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Saety
9/21
2006
ISSUE:227
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Internet Journal of Food Saety
A shelf where bagged spinach is usually sold is empty at a supermarket
in Washington today. souce from Charles Dharapak/Associated Press
FDA Statement on
Foodborne E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak in Spinach
Source from:
FDA.gov
Update: Tuesday, September 19, 2006
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will continue to provide the
public with regular updates on the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak each day until
further notice.
Case Reports
To date, 131 cases of illness due to E. coli infection have been reported
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including 20
cases of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), 66 hospitalizations, and one
death. Illnesses continue to be reported to CDC. This is considered to
be an ongoing investigation.
States Affected
There are 21 confirmed states: California, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois,
Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico,
New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin,
and Wyoming.
Consumer Advice
FDA advises consumers to not eat fresh spinach or products that contain
fresh spinach until further notice.
If individuals believe they may have experienced symptoms of illness after
consuming fresh spinach or fresh spinach-containing products, FDA recommends
that they seek medical advice.
Two (2) Recalls
On 9/17/06, River Ranch, of Salinas, California, announced a voluntary
recall of packages of spring mix containing spinach. River Ranch obtained
bulk spring mix containing spinach from Natural Selections. The following
brands are involved: Fresh N¡¯ Easy Spring Mix and Hy-Vee Spring mix containing
baby spinach, distributed to retailers in Texas, Iowa and New Mexico.
Product was packed in 5 oz. bags and 5 oz. plastic trays. Products that
do not contain spinach are not part of this recall.
On 9/15/06,
Natural Selection Foods, LLC, of San Juan Bautista, California, announced
a voluntary recall of all products containing spinach in all brands they
pack with "Best if Used by Dates" of August 17, 2006 through
October 1, 2006. These products include spinach and any salad
with spinach in a blend, both retail and food service products. Products
that do not contain spinach are not part of this recall.
Natural Selection Foods, LLC brands include: Natural Selection Foods,
Pride of San Juan, Earthbound Farm, Bellissima, Dole, Rave Spinach, Emeril,
Sysco, O Organic, Fresh Point, River Ranch, Superior, Nature's Basket,
Pro-Mark, Compliments, Trader Joe's, Ready Pac, Jansal Valley, Cheney
Brothers, D'Arrigo Brothers, Green Harvest, Mann, Mills Family Farm, Premium
Fresh, Snoboy, The Farmer's Market, Tanimura & Antle, President's
Choice, Cross Valley, and Riverside Farms.
The affected products were
also distributed to Canada, Mexico, and Taiwan. No illnesses have been
reported from these countries. FDA continues to investigate whether other
companies and brands are involved.
Symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 Illness
E. coli O157:H7 causes diarrhea, often with bloody stools. Although most
healthy adults can recover completely within a week, some people can develop
a form of kidney failure called HUS. HUS is most likely to occur in young
children and the elderly. The condition can lead to serious kidney damage
and even death.
Lettuce Safety Initiative
The FDA developed the Lettuce Safety Initiative www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/lettsafe.html
in response to recurring outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 in lettuce. As a
result of this outbreak, the initiative has been expanded to cover spinach.
The primary goals of the initiative are to reduce public health risks
by focusing on the product, agents and areas of greatest concern and to
alert consumers early and respond rapidly in the event of an outbreak.
This initiative is based on the 2004 Produce Safety Action Plan, intended
to minimize the incidence of food borne illness associated with the consumption
of fresh produce.
FDA continues to work closely with the CDC and state and local agencies
to determine the cause and scope of the E. coli outbreak in spinach. Please
check www.fda.gov for updates.
source from:Peter DaSilva for The New York Times
Fields of greens in California near Natural Selection Foods,
which has been implicated in the outbreak.
Wis. children
suffer spinach illnesses
20.sep.06
Associated Press
Dinesh Ramde
MILWAUKEE -- Anne Grintjes, whose 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter
fell ill during a multi-state E. coli outbreak linked to tainted spinach,
can't even look at produce now without cringing. The boy spent 10 days
in Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, battling infection and kidney failure.
His mother was cited as saying the boy ate fresh bagged spinach before
he started getting sick Sept. 2, adding, "He couldn't move, he couldn't
walk. He was yellow. The little boy that he was, you know, was there behind
the sick eyes but the disease was taking over his body. He was fighting
for his life."
Now he's recovering, while his sister deals with symptoms that started
last week, their mother said. Both children tested positive for E. coli.
