleasant food infections."
Like Bill Marler wrote about the Chinese this morning, maybe the Germans are on to something as well. I'll stick with a farm-to-fork approach to food safety. There are outbreaks everywhere. Stop blaming consumers.
After baring your butt at Dairy Queen, " Oh man, you gotta wipe that now"
Would you like fries with that, as the employee drops his pants and bares his bottom outside the takeout window.
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That's apparently in a video from a St. John's, Canada, Dairy Queen franchise.
"Oh man, you gotta wipe that now," a co-worker advises him, apparently in vain. The employee continues about his work, without — at least immediately — washing his hands.
CBC News reports that the video also shows a snowball fight behind the counter, where food orders are prepared and served. Christmas decorations are visible in the video.
Messages posted by former and current employees also made comments about the questionable handling of food at the restaurant.
Franchise owner Albert Buott was quoted as saying, "Good God almighty. Where's my managers? Who's allowing this to happen?"
A provincial food inspection official said dropping one's pants behind a restaurant counter is a health-code violation.
That's apparently in a video from a St. John's, Canada, Dairy Queen franchise."Oh man, you gotta wipe that now," a co-worker advises him, apparently in vain. The employee continues about his work, without — at least immediately — washing his hands.
CBC News reports that the video also shows a snowball fight behind the counter, where food orders are prepared and served. Christmas decorations are visible in the video.
Messages posted by former and current employees also made comments about the questionable handling of food at the restaurant.
Franchise owner Albert Buott was quoted as saying, "Good God almighty. Where's my managers? Who's allowing this to happen?"
A provincial food inspection official said dropping one's pants behind a restaurant counter is a health-code violation.
Rating the toilets
Paris in spring. I remember the toilet.
Specifically, the toilet on the sidewalk of a busy Parisian street.
And it looked exactly like this (left).
The N.Y. Times has stolen my idea for the cover story when I was appointed editor of the Ontarion, the University of Guelph student paper, in 1987, and decided to rate the local bathrooms as New York City unveiled its first coin-operated public toilet designed to be the high-tech equal of any of its counterparts in Paris, Singapore or other world-class cities.
(I went to local bars -- and it cost the paper thousands in lost advertising revenue cause they didn't like the results. This was before restaurant inspection disclosure.)
The story says that last week, two reporters, a man and a woman, visited six public toilets and, for comparison, two private ones, at a museum and a hotel.
Pennsylvania Station’s bathrooms are located in various companies’ waiting areas. The women’s room at New Jersey Transit was clean and every stall was working. Violins played over a loudspeaker.
The bathrooms in the main ticketing area at the Port Authority Bus Terminal are hard to find (there are no signs and the floor maps are difficult to decipher). There is debris on the floor. Signs warn that plainclothes police officers patrol the restrooms.
One sign details prohibited behavior, including smoking and drinking. It also warns that no one should “bathe, shave, launder, or change clothes.”
The main restrooms in the Egyptian Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art are just past “Egypt Under Roman Rule 30 B.C. — 400 A.D.” and are clean and well lighted, if busy. A bathroom attendant visited twice in the space of 10 minutes.
The bathroom at the St. Regis Hotel in Midtown is just past the candle-lighted library and down the stairs. The lighting fixtures are crystal and the faucets polished brass. A red flowering plant smells sweet. No one else is there.
Specifically, the toilet on the sidewalk of a busy Parisian street.And it looked exactly like this (left).
The N.Y. Times has stolen my idea for the cover story when I was appointed editor of the Ontarion, the University of Guelph student paper, in 1987, and decided to rate the local bathrooms as New York City unveiled its first coin-operated public toilet designed to be the high-tech equal of any of its counterparts in Paris, Singapore or other world-class cities.
(I went to local bars -- and it cost the paper thousands in lost advertising revenue cause they didn't like the results. This was before restaurant inspection disclosure.)
The story says that last week, two reporters, a man and a woman, visited six public toilets and, for comparison, two private ones, at a museum and a hotel.
Pennsylvania Station’s bathrooms are located in various companies’ waiting areas. The women’s room at New Jersey Transit was clean and every stall was working. Violins played over a loudspeaker.
The bathrooms in the main ticketing area at the Port Authority Bus Terminal are hard to find (there are no signs and the floor maps are difficult to decipher). There is debris on the floor. Signs warn that plainclothes police officers patrol the restrooms.
