Suzanne Schreck | Food Safety News

My Food Stamp Challenge

Suzanne Schreck — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 07:02:27 +0000

As 2012 came to a close, I decided to set what I believed to be an achievable goal for my New Year’s Resolution: to complete one personal “challenge” each month in 2013. For February (yes—the shortest month), I took on the “food stamp challenge,” for two reasons:

To gain a better appreciation for how difficult it is to eat healthfully on a very restrictive budget.
To determine whether the diet I ate during the month would provide the daily recommended intake of nutrients, vitamins and minerals on what some have deemed to be a less-than-adequate budget.

While I always knew I could complete the challenge in any month, February turned out to be a great month in which to complete it because the month is exactly 4 weeks, which helped keep my numbers neat when comparing my weekly nutritional variances. How did I go about it? First, I contacted Claire Lane, Food Security Program Manager for Seattle-based WithinReach, a private nonprofit organization that works with the Washington State Department of Health, Department of Social and Health Services, Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program and other public agencies to connect Washington residents with family resources through public-private partnerships. Claire helpfully explained that although the federal Food Stamp Program was renamed to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2008, not all states refer to food benefits as SNAP benefits. In Washington State, food stamps are now called “basic food benefits.” Claire pointed me to the Washington State Basic Food benefits estimator to help determine my budget for the month. According to this limited tool, a single person in Washington State who makes $800 a month and pays $400 a month in rent is eligible to receive approximately $193 in monthly food benefits. A single person who makes $1,000 pays $400 in rent is eligible to receive approximately $145 in monthly food benefits. A number of factors other than income and housing costs are incorporated into the equation with which families’ SNAP benefits are calculated, but this tool gave me a good starting point. I gave myself a budget of $145, or about $5.15 per day with an understanding that SNAP benefits are not meant to account for a person’s (or family’s) entire food budget—hence the word “supplemental” being the first word in the acronym. Nevertheless, I was determined to use the budget I had given myself to make all food purchases in February and I knew accomplishing that goal would be hard. According to a 2012 Food Research and Action Center report: The [SNAP] program’s most important weakness is that benefits are not adequate to get most families through the whole month, let alone to allow them to buy the foods needed for a quality diet. Benefits are inadequate, in part, because they are based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) impractical Thrifty Food Plan, the lowest cost of USDA’s four food cost plans. The Thrifty Food Plan is USDA’s estimate of what it costs to purchase a minimally adequate diet. I was on a mission to see if my diet on this budget would be nutritionally sound, and planned to use Diet Analysis Plus, a computer program I’d purchased when enrolled in a nutrition class several years ago, to track my food intake and analyze my nutritional profile. Establishing Rules The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) provides food stamp challenge guidelines that I was able to incorporate into my own. Other than sticking to my budget, the three most important rules I established for myself were:

During the challenge, only eat food that you purchase for the project. Do not eat food that you already own (this does not include spices and condiments). If you eat food you already own, you must account for that food in your budget as if you had purchased it during the month of the challenge.
If you attend a potluck or other event and contribute a food-item, you are free to partake of the food others prepare and contribute, as well as your own.
Measure the foods you eat and keep an account of your nutritional profile. Note any nutrient, vitamin or mineral deficiencies and make adjustments to your diet to achieve a well-balanced nutritional profile.