They are among 131 people in 21 states who have been linked to spinach
contamination, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Of those taken ill, 66 were hospitalized
and 20 developed a type of kidney failure, the CDC reported. Wisconsin
has been hardest hit with 32 confirmed cases, nearly a quarter of the
total in the CDC count, and the only death. Utah reported 16 cases and
Ohio 15. State figures put Wisconsin's total even higher. Marion Graff,
77, a retired bank clerk and widow from Manitowoc, is the nation's only
confirmed fatality in the outbreak. She died of kidney failure Sept. 7
caused by an E. coli infection. A third company, RLB Food Distributors
LP, based in West Caldwell, N.J., said Tuesday it was voluntarily recalling
salad mixes that may contain spinach supplied by Natural Selection.
Paul Biedrzycki, the director of disease control and prevention for the
City of Milwaukee Health Department, was cited as saying reporting of
E. coli infections is notoriously unreliable, adding, "If I see six
cases, that could mean there were really 60 to 100 cases. Where you get
concerned is when there's a cluster of cases within a short period of
time."
In a related story, federal health officials are investigating whether
a more potent strain of E. coli is behind an outbreak linked to fresh
spinach.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that fully
50 percent of those reported sick in the outbreak were hospitalized. That's
more than the 25 percent to 30 percent seen in other E. coli outbreaks,
said Dr. David Acheson of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for
Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, adding, "We're running higher
than that. One possibility is this is a virulent strain."
Also unexpected was the 15 percent of food poisoning victims who developed
a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Five percent
is more typical, Acheson said.
He cautioned that the numbers could be skewed by underreporting of less
severe cases of illness.
Meanwhile, FDA inspectors visited nine California farms Tuesday, seeking
signs of past flooding or cases where contaminated surface areas had come
into contact with crops, said Robert Brackett, director of the FDA's Center
for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
They were on the lookout for animal droppings in the fields; checking
on sanitary conditions inside the plants where produce is processed; and
taking samples from produce itself, as well as from common areas in the
processing plants that could harbor bacteria.
"They will look for any obvious or even suspected places where this
organism could gain access to the produce," said Brackett, while
acknowledging it was unlikely they would pinpoint the exact source of
the contamination.
Spinach 5
more cases of E. coli (NE)
20.sep.06
Lincoln Journal Star (NE)
Anna Jo Bratton, Associated Press
http://www.journalstar.com/
OMAHA Five more cases of E. coli in Nebraska have been linked to tainted
spinach that¡¯s killed one person and sickened more than 130 people across
the country, state health officials said Tuesday. Of the six confirmed
cases, one of which was reported Monday, two are in Cass County, one in
Douglas, two in Sarpy and one in Saunders, according to Nebraska Health
and Human Services System. Three people in Nebraska have been hospitalized.
The afflicted range in age from 13 to 83. State health officials are still
investigating five other E. coli cases that may also be linked to spinach.
Source of
E. coli outbreak not limited to spinach: Some infections may be tied to
Manitowoc County Fair
19.sep.06
Green Bay Press-Gazette (Wisconsin)
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers and The Associated Press
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060919/GPG0101/609190515/1207/GPGnews
MANITOWOC ? Amy Wergin, county public health nurse, was cited as saying
that five of the seven E. coli cases being investigated by the Manitowoc
County Health Department may have been caused by exposure to animals at
the county fair.
Wergin said test results have been returned from the State Lab of Hygiene
for five of the six remaining Manitowoc County cases, with the final test
result expected later this week. Local investigators have determined that
four people in those cases reported attending the fair in late August.
The infections occurred between Aug. 26 and Sept. 1.
The health department is investigating whether the fair could be a source
of the infection, Wergin said.
"We are still in the information-gathering phase and until we can
get the samples from the fairground complete, there isn't a whole lot
that we can do," Wergin said.
Couple sues
over illness linked to spinach
19.sep.06
Newsday
The Buffalo News
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--taintedspinach-la0919sep19,0,6829696.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A couple who say their teenage daughter became ill after
eating bagged fresh spinach has sued Chiquita Brands International.
The parents, referred to as John and Jane Doe in the suit, claim their
daughter contracted an E. coli infection after eating spinach sold under
Chiquita's Fresh Express brand two weeks ago. The girl remains hospitalized
in stable condition after undergoing dialysis, said attorney Chris O'Brien,
who represents the family.
