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Internet Journal of Food
Saety
9/08
2006
ISSUE:225
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Internet Journal of Food Saety
Current
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09/06. QC Supervisor - Springdale, AR
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Fresh Fruits,
Veggies Can Trigger Allergy
Sun Sep 3, 7:02 PM ET
Source of Article: http://news.yahoo.com/
SUNDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Does your mouth get itchy after you
eat fresh fruits or vegetables at this time of year? You may have oral
allergy syndrome, say experts at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma
& Immunology (AAAAI).
OAS, also called pollen-food syndrome, is caused by allergens such as
ragweed, which begins to bloom in mid-August.
"The pollen released from ragweed is the airborne allergen most responsible
for the onslaught of allergy symptoms at this time of year. In addition
to sneezing and itchy, water eyes, and symptoms of OAS, ragweed allergies
can take a heavy toll on the allergy sufferer's quality of life,"
Dr. Suzanne S. Teuber, chair of the AAAAI's Adverse Reactions to Foods
Committee, said in a prepared statement.
OAS symptoms are the result of a "cross-reactivity reaction"
between allergy antibodies directed toward target pollen proteins with
similar proteins found in other parts of plants. Common symptoms of OAS
included an itchy mouth and throat with mild swelling immediately after
eating fresh fruits or vegetables.
People with ragweed allergies can experience OAS symptoms when they consume
bananas, cucumbers, melon, zucchini, sunflower seeds, chamomile tea or
echinacea.
OAS can also occur in people with birch tree allergy symptoms when they
eat peaches, apples, pears, cherries, carrots, hazelnuts, kiwis, and almonds,
the AAAAI said.
Generally, cooking foods will eliminate an OAS reaction, according to
the AAAAI.
For and against:
Are the dangers of childhood food allergy exaggerated?
02.sep.06
British Medical Journal 333:494-496
Allan Colver et al
The complete document is available at: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/333/7566/494
The numbers of deaths from food allergy are small and not all are preventable.
Allan Colver believes that the increasing prescription of emergency prophylaxis
to children fuels anxiety rather than saving lives, but Jonathan Hourihane
argues that there are no data to show that prescription of autoinjectors
increases anxiety and their provision, as part of an integrated care plan,
is justified
YES The natural course and epidemiology of food allergy are not the same
in children and adults, and the associated dangers may also differ. Many
statements on food allergy in children have been derived from adult populations
or studies in which children and adults were not analysed separately.
However, studies of children suggest that the dangers are overstated;
this leads to unnecessary alarm for many families and schools and also
to medical advice and management that may be disproportionate to the risk.
Key Speakers for this Conference
Click here for more information
Testing to
be carried out for illegal GM rice
Friday 01 September 2006
The Food Standards Agency is taking action to ensure that testing and
monitoring is carried out on consignments of American long grain rice
in the UK.
The announcement follows a statement by the United States authorities
that trace amounts of genetically modified (GM) rice have been found in
a sample of rice in the US.
According to information provided by the UK's Rice Association, GM material
has been detected at very low levels and could be present in imports already
in the UK. No GM rice has been approved for sale in the EU and therefore
GM varieties should not be present in imported rice.
The Agency is taking this action to ensure that future supplies of rice
are GM free.
Although the European Food Safety Authority is carrying out a detailed
evaluation, the Agency has already sought the advice on the safety implications
of this rice from members of its independent scientific advisory committee
on GM, the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes. They have
advised that on the basis of current evidence the presence of low levels
of this GM material in the food supply is not a health concern.
All imports of long grain rice are being held at ports until they can
be certified to be free of GM. The European Commission is leading discussions
with the US authorities to ensure that no further products containing
unauthorised GM material are exported to Europe.
FSA Director of Food Safety Dr Andrew Wadge said: ¡®The presence of this
GM material in rice on sale in the UK is illegal under European health
law, even at extremely low levels. This is why we are taking steps to
test American long grain rice and ensure future imports are GM free.
¡®Food retailers are responsible for ensuring that the food they sell does
not contain unauthorised GM material.