One sign details prohibited behavior, including smoking and drinking. It also warns that no one should “bathe, shave, launder, or change clothes.”
The main restrooms in the Egyptian Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art are just past “Egypt Under Roman Rule 30 B.C. — 400 A.D.” and are clean and well lighted, if busy. A bathroom attendant visited twice in the space of 10 minutes.
The bathroom at the St. Regis Hotel in Midtown is just past the candle-lighted library and down the stairs. The lighting fixtures are crystal and the faucets polished brass. A red flowering plant smells sweet. No one else is there.
What to do if food has made you poop or barf
An employee at the Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine brought me a present the other day: a bag of salad that apparently had a big wad of mud in it. Or was it poop? Smelled like mud.
She wasnt sickened by the food, but if you think a specific food has made you sick, here's what to do:
• go to the doctor if necessary;
• keep the food, in the fridge or freezer if necessary; and,
• contact your local health department.
Bill Marler's got some more specific guidelines here.
She wasnt sickened by the food, but if you think a specific food has made you sick, here's what to do:
• go to the doctor if necessary;
• keep the food, in the fridge or freezer if necessary; and,
• contact your local health department.
Bill Marler's got some more specific guidelines here.
Still raving about kosher food: It's not safer, it's marketing
We've blogged about kosher in Canada; how kosher in the U.K. sorta sucked. Now, U.S. News & World Report cites Mintel, a Chicago-based market research firm, as saying that "kosher" has become the most popular claim on new food products, trouncing "organic" and "no additives or preservatives."
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The report said,
"4,719 new kosher items were launched in the United States last year—nearly double the number of new "all natural" products, which placed second in the report."
Marcia Mogelonsky, a senior research analyst at Mintel, said,
"It's the belief among all consumers that kosher food is safer, a critical thing right now with worries about the integrity of the food supply."
I really dislike people who speak on behalf of all other people. It usually means they know shit.
Moshe Elefant, a rabbi and chief operating officer of the Orthodox Union KOSHER, a kosher certification organization based in New York, said,
"Jews aren't allowed to ingest bugs, so produce must go through a thorough washing and checking to ensure that no bugs are found within the leaves or on the surface of the fruit or vegetable."
Remarkably, the story notes that bacteria can remain even after this type of washing, so consumers can't assume they're less likely to get food poisoning with bagged spinach marked kosher than with a conventional bag.
I understand there are religious reasons for choosing kosher, halal or anything else. For me, I'll focus on microbiologically safe food.
The report said, "4,719 new kosher items were launched in the United States last year—nearly double the number of new "all natural" products, which placed second in the report."
Marcia Mogelonsky, a senior research analyst at Mintel, said,
"It's the belief among all consumers that kosher food is safer, a critical thing right now with worries about the integrity of the food supply."
I really dislike people who speak on behalf of all other people. It usually means they know shit.
Moshe Elefant, a rabbi and chief operating officer of the Orthodox Union KOSHER, a kosher certification organization based in New York, said,
"Jews aren't allowed to ingest bugs, so produce must go through a thorough washing and checking to ensure that no bugs are found within the leaves or on the surface of the fruit or vegetable."
Remarkably, the story notes that bacteria can remain even after this type of washing, so consumers can't assume they're less likely to get food poisoning with bagged spinach marked kosher than with a conventional bag.
I understand there are religious reasons for choosing kosher, halal or anything else. For me, I'll focus on microbiologically safe food.
May the force be with you -- leafy greens edition
The good microorganisms out-compete the bad, so no one will get ever get sick.
I've heard variations of that from a lot of organic growers over the past decade -- yet there is no evidence that such claims are true.
But there is lots of evidence that people get sick from fresh produce -- organic, conventional, or otherwise.
It's all about the bugs.
Ian Davidson of BioLogic Systems LLC writes in the San Francisco Chronicle this morning that there is,
"a microbial force field around the plant that is naked to the human eye. By inoculating plants with these beneficial organisms, it is virtually impossible for pathogenic organisims to even touch the plant, because the beneficial aerobic organisms are in such dominance. These beneficial organisms can easily eliminate the pathogen, or simply outcompete it for food resources."