An Exception In mid-February, my sister and I co-hosted a baby shower for our sister-in-law. The shower date had been scheduled for months and I hemmed and hawed over whether to eat at the shower or not. After suffering some angst, I decided to partake in the food at the shower. After all, I was told repeatedly, a person who receives SNAP benefits probably doesn’t hold back from eating food provided at a baby shower. Besides, I was ultimately footing the bill, so it seemed absurd not to eat anything. Next up: Shopping Two days before I started the challenge, I spent about an hour going through my cupboards. I made a spreadsheet with one column titled, “have at the house and plan to use” and another titled, “need.” Foods I had at the house and planned to use included eggs, sugar, butter, flour and yeast (I originally planned to do A LOT of baking during this challenge). Foods I thought I needed included peanut butter, oats, buttermilk, black beans, bread, cheese, apples and bananas. Then, it was off to bargain-shop. Until I started my food stamp challenge, I’d never set foot in a Grocery Outlet, even though one is located just about a mile from my house. I’d heard about the good deals you could get, but don’t think I was quite prepared for just how intimidating a store full of sale items was going to be. After about 2 hours of combing the aisles, entering food-prices into my spreadsheet (for both foods I was purchasing that day and foods I thought I might purchase in the future) as I went, I left with most of the ingredients I’d need to make stuffed peppers, enchiladas and oatmeal pancakes, which would be the mainstays of my diet for the first 2 weeks of February. I spent about another hour going to other stores, picking up a few groceries and writing down the prices of the foods I had at home and was planning to use. The month hadn’t even started and I was down to $87.44 left in my budget. I was a little nervous. Challenge Kick-Off February started off on a Friday, which was significant for me because I typically spend more money on food on the weekends. I had no problems getting through the weekend without cheating or giving up, so by the time Monday rolled around I was feeling pretty good about the foods I’d purchased and prepared as well as where I stood with respect to my budget. I was, however, noticing the symptoms of what I deemed to be a nutritional deficiency. I had developed dark circles under my eyes. After checking the Mayo Clinic and a few other websites and determining that a specific nutrient deficiency probably wasn’t causing the dark circles, I satisfied myself that my problem was a lack of vegetables in my diet. I had survived the weekend mostly by eating fruit, black beans, eggs and oatmeal pancakes and had been avoiding eating vegetables since the only ones I believed I could afford were frozen. I’m not the only person who has encountered this problem. According to another report by the FRAC, in 2011 at least one in ten people (10 percent or more) from 95 Congressional Districts reported that it was not easy to get affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. The rates were worse for households with children: 133 Congressional Districts had rates of at least 10 percent, and 22 had rates of at least 15 percent of respondents who said it was not easy to get affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. Since I didn’t believe I could afford fresh vegetables, it was time to add in some of those frozen vegetables I’d been avoiding cooking. Beyond the dark circles under my eyes, 4 days into the challenge I realized that although I wasn’t hungry, I wasn’t consuming enough calories to maintain my weight. That was fine with me since I wanted to lose a few pounds, but I knew my diet wasn’t sustainable, so I started making adjustments to add both more calories and frozen vegetables into my diet. The dark circles started to disappear within a couple of days. Whether the change in my physiological symptoms was due to the addition of vegetables to my diet or the addition of calories overall, I may never know. My nutritional profile at the end of week 1 was significant for deficiencies in:

Omega-6 fatty acid (15% DRI)
Omega-3 fatty acid (41% DRI)
Vitamin E (26% DRI)

