Fw: [BITES-L] bites Nov. 23/10 -- II

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From: Doug Powell <dpowell@KSU.EDU>

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Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 20:20:36 -0600

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Subject: [BITES-L] bites Nov. 23/10 -- II

bites Nov. 23/10 -- II

Store Thanksgiving leftovers safely and quickly

E. coli butcher 'sold rotten meat for years,' were the inspectors asleep

We got 'street cred' say UK food safety types, like Pat Boone got rock and roll

Burger King employee diagnosed with hepatitis A

Woman's arm, hand become stuck in mixer at pretzel shop

NEW YORK: Consumer alert - E. coli O157:H7 in-store ground beef

CONNECTICUT firm recalls appetizer products for possible Listeria contamination

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Store Thanksgiving leftovers safely and quickly
23.nov.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145252/10/11/23/store-thanksgiving-leftovers-safely-and-quickly
Liz Szabo writes in tomorrow's USA Today that a Thanksgiving cook's work doesn't end when mealtime begins.
Douglas Powell, associate professor of food safety at Kansas State University says people need to slice and refrigerate leftover meat within no more than two hours of taking the turkey out of the oven, adding,
"As soon as dinner is done, you better go deal with that turkey."
Lynne Ausman, a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science at Tufts University in Boston, agrees.
"The worst thing you can do is let everyone sit at the table with the turkey there," Ausman says.
To get leftovers cold quickly, cooks should slice meat off the carcass, wrap it in individual plastic bags and refrigerate as soon as possible, Powell says. And be careful not to stack bags on top of each other, because that can trap heat.
"You need to expose more of the surface area so it cools faster," Powell says. "Otherwise, the cool fridge air won't get to the warm areas of the turkey."
Powell also recommends refrigerating rice — another bacterial hot spot — as soon as possible.
Certain bacteria can proliferate in food at room temperature, producing a toxin that can't be killed by reheating in the oven or microwave, Ausman says.
For example, a church turkey dinner Nov. 6 in Arkansas City, Kan., sickened at least 159 of the 1,800 people who attended, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Victims suffered diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramping and vomiting. One was hospitalized.
http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/health/2010-11-24-YLsafeLeftovers24_st_N.htm?csp=34news&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomHealth-TopStories+%28News+-+Health+-+Top+Stories%29

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E. coli butcher 'sold rotten meat for years,' were the inspectors asleep
23.nov.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145238/10/11/23/e-coli-butcher-sold-rotten-meat-years-were-inspectors-asleep
Will Brits have a 'stiff upper lip' about this food safety crap?
The Independent reports that the butcher at the centre of a fatal E.coli outbreak which claimed the life of a five-year-old boy sold rotten meat for years before the tragedy, an inquest heard today.
Mason Jones, of Deri, near Bargoed, lost his life to the deadly food poisoning bug which struck 44 schools in the South Wales valleys.
The outbreak, in September 2005, had become the second biggest to hit the UK by the time it ran its course.
Mason's mother Sharon Mills sobbed repeatedly today at the inquest into his death in Newport.
The coroner's court also got an insight into chronically lax hygiene practices at the butcher business which triggered the outbreak.
John Tudor and Son, based at Bridgend Industrial Estate, supplied meat to dozens of schools and residential homes for the elderly.
Company boss and owner William John Tudor, 58, of Cowbridge, South Wales, was jailed for one year at Cardiff Crown Court in September 2007.
Tudor admitted six counts of placing unsafe food on the market and one of failing to protect food against the risk of contamination.
The inquest today heard he habitually lied to the authorities about his practices and falsified records - two months at a time.
His underhand practices were so habitual he literally used to pass off mutton as lamb to his customers.
Detective Superintendent Paul Burke headed a criminal inquiry after the firm was pinpointed as the source of the outbreak.
He said staff at the firm were interviewed about hygiene standards during the inquiry.
"A number of people told me in interview about meat that was smelling or poor and when brought to Mr Tudor's attention they were told to put it in the faggots," he said.
"When meat was turning yellow they were told to 'mince it up' and put it in the faggots."
The idea being that because faggots were spicy they would hide the taste of the meat.
He added: "Mutton was literally passed off as lamb."
The firm would buy frozen New Zealand mutton and sell it on to customers as Welsh lamb.
False batch numbers linking it to a legitimate farm in Abergavenny were used to hide its origin.
He said that according to staff at the firm, disregard for hygiene rules had gone on for years.
It was not known whether any of the affected schools ever received the faggots or mutton.
Equally, it was not possible to tell whether the factory had caused other E. coli or food poisoning outbreaks in the past.
He said Tudor was well aware of safe hygiene practice because he had successfully sat a grade three hygiene diploma in 2002.
But some staff members were found to have never attended even basic hygiene courses, despite the need to do so.
It was also found his factory's only vacuum packing machine was "not fit for purpose" and was used for both raw and cooked meats.
A "dirty old brush and container of water" was used to clean the machine between different users; often it was not cleaned at all.
Cooked and raw meats were stored together and decomposing meat was discovered in a fridge section at the factory.
Meat seized from the operation was found to contain an identical E. coli O157 strain as the one that killed Mason.
The same strain was found at a Welsh farm where the meat originated and an abattoir where Tudor bought the meat.
Mr Burke stressed that a certain percentage of healthy cattle carry the strain of E.coli without harm to them.
But the fact it could prove deadly to people, particularly children and elderly, underlined why basic hygiene was necessary.
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145237/10/11/23/we-got-%E2%80%98street-cred%E2%80%99-say-uk-food-safety-types-pat-boone-got-rock-and-roll
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/ecoli-butcher-sold-rotten-meat-for-years-2141787.html

