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Monday, November 29, 2010

Fw: [BITES-L] bites Nov. 28/10

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From: Doug Powell <dpowell@KSU.EDU>
Sender: Bites <BITES-L@LISTSERV.KSU.EDU>
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2010 19:44:26 -0600
To: BITES-L@LISTSERV.KSU.EDU<BITES-L@LISTSERV.KSU.EDU>
ReplyTo: Doug Powell <dpowell@KSU.EDU>
Subject: [BITES-L] bites Nov. 28/10


bites Nov. 28/10

Dominos fined $120K over cockroaches, bad hygiene in Sydney

CALIFORNIA: A community bands together to help a young girl...

How not to handle foodborne illness: 'put an adult diaper and get back to work'

Real-time turkey – forget that, stock is on the stove, hockey in Wichita

US: Foodmakers backing $1.4 billion food-safety bill

US: Comparing House, Senate food-safety bills

US: Senate set to vote on rigorous food safety bill

CANADA: Health hazard alert – Certain Faith Farms brand cheese may contain listeria monocytogenes

CANADA: Expanded health hazard alert – Certain Sandwich prodycts prepared by APFL, PEI may contain Listeria monocytogenes

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Dominos fined $120K over cockroaches, bad hygiene in Sydney
28.nov.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145360/10/11/28/dominos-fined-120k-over-cockroaches-bad-hygiene-sydney
ABC News reports a Dominos pizza shop in Sydney's west has been described as having committed one of the worst breaches of food safety and hygiene in the Australian state of New South Wales.
The store in Quakers Hill has been fined almost $120,000 after investigations by the state's Food Authority, following reports from customers who suffered food poisoning.
Primary Industries Minister Steve Whan says conditions inside the store were appalling, stating,
"They had evidence of significant infestation of cockroaches and also very poor hygiene of cleanliness habits. I'm told by our experts at the Food Authority that they're a prime candidate for spreading foodborne illnesses and that's why they've been given such a big fine. There are always people who don't do the right thing unfortunately and we need to make sure that we can protect people from foodborne illnesses. Things like food poisoning are not insignificant. There are people every year who die of food poisoning and food-related diseases."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/11/28/3078452.htm



CALIFORNIA: A community bands together to help a young girl...
26.nov.10
CBS 12
Derek Demo
http://www.khsltv.com/content/localnews/story/A-Community-Bands-Together-To-Help-A-Young-Girl/PB6ehfwMikqBRzX7zEyvhA.cspx
"It's just hard to put into words. You hear of people having E. coli, but you never think of it actually happening to a member of your family" said Sue Henderson. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened to Sue's 10-year old granddaughter. Olivia Henderson was air lifted to U.C. Davis on October 1st after she was diagnosed with E. coli. After spending four weeks in the hospital, she is now home, but her fight is far from over. "All around it's been very very difficult" Henderson said.
And while nothing can take away the challenges Olivia and her family will face, members from the Corning Volunteer Fire Department are stepping in to lend a helping hand. The department has organized a spaghetti feed fundraiser for December 4th and is also collecting donations to help the family with growing hospital bills. Community members are also putting on an all you can eat tri-tip and crab feed which will be held December 11th




How not to handle foodborne illness: 'put an adult diaper and get back to work'
28.nov.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145361/10/11/28/how-not-handle-foodborne-illness-%E2%80%98put-adult-diaper-and-get-back-work%E2%80%99
Food service employees working while sick is a recurring theme in restaurant-related outbreaks.
Add this scenario:
An outbreak of diarrhea has decimated the staff of a Tex-Mex restaurant and Godfrey the manager, is on the phone imploring a staff member to come in anyway, even if that means wearing an adult diaper.
"Astronauts wear them. Do you think you're better than an astronaut?"
The scene is from an upcoming Canadian movie called Servitude, and like the best comedy, has an element of truth.
Godrey is being played by Kids in the Hall/News Radio alumnus, Dave Foley. He's one of the French fur trappers in the bit below.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/897757--an-outbreak-of-laughter-in-canadian-film