The state Supreme Court lawsuit filed Monday names both Cincinnati-based
Chiquita and its Salinas, Calif., subsidiary, Fresh Express.
Researchers
say deadly bacteria may be in, not on, spinach
19.sep.06
The Western Star (Ohio)
Jeff Nesmith http://www.western-star.com/
WASHINGTON Scientists at Rutgers University reported four years ago that
they had shown that quantities of E. coli bacteria sufficient to cause
disease can be present in - rather than on - the plants' leaves.
"I am concerned from the findings that we have," said Karl Matthews,
a microbiologist. "You can't wash the organism away from the crop.
Even if it's washed several times, you're not actually washing away the
organism."
After growing lettuce in soil that had been deliberately inoculated with
E. coli O157:H7, Matthews washed the leaves in bleach but still found
the bacteria inside the plant tissues.
He and other researchers concluded that the pathogen had clearly traveled
to edible parts of the lettuce through the roots. He said the research
was not designed to determine how much contamination could have occurred,
but whether it could happen at all. Even so, he said, in some cases the
amount of E. coli found in the leaves was sufficient to cause disease.
In 2004 and 2005, the FDA's top food safety official told California farmers
that they should do more to protect crops from the floodwaters that periodically
strike the central Salinas Valley, the Associated Press reported. The
waters are known to be subject to E. coli contamination.
No one has shown that organically produced vegetables are likely to be
more vulnerable to this form of contamination than conventionally grown
crops. However, organic crops are nourished not with chemical fertilizer
but with material that contains animal manure, usually the source of E.
coli.
Federal regulations adopted for organic foods prohibit application of
raw animal manure to crops within 120 days of harvest if the edible portion
comes into contact with the manure. Raw manure is not allowed within 90
days of harvest of any food crop. However, these regulations determine
only whether a farmer qualifies for the Department of Agriculture "organic
food," seal and are not enforced by food safety officials. Instead,
private organizations approved by the department visit farms and "certify"
them for the seal.
A California company that has been at the center of an outbreak of E.
coli poisoning in raw spinach produces an organic line of fresh vegetables.
FDA takes
heat over recent E. coli outbreak
19.sep.06
Knight Ridder Tribune
James Temple, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.
As the E. coli outbreak stretched into 21 states, food safety advocates
were cited as calling on the federal government to revamp its regulations
for fruit and vegetable production.
Chris Waldrop, a deputy director at the Consumer Federation of America,
was quoted as saying, "(Government) budgets for food safety have
been going down for the last several years. The cracks are starting to
show."
The food poisonings are the latest in a string of at least 19 outbreaks
linked to lettuce or spinach since 1995. Eight were traced to the Salinas
Valley, known as the "salad bowl of the world."
Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director for Washington, D.C.-based
Center for Science in the Public Interest, was cited as saying that warnings
and guidance obviously are not enough, adding, "It's time to take
action. We can't wait for more outbreaks."
DeWaal said that Congress must streamline the patchwork of agencies that
now oversee see food safety, provide more resources for inspecting farms
and processing plants, hand the FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture
the power to issue mandatory recalls and tighten regulations for the handling
and processing food.
The FDA was already in the process of implementing the Lettuce Safety
Initiative, an effort to assess industry practices, refine government
guidelines and consider additional regulatory action. The organization
said it will now expand the initiative to include spinach.
States Affected
by E. coli contaminated spinach
E. coli outbreak
points to weakness of FDA
Source of Article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14891968/
Agency, struggling with tainted spinach, could learn from hamburger case
COMMENTARY
By Herb Weisbaum
MSNBC contributor
Sept 18, 2006
Source of Article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14891968/
Once again, a nasty bacterium called E. coli 0157:H7 is making national
news, reminding us that the U.S. food supply is not as safe as it could
be. The current spinach outbreak is not an isolated case, and the E. coli
problem is not limited to one type of produce. This type of bacterial
contamination has been going on for years, and the problem seems to be
getting worse, according to Lee Riley, professor of epidemiology and infectious
diseases at the University of California in Berkeley.
Riley knows a lot about E. coli 0157:H7. In 1981 he worked at the Centers
for Disease Control and investigated the first E. Coli case in hamburger
meat. He predicts we will ¡°definitely see more cases involving spinach,
lettuce and other salad greens¡± in the years ahead.
Part of the problem is the Food and Drug Administration cannot regulate
on the farm ¡°until people are getting sick,¡± says Caroline Smith DeWaal,
director of food safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
So the agency tries to manage this hazard by asking the industry to make
changes voluntarily. Clearly this voluntary approach is not working.