Also notable was that the oatmeal pancake recipe I used calls for 1/8 teaspoon of salt for what I made into 3 servings of 2 pancakes each. Pancakes were the highest contributor to my sodium intake, which was at 145% the daily recommended value in week 1. Incorporating foods to round out my nutritional profile During the second week of February, I incorporated more frozen vegetables into my diet but that addition surprisingly (to me) didn’t make much of a difference in my profile. My diet was still notably deficient in essential fatty acids and Vitamin E, and still high in sodium. Since I hadn’t gone shopping for more food, it was difficult for me to correct those deficiencies. In week 3, I reduced my sodium intake to just barely above the daily recommended intake (104%), which I felt really good about. My Omega-6, Omega-3 and Vitamin E intake remained woefully inadequate since the food I bought on my second “major” shopping trip at the end of week 2 wasn’t chosen well for purposes of reducing or eliminating those deficiencies. I had purchased fresh blueberries, organic eggs, a steak and pork chops. I bought those foods before doing any research into how to boost my Omega-6 and Omega-3 intake, and now know I should have gone about this shopping trip differently. I’m not much of a meat-eater in general, and with 1/3 of my chicken still unused in my freezer, this was quite an excessive shopping trip for me in terms of how much meat I came home with. Looking back (and knowing that the pork chops are still safely stowed in my freezer at beginning of April), I should have bought some fresh vegetables with the money I spent on the steak and pork chops or combined the money I spent on the steak, pork chops, and blueberries to buy some grass-finished beef and get more essential fatty acids into my diet. I still had enough money left in my budget and food in my fridge or cupboards that by the end of week 3 I had $33.79 left to spend and knew I would not go hungry, but again did not shop with boosting my Omega-6, Omega-3 or Vitamin E intake in mind. By the time week 4 rolled around, I was feeling pretty good about where I stood with respect to my budget. I had only $9.57 left for the week, but had a fridge full of food and was committed to saving enough money to pay for a meal out. Since my diet wasn’t changing drastically, I had little hope that I’d be able to round it out in that last week—and didn’t. That’s something I’m making a conscious effort to do now. Where does food safety come into play? We know that a large number of fooborne illnesses can be attributed to foods prepared in homes. Sometimes those foods are fresh fruits and vegetables that are rinsed in running water and eaten raw. It’s hard to prevent foodborne illness from foods that come into your house and don’t undergo a “kill step” before you eat them. During this challenge, my intake of fresh fruits and vegetables was limited. I thoroughly cooked all the frozen vegetables I bought. I cooked the meat products I ate myself, and measured the internal temperature of those foods with a digital thermometer to ensure harmful bacteria were killed before I ate the meat. I also avoided cross-contamination in my kitchen and thoroughly cleaned all surfaces, cutting boards and even my sink after handling raw meat products. I am an obsessive hand-washer in the kitchen. I certainly didn’t expect to fall ill with a foodborne illness in February, but of all months for that to happen in, it would have been the most ironic since it’s the month in which I exercised the most control over the safety of my food—partially because I couldn’t afford many foods that didn’t require a kill-step to eat. The food I ate at potlucks was the only food I didn’t have some hand in preparing, and because it was often fresh, could have been the most risky food I ate all month. Beyond microbial food safety: Sodium When in doubt about the amounts or identities of ingredients used in a food I ate at a potluck, I defaulted to entering in that I had eaten a few slices of Papa Murphy’s pizza. I did this on multiple occasions because I know Papa Murphy’s accepts SNAP benefits cards and because I had planned to buy a pizza at some point if I needed to increase my fat intake. In week 4 of my challenge, I consumed more than my fair share of pizza. I bought a pepperoni pizza for $5 to share with a friend and ate leftovers of that pizza on a couple of occasions in addition to pizza provided for lunch at work one day. My sodium intake spiked to almost 2 times more salt than the daily recommended intake (195%) in week 4. Unsurprisingly, the main source of sodium in my diet during week 4 was pizza. The other main source of sodium in my diet was Chicken Tagine, an amazing Moroccan dish a friend introduced me to. Next time I make it, I’ll reduce the amount of salt I add and will use reduced-sodium stock. What did I learn?

It was possible for me to eat a (mostly) balanced diet and to consume enough calories to maintain my weight by eating only foods SNAP benefits provide. When it was all said and done, I had food leftover and my nutritional profile showed that my diet overall was fairly balanced. However, if I was a 6 foot man instead of a 5 foot, 5 inch woman, or if I was a growing teenage boy, I don’t know that $145 would have been enough to meet all my nutritional needs, let alone my calorie needs, for a month.

It’s hard to make the right choices on a very limited budget, and the amount of time a person has to spend to shop around for bargains is a deterrent to getting the best deals on healthy foods. I own a car, but if I had had to take the bus or borrow someone else’s vehicle to do my shopping, I would have spent significantly less time shopping and probably would have spent more money on certain foods to save myself from having to go from store to store to store. My budget could easily have dwindled if I couldn’t afford either the time or the gas-money to shop at multiple places.

Pizza is an attractive option. I can see how a $5 pizza that would feed a person several meals would become a viable food choice for anyone. It certainly was for me since it provided both cost and time savings, but now knowing how high the sodium content of pizza is, I’m less likely to buy one or over-indulge like I have in the past.

Without the use of a program to track your nutrient intake or symptoms of a deficiency, you may not know when your diet is lacking or what you’re consuming in excess. Claire Lane at Within Reach told me her agency doesn’t offer SNAP-Ed nutrition-focused services, but that her agency refers individuals to organizations that do provide nutrition education services. These services are extremely important when you consider most people have never taken a nutrition class and likely don’t understand which foods provide the best sources of nutrients.

I either need to find a good food-source of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids or I need to start taking supplements to boost my intake of them. The multi-vitamin I take daily will boost the intake of any other nutrients I’m not getting 100% of—like Vitamin E—from food.

Because I completed this challenge over a one-month period, I got tired of eating the food I’d prepared pretty quickly. If I had spent more money at the beginning of the month to make several different meals and frozen them to eat throughout the month, I think I would have been more satisfied with the variety of foods available to me.

