Fw: [BITES-L] bites Dec. 5/10

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Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 20:12:38 -0600

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Subject: [BITES-L] bites Dec. 5/10

bites Dec. 5/10

The food (safety) cycle: recall, forget, repeat

MARYLAND: If only laws were like sausages

Micro-pig the new porcine pocket pet

PENN goes state way for restaurant inspection and disclosure

Where in the world are LOUISIANA's restaurant inspections?

AUSTRALIA: College says sorry over boy's death

TENNESSEE: Action Line: Shouldn't pets be banned from stores? reader asks

CANADA: Corrected health hazard alert – Certain process cheese slice products may contain Listeria monocytogenes

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The food (safety) cycle: recall, forget, repeat
04.dec.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145500/10/12/04/food-safety-cycle-recall-forget-repeat
Memories can be short when it comes to food recalls.
Amy Schoenfeld writes in Sunday's New York Times that while Americans are concerned about food contamination, experts say that recalls have only a short-term effect on consumers.
When spinach was recalled in 2006, consumers took over a year to return to previous spending patterns. But after recent recalls of peanut butter, beef and eggs, customers came back in a matter of weeks.
One explanation for this is that eggs are a staple; nearly 9 in 10 Americans say they eat them. By contrast, only 5 in 10 Americans say they are spinach eaters. After the spinach recall, 10 percent of spinach eaters said they were unlikely to eat spinach again. In contrast, 3 percent of egg eaters said they would stop purchasing eggs.
Rather than waiting to sue after sickness, consumers could use their buying power to demand microbiologically safer food, if someone would start marketing at retail
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/business/05metricstext.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1291496418-f6IW79ZltRCKRYVoaTdGlQ

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MARYLAND: If only laws were like sausages
05.dec.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145501/10/12/04/if-only-laws-were-sausages
It's a tired analogy, but given the fantastical failings of the feds to pass the most basic food safety rules, sausage makers are fighting back.
Robert Pear writes in Sunday's New York Times that, in defending their work, members of Congress love to repeat a quotation attributed to Otto von Bismarck: "If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made."
In other words, the legislative process, though messy and sometimes unappetizing, can produce healthy, wholesome results.
But a visit to a sausage factory here, about 10 miles from the Capitol, suggests that Bismarck and today's politicians are mistaken. In many ways, that quotation is offensive to sausage makers; their process is better controlled and more predictable.
"I'm so insulted when people say that lawmaking is like sausage making," said Stanley A. Feder, president of Simply Sausage, whose plant here turns out 60,000 pounds of links a year.
"With legislation, you can have hundreds of cooks — members of Congress, lobbyists, federal agency officials, state officials," Mr. Feder said. "In sausage making, you generally have one person, the wurstmeister, who runs the business and makes the decisions."
Sausages are produced according to a recipe. And while plenty of pork goes into many sausages and laws, the ingredients of the edible product are specified in advance, carefully measured out and accurately identified on a label. An inspector from the United States Department of Agriculture visits the plant every day.
Granted, Simply Sausage is a small, artisanal sausage maker, not an industrial-scale slaughterhouse. But the comparison is still faulty, said Mr. Feder, a political scientist who took up sausage making after retiring from the Central Intelligence Agency.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/weekinreview/05pear.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

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Micro-pig the new porcine pocket pet
05.dec.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145502/10/12/05/micro-pig-new-porcine-pocket-pet
British celebrities Katie Price, Victoria and David Beckham, and Rupert Grint (the Ginge in those terrible Harry Potter movies) have fallen for the charms of the micro-pig, which can sell for thousands of dollars.
But the New Zealand Herald reports parents in Britain have been urged not to buy the miniature porcine pets for Christmas, with the Government set to warn this week that they risk spreading dangerous diseases.
Ministers are so nervous about the craze, which has led to several owners being mis-sold regular piglets which grow into full-size sows, that guidance is to be rushed out next week specifically targeting prospective keepers of the pocket-sized creatures.
The agency responsible for ensuring farm animals are healthy, disease-free and well looked after, will raise serious concerns about the hygiene threat posed by the animals.
It will warn: "Before buying a pig, hobby keepers and owners of pet pigs or 'micro' pigs must make sure they are aware of, and understand their obligations, so they can keep their animals fit, healthy and legally compliant and help them to avoid unwittingly spreading disease."
Sick pigs can pass on zoonotic diseases to humans, which can include the skin condition erysipeloid and the bacterium Streptococcus suis, which can lead to illness including meningitis and deafness in humans.
Jim Paice, the British farming minister, said: "A pig is a farm animal, not a pet for Christmas. A micro-pig may sound like a popular gift idea - but beware the pig that grows too big. This year already I've heard some interesting stories about micro-pigs becoming bigger and outgrowing their homes. So if you'd like to see pigs this festive season, pop along to your local petting farm."
Just not one of those E. coli petting farms.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/agriculture/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=10692295&ref=rss

