Fw: FRAC's Weekly News Digest (September 10, 2010)

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From: Food Research and Action Center <mambrose@frac.org>

Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:25:30 -0500

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Subject: FRAC's Weekly News Digest (September 10, 2010)

The Weekly Food Research and Action Center News Digest highlights what's new on hunger, nutrition and poverty issues at FRAC, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, around the network of national, state and local anti-poverty and anti-hunger organizations, and in the media. The Digest will alert you to trends, reports, news items and resources and, when available, link you directly to them. Issue #26, September 10, 2010 FRAC News Digest Top Chefs Call for Increased CNR Funding Without Cutting SNAP/Food Stamps Op-Ed Urges Congress to Support Nutrition Programs Gulf Spill Helps Drive Up Number of SNAP/Food Stamp Applications in Alabama Pilot Program Aims to Increase SNAP/Food Stamp Participation Among Florida's Seniors More Seniors Expected to Apply for SNAP/Food Stamps in Minnesota Furloughed State Workers in Arizona Work Overtime to Process SNAP/Food Stamp Applications Streamlined Application Helps San Diego Boost SNAP/Food Stamp Participation Overwhelming Numbers of Illinois Residents Apply for Disaster SNAP/Food Stamps in Wake of Storms and Floods Los Angeles Food Pantries Struggle with Increased Demand New Mexico Schools Lose State Funds for Free Breakfast Programs Wisconsin to Receive Federal School Breakfast Program Grants Minnesota School District Launches Classroom Breakfast Florida School District Starts Universal Breakfast More Oakland, Calif. Schools Now Offering Free Breakfast Median Wage Stagnant in America for Decades Wage Gap Grows in NYC 1. Top Chefs Call for Increased CNR Funding Without Cutting SNAP/Food Stamps (NewsBusters/MSNBC, September 8, 2010; The Atlantic, September 9, 2010) Tom Colicchio and Washington, D.C. chef Jose Andres have called for Congress to support the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization without cutting SNAP/Food Stamp benefits. Colicchio noted on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," that the Senate bill is "taking 2 billion dollars from SNAP program. So essentially, they're stealing from dinner to pay for lunch. And, you know, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense." Colicchio pointed out that the bill should increase access for kids, and he noted that the House bill for child nutrition does include more improvements. In an op-ed that ran in The Atlantic, Jose Andres noted that, in the Senate bill, "almost half of [the CNR] money comes from cuts to SNAP…That is not the answer. We can't take food from already struggling families to fund school lunch programs." Andres wants Congress, when they come back from their recess, "to find the money quickly and pass their bill so we can begin the new school year with a new promise to our kids, based on a REAL investment." 2. Op-Ed Urges Congress to Support Nutrition Programs (Washington Informer, September 2, 2010) "As Congress returns from its August recess, we should urge members to focus on the needs of hungry and poor people - and not balance the budget on their backs," writes Bishop Don Dixon Williams of Bread for the World in this op-ed. Bishop Williams refers to the recent bill passed by Congress that reduces SNAP/Food Stamp benefits. "In the coming months, we must urge Congress to act responsibly with regard to national nutrition programs and other policies that help people in the throes of the recession get back on their feet," he writes. The U.S. is the world's wealthiest nation, yet "nearly 15 percent of households can't afford to feed themselves." The number is higher for African-Americans, with one in four struggling to provide food for their households. African-American children are particularly hard hit by the recession, with 34 percent living in households without enough to eat. Recent data show that 90 percent of the nation's African-American children will receive SNAP/Food Stamp benefits before they turn 20. The percentage for all American children is lower, at 49 percent. "[F]ood is often the most flexible expense" for low-income families struggling to pay rent, transportation, utilities and child care bills. "The fastest, most direct way to reduce hunger is through national nutrition programs," notes Bishop Williams. 3. Gulf Spill Helps Drive Up Number of SNAP/Food Stamp Applications in Alabama (Al.com, September 1, 2010) Alabama's Mobile County saw a record 90,753 SNAP/Food Stamp benefits claims in July 2010, up from the July 2009 figure of 80,677 claims. Officials from the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) said the agency distributed $11,972,419 in benefits in July 2010. Rose M. Johnson, director of Mobile County DHR believes that the Gulf oil spill has played a part in the increase. The county also provided outreach, partnering with Boat People SOS, a nonprofit assisting the local Southeast Asian communities. "We hired two Vietnamese translators and tasked them with taking food stamp applications to help local citizens make their applications," said Johnson. "It's made a huge difference for non-English-speaking people," said Grace M. Scire, Gulf Coast regional manager for Boat People SOS, "particularly since it's difficult for some people to drive to Mobile to file for benefits." The Boat People SOS office at 13835 S. Wintzell Avenue in Bayou La Batre can help Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian-speaking citizens apply for SNAP/Food Stamps and provides translators to ease the process. 