¡°The FDA needs better tools,¡± Smith DeWaal says. ¡°They need stronger authority.
They need more people and resources to enforce rules both on the farm
and in produce packing and processing plants.¡±
FDA officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The FDA could take a lesson from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. After
serious outbreaks of E. coli in meat in the mid-1990s, the USDA took strong
action. It implemented new rules and performance standards. Since then
the problem of E. coli in ground beef has declined dramatically. At the
same time cases of E. coli in produce, which is regulated by the FDA,
have gone up.
With meat, proper cooking will kill any harmful bacteria present. But
you aren¡¯t going to cook your salad greens. Washing reduces the bacteria
count but does not completely eliminate it. Because there is no guaranteed
household solution to this problem, it must be dealt with on the farm
before the product makes it to market.
The FDA is well aware of the problem. In 1998 it issued a ¡°Guide to Minimize
Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fruits and Vegetables.¡± These voluntary
guidelines were supposed to help growers and packers implement safer practices.
They didn¡¯t.
On Nov. 4, 2005, the FDA sent a letter to California firms that grow,
pack and process fresh lettuce, telling them of its ¡°serious concern with
the continuing outbreaks of foodborne illnesses associated with the consumption
of fresh and fresh-cut lettuce and other leafy greens.¡±
The letter ¡°encourages¡± the
industry to take steps to provide a safe product to the consumer. ¡°In
light of continuing outbreaks,¡± the letter said, ¡°it is clear that more
needs to be done.¡±
E. coli contamination is not limited to bagged salad or salad ingredients.
But many past outbreaks have been traced to pre-packaged and pre-washed
greens, including spinach, romaine, iceberg and leaf lettuce.
Smith DeWaal says the outbreaks from bagged greens ¡°have been broader
and more widespread because of the distribution system.¡± Greens are mixed
and sealed, then shipped to many places.
Riley tries to buy fresh greens that are not pre-packaged. ¡°If it¡¯s bagged,
it¡¯s been handled multiple times,¡± he says, ¡°increasing the risk for contamination.¡±
If not properly refrigerated, he says, the bag ¡°becomes an incubator for
the bacteria.¡± Greens that are sold loose are less likely to be exposed
to this incubator effect.
But even if the greens are sold loose, they still could be contaminated
by bacteria from soil or water can be sucked up into a plant¡¯s root system.
¡°Experimentally, it¡¯s also been shown that the bacteria can make it into
the leaf,¡± he says. If that happens, no amount of washing will remove
it.
We eat a salad for dinner every night in my house. When the spinach recall
was announced, my wife asked if we should skip the salads for a while.
What may seem like an overreaction is a question many people are now asking.
No one has suggested that we stop eating fresh produce; fruits and vegetables
are good for us. And when you consider how much produce is consumed each
year, the risk of getting sick is very small.
And yet ¡°you need to assume all fruits and vegetables have been contaminated
with bacteria and handle them with care,¡± advises Don Mays, Senior Director
of Product Safety and Consumer Science at Consumers Union. This includes
organic and non-organic, packaged and non-packaged.
¡°We can¡¯t tell you that one type is better than the other,¡± Mays says.
Even if the salad greens come pre-washed, ¡°don¡¯t assume it¡¯s thoroughly
clean,¡± May says. Consumer Reports recently tested some pre-washed bagged
salads and found that one of every 62 bags contained a strain of E. coli,
although not necessarily to most dangerous kind.
While washing fresh produce won¡¯t eliminate the possibility of getting
sick, it can certainly reduce the amount of contamination present.
Here¡¯s the process Consumer Reports suggests:
Wash your hands with hot soapy water
Wash the produce thoroughly in a running stream of water
Dry the produce with a paper towel
Clean the food preparation surface with a soapy water or disinfectant
solution
Wash your hands again in hot soapy water
In 2002, dramatic changes took place in the meat industry after Con Agra was forced to recall 19 million pounds of ground meat. This spinach recall will have a huge economic impact on growers in California. If they take a big enough hit, it could be the tipping point for the produce industry.
FDA
should monitor produce carefully
Sept. 20, 2006
Ben Humeniuk/Lariat Staff
STAFF EDITORIAL
Perhaps Popeye had the right idea when it came to his spinach-eating habits:
Stick to the can. The Food and Drug Administration advised consumers Monday
not to eat any fresh spinach while investigators look for the cause of
an E. coli bacteria contamination that has sickened 131 people and caused
one death.
