Team Diarrhea to the Rescue

Bill Marler passes on links that reveal that Minnesota's disease investigators appeared to have cracked another salmonella case. Here is coverage from the Star Tribune. The lede:

Minnesota disease investigators once again may have solved the riddle of a nation-wide salmonella outbreak. This time the culprit is peanut butter.

Here is a post from Marler's blog, again highlighting the need for federal and state agencies to work together better and asking the question: Change is coming, right?

DeLauro - salmonella should have jurisdiction of one agency

From the office of Rep. Rosa DeLauro:

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn. -3) issued the following statement on the on-going investigation into a salmonella outbreak that has infected at least 388 people in 42 states since 3 September 2008. Because the source of the outbreak is unknown, it is unclear whether this outbreak falls under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration or the Department of Agriculture.

DeLauro will soon reintroduce, the Food Safety Modernization Act, which would split the FDA into two separate agencies – dividing the food safety responsibilities from the drug and device safety responsibilities.

“A frightening aspect of this salmonella outbreak is the jurisdictional limbo that has been created since the cause of the outbreak has yet to be determined. The involvement of both the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in this investigation is limited right now until the source, and jurisdiction, can be established.

“This jurisdictional limbo is potentially dangerous because it delays the investigation into an outbreak that began over four months ago, and any delays in these critical investigations can sicken more people.

“The scope of this recent salmonella outbreak is a reminder that reforming and modernizing our food safety laws should be a top priority in the new Congress. I look forward to working with my colleagues and the Obama Administration on achieving that goal.”

The Packer Extra - Sept. 2

The Packer Extra: Sept. 2
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Officials report end to salmonella outbreak
The Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that affected more than 1,400 Americans and cost the produce industry millions of dollars is over. Go here for the story:

Organic Chilean grapes could head to U.S.
Chilean grapes could be shipped to the U.S. without methyl bromide fumigation under a proposal from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Go here for the story:


Head of Idaho grower-shipper group retires
SUN VALLEY, Idaho - Dave Smith, 67, retired from the Idaho Falls-based Idaho Grower Shipper Association after 28 years as president. Go here for the story:

U.S. Apple projection shows tight supplies
CHICAGO - With the pipeline empty and demand soaring, U.S. fresh apple marketers were probably praying for a bumper crop this season. Go here for the story:

Del Monte acquires melon growing operations
The addition of two Guatemalan melon growing operations to its production roster should help Del Monte Fresh Produce NA Inc. expand sales. Go here for the story:

Headline roundup - Aug. 29

Snatched from the Web and the discussion group this morning, a select group of headlines:

Concerns remain as salmonella outbreak ends From the LA Times

"Unquestionably, we're relieved," said Tom Nassif, chief executive of the Irvine-based Western Growers Assn., whose members cultivate about half of the nation's produce. "But we don't want this thing swept under the rug. We still have a lot of people out there hurting."

The industry response is estimated to have cost between $130 million and $250 million, and workers who lost jobs and growers who planted a smaller crop this year will continue to feel the aftershocks.

Several produce executives accused the Food and Drug Administration of running a lengthy, uncertain investigation that shifted suspicion from tomatoes to jalapeno and serrano peppers, shattering consumer confidence.

In struggling Cubas, signs of new opportunities Posted by Big Apple

One of Cuban President Raul Castro’s most dramatic recent announcements was that he would allow private farmers access to up to 100 acres of idle government land.The plan is a shift toward private enterprise in the struggling economy on the socialist island.
At one small roadside farm stand on the outskirts of Havana, crisp bunches of lettuce, green beans and okra are piled on a wooden countertop. What is unique, in this case, is that unlike on larger, state-run farms, these growers get to keep the proceeds from their produce.

Fyffes drops most in 20 years as forecast is cut From Bloomberg

Fyffes Plc fell the most in more than two decades in Dublin trading after the Irish tropical-fruit distributor cut its annual profit forecast because of increases in the cost of fruit and shipping, and a stronger dollar.

Fyffes plunged as much as 37 percent after saying that so- called adjusted earnings before interest and tax will drop to between 12 million euros ($17.7 million) and 15 million euros in 2008, from 17.4 million euros last year. The Dublin-based company said in June that earnings on that basis would grow in ``the mid-teens'' in percentage terms.