4. Pilot Program Aims to Increase SNAP/Food Stamp Participation Among Florida's Seniors (WCTV, September 2, 2010) A three-year USDA grant of nearly half a million dollars will help more than 10,000 senior Floridians navigate the state's SNAP/Food Stamp enrollment system. Through the grant, seniors in 35 of the state's 67 counties will be able to call the state's Elder Helpline for assistance in applying online for SNAP/Food Stamps. Many of Florida's 4.45 million seniors are not "regular computer users," and 58 percent of eligible senior residents don't receive SNAP/Food Stamps. The counties selected for the pilot program have the highest number of low-income elderly as well as the lowest senior SNAP/Food Stamp use, with 72 percent of those eligible for the benefit not participating. "As Florida government moves further into the electronic age, we must be careful to make sure our older residents don't get left behind," said Department of Elder Affairs Interim Secretary Charles T. Corley. The Department has a goal of enrolling five percent - 10,180 - of those seniors who have not applied for, but are eligible to receive, SNAP/Food Stamps. 5. More Seniors Expected to Apply for SNAP/Food Stamps in Minnesota (Post-Bulletin, September 1, 2010) Minnesota will increase the state's SNAP/Food Stamp income limit, and possibly exclude assets in determining eligibility, which could bring many more senior residents to the program. To qualify currently, a household's gross monthly income can't exceed 130 percent of the federal poverty level. The change will increase the limit to 165 percent of the poverty level. "We've heard they're going to exclude assets" from the qualification process said Ruth Schmidt, income maintenance supervisor for Mower County Human Services. "[W]e're expecting this will affect the elderly more than normal. Elderly people oftentimes have assets that exceed that limit." It's estimated that 178,000 eligible Minnesotans aren't receiving SNAP/Food Stamps, which includes 77 percent of eligible seniors and 30 percent of the working poor. These residents are missing out on $172 million in benefits they're entitled to. Only seven states had fewer eligible people enrolled in the program. 6. Furloughed State Workers in Arizona Work Overtime to Process SNAP/Food Stamp Applications (AZcentral.com, September 2, 2010) Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) workers - the staff that processes SNAP/Food Stamp and other aid applications - worked at overtime rates after a mandatory day off without pay to keep up with the increasing number of applications. "We're caught between the proverbial rock and the proverbial hard place," said agency spokesman Steve Meissner. The agency risks federal fines if their applications are not processed in a timely manner. Although SNAP/Food Stamp applications have doubled in number in the past three years, staff hours have dropped 13 percent. In the state budget, the Arizona Legislature requires six worker furlough days this year and next year. 7. Streamlined Application Helps San Diego Boost SNAP/Food Stamp Participation (North County Times, August 17, 2010) A recent report found that San Diego, California more than doubled the number of residents receiving SNAP/Food Stamps in the past four years. "That appears to be significant progress for which the supervisors and county administrators deserve credit," notes this editorial. San Diego County, known as the urban area with the nation's lowest SNAP/Food Stamp participation, has "taken a well-deserved beating from critics in recent years for a miserly attitude toward getting food stamps in the hands of hungry people." In 2009, the county began an aggressive campaign promoting the benefit, working toward a goal of adding 50,000 children and seniors to the program by 2012. The county also began streamlining the application process through online, phone and mail-in applications. This streamlining process is working, said program administrator Dale Fleming, who said that participation increased 75 percent between July 2008 and July 2010. 