Last week's
advisory focused specifically on bagged spinach, yet the FDA is now asking
consumers to avoid the fresh vegetable altogether. The spinach leaves
also can be purchased from bulk bins or consumed at salad bars and restaurants.
So far the cause
of the 21-state outbreak is still undertermined, but its currently under
investigation.
An FDA press
release said washing the spinach will not rid the vegetable of the E.
coli bacteria, because as a living organism the plant may have contracted
the bacteria out of the soil, thus implanting the bacteria in the leaves
of spinach.
With questions
flying over the FDA's watch over irrigation and fertilization, is organic
food a healthier choice for consumers?
Although some
might stress that natural fertilization is safer than using chemical pesticides
and fertilizers, perhaps the latter methods are more consumer-friendly.
If the outbreak
of E. coli is due to the contaminated fecal matter being used as organic
fertilizer, has the FDA fallen behind on monitoring the production of
produce?
Spinach-producing
companies are voluntarily recalling their products to aid the investigation
and prevent any other sickness. So far, the FDA has sated that 114 cases
of E. coli sickness have been reported to the CDC, including 18 cases
of kidney failure and one death.
The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site said the spinach involved
in the investigation suspected to have been grown in California and it
most likely was contaminated in the field or during its processing.
The FDA said
Monday that it plans to continue with its investigation, seizing any contaminated
produce to determine the cause of the outbreak.
So avoid this
salad companion until the situation has been resolved, and in the meantime,
grocery store shelves will remain empty of the bagged leaves, and children
across American can enjoy the break from the loathed vegetable.
Food safety researchers
focused
on prevention
18.sep.06
Ohio State University Extension Media Release
Martha Filipic
http://extension.osu.edu/~news/story.php?id=3786
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Food safety researchers with Ohio State University Extension
say the latest E. coli outbreak shows that food safety concerns must be
taken seriously, "from the farm to the plate."
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 5,000
people per year die of foodborne illnesses in the United States alone.
This is abhorrent for the world's most developed nation," said Ken
Lee, professor of food science and technology in the College of Food,
Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and director of Ohio State's
Center for Food Safety. "Nobody should die from eating; the body
count should be zero. I think with our current science and technology,
we have the ability to make a significant reduction in foodborne illness
within our lifetimes."
Lee is collaborating on a new research study funded by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture to investigate how foodborne pathogens such as E. coli
survive in fresh produce, particularly leafy salad vegetables. The study
is being led by Jeff LeJeune, assistant professor with the Food Animal
Health Research Program at Ohio State's Ohio Agricultural Research and
Development Center in Wooster, whose primary research focus is pre-harvest
food safety. Also involved in the study is Sally Miller, professor of
plant pathology also based in Wooster, and a researcher and OSU Extension
specialist in vegetable crop diseases. Their research is expected to find
new ways to prevent foodborne-pathogen outbreaks in produce by targeting
factors, such as lesions caused by plant diseases, that may contribute
to contamination of vegetables in the field and during transportation.
"Outbreaks like this are a rare occurrence, given how many people
consume these products on a daily basis," LeJeune said. "But
when there is a problem, the consequences can be high, especially for
children and the elderly. What we hope to do is find ways to prevent outbreaks
like this from happening even less often than they do now." LeJeune
says he knows of no other food safety study with this blend of combined
expertise.
The research will likely be viewed with interest, considering the current
outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. As of Sept. 17, 109 cases of illness linked
to this outbreak have been reported to the CDC in 19 states, including
at least one death, and 16 cases involving a type of kidney failure called
hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Since 1995, there have been 19 outbreaks
of foodborne illness caused by E. coli O157:H7 for which lettuce or leafy
greens were implicated as the outbreak vehicle.
Lydia Medeiros, food safety specialist with Ohio Sate University Extension,
said consumers sometimes don't recognize the symptoms that indicate foodborne
illness. With E. coli, the symptom to be on guard for is bloody diarrhea.
"If you have the symptom of bloody diarrhea, seek medical attention.
Do not try to treat yourself," Medeiros said. "Research has
shown that if you have E. coli, over-the-counter anti-diarrheal medications
may lead to complications because the pathogens stay in your intestine
longer. So if you have bloody diarrhea, that's serious. Get to the doctor.
Don't try to treat it yourself.