The banana distributor, the world's fourth-biggest, said higher average selling prices weren't enough to offset ``substantially'' increased expenses. Shipping fuel costs are about 80 percent higher than at the same stage last year, the company said today in a statement. Rival Chiquita Brands International Inc., owner of the namesake banana trademark, in June forecast a third-quarter loss.

Angola elections bring change to farm sector From Reuters:

But if post-civil war elections in Angola end well, the state-owned land Vilomba is working on could soon be sold to major food producers and the expiration date on his small harvest could equally apply to his own way of life.

U.S.-based Dole Food Co, the world's largest fresh fruit and vegetable producer, and Chiquita Brands International, owner of the namesake banana label, are in talks with local authorities to help recover this valley's once prosperous banana industry.

Freezer sales climb as food prices soar From the AP

Once relegated to the dank corners of the basement, shoppers are re-embracing the deep freezer, stashing bulk-sized purchases of meats, fruits and vegetables there as they work to combat rising food prices.

Across the country, shoppers bought more than 1.1 million freezers during the first six months of the year — up more than 7 percent from the same period last year, according to research firm NPD Group.

That rings up to nearly $400 million in freezer sales — a staggering figure compared to the rest of the home appliance sector, where industry data shows shipments are down nearly 8 percent.

And, experts said, it's a trend that's expected to continue at least through much of next year as penny-pinching shoppers buy in bulk to take advantage of deals or bundle grocery shopping trips to conserve gas.

The Packer Extra - Aug. 25

Here are the items from The Packer Extra email newsletter this morning....




FDA finds salmonella at eight U.S. firms
The Food and Drug Administration has completed its first round of sampling produce items found in fresh salsa, and at least eight domestic companies had products that tested positive for salmonella. Go here for the story:
http://www.elabs3.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=ikv,xxf0,4hgn,a0hg,2afx,df8d,kcoe


Industries dispute exclusion of nuts, dried fruit
While representatives of the nut and dried fruit industries are upset that they were excluded from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's fresh fruit and vegetable snack program in the 2008 farm bill, fresh produce industry advocates say those commodities were never intended to be part of the $1 billion initiative. Go here for the story:
http://www.elabs3.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=ikv,xxf0,4hgn,j3za,kh5n,df8d,kcoe



Six L's introduces heirloom-style tomato
A new heirloom-style tomato is making its way to retail shelves. The Vintage Ripe tomato, grown and shipped by Six L's Packing Co. Inc., Immokalee, Fla., hit stores in mid-August in bulk and in four-pack clamshells. Go here for the story:
http://www.elabs3.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=ikv,xxf0,4hgn,9pdf,6gz3,df8d,kcoe


Pineapple yields drop, prices soar
A phenomenon known as natural flowering has put a dent in late summer supplies of pineapples. Prices are up as much as 50% compared to f.o.b.s a year ago, and they could go higher, some importers said. Go here for the story:

http://www.elabs3.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=ikv,xxf0,4hgn,j5wg,bu25,df8d,kcoe



Giant, Stop n' Shop launch changes chainwide
On Aug. 22, customers started seeing traces of the new look for Giant and Stop & Shop supermarkets. A new logo, employee uniforms, redesigned store platforms and new features such as enhanced fresh prepared foods and a "family-friendly" checkout lane are part of changes scheduled to take place . . . Go here for the story:
http://www.elabs3.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=ikv,xxf0,4hgn,l3oc,18rm,df8d,kcoe

Poisoned peppers?

Doug Powell links to a blog post by food safety lawyer Bill Marler that's worth noting. Find it here.

Marler writes on his blog:

What if the great 2008 Tomato, right Pepper, Salmonella Outbreak actually happened this way?

At 10:00 PM last May 30th, on the same day New Mexico asked for help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) with a growing outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul, a foreign Network begin airing a video taken inside a fresh produce distribution center showing workers treating peppers with an unknown liquid. There is a claim that this is a terrorist act.

In the next 15 minutes, every network news operation is playing the video. The broadcast networks break into regular programming to air it, and the cable news stations go nonstop with the video while talking heads dissect it.