8. Overwhelming Numbers of Illinois Residents Apply for Disaster SNAP/Food Stamps in Wake of Storms and Floods (Chicago Tribune, September 1, 2010) Thousands of recent heavy storm and flooding victims seeking disaster SNAP/Food Stamps formed a line, stretching several blocks, starting at the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) Melrose Park office. Many were given a ticket and told to come back the next day since the office was overwhelmed with applicants. The scene was similar at other offices, with people beginning to form lines at 5 a.m. DHS officials said the agency approved $2.4 million in disaster SNAP/Food Stamp aid for more than 5,690 households. President Obama declared Cook, DuPage and five other Illinois counties as federal disaster areas on August 19. Jackie Wilson, a 55-year-old mother of five teens spent hours in line at the Melrose office, but was told to come back the next day. "I was upset because I'd been there since 7 a.m.," said Wilson, who had gone grocery shopping immediately before the storms and floods. Much of the food the bought ended up spoiled when power to her refrigerator and home went out, and she has to "budget shuffle" to fund cleanup and repairs to her flooded basement, while continuing to pay her regular bills. 9. Los Angeles Food Pantries Struggle with Increased Demand (Los Angeles Times, September 2, 2010) Demand for food has been so great at Lutheran Social Services Community Care Center that recently the center posted a sign stating "We're sorry but we ran out of food." It closed until more supplies were delivered the next afternoon. Other area food pantries are feeling similar strains, and have had to reduce the size of food packages or turn people away. Jan Maseda, director of the Lutheran Center, said that signing up more people for SNAP/Food Stamps would ease some of the pressure on food pantries. California has lagged behind the rest of the nation in participation, with fewer than half of its eligible residents receiving the benefit. However, participation has steadily grown in the state since the recession began. 10. New Mexico Schools Lose State Funds for Free Breakfast Programs (Albuquerque Journal, August 28, 2010) Selected New Mexico schools which began receiving state funding in 2005 to offer free breakfast are now having those funds cut. The program targeted high-poverty elementary schools that were low performers in Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind law. Additional schools received state funding each year, with 223 schools statewide receiving funding at the program's peak. Since the recession began, funding from the state has been cut off or reduced, and this year the state program was cut from $3.2 million to $2 million. Funding has been pulled from 22 districts, many of which are small and rural. All of the schools (except one) had made AYP improvements. "We looked at the schools that were making AYP and those were the schools, for the most part, that got cut," said Kris Meurer, an acting assistant secretary at the Public Education Department (PED). Kris Meurer, PED's acting assistant secretary, noted that pulling the funding may lead to AYP backsliding in some schools, but said that PED needed some criteria to make the funding cuts. "My feeling is maybe our kids are performing well because they do have this meal they can have in the morning," said Valerie Brea, principal at Quemado Schools. "It just does not make sense really to punish the schools that are performing by taking away things like nutritional meals." Quemado will continue to serve breakfast (using funds from the school district's strained budget) to its students, who come from a 300-mile radius and face bus rides of up to 90 minutes to get to school. The long day, notes Brea, makes it even more necessary that the students get a good meal. Other schools have had to cut the free breakfast program altogether, meaning that only qualified students will receive free or reduced-price breakfast. 11. Wisconsin to Receive Federal School Breakfast Program Grants (Wisconsin Radio Network, August 19, 2010) Over the next two years, 48 public and private schools in Wisconsin will receive more than $750,000 in federal grants for school breakfast programs. Schools or districts will receive between $1,400 and $41,000, money that is "sorely needed" since the recession has qualified more children for subsidized school meals, noted Jon Janowksi, Director of Advocacy for the Hunger Task Force. Wisconsin's Senator Herb Kohl championed the grants in Congress. The state ranks near the bottom in the number of qualified children receiving school breakfast, and the number of schools serving both breakfast and lunch. Janowski said the state has made gains, however, in the past ten years. 12. Minnesota School District Launches Classroom Breakfast (WKBT, August 29, 2010) Another 12 St. Paul School District schools in Minnesota began offering classroom breakfast when school began on September 7. Through the "Breakfast 2 Go" (B2G) program, students pick up "takeout" breakfasts which they're then able to eat in their classrooms. St. Paul School District Superintendent Valeria S. Silva noted that breakfast is one of the top investments schools can make in their students. Many studies, including one by Minnesota's Department of Education, have found links between students eating breakfast in school and increased math and reading scores, as well as better behavior. 