Fw: [BITES-L] bites July 20/10

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From: Doug Powell <dpowell@KSU.EDU>

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Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:14:11 -0500

To: BITES-L@LISTSERV.KSU.EDU<BITES-L@LISTSERV.KSU.EDU>

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Subject: [BITES-L] bites July 20/10

bites July 20/10

UK Food Standards Agency survives; new focus should help get the science right; piping hot is not a standard

UK: Food Standards Agency to keep crucial safety role

Cedar brand Tahini may contain salmonella

Lack of food safety costly for diners, eateries; ALABAMA training center tries to fix errors

Man detained at Mexican airport found with 18 baby monkeys taped to body

Characterization of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 00B015: a Shiga toxin producing but virulence-attenuated isolate

CANADA: Health hazard alert – Certain ready-to-eat sliced meats made by Dats Déli Européen (Establishment 155) may contain Listeria monocytogenes

GEORGIA firm recalls frozen chicken nugget products that may contain foreign materials

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UK Food Standards Agency survives; new focus should help get the science right; piping hot is not a standard
20.jul.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/143196/10/07/20/uk-food-standards-agency-survives-new-focus-should-help-get-science-right-pipin
'You won't have Nixon to kick around any more.'
That's what eventual U.S. President Richard Nixon said to the press after losing the election for Governor of California in 1962 (he became President in 1968).
"I leave you gentleman now and you will write it. You will interpret it. That's your right. But as I leave you I want you to know — just think how much you're going to be missing. You won't have Nixon to kick around any more, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference and it will be one in which I have welcomed the opportunity to test wits with you."
And just like Nixon, the U.K. Food Standards Agency has come back from the political backwaters with, what the government calls, "a renewed focus on food safety."
The Government recognizes the important role of the Food Standards Agency in England, which will continue to be responsible for food safety. The Food Standards Agency will remain a non-ministerial department reporting to Parliament through Health ministers.
In England, nutrition policy will become a responsibility of the Secretary of State for Health. Food labelling and food composition policy, where not related to food safety, will become a responsibility of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
This is tremendous news for food safety types as it was clear the Agency was being distracted by trying to be everything to everybody. Issues surrounding salt, fat, genetic engineering, labeling and others are largely lifestyle choices – they are not food safety issues, the things that make people barf.
Although the U.K. Department of Health needs new communications types when they begin a press release with,
"Public confidence in food safety issues will be protected, as the Government confirmed its intention to retain the Food Standards Agency (FSA) with a renewed focus on food safety."
Public confidence is earned, not protected by a bureaucratic shuffling of the chairs.
Now that FSA is clearly focused on food safety, can they get rid of their nonsensical cooking temperature advice – piping hot – and focus on some evidence that will lead to fewer people barfing.
Otherwise, like Nixon, you'll be back, only to get kicked around.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2010/jul/fsachanges
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/blog/143050/10/07/11/uk-food-standards-agency-be-abolished-health-secretary-was-it-due-'piping-hot'-