¡®Our independent scientific experts have looked at the data on this material
and have concluded that there is no food safety risk. Therefore the Agency
is advising people who have long grain rice from the US at home that they
can continue to eat it.¡¯
Host defenses
against Staphylococcus aureus infection require recognition of bacterial
lipoproteins
04.sep.06
PNAS Online Early Edition
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
Juliane Bubeck Wardenburg et al
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0603072103v1
Toll-like receptors and other immune-signaling pathways play important
roles as sensors of bacterial pattern molecules, such as peptidoglycan,
lipoprotein, or teichoic acid, triggering innate host immune responses
that prevent infection. Immune recognition of multiple bacterial products
has been viewed as a safeguard against stealth infections; however, this
hypothesis has never been tested for Staphylococcus aureus, a frequent
human pathogen. By generating mutations that block the diacylglycerol
modification of lipoprotein precursors, we show here that S. aureus variants
lacking lipoproteins escape immune recognition and cause lethal infections
with disseminated abscess formation, failing to elicit an adequate host
response. Thus, lipoproteins appear to play distinct, nonredundant roles
in pathogen recognition and host innate defense mechanisms against S.
aureus infections.
Prop 65 litigation
passes hurdle
05.sep.06
Lean Trimmings
Eliotte Bowerman
The Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, State of California, issued
a unanimous decision on Aug. 31 in favor of the plaintiffs in the declaratory
judgment action filed by the American Meat Institute and National Meat
Association against Whitney R. Leeman.
The AMI-NMA lawsuit was triggered by Ms. Leeman's claim that the notice
and labeling requirements of California's Proposition 65 are not subject
to the pre-emption of state laws and regulations provided by the Federal
Meat Inspection Act. Leeman also argued that the trade association's lawsuit
was a "strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP)"
filed in response to her service of notices on four meat companies that
they sold meat containing cancer-causing chemicals and reproductive toxins
without giving the warning required by state law (Proposition 65). Leeman
filed her notices against the four meat companies in November 2004. AMI/NMA
argued that the Federal Meat Inspection Act preempts the California law,
a position strongly supported by the United States Department of Agriculture.
USDA's position is that the kind of warning Leeman is seeking would be
misleading as applied to meat that is USDA inspected and approved for
sale. Subsequently, the California Attorney General (CAG) filed an amicus
curiae brief in support of Leeman and arguing against federal preemption.
In their unanimous decision, the Court said: "we therefore conclude
that the first
prerequisite for an anti-SLAPP motion is not present in this case because
Leeman has failed to establish that the complaint arose from protected
activity. Having determined that the complaint does not arise from protected
activity, we need "not reach the anti-SLAPP statute's secondary question"
as to "whether ... 'there is a probability that (plaintiffs) will
prevail on the claim'" and we thus do not address the preemption
issue." The case is now returned to the trial court in San Diego,
which will address the merits of the AMI/NMA preemption claim.
Leeman has filed more than 60 suits in the state based on this California
law, the most recent against two fast food companies.
Shigella
outbreak shuts down local restaurant
01.sep.06
10News.com - San Diego, CA
Jermaine Ong
http://www.10news.com/news/9780375/detail.html
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency was
cited as saying that 10 people have been diagnosed with symptoms of Shigella,
and traced to the Filbertos restaurant on 3446 University Avenue.
Investigators said they believe people eating at the restaurant between
Aug. 24 and Aug. 28 may have been exposed to Shigella.
San Diego County Department of Health officials closed the restaurant
on Aug. 31, and it will remain closed pending further investigation of
any violations.
At least
19 taken ill at luncheon
31.aug.06
New Haven Register (CT)
William Kaempffer
http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17132291&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=7576&rfi=6&xb=kofan
NEW HAVEN ? At least 15 people were hospitalized with nausea, cramps and
vomiting Wednesday after a catered lunch at the United Illuminating Co.
on Church Street.
City Fire Department EMS Supervisor Abe Colon was cited as saying that
four other people became ill but declined to go to the hospital.
Inside the Connecticut Financial Center, city health department officials
collected samples of the food, which included pulled pork and chicken,
and shipped them off to a laboratory for testing to see whether food poisoning
was to blame.
Until those results comes back, said city Director of Health William P.
Quinn, it¡¯s impossible to conclusively say what caused the people to get
sick.
"The incubation period, if it was food, would be very short. That¡¯s
why we¡¯re not ruling anything out," said Quinn. "There are viruses
that could spread quickly from person to person."
Lupin detection
made easier
By staff reporter
Source of Article: http://www.bakeryandsnacks.com/
05/09/2006 - A new method of screening for the potentially hazardous plant
substance Lupin will allow bakers to use the soya-alternative without
running the risk of contravening EU law. UK food science company Hallmark
Analytical Ventures (HAV) has developed equipment to accurately detect
very low levels of the legume lupin in food.
