Fw: [BITES-L] bites Sep. 21/10

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From: Doug Powell <dpowell@KSU.EDU>

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Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2010 07:14:08 -0500

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Subject: [BITES-L] bites Sep. 21/10

bites Sep. 21/10

If a child poops in the forest, will anyone catch E. coli?

Doctors sickened by sandwiches at India hospital causes gynecologist shortage

Barfing Oktoberfest drunks face taxi cleanup fees

7 arrested in CHINA's latest tainted milk scandal

MICHIGAN: Savvy consumers put a high price on food safety

Lawsuits pile up for IOWA egg producer

US: Investigation update: Multistate outbreak of human Salmonella Enteritidis infections associated with shell eggs

The FDA versus Africa

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If a child poops in the forest, will anyone catch E. coli?
21.sep.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/blog/144220/10/09/21/if-child-poops-forest-will-anyone-catch-e-coli
An open-air nursery, or forest kindergarten, sounds sorta cool (in German, Waldkindergarten), where the kids spend their days in the woods instead of a building with walls.
But poop could be a problem.
The Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery in Fife, Scotland, which operates in a woodland setting, had been ordered to use soap and water instead of wipes if staff and children visited a farm or walked across a field containing livestock.
The Scotsman reports the nursery argued that carrying up to ten litres of water into Letham Woods where the children play and learn was impractical and that the threat of catching E coli was being exaggerated.
Last night Cathy Bache, the nursery's founder, welcomed the victory over what she described as Health Protection Scotland's (HPS) "very unworkable" hand-washing policy, adding,
"It's fantastic. We can now continue to operate as a nomadic nursery on our woodland site. If we'd had hand-washing imposed on us it would have made things a lot more difficult."
The potential hygiene issue came to light in July last year after concerns about handwashing were raised at an inspection by the Care Commission which regulates Scotland's nurseries. The nursery complied with a request to use soap and water before reverting to wipes and gels last December.
A spokesman for the Care Commission, said: "The Secret Garden will now follow a ten-step programme of measures with regard to hand hygiene. The practice and procedures should also be approved by the individual parents of all children attending.
"However, we remain clear that children at the Secret Garden should wash their hands with soap and water whenever possible to maintain good infection prevention."
That's because sanitizers do not work in the presence of organic material – dirt in a forest – and are ineffective against a number of viruses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_kindergarten
http://news.scotsman.com/health/Nursery-wins-battle-over-health.6541498.jp

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Doctors sickened by sandwiches at India hospital causes gynecologist shortage
20.sep.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/144206/10/09/20/doctors-sickened-sandwiches-india-hospital-causes-gynecologist-shortageAround 50 doctors from the Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad fell sick from food poisoning after consuming tainted sandwiches, leaving a critical shortage in the gynecology wing.
That's what MedIndia reported.
The doctors, who had assembled for a continuing education program in gynecology, apparently ate snacks from a bakery. The eatables were purchased from Mac Allen Bakery at Padmarao Nagar.
The doctors ate the snacks on Friday, but fell sick on Sunday and only then realized that it was in fact the food, which was an issue.
http://www.medindia.net/news/50-Doctors-from-Gandhi-Hospital-Sick-After-Consuming-Sandwiches-74279-1.htm

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Barfing Oktoberfest drunks face taxi cleanup fees
20.sep.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/144219/10/09/20/barfing-oktoberfest-drunks-face-taxi-cleanup-fees
If someone's going to barf, why does it always seem to be at the beginning of a road trip?
Less than an hour into our final 13-hour leg to return to Manhattan (Kansas), Sorenne hurled up waffles and curdled milk from the Sleep Inn breakfast earlier that morning (but do like the Sleep Inn, friendly and good value) all over herself and car seat. It had been a barf-free five weeks on the road, so perhaps it was inevitable.
The Lysol spray we got at a truck stop seemed to mask the odors, but with 90 minutes remaining, it was strawberry barf.
Today was spent cleaning.
It's probably too much to expect of an almost-2-year-old, but revelers who drunkenly vomit in taxis must cough up the cleanup costs, according to an Oktoberfest-related court decision published by a Munich district court on Monday.
The case involved a lawsuit brought by a taxi driver in the Bavarian capital following a nasty 2009 incident in his vehicle, a court statement said.
After picking up a Munich couple on their way home from the city's annual beer festival, the driver said the man threw up in his vehicle, which cost a combined �241 for cleanup and missed work.
The taxi driver attempted to charge the passenger, but he alleged that the driver had not obliged his request to pull over, and had berated him instead.
The ruling, made on September 2, is effective immediately, meaning drunken revelers at this year's ongoing 200th Anniversary Oktoberfest celebration should think twice before they stumble into a cab.
http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100920-29941.html