One of my students heard the same thing back in 2000. I sent her on a day long workshop to learn how to be an organic inspector. Microbial food safety was never mentioned, until my student brought it up at the end of the day, and was told, no worries, the good bugs keep the bad bugs at bay.
Yet fresh produce remains the single biggest source of foodborne illness today.
Sure, soil microbiology is complex, but until our knowledge increases, I'll side with the victims of foodborne illness. And there's a lot of them,
I've heard variations of that from a lot of organic growers over the past decade -- yet there is no evidence that such claims are true.
But there is lots of evidence that people get sick from fresh produce -- organic, conventional, or otherwise.It's all about the bugs.
Ian Davidson of BioLogic Systems LLC writes in the San Francisco Chronicle this morning that there is,
"a microbial force field around the plant that is naked to the human eye. By inoculating plants with these beneficial organisms, it is virtually impossible for pathogenic organisims to even touch the plant, because the beneficial aerobic organisms are in such dominance. These beneficial organisms can easily eliminate the pathogen, or simply outcompete it for food resources."
One of my students heard the same thing back in 2000. I sent her on a day long workshop to learn how to be an organic inspector. Microbial food safety was never mentioned, until my student brought it up at the end of the day, and was told, no worries, the good bugs keep the bad bugs at bay.
Yet fresh produce remains the single biggest source of foodborne illness today.
Sure, soil microbiology is complex, but until our knowledge increases, I'll side with the victims of foodborne illness. And there's a lot of them,
Infosheets can impact food safety training
Do you like pictures of celebrities vomiting, people picking their noses, kids on the toilet, poop, puke, barf, vomit, diarrhea and the squirts? We do, and, we've found that many food handlers do as well.
Through iFSN's infosheets, we try to put a compelling spin on food safety information, attempting to draw in even the laziest, creepiest and stonedest of food handlers. That's why we use skulls sometimes.
The infosheets are received by 300 direct e-mail subscribers, over 7,000 FSnet subscribers, and are distributed by many public health inspectors and environmental health officers during inspections and food handler courses (if you want to subscribe to receive infosheets directly, e-mail bchapman@uoguelph.ca).
Each sheet contains information about a recent outbreak coupled with recommendations on how a food handler or operator can avoid the same problems in their business. Some of the largest food service, retail and food processors in the world use our infosheets on a weekly basis and the feedback we've received has been awesome. One company said they changed their food safety training to all-infosheets, and they knew it was working when they overheard employees talking about the stories during lunch breaks. That contributes to a culture of safe food.
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Still, we need your help to keep going. Each week the guts of the infosheets are generated by fabulous undergraduate and graduate students who pull news and find great stories, search out gross (and sometimes disturbing) pictures, and help create the framework for the sheets.
And as one of our biggest fans, an environmental health officer, wrote in response to this infosheet:
“Now that's some funny stuff! Those folks at iFSN have a great sense of humor. This is obviously no dry and boring government info.”
If our funding goes away, we'll be forced to start making cheaper infosheets that contain dry and boring government info. Please help us avoid that; there's already too many bureaucrats in the world. Send money.
Through iFSN's infosheets, we try to put a compelling spin on food safety information, attempting to draw in even the laziest, creepiest and stonedest of food handlers. That's why we use skulls sometimes.The infosheets are received by 300 direct e-mail subscribers, over 7,000 FSnet subscribers, and are distributed by many public health inspectors and environmental health officers during inspections and food handler courses (if you want to subscribe to receive infosheets directly, e-mail bchapman@uoguelph.ca).
Each sheet contains information about a recent outbreak coupled with recommendations on how a food handler or operator can avoid the same problems in their business. Some of the largest food service, retail and food processors in the world use our infosheets on a weekly basis and the feedback we've received has been awesome. One company said they changed their food safety training to all-infosheets, and they knew it was working when they overheard employees talking about the stories during lunch breaks. That contributes to a culture of safe food.
Still, we need your help to keep going. Each week the guts of the infosheets are generated by fabulous undergraduate and graduate students who pull news and find great stories, search out gross (and sometimes disturbing) pictures, and help create the framework for the sheets.And as one of our biggest fans, an environmental health officer, wrote in response to this infosheet:
“Now that's some funny stuff! Those folks at iFSN have a great sense of humor. This is obviously no dry and boring government info.”