Real-time turkey – forget that, stock is on the stove, hockey in Wichita
28.nov.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145362/10/11/28/real-time-turkey-%E2%80%93-forget-stock-stove-hockey-wichita
By Saturday morning after the Thursday Thanksgiving feast, the turkey frame and whatever else had been reduced to turkey-flavored stock. I left the stock in the fridge for the fat to separate, and Amy, Sorenne and I went to Wichita, Kansas for an adventure weekend – a hockey game.
From what I can figure, there's the National Hockey League (NHL, the pros), the American Hockey League (AHL, farm teams to the NHL), and then feeder semi-pro leagues like the Central Hockey League, where the Wichita Thunder ply their trade. 18 0f the 22-member roster hails from Canada.
The game was reasonably entertaining, although the intensity level varied dramatically.
Aspects of a hockey game in Wichita:
• in honor of the birthday of late, great guitarist Jimi Hendrix, the Star Spangled Banner was performed Hendrix-style by a local dude;
• the brand-new In Trust arena in downtown Wichita was an outstanding venue, with sparkling restrooms and excellent handwashing facilities;
• there is a dance squad associated with the team called the Lampton Lightening and they performed after the second period;
• even though it is Manvember – the month of November is supposed to represent manliness at its peak, so no shaving – there was more bad moustaches on the players than the case of a 1970s porn movie; and,
• not a single fight. I was expecting Slap Shot style goon hockey. It wasn't bad. Wichita beat first-place Colorado 5-3.
Tonight, it's turkey stock stew.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichita_Thunder
http://www.wichitathunder.com/wichitathunderhockeydanceteam.html
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Manvember
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBI-ArPNnaE&feature=fvst




US: Foodmakers backing $1.4 billion food-safety bill
28.nov.10
USA Today
John Fritze
http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/food/safety/2010-11-29-foodsafety29_ST_N.htm?csp=34news&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomNation-TopStories+%28News+-+Nation+-+Top+Stories%29
WASHINGTON — More than a dozen companies that lobbied Congress on a sweeping food-safety bill had recalled their food products in the past two years, including for food-borne illnesses lawmakers are targeting.
But many of those companies, such as agribusiness giant Cargill, which recalled 8,500 pounds of ground beef in August, and Campbell Soup Company, which pulled 15 million pounds of SpaghettiO's with Meatballs off shelves in June, support the tougher regulations proposed in the measure, headed toward a vote today in the Senate.
Consumer advocate groups credit the companies and others in the industry with helping to make the $1.4 billion measure one of the few bills moving quickly through Congress during the year-end, "lame duck" session that began Nov. 15.
The legislation would mandate Food and Drug Administration inspections of facilities with the highest risk of contaminating food once every three years. The measure would also give the government broad power to issue mandatory recalls rather than relying on private companies to act voluntarily.
Sparked by recent outbreaks of food contamination, including this year's recall of about 550 million eggs suspected of salmonella contamination, the bill also includes provisions that would let officials better trace food-borne illnesses to their source.
Large foodmakers, including those faced with recent recalls, say the bill provides clear regulations that even the playing field among competitors. When it comes to recalls, most firms will pull unsafe items whether the government requires them to or not, said Campbell's Soup spokesman Anthony Sanzio.
"Our involvement was more in terms of monitoring what's going on," said Mark Klein, a spokesman for Cargill, which spent $1.2 million lobbying in 2010.
For ConAgra Foods, supporting the food-safety bill was a no brainer. The company recalled Marie Callender's brand Cheesy Chicken and Rice frozen meals in June after a handful of people affected by salmonella reported eating the product. The company spent about $300,000 on lobbying efforts this year.
"If this bill was on the books, it wouldn't have changed anything about the recall," said ConAgra spokesman Jeff Mochal. "Our own standards are already higher."




US: Comparing House, Senate food-safety bills
28.nov.10
USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/food/safety/2010-11-29-foodsafety29_VA_N.htm?csp=34news&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomNation-TopStories+%28News+-+Nation+-+Top+Stories%29
The Senate is set to vote on a food-safety bill today that is different from the version approved last year in the House of Representatives. Key differences include:
•Inspections: The Senate version calls for high-risk food facilities to be inspected once in the first five years after the law is signed and once every three years thereafter. The House bill would require annual inspections.
•Fee: The House version includes a $500 annual facility fee, charged to companies for each food plant, to help offset inspection costs. The Senate bill includes no fee.
•Recalls: The Senate bill lets the government order a company to cease distribution of harmful products and recall the products after an informal hearing with the company. The House bill allows the government to order a recall before a hearing.