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We got 'street cred' say UK food safety types, like Pat Boone got rock and roll
23.nov.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145237/10/11/23/we-got-%E2%80%98street-cred%E2%80%99-say-uk-food-safety-types-pat-boone-got-rock-and-roll
There's no shortage of communication weirdness out of the U.K. Food Standards Authority – home of the 'piping hot' food test.
In response to the latest European food survey (which is meaningless but nevertheless found that British respondents were less worried about pesticides, food poisoning, and hormones than their European counterparts, but were most concerned about the welfare of farmed animals and the quality and freshness of food) Andrew Wadge, chief scientist at FSA, said,
"I'm delighted that we Brits keep our stiff upper lip when faced with food scares and have a positive attitude to what we eat. I think we're right not to worry unnecessarily about food safety threats as there are lots of checks in place to keep food safe. On the other hand it's important not to be complacent, and there are simple steps people can take to prevent food poisoning such as not eating food past its use by date, not washing poultry – as the bacteria can spread round the kitchen – and always making sure that they cook food thoroughly."
I'm sure such words were comforting to Sharon Mills as the inquest into her 5-year-old son's food poisoning death opens today in Newport, Wales. Stiff upper lip, mom.
Then yesterday FSA boasted – gangsta style -- it had funded a cooking-challenge TV show with 'street-cred' to turn up the heat on food safety.
"In addition to the focus on local ingredients, the show incorporates Agency food safety messages and nutrition advice. … Short 15,10 and 5 second films that subtly convey the Food Standards Agency's 4Cs messages on chilling, cooking, cleaning and cross-contamination are also shown at the beginning and
culinary delights, combining food safety messages with an appetising menu, including local produce."
During the cook-off, the street market chefs are each given local ingredients for use in their two courses.
I'd want to know how those local ingredients were grown – source food from safe sources is the missing tip.
FSA director of communications, Terrence Collis said,
"Street Market Chefs is not only tremendous entertainment but also pretty informative. Healthy eating and food safety advice is skilfully woven into the program so the viewer never thinks they're being nagged or got at, while best practice is there for all to see. 'The chefs prepare carefully balanced meals and make sure they handle, store and cook the food properly. You'll never get undercooked chicken on Street Market Chefs."
Will it be piping hot or verified safe with a thermometer? How does comms Terry know the show is informative and skillfully presents advice? Did he ask anyone?
FSA street cred is like saying Pat Boone was doing rock and roll by covering Tutti Frutti.
http://bites.ksu.edu/news/145155/10/11/18/uk-brits-not-fazed-food-safety-risks
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/blog/145236/10/11/23/mother-e-coli-victim-prepares-inquest-wales
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2010/nov/fsaenews08
http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/publication/fsaenews1110.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv-LAbMbEn4