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7 arrested in CHINA's latest tainted milk scandal
20.sep.10
Associated Press
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gkOIuHnuc3eEmYKW3ghBKcN5lUtQD9IBJ4TO0
BEIJING -- A Chinese dairy company executive and six other people were arrested after authorities discovered 26 tons of milk powder tainted with a toxic chemical, the latest incident highlighting the country's enduring struggle with food safety, a report said Monday.
The Jinfulai Dairy Company in Yangquan city of Shanxi province traded fresh milk for expired milk powder that contained high levels of the industrial chemical melamine, according to JCRB.com, a legal issues website administered by China's Supreme Court.
The company produced 26 tons of milk powder from the tainted, expired goods obtained in the transaction last December, then sold it in several provinces, the report said. It was not clear whether anyone had been sickened by the tainted milk powder.
Police in Yangquan arrested seven people, including Wang Zhigang, the dairy company's general manager, on charges of producing and selling toxic food, JCRB.com reported.

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MICHIGAN: Savvy consumers put a high price on food safety
20.sep.10
Michigan State University
Layne Cameron
http://news.msu.edu/story/8325/
EAST LANSING, Mich. — In the last two weeks, news media have covered stories on an Angus beef recall, oil-tainted Gulf shrimp and salmonella-infected eggs.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that such headlines affect consumer spending. New research from Michigan State University demonstrates how these announcements indeed cause consumers as well as food industry professionals to make purchasing decisions.
Consumers are not only quite attuned to food safety issues, but they also have significantly changed their shopping habits because of them, according to Chris Peterson, director of MSU's Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Similar patterns also are evident among food industry professionals – manufacturers, distributors, retailers – a majority of whom have, in the past five years, changed their business practices to adapt to concerns about the safety of food products. "Food Safety Certification: A Study of Food Safety in the U.S. Supply Chain," was sponsored by Oslo-based Det Norske Veritas and conducted via online surveys of more than 400 consumers and nearly 75 food companies. DNV is a global provider of services for managing risk.
Nearly half of the consumers surveyed reported a change in shopping patterns due to food safety concerns. Also noteworthy is that the research subjects cited that higher price and brand name are not direct signs of safer food, Peterson said.
"Consumers are not only changing their buying habits, but they also want to see evidence on product labels indicating that their food has passed some kind of independent safety certification process," he said. "Moreover, slightly more than one-third of consumers are willing to pay a premium – in upwards of 30 percent more – for food with a safety certification label."
Food industry professionals also value third-party certification, but place a higher value on traceability. Food comes from a complex and interconnected food chain. If there is an outbreak, the immediate industry priority is to trace its origin, Peterson said.
"It's sort of the 9-1-1 mechanism of food safety," he said. "So we are not surprised that industry professionals place more emphasis on traceability, while consumers want to see the certification on product labels. In fact, they still see government inspection as the most credible signal of food safety, with certification and traceability coming in a close second and third."
In addition, the study found that:
Food suppliers and consumers believe that recycling, social justice, green practices, economic viability and animal welfare are important indicators of sustainability. But the most important attribute is safer and healthier food.
Consumers have particular concern about domestic meat products and, in general, all products coming from international sources.
A significant number of food suppliers are moving to implement certification audits primarily as a risk management tool. In general, food suppliers see a need for lower cost of implementation and a more consolidated/harmonized set of standards for third-party food safety certification.

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Lawsuits pile up for IOWA egg producer
21.sep.10
Des Moines Register
Clark Kauffman
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100921/NEWS10/9210370/-1/COMM07/Lawsuits-pile-up-for-Iowa-egg-producer
An 11-year-old girl stricken with crippling nausea during a Fourth of July camping trip in California.
A 30-year-old woman hospitalized after eating pastry at a graduation party.
A child hospitalized for a week after eating banana pudding on a trip through North Carolina.
Three federal lawsuits filed on behalf of children and adults on the East and West coasts are seeking damages from Wright County Egg, the Iowa company linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened an estimated 1,600 people and prompted the recall of more than half a billion eggs.
Wright County Egg has not yet filed a response to the lawsuits, and the company's attorney could not be reached for comment Monday.
The claims are among the first of what could become a wave of lawsuits against Iowa egg producer Jack DeCoster, whose family owns and operates Wright County Egg. A class-action lawsuit has been initiated in Illinois, and two unrelated, individual lawsuits have been filed in the Texas and Minnesota state courts.