If our funding goes away, we'll be forced to start making cheaper infosheets that contain dry and boring government info. Please help us avoid that; there's already too many bureaucrats in the world. Send money.
UK celebrity chefs focus on animal welfare: at some point they may focus on their own food safety practices
Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall (left, not exactly as pictured), two of Britain's top .jpg)
celebrity chefs, are launching a campaign get consumers to eat more welfare friendly reared chicken by revealing some of the welfare issues in poultry production.
ThePoultrySite reports that on January 11, Jamie Oliver will host a gala dinner to demonstrate the reality of how chickens live and die.
The program is part the Big Food Fight, a season of programming that aims to raise awareness and encourage debate about food production, animal welfare and healthy eating.
That's great. I eagerly await the day Jamie and other celebrity chefs pay attention to their own food safety habits. A 2004 paper we published based on 60 hours of detailed viewing of television cooking shows -- including Jamie Oliver's - found that an unsafe food handling practice occurred about every four minutes, and that for every safe food handling practice observed, we observed 13 unsafe practices. The most common errors were inadequate hand washing and cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat foods.
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Guess we can't expect much of U.K. celebrity chefs when the best their own, taxpayer funded food safety group can come up with in terms of advice is cook your holiday bird until it's piping hot.
Jamie, Hugh, let's see you stick it in.
celebrity chefs, are launching a campaign get consumers to eat more welfare friendly reared chicken by revealing some of the welfare issues in poultry production.ThePoultrySite reports that on January 11, Jamie Oliver will host a gala dinner to demonstrate the reality of how chickens live and die.
The program is part the Big Food Fight, a season of programming that aims to raise awareness and encourage debate about food production, animal welfare and healthy eating.
That's great. I eagerly await the day Jamie and other celebrity chefs pay attention to their own food safety habits. A 2004 paper we published based on 60 hours of detailed viewing of television cooking shows -- including Jamie Oliver's - found that an unsafe food handling practice occurred about every four minutes, and that for every safe food handling practice observed, we observed 13 unsafe practices. The most common errors were inadequate hand washing and cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat foods.
Guess we can't expect much of U.K. celebrity chefs when the best their own, taxpayer funded food safety group can come up with in terms of advice is cook your holiday bird until it's piping hot.Jamie, Hugh, let's see you stick it in.
Kosher certification is causing consumer confidence in processors
Heather Sokoloff writes in today's Globe and Mail that "As health-savvy consumers become more concerned about what is in their food, many non-Jews are equating kosher with safety and quality."
Doug begs to differ and wrote last week that "Fancy food does not mean safe food," even when the establishments are certified as kosher.
"The rabbi is more thorough than the guy from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency," insists a nut- and dairy-free snack producer in Victoria.
Another processor claims that the four annual surprise inspections by the rabbi to her facility have caused her to "be more careful about plant maintenance and cleanliness than any government [inspection]."
The Orthodox Union, North America's largest certifier of kosher foods, is now overseeing production at 6,000 facilities in 85 countries around the world. Real or imagined, consumer confidence created by producers' kosher certifications seem to be great for business.
Doug begs to differ and wrote last week that "Fancy food does not mean safe food," even when the establishments are certified as kosher.
"The rabbi is more thorough than the guy from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency," insists a nut- and dairy-free snack producer in Victoria.
Another processor claims that the four annual surprise inspections by the rabbi to her facility have caused her to "be more careful about plant maintenance and cleanliness than any government [inspection]."
The Orthodox Union, North America's largest certifier of kosher foods, is now overseeing production at 6,000 facilities in 85 countries around the world. Real or imagined, consumer confidence created by producers' kosher certifications seem to be great for business.
Trying to make food safety cool -- International Food Safety Network year in review
We're on a mission to make food safety a pop-culture phenomenon.
We is the International Food Safety Network -- my lab (iFSN) -- and we provide research, commentary, policy evaluation and public information on food safety issues.
I edit three of the four daily listservs that are distributed to over 13,000 direct subscribers in some 70 countries (Ben Chapman has been editing AnimalNet since early in 2007). That information is redirected to millions around the world. The International Food Safety Network website was moved to foodsafety.ksu.edu ,in Jan. 2007 (a significant undertaking). A new website, donteatpoop.com, was created this year, as well as barfblog.com, with 550 posts since May 1, 2007, an average of almost 2 posts per day, and attracting over 100,000 visitors since May, 1.