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Burger King employee diagnosed with hepatitis A
23.nov.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145239/10/11/23/burger-king-employee-diagnosed-hepatitis
There's been a few cases of hepatitis A showing up in the Ashland, Kentucky area over the past few days.
Today, investigators think they've indentified the source: a food service worker at Burger King who had to not only test positive, but have poop on his hands to transmit the virus.
WSAZ reports the Ashland-Boyd County Health Department has confirmed the employee worked the drive-thru window during the week of November 7 and the dates of November 15 and 17. The employee's contact with patrons was limited to the drive-thru window, so patrons who ate inside the restaurant were not at risk of exposure. Since the employee was not involved in food preparation, the risk of becoming ill is low.
The employee was a close contact of a previously identified case of Hepatitis A.
So far all of the cases in Boyd County are linked to close contacts of earlier cases. No cases associated only with consuming food items from the restaurant have been identified as of Tuesday, November 23.
http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/Burger_King_Employee_Diagnosed_with_Hepatitis_A_110159129.html

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Woman's arm, hand become stuck in mixer at pretzel shop
23.nov.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145240/10/11/23/womans-arm-hand-become-stuck-mixer-pretzel-shop
This is unfortunate, and gross, and it's often the job of public health types to clean up the mess.
mycentraljersey.com is reporting that a 35-year-old borough woman was airlifted to a local hospital after her hand became stuck in a dough twister at Jim's Pretzels on S. Main Street.
Police Chief Mark Peltack said the incident happened at 10:53 a.m. Monday when local resident Loretta Jones, an employee at the establishment, had been attempting to make pretzels. Peltack said it took rescue-squad workers a short amount of time to release her hand from the machine.
Jones was then airlifted via state police helicopter to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. Jones was listed in fair condition at the hospital late Tuesday afternoon.
At the shop, there are various sizes and types of pretzels, an assortment of dips and pretzels wrapped around sausages and hot dogs. The shop also is known for its catered events, in which the store makes platters of pretzels nuggets and five dips, such as spicy or hot mustard; cheddar or nacho cheese; and sweet cream cheese.
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20101116/NEWS/101116023/Man-s-arm-hand-become-stuck-in-mixer-at-Manville-business

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NEW YORK: Consumer alert - E. coli O157:H7 in-store ground beef
23.nov.10
New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets
http://readme.readmedia.com/Consumer-Alert-E-coli-O157-h7-In-Store-Ground-Beef/1780548
ALBANY, NY -- New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker today alerted consumers that Hamilton Corner Meat Market Inc., located at 1 Hamilton Place, New York, New York, is recalling all packages of in-store "ground beef" sold on November 15, 2010, due to the presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7. E. coli O157:H7 causes a diarrheal illness often with bloody stools. Although most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, some people can develop a form of kidney failure called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). HUS is most likely to occur in young children and the elderly. The condition can lead to serious kidney damage and even death.
The recalled in-store "ground beef" was sold per order from the meat department and is uncoded. The product was sold at retail only from this store's location at 1 Hamilton Place, New York, New York.
No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.
The contamination was discovered after sampling by New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets food inspectors and subsequent analysis by Food Laboratory personnel revealed the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in samples of in-store "ground beef." Sales of the "ground beef" have been suspended.
Consumers who have purchased containers of in-store "ground beef" from this store on November 15, 2010 are urged to discard the product or return the product to the place of purchase.

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CONNECTICUT firm recalls appetizer products for possible Listeria contamination
23.nov.10
FSIS
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_061_2010_Release/index.asp?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Recall Release
CLASS I RECALL
FSIS-RC-061-2010
HEALTH RISK: HIGH
Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Richard J. McIntire
WASHINGTON -- Calabro Cheese, a East Haven, Conn. establishment is recalling approximately 57 pounds of Rotolini, meat and cheese roll appetizer products, that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The products subject to recall include: [Labels] (PDF Only)
8-ounce packages of "CALABRO All Natural ROTOLINI Mozzarella & Prosciutto." The packages also bear a white sticker with the lot number "3190" and establishment number "34051M" inside the USDA mark of inspection.
The antipasto products were produced on Nov. 15, 2010, and distributed to warehouses and retail outlets in Boston and Springfield, Mass. as well as Westport, Conn. The product was not part of the National School Lunch Program.
The problem was discovered through microbiological sampling by FSIS personnel. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of this product.
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.
Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.
Consumers with questions about the recall should contact company Customer Service Representative Tijae Silva at (203) 469-1311, Ext. 101. Media inquiries should be directed to Tim Sciarrillo, Calabro Cheese COO, at (203) 469-1311, Ext 105.
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 a.m. to 4 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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