US: Senate set to vote on rigorous food safety bill
28.nov.10
San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2010%2F11%2F28%2FMN6P1GGGAH.DTL
Washington -- The Senate is set to vote Monday night on the biggest changes to food safety laws in 70 years, handing vast new authority to the Food and Drug Administration to regulate farms and food processors.
The Food Safety Modernization Act has fueled a ferocious two-year battle that has pitted the small-farm, locavore food movement against large growers and food safety interest groups.
Small farmers say they are not to blame for mass food poisoning outbreaks and that safety protocols designed for industrial agriculture will put them out of business. Large growers contend that bacteria do not discriminate by farm size; they insist everyone must follow sanitation rules.
An amendment by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., would exempt small farms and processors from federal oversight, leaving them under state and local food safety regulation. Tester, a wheat farmer interviewed by phone from Montana, said small operations "are raising food, they're not raising a commodity."
Western Growers, representing California fruit and vegetable farmers, along with 19 other large produce groups, withdrew their support last week, accusing Tester of waging "ideological war" against large farms by implying that only small farms grow genuine food.
Tester replied, "I can't imagine they're concerned about competition from the guy who takes his food to market in a wheelbarrow."
Western Growers insisted that bacteria do not discriminate based on farm size. "This is a giant step backward," said federal affairs chief Cathleen Enright, arguing that the bill divorces safety standards from science or risk.
Tester denied that claim.
"Size correlates directly with risk," he said. "When we have the kind of e. coli outbreaks we've got where it impacts many, many, many states and thousands of families, that's risk. When we've got a producer that's raising lettuce that's looking at the guy who's going to eat it right square in the eye, that's a different level of risk entirely."




CANADA: Health hazard alert – Certain Faith Farms brand cheese may contain listeria monocytogenes
26.nov.10
CFIA
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2010/20101126e.shtml
OTTAWA -- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Saputo Inc. are warning the public and food service institutions, such as hospitals and nursing homes, not to serve or consume the cheese described below because the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The following table lists the affected cheese:
Brand Product Format UPC Best Before / Code Lot Codes
Faith Farms Ribbon Slices Process Cheese Food 2 kg 0 65949 04004 3 2011/MA/05
REG: 1900 1681, 1682, 1683, 1684, 1685
This product was sold through cash and carry and deli stores and may also have been sold to food service institutions such as restaurants, hospitals, day care centres and nursing homes. If you have purchased unlabelled processed cheese slices check with your place of purchase to determine if you have the affected product.
This product was distributed in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
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, Saputo Inc, Montréal, Québec is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.
For more information, consumers and industry can call one of the following numbers:
Saputo Inc. at 514-328-3347
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).



CANADA: Expanded health hazard alert – Certain Sandwich prodycts prepared by APFL, PEI may contain Listeria monocytogenes
26.nov.10
CFIA
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2010/20101126be.shtml
OTTAWA -- The public warning issued on November 16, 2010 has been expanded to include additional products.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Atlantic Prepared Food Limited (APFL, Establishment number 514) are warning the public not to consume the products described below because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
This recall is being initiated as these sandwiches contain processed cheese slices recalled by Saputo Inc., Montreal, Quebec. The investigation is ongoing.
The following products (sandwiches, subs, wraps, burgers, breakfast muffins & bagels), bearing Canada legend 514, are affected by this alert:
Brand Product Weight UPC Best Before
Sub Delicious All varieties Various Various Best before dates up to and including December 6, 2010
Circle K All varieties Various Various Best before dates up to and including December 6, 2010
Country Morning All varieties Various Various Best before dates up to and including December 6, 2010
Prepared by: APFL 5 pack Value Sub .54 kg 0 55742 98110 0 10 NO 30
These products are known to have been distributed in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia and may have been distributed in other Atlantic provinces.
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 this 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, APFL, Alberton, PEI is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.
For more information consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-42-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).


bites is produced by Dr. Douglas Powell and food safety friends at Kansas State University. For further information, please contact dpowell@ksu.edu or check out bites.ksu.edu.

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