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UK: Food Standards Agency to keep crucial safety role
20.jul.10
Department of Health
Public confidence in food safety issues will be protected, as the Government confirmed its intention to retain the Food Standards Agency (FSA) with a renewed focus on food safety.
The FSA in England will focus on its core remit of food safety policy and enforcement. The Department of Health will become responsible for nutrition policy in England, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will become responsible for Country of Origin Labelling, and various other non-safety-related food labelling and food composition policies in England.
The FSA was established as a non-ministerial Government Department in 2000. Its primary purpose was to secure food safety and provide vital advice to Government and to the public; a role that the Government believes must remain independent.
Reorganising in this way will contribute to the Government‟s objectives to improve efficiency, and is paramount to the key priority of improving the health of the nation by creating a public health service. To achieve this coherence, some policy-based functions can be brought „in house‟ to give a more coordinated approach on health and food issues.
Ministers and officials at the Department of Health and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are working closely with the FSA to implement the following changes:
Food Standards Agency
Retains a clearly defined departmental function focused on its core remit of food safety. This means that, on crucial issues of food safety, the independent advice from FSA experts would be final.
Retains current responsibility for nutrition and labelling policy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Approximately 2,000 staff will remain at the FSA.
Lord Rooker, Chair of the FSA, said:
"Food safety and hygiene have always been at the heart of what the Agency does. They are our top priorities in protecting the interests of consumers."
Department of Health
Nutrition policy will be transferred to the Department of Health. This includes front of pack nutrition labelling, such as Guideline Daily Amounts. The transfer of nutrition policy into the Department of Health directly contributes to the Government‟s plans for public health. In the long-term, bringing policies „in house‟ will enable better services to be created and clearer information to be given to the public. The Department of Health will, as a result, be able to press industry to contribute more on improving the health of the nation. This includes reformulation, and provision of nutrition information in supermarkets and restaurants. Approximately 70 policy posts will move to the Department from the FSA.
Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, said:
"Our ambition is to create a public health system that truly helps people live longer and healthier lives. To achieve it, we can‟t stand still. Changes are inevitable.
"It‟s absolutely crucial for the Food Standards Agency to continue providing independent expert advice to people about food safety. But bringing nutrition policy into the Department makes sense. It will enable a clear, consistent public health service to be created, as our Public Health White Paper later this year will set out.
"I believe – in the-long term – we‟ll have a clearer and less bureaucratic system for public health. The end result will focus on turning expert advice and support into better health."
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Country of Origin Labelling will transfer to Defra. This will support delivery of the Government‟s commitment to deliver
honesty in food labelling and ensure that consumers can be confident about where their food comes from. It will also support delivery of one of Defra‟s top priorities: Ministers‟ firm commitment to support and develop British farming and encourage sustainable food production, and promote increased domestic food production.
Other policy areas that will transfer to Defra include composition policy which is about agreeing the components and standards for characterising products such as honey, jam, chocolate, ice-cream or meat content of sausages). Approximately 25 policy posts will move to Defra from the FSA.
Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said:
"It makes perfect sense to bring policy on food origin and associated labelling to Defra to sit with wider food policy. The Government has made very clear its commitment to clear and honest labelling – particularly origin labelling.
"These changes will enable the FSA to focus on food safety and it is right that this should stay in the hands of an independent body."
Notes to editors
1. The following policies in England will be brought into the Department of Health: leading on nutritional labelling and EU negotiations on this; health and nutrition claims, dietetic food and food supplements; calorie information in catering establishments; reformulation to reduce salt, saturated fat and sugar levels in food and reducing portion size (including in catering); nutrition surveys and nutrition research; scientific advice and secretariat to Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).
2. The following policies in England will be brought into the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: food labelling, where this does not relate to food safety or nutrition; food composition standards and labelling, where unrelated to food safety; and leading on EU negotiations for all non-safety aspects of food labelling, except for nutrition.
3. The FSA will remain a non-ministerial department reporting to Parliament through DH ministers. All three departments are working together closely on this to ensure a smooth transition. For Defra, the policy transfer will be immediate, with affected staff reporting to Defra ministers and joining the Food Policy Unit at Defra from today, though they will continue to work from the FSA offices for now. Physical moves for staff between offices will take a little longer, and the departments will work closely to coordinate these and limit disruption for staff. Exact timing for the transfer from FSA to the Department of Health, as well as the exact numbers of staff and posts transferred to both Departments will be available in due course.
4. These changes can be put in place without primary legislation
5. For media enquiries please contact the Department of Health news desk on 020 7210 5221.

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Cedar brand Tahini may contain salmonella
20.jul.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/143197/10/07/20/cedar-brand-tahini-may-contain-salmonella
Whenever I hear 'Tahini' I somehow superimpose in my brain the last line from the 1978 seminal hit from the B-52s, Rock Lobster,
"There goes a dog-fish
chased by a cat-fish
in flew a sea robin
watch out for that piranha
there goes a narwhal
here comes a bikini whale!"
Bikini whales may or may not carry salmonella, but Tahini keeps appearing with salmonella, probably from the sesame seeds.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Produits Phoenicia Inc. are warning the public not to consume the Cedar brand Tahini described below because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella.
The affected product, Cedar brand Tahini is sold in 450 mL jars, bearing UPC 0 62356 50178 5. There is no lot code on the packages.
This product has been distributed nationally.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2010/20100719e.shtml

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Lack of food safety costly for diners, eateries; ALABAMA training center tries to fix errors
20.jul.10.
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/143198/10/07/20/lack-food-safety-costly-diners-eateries-alabama-training-center-tries-fix-error
Here's a common scene from many of the mom and pop restaurants I've visited: a towel used to sop up juice from raw hamburger meat also is used to wipe down counters.
Phyllis Fenn, a standardization officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health's bureau of environmental services, has seen the same thing – too often.
The Montgomery Advertiser reports today the Food Safety Training Center on Atlanta Highway is an attempt both to help restaurant owners avoid bad inspections and to protect their customers' health.
When Alabama adopted the 2005 Food Code, one provision was that at least one person in restaurants where raw foods are handled, including fast-food eateries and sushi bars, would become food safety certified. When the state adopted the code, it opted to go with a lead-in time -- Jan. 1 of this year.
The classes can help restaurants improve their health department inspection scores, which is exactly what they are designed to do, Fenn said.
She said the certification class helps restaurants reduce food-related illnesses as well as teaching them about the proper temperatures to cook and hold food (the temperature of food that sits out at a buffet) and proper hygiene.
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100720/NEWS01/7200323/Lack-of-food-safety-costly-for-diners-eateries

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Man detained at Mexican airport found with 18 baby monkeys taped to body
20.jul.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/143199/10/07/20/man-detained-mexican-airport-found-18-baby-monkeys-taped-body
Customs officials at Mexico City's airport detained a Peruvian man carrying 18 baby monkeys, including two which had died, hidden under his clothes, federal police said.
"The Titi monkeys were found hidden in a band tied around the man's body," a statement said.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports the discovery was made when the 38-year-old man appeared edgy during random checks on passengers off a flight from Lima, Peru, it said.
Titi monkeys -- found in Central and South America -- are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/peruvian-detained-in-mexico-with-18-hidden-monkeys-20100720-10im7.html