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US: Investigation update: Multistate outbreak of human Salmonella Enteritidis infections associated with shell eggs
20.sep.10
CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/enteritidis/
Today's Highlights
* From May 1 to September 14, 2010, approximately 1,608 illnesses were reported that are likely to be associated with this outbreak.
* Now Available - Timeline: Nationwide Outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE), Infections Associated with Shell Eggs, United States, 2010.
CDC continues to collaborate with public health officials in multiple states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service to investigate a nationwide increase of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) infections with an indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern JEGX01.0004. This is the most common PFGE pattern for SE in the PulseNet database. Investigators are using DNA analysis of SE bacteria obtained through diagnostic testing to identify cases of illness and restaurant or event clusters (where more than one ill person with the outbreak strain has eaten) that may be part of this outbreak. Because the SE PFGE pattern commonly occurs in the United States, some of the cases identified may not be related to this outbreak.
Investigation of the Outbreak
In July 2010, CDC identified a nationwide sustained increase in the number of Salmonella Enteritidis isolates with PFGE pattern JEGX01.0004 uploaded to PulseNet, the national subtyping network made up of state and local public health laboratories and federal food regulatory laboratories that performs molecular surveillance of foodborne infections. This increase began in May 2010 and is evident in the epidemic curve, or epi curve. The number of reports increased substantially in July when the peak of the outbreak appears to have occurred. From May 1 to September 14, 2010, a total of 2,752 illnesses were reported. However, some cases from this period have not been reported yet, and some of these cases may not be related to this outbreak. Based on the previous 5 years of reports to PulseNet, we would expect approximately 1,144 total illnesses during this same period. This means there are approximately 1,608 reported illnesses that are likely to be associated with this outbreak. Many states have reported increases of this pattern since May. Because of the large number of expected cases during this period, standard methods of molecular subtyping alone are not sufficient to determine which reported cases might be outbreak-associated. CDC is currently evaluating advanced molecular methodologies to see if they help distinguish between outbreak-related cases and sporadic (or background) cases.
Illnesses that occurred after August 12, 2010 might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This typically takes two to three weeks for Salmonella, but can take up to six weeks. For more details, please see the Salmonella Outbreak Investigations: Timeline for Reporting Cases.
Epidemiologic investigations conducted by public health officials in 11 states since April have identified 29 restaurants or event clusters where more than one ill person with the outbreak strain has eaten. Data from these investigations suggest that shell eggs are a likely source of infections in many of these restaurants or event clusters. Wright County Egg, in Galt, Iowa, was an egg supplier in 15 of these 29 restaurants or event clusters; three are clusters that have been recently reported, but occurred earlier in the outbreak. Traceback investigations have been completed for several of these clusters. A formal traceback was conducted by state partners in California, Colorado, and Minnesota, in collaboration with FDA and CDC, to find a common source of shell eggs. Wright County Egg in Iowa was found as the common source of the shell eggs associated with three of the clusters. Through traceback and FDA investigational findings, Hillandale Farms of Iowa, Inc., was identified as another potential source of contaminated shell eggs contributing to this outbreak. FDA has completed its on-site investigations at both of these firms in Iowa. Evaluation of the investigational data, including review of sampling results and records, continues in order to identify potential sources of contamination, such as feed. FDA's inspectional observations, in addition to sample results, indicate substantial potential for Salmonella to have persisted in the environment and to have contaminated eggs (see 483 Inspectional Observations on the Egg Recall).
Laboratory Testing of Environmental Samples
FDA has collected nearly 600 samples from Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa during this investigation. Sample results are undergoing subtyping testing. To date, FDA's testing of 17 environmental samples identified Salmonella with PFGE patterns indistinguishable from the outbreak strain. Samples were collected from manure, as well as traffic areas such as walkways, equipment, other surfaces in and around the farm, and from the feed mill at Wright County Egg in Iowa. The feed was provided to pullets (young female chickens or hens) raised at Wright County Egg facilities in Iowa. Pullets are distributed to all premises at Wright County Egg in Iowa and Hillandale Farms in Iowa. The seventh positive sample was collected from egg water wash in a packing facility in Hillandale Farms of Iowa. These findings indicate that Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa are the likely sources of the contaminated shell eggs. FDA has not found that this feed was distributed to any companies other than Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa.