In Feb. 2007, my previous institution, the University of Guelph, in Canada, decided -- unilaterally -- not to continue a partnership with Kansas State, and eliminated access to my staff and funds that I had established in Guelph (about $750,000). They even tried to shut down the web site, but I'd already moved it. Over the course of 2007, I have replaced five full-time research assistants and several part-timers paid out of Guelph with 12 part-time undergraduates at K-State and elsewhere, and one graduate student. You've heard from some of them in the past week; you'll hear from the rest in future weeks. The quality and diversity of the students I have been able to attract has been invigorating to the entire iFSN operation. Let the hacks and posers fight over what is left; I'm moving forward.
iFSN had more media exposure than ever in 2007, with some 450 media hits, including the N.Y. Times, L.A. Times, Washington Post, USA Today, CBS Evening News, and repeatedly quoted in every major U.S., Canadian and Australian media outlet, as well as a few others. We were quoted on The Late Show with David Letterman and advised people to use their front porch as a cooler when the power goes out.
We gave talks all over the world, for various groups, including the National Restaurant Association, Walt Disney World, and dozens of public health groups and scientific societies.
Based on the primary activities listed in the chart below, I spend each and every day (including Sat., Sun. and holidays) editing 36 news items, posting 4 listservs, composing two blog posts, doing one or two media interviews, distributing a commentary once or twice a week, and giving a talk and editing an infosheet almost once a week. In my extra time I teach, apply for research grants, supervise research and graduate students, recruit undergraduate students, and write scientific papers.
We need your support to continue doing what we do. Give often, give a lot, at https://one.found.ksu.edu/ccon/new_gift.do?action=newGift&CCN_FUND_ID=3894&SCENARIO=SELECTFUND
Or contact me directly, dpowell@ksu.edu.
Have a great year
Doug Powell
We is the International Food Safety Network -- my lab (iFSN) -- and we provide research, commentary, policy evaluation and public information on food safety issues.
I edit three of the four daily listservs that are distributed to over 13,000 direct subscribers in some 70 countries (Ben Chapman has been editing AnimalNet since early in 2007). That information is redirected to millions around the world. The International Food Safety Network website was moved to foodsafety.ksu.edu ,in Jan. 2007 (a significant undertaking). A new website, donteatpoop.com, was created this year, as well as barfblog.com, with 550 posts since May 1, 2007, an average of almost 2 posts per day, and attracting over 100,000 visitors since May, 1.In Feb. 2007, my previous institution, the University of Guelph, in Canada, decided -- unilaterally -- not to continue a partnership with Kansas State, and eliminated access to my staff and funds that I had established in Guelph (about $750,000). They even tried to shut down the web site, but I'd already moved it. Over the course of 2007, I have replaced five full-time research assistants and several part-timers paid out of Guelph with 12 part-time undergraduates at K-State and elsewhere, and one graduate student. You've heard from some of them in the past week; you'll hear from the rest in future weeks. The quality and diversity of the students I have been able to attract has been invigorating to the entire iFSN operation. Let the hacks and posers fight over what is left; I'm moving forward.
iFSN had more media exposure than ever in 2007, with some 450 media hits, including the N.Y. Times, L.A. Times, Washington Post, USA Today, CBS Evening News, and repeatedly quoted in every major U.S., Canadian and Australian media outlet, as well as a few others. We were quoted on The Late Show with David Letterman and advised people to use their front porch as a cooler when the power goes out.
We gave talks all over the world, for various groups, including the National Restaurant Association, Walt Disney World, and dozens of public health groups and scientific societies. Based on the primary activities listed in the chart below, I spend each and every day (including Sat., Sun. and holidays) editing 36 news items, posting 4 listservs, composing two blog posts, doing one or two media interviews, distributing a commentary once or twice a week, and giving a talk and editing an infosheet almost once a week. In my extra time I teach, apply for research grants, supervise research and graduate students, recruit undergraduate students, and write scientific papers.
We need your support to continue doing what we do. Give often, give a lot, at https://one.found.ksu.edu/ccon/new_gift.do?action=newGift&CCN_FUND_ID=3894&SCENARIO=SELECTFUND
Or contact me directly, dpowell@ksu.edu.Have a great year
Doug Powell
Fancy food does not mean safe food -- Kosher edition
A Jewish Chronicle investigation of 59 UK establishments assessed over the last two years found that 30 received either zero- or one-star ratings; just two were graded five-star and another two four-star.