13. Florida School District Starts Universal Breakfast (News-Press, August 24, 2010) Florida's Lee County School District began the new school year by offering free breakfast to all students. A new Florida state law mandates that free breakfast be offered to all students of public schools in which 80 percent or more children are low-income. Lee County extended universal breakfast to all students, although 50 of its schools fall under the 80 percent guideline. The school district won't need to subsidize the cost of the extra free breakfasts from other funds. Wayne Nagy, director of food and nutrition services, said smarter staffing levels and the fact that the system makes its purchases through a statewide food-purchasing group keep costs contained. "We purchase in such large quantities that we're now able to buy food for below 2004 prices, which is phenomenal," said Nagy. 14. More Oakland, Calif. Schools Now Offering Free Breakfast (Inside Bay Area, August 31, 2010) Last school year, about 40 Oakland Unified School District schools offered free breakfast to all students; this year, 94 schools are offering the meal free of charge. More schools will offer "second-chance breakfast," served at 9:30 a.m. to students who did not arrive to school early enough before classes began, and a number of schools are offering breakfast in the classroom. The school district will recover the money ($10,000 last year in paid breakfast funds) for the free breakfasts through increased federal reimbursements. "We decided 'Let's do it because it's the right thing to do," said Jennifer Le-Barre, the district's nutrition services director. 15. Median Wage Stagnant in America for Decades (Financial Times, July 30, 2010) The annual incomes for the bottom 90 percent of Americans have been flat since 1973, only rising 10 percent over the past 37 years. Economists term this "median wage stagnation." During the same period, the top one percent of wage earners saw their salaries triple - chief executives in 1973 earned an average of 26 times the median income; now they earn over 300 times the income. Most economists see this stagnation as "immune to the business cycle." The expansion from January 2002 to December 2007 saw median U.S. household income drop $2,000. This was the first instance of Americans being worse off at the end of an expansion than at the start. America, previously thought of as the best country in which to be poor, can no longer claim that distinction. Americans have a lower chance of swapping a low-income bracket for a higher one than in other almost any other developed country. This is a "slow-burning crisis of American capitalism," as residents realize they have little chance of escaping from the grind of income stagnation. Harvard economist Larry Katz explains the current American situation through the metaphor of an apartment block. "The penthouses at the top keep getting larger and larger. The apartments in the middle are feeling more and more squeezed and the basement has flooded. To round it off, the elevator is no longer working. That broken elevator is what gets people down the most." While incomes stagnate, education costs have soared. The number of Americans paying off more than $20,000 in student loans a decade after graduation nearly doubled since 1990. For Americans currently struggling financially, the impact of wage stagnation followed by the recession has been acute. "It is like continually bailing water out from a sinking boat and then they take your bucket away," said Mark Freeman, who recently escaped home foreclosure through the help of a friendly lawyer. Nobel-Prize winning economist Michael Spence has a "gnawing feeling about the future of America. When people lose the sense of optimism, things tend to get more volatile. The future I fear most for America is Latin American: a grossly unequal society that is prone to wild swings from populism to orthodoxy, which makes sensible government increasingly hard to imagine." However, he is optimistic that America "still retains its most vibrant strength in its still world-beating capacity for technological innovation." 16. Wage Gap Grows in NYC (The New York Times, August 30, 2010) While New York City's recovery from the recession seems to be progressing in Manhattan, outside of that area the economy continues to ravage the city. Only one-fifth of low-income residents, in a July 2010 survey, thought the city's economy was improving. James A. Parrott, chief economist at the Fiscal Policy Institute, analyzed local wage data and found that the city's managerial workers showed a median wage of $990 a week in the first third of 2010, an 11 percent rise in three years. However, the median wage for non-managerial workers was $472, 10.4 percent less than in the first third of 2007. Parrott noted this shows "a worrisome weakening in the ability of less-skilled New York workers to maintain their wage-earning power." About Us: The Food Research and Action Center (www.frac.org) is the leading national organization working for more effective public and private policies to eradicate domestic hunger and undernutrition. Visit our Web site (www.frac.org) to learn more. Click here to unsubscribe from this e-mail.