Coming on a Friday afternoon on the East Coast, the food terrorism story catches the mainstream Media completely off guard. Other than to say the video is being analyzed by CIA experts, and is presumed to be authentic, there isn’t much coming out of the government.

Far-fetched? Don’t count on it. I have been saying for years that a foodborne illness outbreak will look just like the terrorist act described above, but without the video on FOX News. Far-fetched?

Tell that to the 751 people in Wasco County, Oregon—including 45 who required hospital stays---who in 1984 ate at any one of ten salad bars in town and were poisoned with Salmonella by followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The goal was to make people who were not followers of the cult too sick to vote in county elections.

Tell that to Chile, where in 1989, a shipment of grapes bound for the United States was found laced with cyanide, bringing trade suspension that cost the South American country $200 million. It was very much like a 1970s plot by Palestinian terrorists to inject Israel’s Jaffa oranges with mercury.

Tell that to the 111 people, including 40 children, sickened in May 2003 when a Michigan supermarket employee intentionally tainted 200 pounds of ground beef with an insecticide containing nicotine.

Tell that to Mr. Litvenenko, the Russian spy poisoned in the UK with polonium-laced food.

Tell that to Stanford University researchers who modeled a nightmare scenario where a mere 4 grams of botulinum toxin dropped into a milk production facility could cause serious illness and even death to 400,000 people in the United States.

The reason I bring this up is not only because we are about to mark the seventh anniversary of 9/11, but because I wonder if food terrorism really had been the cause of this year’s Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak, would it have made any difference in our government’s ability to figure out there was an outbreak, to figure out the cause, and to stop it before it sickened so many.

Would the fact of terrorists operating from inside a fresh produce distribution center somewhere inside the United States or Mexico brought more or effective resources to the search for the source of the Salmonella Saintpaul? If credit-taking terrorists were putting poison on our peppers, could we be certain Uncle Sam’s response would have been more robust or effective then if it was just a “regular” food illness outbreak?

Later, Marler writes:

If credit-taking terrorists were putting poison on our peppers, could we be certain that Uncle Sam’s response would be more robust, more effective than if it was just a “regular” food illness outbreak?

Absolutely not! The CDC publicly admits that it manages to count and track only one of every forty foodborne illness victims, and that its inspectors miss key evidence as outbreaks begin. The FDA is on record as referring to themselves as overburdened, underfunded, understaffed, and in possession of no real power to make a difference during recalls, because even Class 1 recalls are “voluntary.” If you are a food manufacturer, packer, or distributor, you are more likely to be hit by lightening than be inspected by the FDA. You are perfectly free to continue to sell and distribute your poisoned product, whether it has been poisoned accidentally or intentionally.

The reality is that the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak is a brutal object lesson in the significant gaps in our ability to track and protect our food supply. We are ill prepared for a crisis, regardless of who poisons us.

Somewhere between the farm and your table, our Uncle Sam got lost.

TK: I personally think the government's response would more more robust in the event of a food terror attack. In fact, the first thing I would do would be to put Jack Bauer on the case ASAP. 24 hours to solve the case, not 24 weeks. Seriously, taking a serious flight of fancy here, wouldn't it be great if Jack Bauer ran traceback investigations for the FDA? Turn off the cameras in the interrogation room, Chloe - Jack has some work to do.

Jack, where are are you?

A Big Bowl of Wrong

As the salmonella saintpaul investigation dragged the tomato industry kicking & screaming into its third month, we entered the theatre of the bizarre in our nation's capital.

The Thursday hearings by the House Agriculture Committee were enlightening, poisoning, mis-informative & important all at the same time. Admittedly, it was insufferingly boring & pedantic at times, but there was no question we were viewing high drama when Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), tomato in hand, lasered in on Dr. David Acheson of the FDA with these words:

"Why can't you clear tomatoes at this time?"

A pregnant pause ensued, then Acheson went into his patented doublespeak, blaming the CDC, the methodology, the geographical logistics, everything except Greenwich Mean Time for not coming up with the jalapeno/serrano pepper connection sooner.

In fact, in the same way that the FDA's planet-aligning breaking news regarding the peppers had come mere hours before Acheson's testimony Wednesday, I was half-expecting a messenger on horseback to break through the doors of the Rayburn building with up-to-the-minute findings to bail out his tail again.