The rating ranges from no stars for the worst levels of compliance, through to five stars for the very best standards of food safety management. A two star rating is defined as largely compliant with national requirements.
Kashrut representatives variously expressed surprise and disappointment at the findings, but maintained that hygiene standards were high within the kosher market.
Uh huh.
The rating ranges from no stars for the worst levels of compliance, through to five stars for the very best standards of food safety management. A two star rating is defined as largely compliant with national requirements.Kashrut representatives variously expressed surprise and disappointment at the findings, but maintained that hygiene standards were high within the kosher market.
Uh huh.
Should people be neurotic about food safety?
Neurotic is defined as, abnormally sensitive, obsessive, or tense and anxious.
This morning's Globe and Mail, out of Toronto, had a piece which said,
Today's food-safety connoisseurs do not count calories, but the number of days leftovers have been in the fridge, the temperature of a steak's core, and the number of hands they imagine may have handled a piece of fruit en route to their dinner plate.
And they are aided by a range of new gadgets that allow them to treat their kitchens like culinary laboratories under bacteria lockdowns.
... Brenda Watson, executive director of the Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education, said she believes a degree of neurosis is necessary to prevent foodborne illness.
I disagree.
Douglas Powell, the Canadian-born scientific director of the International Food Safety Network at Kansas State University, said many people confuse the issues of food safety and food freshness.
“There are lots of things that are yucky but that won't kill you,” he said. “And there are lots of things that will kill you and you can't tell.”
In an effort to protect themselves, Dr. Powell said, some people make choices that have little to with preventing illness – such as buying organic produce – while neglecting behaviours that can truly protect them, such as the use of food thermometers and the proper storage of food.
“It's not simple, otherwise 11 to 13 million Canadians wouldn't be getting sick every year, which they are right now,” he said of food safety. “But the biggest risk is not eating anything. You can't be neurotic about it.”
Cautious, careful, choosey -- sure.
Neurotic? Not so sure.
This morning's Globe and Mail, out of Toronto, had a piece which said,
Today's food-safety connoisseurs do not count calories, but the number of days leftovers have been in the fridge, the temperature of a steak's core, and the number of hands they imagine may have handled a piece of fruit en route to their dinner plate.And they are aided by a range of new gadgets that allow them to treat their kitchens like culinary laboratories under bacteria lockdowns.
... Brenda Watson, executive director of the Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education, said she believes a degree of neurosis is necessary to prevent foodborne illness.
I disagree.
Douglas Powell, the Canadian-born scientific director of the International Food Safety Network at Kansas State University, said many people confuse the issues of food safety and food freshness.
“There are lots of things that are yucky but that won't kill you,” he said. “And there are lots of things that will kill you and you can't tell.”
In an effort to protect themselves, Dr. Powell said, some people make choices that have little to with preventing illness – such as buying organic produce – while neglecting behaviours that can truly protect them, such as the use of food thermometers and the proper storage of food.
“It's not simple, otherwise 11 to 13 million Canadians wouldn't be getting sick every year, which they are right now,” he said of food safety. “But the biggest risk is not eating anything. You can't be neurotic about it.”
Cautious, careful, choosey -- sure.
Neurotic? Not so sure.
Seasons greetings from iFSN: Avoid the runs around the holidays
Here's today's festive infosheets, consider it a holiday gift to all of our faithful barfblog readers. Our focus today was on a few things that you might encounter during the holidays, especially at family or work parties. And the picture of Santa is pretty awesome.
You can download the infosheet here.
You can download the infosheet here.
Food safety and sex appeal: top trends for 2008
J.M. Hirsch, the food editor at the Associated Press, writes that the proliferation of foodie culture and its obsessive desire for provenance, coupled with growing worries over food safety -- have combined to create a whirlwind of information about food and drink.
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Here are the top trends for 2008:
• Local foods
Organic has jumped the shark. Locavore was named word of the year by The New Oxford American Dictionary. But local does not equal safe.
• Varietal
Consumers now want to know the specific varieties of ingredients and breeds of animals it was produced with.