Under an EC directive which will come into force in autumn, any product
containing lupin must carry a label warning consumers as it has been known
to cause extreme allergic reactions especially among peanut-allergy sufferers.
The UK's Food Standards Agency has warned peanut allergic consumers, who
number 1 per cent of the UK population, to avoid products containing the
substance. Having first been introduced to the food industry as an ingredient
in wheat flour in the 1990s, lupin is still favoured by bakers who use
it in flour and baked goods as a high-protein alternative to soya. It
is particularly prevalent in speciality breads being gluten-free and a
source of essential amino acids.
In addition, flour derived
from the substance can also be used to replace eggs and butter thanks
to its distinctive yellow colour.
The HAVen lupin Elisa detector can pick up one part per million and is
designed to be used in laboratory conditions, five ready-to-use tests
are given in each kit. It operates by establishing the protein content
as a marker for lupin levels throughout the product as a whole and works
at a range of between 1 to 16 parts per million, the detection limit is
less than 0.25mg per kg of flour.
Tasting robot
could be next generation quality and safety tool
By Ahmed ElAmin
Source of Article: http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/
05/09/2006 - A "tasting" robot that can identify foods, drinks
and their ingredients through the packaging provides a glimpse into the
future direction of safety and quality control in manufacturing plants.
The robot, designed as a 60 cm tall doll, is outfitted with infrared spectroscopic
technology along with a computer processor and software. The robot can
then emit a voice through its swiveling head and lit up mouth to identify
the food, list its ingredients and give advice on potential health-related
issues. NEC System Technologies has been working for the past two years
with researchers at Japan's Mie University to combine its robot and pattern
recognition systems with their analytical software in developing the robot.
While NEC has been exhibiting the robot as a consumer-oriented gadget
for giving advice, the sensor technologies it contains could easily be
transformed into a device for performing safety and quality checks on
packaged foods and drinks, before they leave the plant. NEC calls it the
"world's first partner robot" with a sense of taste. The spectrometer
is fitted into the robot's left arm, which emits a beam of infrared light
on objects placed up against it. The robot than analyses the light to
determine the chemical make-up.
Tasting by the robot involves the analysis of food components. The analysis includes estimating the major components such as sugar and fat, found in the food, estimating the presence of food components, and estimating the quantities of the identified components. "The tasting capability of the robot is not the same as that of a human," NEC stated in a press release outlining further improvements in the device's capabilities. "The human sense of taste is synthesized by taste cells on the tongue which senses sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and tastiness. Humans do not conduct an analysis of a food's components. We may be able to say that the creation of this robot is somewhat comparable to imitating birds in order to design airplanes."
The tasting robot uses infrared
spectroscopic technology to analyze the components of a food. It transmits
infrared rays at the food and measures the degree of absorption of certain
wavelengths. Different foods give out different wave shapes, a kind of
"food's fingerprint". When a certain molecule is present in
a food, a ray of a specific wavelength is absorbed. As a result, the robot
can estimate the major components, such as sugar and fat, and the quantities
of these components present in a food. The robot's software is pre-loaded
with food information. Last year NEC displayed tests in which the robot
identified food without opening the package. It was able to identify between
several types of cheese, such as Edam, Gouda and Camembert. It was also
able to identify different meat products and breads, such as pain de mie,
baguette and croissant. "When a new food is introduced to the robot,
it will compare that food's absorption spectrum against the ones the robot
has already cataloged and determine which ones are comparable to the food
that has just been introduced," NEC's designers stated. "Also,
the robot looks at the absorption rate for certain wavelengths and thus
estimates the amount of each component contained in the food." In
July this year NEC System Technologies and Mie University displayed tests
at a hotel in Japan in which the robot was able to differentiate between
different types of wines. The robot was able to name the brand and give
a brief tasting note, along with some recommendations on compatible foods.
In terms of absorbance spectra, differences among different types of wine
are strikingly smaller than those among other types of foods, NEC noted
in announcing the development. For this reason it is more challenging
for the robot to discriminate between different types of wine than it
is to differentiate between other types of food. "In order for the
robot to be able to achieve the ability to differentiate wine we made
several improvements," NEC stated. "Also, since the intention
was to create a sommelier robot that can taste wine, we also included
a feature that selects the wine suited to a customer's taste by carrying
on a dialogue with him/her."
NEC says it is working on developing the robot's abilities in the prevention
of lifestyle-related diseases and to help in the treatments for those
diseases through dietary therapy.