For awhile during Thursday's hearing, Acheson was under the gun to the extent that I almost started to feel sorry for him. Almost. His forehead was full of these horizontal lines, and he looked like he was in the throes of Excedrin headache #459. But my temporary insanity & sympathy ended once and for all when Acheson spoke to reporters after the hearings.

(From AOL News) "I don't think we can say that (tomatoes) were needlessly dumped," Acheson told reporters after the hearing. "The early part of the investigation clearly implicated tomatoes."

'Don't think that they were needlessly dumped'. Think about that one for a minute. That singular statement means that, according to this guy, there was a need to destroy millions of dollars of pristine merchandise just because some flawed statistical analysis by some bureaucrat thousands of miles away thought it the right thing to do, for 'the public good'.

See, that's their out, Acheson's FDA & the CDC & any other government agency lacking the moral DNA to ever admit a mistake. That's always their out, in the same way that Richard Nixon condoned the Watergate coverup under the guise of national security. Without even a scent of responsibility-taking, they threw the industry under the bus as naturally as they breathe.

What these hearings needed was a real live wire, someone not familiar with Robert's Rules of Order, a pure produce guy who went through these weeks of hell on earth, who didn't sleep at night wondering how all this got out of his control. You know, someone possessing the kind of rabid passion that comes from not knowing if he'll have a job when the sun rises the next morning.

Then maybe Dr. Acheson wouldn't have been able to skate so freely after the hearings as he did.

Later,

Jay

New FDA consumer warning

Here is the latest from the FDA this morning....

Laboratory testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has confirmed that both a sample of serrano pepper and a sample of irrigation water collected by agency investigators on a farm in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, contain Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint as the strain of bacteria that is causing the current outbreak in the United States.

As a result, until further notice, the FDA is advising consumers to avoid raw serrano peppers from Mexico, in addition to raw jalapeño peppers from Mexico, and any foods that contain them.

The test results announced today are part of the FDA’s continuing intensive investigation into the outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul. The investigation has involved tracing back, through complex distribution channels, the origins of products associated with clusters of illness in the United States, as well as inspections and evaluation of farms and facilities in this country and in Mexico, and the collection and testing of environmental and product samples. One of these tracebacks led to a packing facility in Mexico, and to a particular farm, where the agency obtained the samples.

Previously, FDA inspectors collected a positive sample of jalapeño pepper from a produce-distribution center owned by Agricola Zaragosa in McAllen, Texas. The FDA continues to work on pinpointing where and how in the supply chain this first positive jalapeño pepper sample became contaminated. It originated from a different farm in Mexico than the positive samples of serrano pepper and irrigation water

Who's up for Rosa

From the office of Rep. Rosa DeLauro this afternoon:


HEARING NOTICE
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies will hold an oversight hearing on food safety that will examine the problems that were highlighted during the recent salmonella outbreak and analyze the critical components that are necessary for an effective food safety system, Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 1:30 PM in room 2362-A of the Rayburn House Office Building. Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) chairs the subcommittee.


WITNESSES

Dr. Stephen Sundlof
Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN)
Food and Drug Administration

Michael R. Taylor
Research Professor for Health Policy
The George Washington University

Jeffrey Levi
Executive Director
Trust for America’s Health

Gibbs Patrick, Jr.
Gibbs Patrick Farms, Inc.
Omega, GA

CBS: Jalapeno warning

New FDA Guidance

Questions that I have about the jalapeno pepper: was it packed in Mexico or shipped in bulk to Texas for repacking? Note this from the firm press release: "The Jalapeno Peppers being recalled were shipped in 35lb. plastic crates and in 50lb. bags with no brand name or label."
No brand name or label? I suppose we can assume that no great amount of traceabilty data can be found on plastic crates and 50-pound bags with no brand name or label. How were the peppers shipped to the U.S. - what were the sanitary conditions of the trucks used?