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PENN goes state way for restaurant inspection and disclosure
05.dec.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/145503/10/12/05/penn-goes-state-way-restaurant-inspection-and-disclosure
A new law will overhaul the way Pennsylvania's restaurants are inspected.
Newsworks.org reports the law imposes a uniform set of safety standards for every restaurant, whether it's state or local officials carrying out inspections.
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said every report will also be posted online.
"I think that's going to be the big change. We certainly saw it in the state, when we went to an online system. As soon as you know that your inspection is online, for the public view, you certainly are more attuned to making those little changes that are important for food safety."
Redding said the Agriculture Department has been pushing for the changes for more than five years. The law will go into effect in January.
So if online inspection reports make operators "more attuned" then how much more attuned would operators be, with public disclosure on the premises, like a letter grade on the door.
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/8565-02sdfood

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Where in the world are LOUISIANA's restaurant inspections?
05.dec.10
Shreveport Times
Alison Bath
http://shreveporttimes.com/article/99999999/SPECIALPROJECTS01/806130339/1044/If-it-quacks-like-a-scam-.../Where-are-La.-s-restaurant-inspections
This newspaper doesn't print local restaurant inspections.
It isn't for a lack of trying. Past attempts ground to a halt for a variety of reasons — mostly a lack of detailed information and because the records were unavailable electronically.
Even now, inspections aren't easy to get.
A state Department of Health and Hospitals restaurant inspection Web site was suspended several months ago. You can look at the records at the local parish health units, but you can't see just recent inspections or learn about restaurants that were closed due to poor inspection results.
Instead, you have to name a specific restaurant, including its address. Copies of inspections cost 25 cents a page, workers at both offices said.
A request for pizza restaurant inspections at the Bossier office was met, but my name, address and telephone number were needed to get them. Only the most recent record, which was a paper copy of the inspector's electronic report, was presented.
It took 27 minutes and $3 to get 11 records.
In Caddo, workers didn't ask for personal information but inquired why the inspections were wanted.
When it came time to pay a $12.75 bill for copies, the office didn't have change. A worker suggested obtaining a money order at a convenience store down the street. A visit next door to the unit's main building for change solved the problem. Total visit time: 35 minutes.
Later, I called DHH Region 7 sanitarian and regional manager Ron King. He explained the inspection process, which is recorded on a laptop-type computer and stored electronically.
I asked him why the Bossier office needs a citizen's name, address and telephone number.
"We would like to have the name and records you are requesting just for our knowledge. It's just part of what we are asking. There is not a specific reason."
Readers can view the restaurant inspections obtained for this story at shreveporttimes.com. The Watchdog will post additional inspections, periodically, and keep readers apprised of DHH efforts to post them online.

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AUSTRALIA: College says sorry over boy's death
06.dec.10
The Sydney Morning Herald
AAP
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/college-says-sorry-over-boys-death-20101206-18m3g.html
A lawyer for Melbourne's Scotch College has apologised to the family of a 13-year-old boy who died on a school camp following an allergic reaction to peanuts.
Jeremy Ruskin QC read out the apology on the first day of the inquest into Nathan Francis's death.
Nathan died after eating a beef satay meal containing peanuts on March 30, 2007.
The Scotch College student was on an army cadet camp in the Wombat State Forest in western Victoria.
"Scotch College does and will acknowledge that it did not do everything right by Nathan..., " Mr Ruskin told the Coroners Court in Melbourne on Monday.
"On behalf of Scotch College I as counsel for Scotch College apologise sincerely to the parents of Nathan."
Mr Ruskin said the involvement of Scotch College in the inquest was appropriate to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again.
However, Mr Ruskin will also ask the coroner to excuse the Scotch College witnesses from giving evidence on the grounds that they could self-incriminate.