Recall Information
On August 13, 2010, Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, conducted a nationwide voluntary recall of shell eggs. On August 18, 2010, Wright County Egg expanded its recall. On August 20, 2010, Hillandale Farms of Iowa conducted a nationwide voluntary recall of shell eggs. Additional recall updates related to this outbreak are listed on FDA's website.
Clinical Features/Signs and Symptoms
A person infected with Salmonella Enteritidis usually has fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea beginning 12 to 72 hours after consuming a contaminated food or beverage. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without antibiotic treatment. However, the diarrhea can be severe, and hospitalization may be required. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems may have a more serious illness. In these patients, the infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. For more information, visit CDC's Salmonella Enteritidis website.
Advice to Consumers
* Don't eat recalled eggs. Recalled eggs might still be in grocery stores, restaurants, and consumers' homes. Consumers who have recalled eggs should discard them or return them to their retailer for a refund. A searchable database of products affected by the recall is available to consumers.
* Individuals who think they might have become ill from eating recalled eggs should consult their health care providers.
* Keep eggs refrigerated at ≤ 45° F (≤7° C) at all times.
* Discard cracked or dirty eggs.
* Wash hands and all food contact surface areas (counter tops, utensils, and cutting boards) with soap and water after contact with raw eggs. Then, disinfect the food contact surfaces using a sanitizing agent, such as bleach, following label instructions.
* Eggs should be cooked until both the white and the yolk are firm and eaten promptly after cooking.
* Do not keep eggs warm or at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
* Refrigerate unused or leftover egg-containing foods promptly.
* Avoid eating raw eggs.
* Individuals wishing to further reduce their risk may consider using pasteurized, in-shell eggs.
* Avoid restaurant dishes made with raw or undercooked, unpasteurized eggs. Restaurants should use pasteurized eggs in any recipe (such as Hollandaise sauce or Caesar salad dressing) that calls for raw eggs.
* Consumption of raw or undercooked eggs should be avoided, especially by young children, elderly persons, and persons with weakened immune systems or debilitating illness.
Advice to Egg Producers
* Flock-based SE-control programs that include routine microbiologic testing are mandatory for producers with more than 50,000 hens, as of July 9, 2010, under FDA's egg safety rule.
Advice to Retail and Food Service Establishments and Institutional Settings
* In retail and food service establishments, pasteurized egg products or pasteurized in-shell eggs are recommended in place of pooled eggs or raw or undercooked shell eggs. If used, raw shell eggs should be fully cooked. If shell eggs are served undercooked, a consumer advisory should be posted in accordance with the local Food Code.
* In hospitals, nursing homes, adult or childcare facilities, schools, senior centers, and other facilities pasteurized egg products or pasteurized in-shell eggs should be used in place of pooled eggs or raw or undercooked eggs.
* Eggs should be purchased or received from a distributor refrigerated and stored refrigerated at ≤ 45° F (≤7° C) at all times.

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The FDA versus Africa
21.sep.10
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703440604575495411241720760.html
Since May, cholera has killed nearly 800 people in Nigeria and Cameroon alone, and the World Health Organization has recorded nearly 4,000 cases in the Lake Chad Basin. Inadequate access to clean water means that waterborne diseases like cholera spread rapidly, causing extreme diarrhea and deadly dehydration if left untreated. The U.N. estimates that diarrheal diseases kill 1.8 million people every year.
So you might take it as good news that American company Ventria Bioscience says it has hit on an improvement to existing rehydration therapies, which could mean another tool in the fight against diarrhea deaths. Ventria's product consists of a genetically modified rice strain from which it cheaply extracts two proteins also found in human breast milk. After a panel of food, medicine, immunology, child nutrition and health experts had declared its product safe, Ventria in 2004 submitted it as a food supplement to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The company waited, and heard nothing. Ventria re-submitted the product with still more data on its safety and efficacy, and then waited some more. Ventria CEO Scott Deeter tells us that in March this year, "when it became clear that the final approval letter was not forthcoming," the company withdrew its submission.

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