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

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Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2010 01:31:50 -0500

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

bites Sep. 10/10

US: Egg inspectors failed to raise alarms

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

Two E. coli-related illnesses in MAINE linked to ground beef recall

Reminding CANADIANS of the risks of consuming unpasteurized fruit juice & cider

NEW ZEALAND: Feeding spoiled human food to animals

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US: Egg inspectors failed to raise alarms
10.sep.10
Wall Street Journal
Alicia Mundy, Bill Tomson
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703960004575482091768513872.html
U.S. Department of Agriculture experts found growing sanitary problems including bugs and overflowing trash earlier this year on the Iowa farm at the center of the national egg recall, but didn't notify health authorities, according to government documents and officials.
The problems laid out in USDA daily sanitation reports viewed by The Wall Street Journal underscore the regulatory gaps that may have contributed to delays in discovering salmonella contamination. Tainted eggs sickened at least 1,470 Americans.
Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, recalled 380 million eggs in mid-August, but people likely began getting ill around May 1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The USDA was the only federal body with a regular presence at Wright, but it says it wasn't responsible for safety. USDA graders were at a Wright egg-packing plant seven days a week to oversee designations such as "Grade A" on egg cartons.
The Food and Drug Administration, which has overall responsibility for egg safety but didn't inspect the Wright facility until this August, says it never heard from the USDA about problems such as dirt and mold. The two agencies have a formal understanding about the USDA giving the FDA notice over sanitary issues, but the USDA declined to give details.
The USDA said it didn't give notice because "the conditions at the egg plant packing facilities were routine."
If the USDA notifies the FDA that it has stopped grading due to a health issue, the FDA sends inspectors to the farm, and can ask the farm to stop shipping eggs.
Wright said its farms have maintained USDA approval and it "corrected immediately" any issues raised by the USDA. The company also has said it is working with FDA inspectors and has corrected many of the issues raised by the FDA. The USDA declined to give details.

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US: Investigation update: Multistate outbreak of human Salmonella Enteritidis infections associated with shell eggs
09.sep.10
CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/enteritidis/
Today's Highlights
* From May 1 to August 31, 2010, approximately 1,519 illnesses were reported that are likely to be associated with this outbreak.
* FDA identified Salmonella with PFGE patterns indistinguishable from the outbreak strain in egg farm environmental samples.
* 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.
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 7, 2010, a total of 2,612 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 1,093 total illnesses during this same period. This means there are approximately 1,519 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 5, 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 takes an average of 2 to 3 weeks for Salmonella. 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 are ongoing 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 is nearing completion of initial investigations at both of these firms in Iowa. The investigations involve sampling, records review and looking for 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. The majority of these samples are still undergoing laboratory testing and results are pending. To date, FDA's testing of of seven environmental samples identified Salmonella with PFGE patterns indistinguishable from the outbreak strain. Six of these positive 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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Two E. coli-related illnesses in MAINE linked to ground beef recall
09.sep.10
The Free Press
http://freepressonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=52&SubSectionID=78&ArticleID=8757
The Maine Department of Agriculture and Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) want to remind consumers to check their freezers for products involved in the ground beef recall that was issued by USDA, due to possible Escherichia coli O26 contamination. The ground beef, distributed by Cargill Meat Solutions Corp., of Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, was sold at BJ's Wholesale Club stores in Maine, in Auburn and Portland.
The product subject to recall includes: 42-pound cases of "Ground Beef Fine 90/10," containing three approximately 14-pound chubs each. These products have a "use/freeze by" date of "07/01/10" and an identifying product code of "W69032."
The Maine CDC has identified two adults with a matching strain of E. coli O26. The date of onset of illness for the two patients, who live in Androscoggin and Oxford counties, was July 8 and July 16. Both patients prepared and consumed ground beef. One patient in New York State also matches this strain of E. coli O26. The patient in New York also had exposure to ground beef.