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TENNESSEE: Action Line: Shouldn't pets be banned from stores? reader asks
05.dec.10
The Tennesseean
Jenny Upchurch
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20101205/COLUMNIST0128/12050327/Action-Line-Shouldn-t-pets-be-banned-from-stores?-reader-asks
Action Line
PROBLEM: Kesheba Ellis says she can't believe the many people who bring dogs into stores.
She has no complaint about service dogs. But she resents people bringing in pets and putting them in carts that she has to use afterward.
She was shopping at the Home Depot store near Briley Parkway recently and saw a customer bring in a Great Dane. He walked the dog all over the store and even took it into a restroom, she said.
Surely there is a law against this, Ellis asks. Is there a department that can enforce it?
ANSWER: According to the Metro Public Health Department, there is no ordinance that forbids dogs inside a nonfood retailer, says Brian Todd, the department's spokesman. Whether dogs are allowed would be left to the store management.
A manager at The Home Depot referred questions about a policy on pet dogs to its corporate office, and a representative there promised to research the issue.
I confess. My dog Beastly accompanies me to The Home Depot (and Lowe's and our local Ace Hardware) when I need to pick up something. But having received Ellis' complaint, I may have to rethink whether this is appropriate.
What do readers think? Go to Tennessean.com for a poll: Should owners bring dogs into nonfood stores?
UPDATE: Dogs legally can accompany their owners on restaurants' outdoor patios, thanks to a new Metro ordinance approved in October. Restaurants must get a permit to allow dogs in outdoor dining areas.
The Metro Public Health Department is overseeing the new ordinance. And the restaurant inspection workers are a little worried. No one has applied for a permit, even though a number of restaurants have been allowing dogs on patios for years.
There is a $20 fee to apply for the new permit. Violations can bring a fine of up to $50.
Now that there is an ordinance with a required permit, restaurant owners will have to have one or be in violation if a customer has a dog with him or her, says Brian Todd, spokesman for the health department.

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CANADA: Corrected health hazard alert – Certain process cheese slice products may contain Listeria monocytogenes
04.dec.10
CFIA
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2010/20101204e.shtml
OTTAWA -- The public warning issued on December 2, 2010 has been updated to identify the correct best before date for one product.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Saputo Inc. are warning the public and food service institutions, such as restaurants, hospitals and nursing homes, not to serve or consume the process cheese slice products described below because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The following products, bearing establishment number "REG: 1900", are affected by this alert:
Brand Product Format UPC Best Before dates up to and including
Faith Farms Ribbon Slices Process Cheese Product - Made with Swiss Cheese 2 kg 065949040029 2011 JN 15*
Faith Farms Ribbon Slices Process Cheese Food 2 kg 065949040043 2011 JL 18
Faith Farms Submarine Cut Process Cheese Food 2 kg 065949040050 2011 JL 09
Faith Farms Pullman Slices Process Cheese Food 2 kg 065949040074 2011 MA 07
No Label PCF - Colored Pullman 2.27 kg None 2011 OC 27
St-Albert Ribbon Slices Process Cheese Food 2 kg None 2011 JL 09
Sunspun Pullman Slices Process Cheese Food 2 kg 060383020262 2011 AL 30
Sunspun Ribbon Slices Process Swiss Food 2 kg 060383101367 2011 AL 15
Sunspun Submarine Slices Process Cheese Food 2 kg 060383128036 2011 MA 10
*Correction:: 2010-12-04
These process cheese slice products may have been sold through retailers, 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.
These products have been distributed nationally.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of the affected 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, Saputo Inc., Montréal, Québec 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 one of the following numbers:
Saputo Inc. at 1-800-672-8866; or
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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