• Food safety
Unlike government, marketers work quickly. For example, some toy catalogs already labeled their products "lead-free" in time for the 2007 holiday season.
Expect food companies to be as nimble, touting new and increased safety measures.
Over a year after I started promoting it, maybe food companies will get serious about marketing microbial food safety and leave the food porn in the gutter.
Here are the top trends for 2008:• Local foods
Organic has jumped the shark. Locavore was named word of the year by The New Oxford American Dictionary. But local does not equal safe.
• Varietal
Consumers now want to know the specific varieties of ingredients and breeds of animals it was produced with.
• Food safety
Unlike government, marketers work quickly. For example, some toy catalogs already labeled their products "lead-free" in time for the 2007 holiday season.
Expect food companies to be as nimble, touting new and increased safety measures.
Over a year after I started promoting it, maybe food companies will get serious about marketing microbial food safety and leave the food porn in the gutter.
Emeril cancelled
The New York Times reports that Emeril Live taped it's last show on the Food Network and laid off a half-dozen staff members, bringing an end to an impressive 11-year, every-weeknight run.
The story says that viewers will not see a difference for at least a year as the new episodes that have already been taped are shown. But industry executives are scratching their heads over why the network canceled “Emeril Live” — which they speculate became too expensive for its softening ratings — without having a new deal in place, given the role that his program played in the network’s success.
I don't really care. Cooking shows have the spontaneity and creativity of line dancing. And the hosts all seem to practice terrible food safety. A food safety error every 4.5 minutes.
The story says that viewers will not see a difference for at least a year as the new episodes that have already been taped are shown. But industry executives are scratching their heads over why the network canceled “Emeril Live” — which they speculate became too expensive for its softening ratings — without having a new deal in place, given the role that his program played in the network’s success.I don't really care. Cooking shows have the spontaneity and creativity of line dancing. And the hosts all seem to practice terrible food safety. A food safety error every 4.5 minutes.
Can mistletoe be dangerous?
The N.Y. Times reports that mistletoe is not quite as hazardous as it is made out to be. The plant contains harmful chemicals like viscotoxins, which can cause gastrointestinal distress, a slowed heartbeat and other reactions.
But in studies of hundreds of cases of accidental ingestion over the years, there were no fatalities and only a handful of severe reactions. One study published in 1996 looked at 92 cases of mistletoe ingestion and found that only a small fraction of patients showed any symptoms. Eight of 10 people who consumed five or more berries had no symptoms, and 3 of the 11 people who consumed only leaves had upset stomachs.
Other studies have found similar effects, suggesting that while mistletoe can be toxic, its lethal reputation is not quite deserved.
But, like poop, don't eat it.
But in studies of hundreds of cases of accidental ingestion over the years, there were no fatalities and only a handful of severe reactions. One study published in 1996 looked at 92 cases of mistletoe ingestion and found that only a small fraction of patients showed any symptoms. Eight of 10 people who consumed five or more berries had no symptoms, and 3 of the 11 people who consumed only leaves had upset stomachs.Other studies have found similar effects, suggesting that while mistletoe can be toxic, its lethal reputation is not quite deserved.
But, like poop, don't eat it.
Health Canada pulls holiday recommendations from its ass
Health Canada says that 11 to 13 million of Canada's 33 million people will get sick from food each year.
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But,
"You can help reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses for your family and friends during the holiday season by following some basic food safety tips."
If it's basic, why are so many people getting sick?
The Canadians at least have it right by saying,
"If cooking a turkey for a holiday meal, use a digital food thermometer to make sure it is cooked properly."
That's so much better than the Brits and the Irish.
But then, Health Canada says,
"The temperature of the thickest part of the breast or thigh should be at least 85 degrees C (185 degrees F)."
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No one knows where this recommendation comes from. In the U.S., the recommendation is 165 F, and anyone can figure out where it came from. Apparently no one asks such questions in Canada.
But,"You can help reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses for your family and friends during the holiday season by following some basic food safety tips."
If it's basic, why are so many people getting sick?
The Canadians at least have it right by saying,
"If cooking a turkey for a holiday meal, use a digital food thermometer to make sure it is cooked properly."
That's so much better than the Brits and the Irish.
But then, Health Canada says,
"The temperature of the thickest part of the breast or thigh should be at least 85 degrees C (185 degrees F)."