Medeiros, who is also an associate professor of human nutrition in the
College of Education and Human Ecology, said consumers need to be aware
that washing leafy greens "is not a way to prevent illness, because
we don't know where bacteria might be located -- on the surface or internally.
Research is being done to determine that, but right now, we don't know."
However, it's also important to note that E. coli is destroyed by heat,
"so thoroughly cooked spinach should be safe," Medeiros said.
"But 'thoroughly cooked' means 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly sauteing
spinach, as you might do for pasta, is not enough. But using spinach in
a casserole or quiche, or in a spinach-artichoke dip that's baked, that
should be fine."
While fresh fruits and vegetables are increasingly linked to foodborne
illness, bagged ready-to-eat leafy greens may pose a special risk simply
because they are designed for lengthier storage. "If they are contaminated,
there's more opportunity for bacteria to multiply and grow to infective
doses than for fresh leafy greens," Medeiros said. "They are
thoroughly washed before being packaged, but the fact is, we don't know
where the bacteria are." Currently, the Food and Drug Administration
is advising consumers not to eat any fresh spinach or fresh-spinach containing
products unless they are thoroughly cooked.
Lee added that the body of knowledge about food safety has intensified
in recent years.
"The academic community is learning, just like consumers are learning,
that safety is a continuous chain from the farm to the plate," Lee
said. "Two decades ago, hardly anyone thought of E. coli in fruits
and vegetables. Somehow, we always thought a fresh fruit was tacitly wholesome
-- we either were unaware or ignored the potential of these uncooked foods
to harbor unsafe bacteria. Today we know better; fresh fruits and vegetables
are very significant source of potential illness."
Although the American food supply is generally safe and wholesome, the
fact is that foodborne pathogens can be anywhere, and processors and researchers
must uncover new ways to battle them.
"The presence of human pathogens on the farm will ultimately result
in pathogens on the plate," Lee said. "We need to interrupt
that chain of events to achieve the next level of safety of our food supply."
Current
Job Information
09/20. Quality Assurance Manager - Food Industry ONLY - NJ-Southern
09/20. Food Safety Specialist - Portland, OR
09/20. Food Safety Specialist - Sacramento, CA
09/20. HACCP Coordinator - SSOP, QA, USDA - Nashville, Madison, TN
Common Sanitation
Performance Standards Questions Answered
September 20, 2006
Source of Article: http://www.meatami.com/
Answers to five commonly asked
questions by small and very small establishments about the Sanitation
Performance Standards have been made available by the Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS). The agency compiled the questions as part of
its enhanced outreach to small and very small plants.
The new information addresses questions related to chemical sanitizer
approval, wall materials and document requirements, among others.
To review all the information, go to http://www.fsis.usda.gov/HELP/FAQs_TSC/index.asp
Which Spinach Is
Safe To Eat, According To Foodborne Pathogens and Disease
Friday September 15, 6:23 pm ET
Source of Article: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060915/20060915005607.html?.v=1
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 2006--Some spinach is still
safe to eat, according to the authoritative peer reviewed journal, Foodborne
Pathogens and Disease. Consumers should heed the warning of the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration against eating fresh, bagged spinach because of
an ongoing E. coli outbreak that has killed one person and sickened about
50 others in 10 states. However, there are safe alternatives that include
canned and frozen spinach according to Kathryn J. Boor, PhD, a member
of the editorial board of the Journal. "Thoroughly cooked canned
spinach or thoroughly reheated frozen spinach will be free from the E.
coli organism. This cooking should be beyond light heating or steaming,"
advises Kathryn J. Boor, PhD, from the Department of Food Science at Cornell
University.
"Consumers are very confused about whether they can safely eat any
spinach, and which spinach products are safe," said Mary Ann Liebert,
president and CEO of Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. "It is important
to understand so that they can choose appropriate alternatives while protecting
themselves from this E. coli outbreak."
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal
published quarterly in print and online that publishes original papers
and short communications on research aimed at identifying, preventing,
and controlling diseases caused by foodborne pathogens. Featured topics
include emerging pathogens, emergence of drug resistance, methods and
technology for rapid and accurate detection, strategies to destroy or
control foodborne pathogens in food production and processing, and novel
strategies to promote food safety. Tables of contents and a free sample
issue may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com/fpd
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a privately held, fully integrated media company
known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising
areas of science and biomedical research, including Vector-Borne and Zoonotic
Diseases and Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice,
and Science. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering News
(GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely
read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals,
books, and newsmagazines is available at www.liebertpub.com.
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