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Reminding CANADIANS of the risks of consuming unpasteurized fruit juice & cider
09.sep.10
CFIA
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/_2010/2010_151-eng.php
OTTAWA -- With the fall harvest season approaching, Health Canada is reminding parents and caregivers that children should not be served unpasteurized apple juice or other unpasteurized products, such as unpasteurized cider, and other fruit juices. Pregnant women, older adults and people with a weakened immune system are also advised against consuming unpasteurized products.
Unpasteurized products can be contaminated with harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can make vulnerable individuals such as children, especially those under the age of six, very ill, and can even lead to death.
It must be noted that the vast majority of juice sold in Canada is safe as it has been pasteurized (treated with heat or ultraviolet light) to kill harmful bacteria. This includes most of the juice sold in refrigerated display cases, juice from concentrate, and all shelf-stable products that are packaged in cans, bottles and juice boxes, which can be found unrefrigerated on grocery store shelves.
Unpasteurized juice products can be found at some farmers' markets, local orchards, cider mills, roadside stands and juice bars. While the risk of becoming seriously ill by consuming unpasteurized juice products is generally low for most adults, the possible danger to vulnerable groups is much greater. This becomes even more of a concern during the harvest season because schools often take students to orchards as part of class field trips.
Symptoms of a food-borne illness such as E. coli infection can include stomach cramps, vomiting, fever and bloody diarrhea and can occur within two to 10 days of consuming contaminated food. People who experience any of these symptoms should contact their doctors immediately.

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NEW ZEALAND: Feeding spoiled human food to animals
10.sep.10
NZFSA
http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/acvm/feeding-spoiled-human-food-to-animals.htm#5722
Food that is no longer considered suitable for human consumption may be considered for feeding to animals. Before that occurs, however, you must comply with the following points:
1. The food must not be spoiled to the point where it may cause the animal to become ill. As a rough guide, if it smells unsavoury or there are obvious visual signs of spoilage (e.g. slime, fuzz) it should not be fed to animals.
2. If the food contains non-food additives, such as colouring and artificial flavouring, it may not be safe for animals to eat. Such foods should be avoided unless it is known that the additives are safe for animals.
3. Any food containing cocoa or chocolate must not be fed to dogs and cats. Chocolate, particularly dark and milk chocolate, will make these animals extremely sick (chocolate contains substances that are toxic to these animals).
4. The food must have all wrappings, tags, labels etc removed before it is presented to animals to eat. Food wrapping can cause animals to become seriously ill.
5. The food must not be in a physical form that may cause injury to the animal when it eats it. Care should be taken with things like bones or small hard pieces of food.
6. Any food that contains meat or meat products from ruminant species must not be fed to ruminants. This means, for example, that food containing beef or lamb products must not be fed to cattle, sheep, goats, alpacas or any other ruminant species.
7. Any food that contains meat or meat products must not be fed to pigs unless it has been heated to 100°C for at least one hour (e.g. via boiling continuously for one hour, stirring frequently).

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