Updated information from the FDA, posted yesterday:


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that one jalapeno pepper sample is a positive genetic match with the Salmonella Saintpaul strain causing the current Salmonella outbreak.
The positive sample was obtained during an FDA inspection at a produce distribution center in McAllen, Texas. The pepper was grown on a farm in Mexico, however, that does not mean that the pepper was contaminated in Mexico.
The produce distribution center, Agricola Zaragoza, is working with FDA to voluntarily recall jalapeno peppers the company distributed since June 30, 2008.
Since a recall will not immediately remove all potentially contaminated peppers from the food supply, FDA is also asking consumers to avoid eating raw jalapeno peppers or foods made from raw jalapeno peppers until further notice in order to prevent additional cases of illness. This recommendation does not include cooked or pickled jalapeno peppers.
FDA is continuing to advise that people in high risk populations, such as elderly persons, infants and people with impaired immune systems, avoid eating raw serrano peppers or food made from raw serrano peppers until further notice..
Discovery of the positive jalapeno pepper sample was the result of several weeks of investigation by FDA scientists and field staff – including examining traceback data from the locations where there were clusters of food-borne illness, scrutinizing distribution records and collecting environmental samples from water, soil, work surfaces and packing boxes throughout the entire chain of production and distribution.FDA is continuing to investigate the other parts of the distribution chain to determine if there is any evidence that the contamination occurred on the farm in which the pepper was grown or at some other point in the supply chain before the distribution center in McAllen, TX.
According to the CDC, 1,251 persons with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada since April 2008. Investigation of Outbreak of Infections Caused by Salmonella Saintpaul (CDC) [en Español]
Photos of Jalapeno and Serrano Peppers

Also published on the FDA Web site:



Recall -- Firm Press Release
FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.
Agricola Zaragoza, Inc. Recalls Jalapeno Peppers Because of Possible Health Risk
Contact:Raymundo Cavazos956-631-6405
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- June 21, 2008 -- Agricola Zaragoza, Inc. of McAllen, TX is recalling Jalapeno Peppers distributed since June 30th, 2008 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
The Jalapeno Peppers were distributed to customers in GA and TX.
The Jalapeno Peppers being recalled were shipped in 35lb. plastic crates and in 50lb. bags with no brand name or label.
The recall is a result of sampling by FDA, which revealed that these Jalapeno Peppers were contaminated with the same strain of Salmonella Saintpaul responsible for the current Salmonella outbreak. It is unknown at this time which, if any, of the more than 1,200 illnesses reported to date are related to this particular product or to the grower who supplied this product. Distribution of these products has been suspended while FDA, the Texas Department of State Health Services and the company continue their investigation as to the source of the problem.
Consumers and retailers who purchased Jalapeno Peppers should contact their supplier to determine if their products are involved in the recall. Commercial manufacturers that have used these recalled Jalapeno Peppers as an ingredient in other products (i.e. salsas, etc.) are encouraged to contact their local FDA office to determine if these products should be recalled. Additionally, restaurants, retail food stores, and similar retail institutions that have used these Jalapeno Peppers as a garnish or as an ingredient to prepare entrees, salsas or other products are asked to dispose of these products making sure that all such peppers are not inadvertently made available for purchase, salvage or donation and therefore preventing any possibility for human or animal consumption.. Consumers with questions may contact the company at (956)-631-6405.

Harkin - salmonella statement

From the office of Sen. Tom Harkin:

Statement of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA)

National Trace-Back System, Better FDA Techniques
Could Have Identified Salmonella Culprit Sooner

Washington, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), the Chairman of Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today issued the following statement after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified jalapeno peppers as the source of the recent Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Leavitt last week, Harkin said that the outbreak demonstrated the need for better coordination and communication among federal agencies, industry, and the states, as well as a strong trace-back system to determine the source of food-borne illness outbreaks. To view the letter, click here.

“Nearly three months have lapsed since the first case of Salmonella Saintpaul was diagnosed. While the number of cases grew to over 1200 sick people and consumers began questioning the safety of our food supply, it is only now that the FDA has been able to identify the source of contamination. This is far too long for an outbreak to spread unresolved and it is unacceptable for public health, farmers and the food and produce industry.

“It is long past time for the government to take comprehensive steps to improve our response to food-borne illness outbreaks. It is time for a national trace-back system and better FDA techniques, which could have identified the Salmonella culprit sooner.”


TK: Harkin's interpretation of events may be slightly different than the FDA's. Whether the FDA has assigned blame to jalapenos can only be inferred at this point. In any case, traceability moves to the legislative front burner.