No one knows where this recommendation comes from. In the U.S., the recommendation is 165 F, and anyone can figure out where it came from. Apparently no one asks such questions in Canada.500 barfblogs
Bryan Severns barfblogs; do you?
Bryan says that he uses "barfblog stuff all of the time in my Sani/Culinary classes as it takes the concepts and turns them into real life situations and issues."
That was the idea. We at the International Food Safety Network are always trying to figure out new ways to make food safety information meaningful.
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If you barfblog, then tell me your best barfblog story and I'll send you a barfblog T-shirt.
A culture of safe food needs barf stories.. And iFSN.
Give large. Give small. It's all on-line at
https://one.found.ksu.edu/ccon/new_gift.do?action=newGift&CCN_FUND_ID=3894&SCENARIO=SELECTFUND
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Any problems, just e-mail me, dpowell@ksu.edu.
And if you benefit from our services, then we're continuing with our payment model that alt.music darlings Radiohead stole from us: pay what you want.
Bryan says that he uses "barfblog stuff all of the time in my Sani/Culinary classes as it takes the concepts and turns them into real life situations and issues."That was the idea. We at the International Food Safety Network are always trying to figure out new ways to make food safety information meaningful.
If you barfblog, then tell me your best barfblog story and I'll send you a barfblog T-shirt.A culture of safe food needs barf stories.. And iFSN.
Give large. Give small. It's all on-line at
https://one.found.ksu.edu/ccon/new_gift.do?action=newGift&CCN_FUND_ID=3894&SCENARIO=SELECTFUND
Any problems, just e-mail me, dpowell@ksu.edu.
And if you benefit from our services, then we're continuing with our payment model that alt.music darlings Radiohead stole from us: pay what you want.
Ice storm hits Manhattan 3 -- keeping food safe
On Tuesday night, the entire sky over Manhattan was colored green. And it happened at least five other times.Those were transformers blowing up.
Westar electric says Manhattain may have no power for a week.
Yikes.
And then, Wednesday night, just when we thought we would have to wash dishes by hand, the power came on.
We're fortunate, as hundreds of thousands across the Midwest still have no power, including several thousand in Manhattan. With that in mind, Reuters and USA Today picked up on my fridge on the front porch theme (also works well for beer).CHICAGO -- For nearly 610,000 customers in the U.S. Central Plains without power, the contents of their refrigerators and freezers may not be a total loss, a food safety expert said on Wednesday.
Meat, milk, cheese and other food can temporarily and safely be stored outside during freezing weather, said Doug Powell, an associate professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology at Kansas State University.
Freezing rain and ice brought down tree branches and power lines on Sunday and Monday, initially leaving 1.2 million customers without electricity. Utility companies were estimating it may take up to 10 days to restore power to all customers in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri.
To turn a backyard into a refrigerator, place food in a cooler to protect it and monitor with a thermometer. Pack ice or snow around the food to help keep it cold.Frozen foods will be fine for a couple days below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius). Refrigerated foods will keep at temperatures below 40F (4C).
While it's fine for consumers to use their backyards as make-shift refrigerators, it's not an option for restaurants and other businesses that serve food, Powell said.
For more information:
www.foodsafety.ksu.edu
www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_121007_01/index.asp
The pictures were taken this morning as the sun shone once again.
Ice storm hits Manhattan: Keeping food safe 30 hours later
The novelty is wearing off.
As I noted yesterday, the Midwest U.S. was hit with an ice storm that started in Manhattan Monday evening. Our power went off Tuesday morning about 3 a.m. Sure, it was fun last night as we worked by candlelight until our batteries ran out, and had a friend and her dogs over for a sleepover by our gas fireplace (which keeps the primary rooms at a comfortable 62F), but awakening to darkness again was less fun.
Kansas State University is open and has full power this a.m., but a large chunk of central Manha
As I noted yesterday, the Midwest U.S. was hit with an ice storm that started in Manhattan Monday evening. Our power went off Tuesday morning about 3 a.m. Sure, it was fun last night as we worked by candlelight until our batteries ran out, and had a friend and her dogs over for a sleepover by our gas fireplace (which keeps the primary rooms at a comfortable 62F), but awakening to darkness again was less fun.Kansas State University is open and has full power this a.m., but a large chunk of central Manha