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Characterization of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 00B015: a Shiga toxin producing but virulence-attenuated isolate
20.jul.10
Can. J. Microbiol. 56(8): 651–656 (2010)
Haiguang Wang, Jiang Gu, Shu Yu, Weijun Zhang, Yefei Zhu, Quanming Zou, Fengcai Zhu, and Xuhu Mao
http://rparticle.web-p.cisti.nrc.ca/rparticle/AbstractTemplateServlet?calyLang=eng&journal=cjm&volume=56&year=2010&issue=8&msno=w10-049
Abstract: Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) causes a wide range of systematic diseases in human and animals in 2 main ways: (1) production of Shiga toxin (Stx) and (2) induction of actin polymerization characterized by attaching and effacing (A/E) lesions. Stx is commonly targeted in the development of drugs and vaccines to control EHEC infection for its indispensible contribution to EHEC pathogenisis. In this study, we isolated a Stx-producing EHEC O157:H7 isolate 00B015 and found that its ability to induce actin polymerization was impaired. In addition, it reduces pathogenicity and decreases mortality in mice. Our results report a Stx-producing but virulence-attenuated EHEC isolate 00B015 and suggest that the formation of actin polymerization may help Stx-induced pathogenesis and have a more important contribution in EHEC infections.

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CANADA: Health hazard alert – Certain ready-to-eat sliced meats made by Dats Déli Européen (Establishment 155) may contain Listeria monocytogenes
19.jul.10
CFIA
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2010/20100719be.shtml
OTTAWA -– The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Dats Déli Européen are warning the public not to consume the sliced meat products described below because these products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The following ready-to-eat sliced meats, bearing Establishment number 155, are affected by this alert:
Brand Product Size UPC Lot # and Best Before
Dats Déli Européen "Black Forest Hame" 250 g 0 67229 00025 9 L10615
23JL10
Dats Déli Européen Cooked Turkey Breast 250 g 0 67229 00179 9 L10504
23JL10
Dats Déli Européen Old Fashioned Smoked Meat 250 g 0 67229 00039 6 L10607
16JL10
Dats Déli Européen Old Fashioned Smoked Meat 250 g 0 67229 00039 6 L10616
23JL10
Dats Déli Européen Old-Fashioned Smoked Meat 170 g 0 67229 00039 6 L10623
05AU10
Dats Déli Européen Roast Pork 250 g 0 67229 00023 5 L10608
16JL10
Dats Déli Européen Seasoned Roast Beef 250 g 0 67229 00053 2 L10518
16JL10
Le Bifthèque Old-Fashioned Smoked Meat 170 g 0 67229 00039 6 L10607
16JL10
Le Bifthèque Old-Fashioned Smoked Meat 170 g 0 67229 00039 6 L10616
23JL10
These products have been distributed in Quebec and Ontario.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.
Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria may cause listeriosis, a foodborne illness. Listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness, however, infections during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth.
The manufacturer, Dats Déli Européen Inc., Montreal, QC, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA
For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).
For information on Listeria monocytogenes, visit the Food Facts web page at: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/cause/listeriae.shtml.
For information on all food recalls, visit the CFIA's Food Recall Report at: http://active.inspection.gc.ca/eng/corp/recarapp_dbe.asp.
To find out more about receiving recalls by e-mail, and other food safety facts, visit: www.foodsafety.gc.ca. Food and consumer product recalls are also available at http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca.

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GEORGIA firm recalls frozen chicken nugget products that may contain foreign materials
19.jul.10
FSIS
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_046_2010_Release/index.asp
Recall Release
FSIS-RC-046-2010
CLASS II RECALL
HEALTH RISK: LOW
Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Adrian Gianforti
WASHINGTON -- Perdue Farms, Inc., a Perry, Ga. establishment, is recalling approximately 91,872 pounds of frozen chicken nugget products that may contain foreign materials, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The products subject to recall include: [View Labels (PDF Only)]
* 1-pound, 13-ounce bag of "GREAT VALUE Fully Cooked Chicken Nuggets." Each bag bears the establishment number "P-33944" as well as a case code of "89008 A0160" on the backside of the packaging. There is also a "BEST IF USED BY" date of June 9, 2011.
Each case contains 8 bags and the frozen chicken nugget products were produced on June 9, 2010, and were shipped to a single retail store chain nationwide.
The company discovered small pieces of blue plastic after receiving consumer complaints. FSIS has not received any reports of injury at this time. Anyone concerned about an injury from consumption of this product should contact a physician.
FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.
Media with questions about the recall should contact Luis Luna, Vice President of Corporate Communications, at (410) 341-2533. Consumers with questions about the recall should contact Perdue Consumer Relations at (877) 727-3447.
Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at www.AskKaren.gov. "Ask Karen" live chat services are available Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.

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