Just landed in Norway, and the first thing I read off the plane was Tom Gremillion’s new piece for the Consumer Federation of America, “Food Safety and Corruption.” Read the whole thing. Nobody in Washington connects the dots on food safety better than Tom, and nobody says it more plainly. Thank you, Tom — for the piece, […]
A source close to the spinach industry and agricultural politics told me a few interesting facts today: 1. Spinach Farmers and others businesses hurt financially by the recent spinach recall are considering asking for Federal or State relief along the lines that the airline industry did following 911. My reaction – shame, shame, shame. Not […]
In today’s Washington Post it was reported that a state legislator from Fairfax County said that she plans to introduce a bill that would allow homeless shelters in Virginia to serve home-cooked food. The proposal from Del. Kristen J. Amundson (D-Fairfax) followed a Health Department decision to crack down on the use of such food […]
I am an avid reader of the Perishable Pundit – especially since the recent E. coli-related spinach outbreak. Jim recently posted an interesting quote from a buyer at www.perishablepundit.com: Another Naysayer of Buyer-led Food Safety Initiative I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked if spinach is now “safe”, because we are carrying […]
Joan Murphy of the Produce News has been following the FDA’s recent announcement of yet another salmonella outbreak tied to restaurant consumed tomatoes. The full story can be found HERE. According to Ms. Murphy, the Food & Drug Administration is now investigating two tomato-related outbreaks, with the latest blamed for nearly 100 illnesses in 19 […]
Turkey and ham product recalled because of Listeria on Thanksgiving – Bad timing Honeybaked. 47,000 Pounds Of HoneyBaked Ham, Turkey Recalled The HoneyBaked Foods company is recalling nearly 47,000 pounds of its ham and turkey products, because they could be contaminated with Listeria.?? Listeria is a microorganism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections […]
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a change in the “Single Minimum Internal Temperature Established for Cooked Poultry”. The new cooking recommendation is as follows: “A whole turkey (and turkey parts) is safe when cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F as measured with a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in […]
Another great article by Scripps Howard on the United States food system: The actual number of Americans who die from food poisoning is a matter of conjecture. Statisticians at the CDC in Atlanta have estimated that at least 5,000 Americans die every year from something they ate. According to federal records based on death certificates, […]
Thomas Hargrove of Scripps Howard recently wrote an article on the risks of getting a food illness in the Untied States. Americans play a sort of food-poisoning Russian roulette depending on where they live, an investigation by Scripps Howard News Service found. Slovenly restaurants, disease-infested food-processing plants and other sources of infectious illness go undetected […]
E. coli (generic variety) was found in the south part of the island water supply. My neighbors are a bit concerned – see article from Bremerton Sun. Over 1,000 homes and 1 school are under a boil water order. The type of E. coli found is NOT the type that can cause severe disease. However, […]
I just got wind of another outbreak of Salmonella-tainted Tomatoes – Salmonella Newport this time – tied to restaurant consumed tomatoes. It seems that 98 people in 19 states became ill between June and October. Apparently, the FDA announced it to a select group, but not the public – go figure. See my prior posts […]
Bellevue accident highlights need for safer cranes By GLENN FARLEY / KING 5 News SEATTLE – Thursday’s fatal crane accident in Bellevue is focusing a lot of attention on the industry, which has done a pretty good job in the area of safety. But went terribly and tragically wrong after the operator told firefighters he […]
Willie Nelson’s public statement regarding being caught with a bag of Marijuana: “It’s a good thing I had a bag of Marijuana instead of a bag of spinach. I’d be dead by now.”
Rep. Sam Farr, D (stands for dumb) – Carmel (although he was right about the outbreak being in part caused by wild pigs), and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns hosted a special "spinach fest" lunch in Washington, D.C. Thursday in hopes of rebuilding consumer confidence in spinach in time for Thanksgiving. More than […]
Graham Johnson of KIRO 7 Eyewitness News in Seattle did a great overview in the problems on E. coli in our spinach tonight. The full transcript is here. Investigators have now traced the source of the outbreak to cow manure on a ranch near Natural Selection foods. They think wild pigs might have carried E. […]
A great article was written today by Rong-Gong Lin II, LA Times Staff Writer. Ron, has written extensively on foodborne illnesses. Official warns pregnant women and those with weakened immunity to avoid certain foods. Seventeen people in Los Angeles County have contracted the bacterial food-borne illness listeriosis, including two pregnant women who had stillbirths, health […]