A challenge lasting only one month was not a long enough challenge for me to feel I had come anywhere close to “mastering” how to eat on a budget of $145 for a month. I think that I could have improved my diet overall if I had stretched the challenge out over several months. When March started, I had enough food (meat, flour, sugar, olive oil, etc.) left over that I could have afforded to buy some fresh vegetables and probably a few other foods I’d refrained from purchasing in February.

Finally, eating a balanced diet is not rocket science, but it does take a significant effort—no matter what your budget.

Suzanne’s Grilled Portobello Pizzas

Suzanne Schreck — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 01:59:02 +0000

A few friends and I made this recipe one night when we were trying to find something to pair with a really earthy Pinotage. Manchego cheese was a perfect finishing touch that night, but since then I’ve experimented with different toppings–sometimes using more traditional pizza toppings like pepperoni or sausage, other times filling the mushrooms with Caprese salad. Pretty much anything you like on pizza or with mushrooms will work with this recipe. Grilled Portobello Pizzas Ingredients: – 4 portobello mushrooms, caps cleaned with a paper towel (do not wash the mushrooms), stems and gills removed – 1/2 cup yellow squash – 1/2 cup zucchini – 1/2 cup asparagus – 1/2 cup broccoli – 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (I used red and yellow) – 2/3 cup pizza sauce – 1/2 cup cheese of your choice (I used Parmesan) – Olive oil Directions: Heat the grill to medium-high. Chop all vegetables into 1/4- to 1/2- inch pieces and coat them with pizza sauce. When the grill is hot, lightly coat the caps of the mushrooms with olive oil, then place the mushrooms cap-down and grill with the lid down for 3-5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the grill and fill them with toppings. Return them to the top shelf of the grill for 7-10 minutes, then add cheese. Remove from the grill when the cheese is melted. * You can also make these portobello pizzas in the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 350F and follow the directions above. Enjoy!

Suzanne’s Rhubarb Crumble

Suzanne Schreck — Mon, 28 May 2012 05:59:05 +0000

It’s Memorial Day. The last Monday in May is set aside in the U.S. to honor the men and women who have died while serving in the Armed Forces.

But it’s also considered the unofficial start-date for picnics, neighborhood potlucks and backyard barbecues.

We’re taking the day off and because the Food Safety News team is spread out across the country, we’re having our third annual “virtual potluck” for our Memorial Day celebration.

Dan and Helena are bringing the main dishes — slow-cooked barbecue pork sandwiches and Mussels in Wine. James and Cookson are bringing salads — Barley-Is-Boss Salad and Tortellini Pasta Salad. Mary is bringing a side dish — Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce. Suzanne is contributing her Rhubarb Crumble for dessert.

We’re sharing our recipes here, so you can join in our virtual potluck or use them at your next one.

Have a food safe Memorial Day celebration!

The Food Safety News team.

My grandma made the best rhubarb pies. They were straight-up rhubarb–not strawberry-rhubarb–and were my favorite. When she passed away a few years ago, I asked my mom to get a start of her rhubarb plant, and this Mother’s Day I harvested all the rhubarb I could from that plant to make a rhubarb pie for the Food Safety News Memorial Day potluck … Only I got lazy and turned the pie into a crumble.

Rhubarb Crumble

For the filling:

4 cups sliced rhubarb
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

For the topping:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Whipped cream or ice cream (optional)

Heat oven to 375F. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan. Spread the filling in the pan. Mix the ingredients for the topping and sprinkle it over the rhubarb filling. Bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Serve hot or cold, with whipped cream or ice cream.

It’s even good for breakfast!

Note: Anne Dimock apparently feels the same way I do about straight-up rhubarb pie, so the filling for this recipe was inspired by one of hers, which can be found in her book, Humble Pie: Musings on What Lies Beneath the Crust.

An Apology for Tuesday's Technical Difficulties

Suzanne Schreck — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:59:03 +0000

On behalf of everyone at Food Safety News, please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused by the outages we experienced during the past 24 hours.

Beginning shortly before midnight Eastern Time Monday, and continuing for several hours Tuesday, Food Safety News was not available for technical reasons. Late Monday Amazon rebooted selected Amazon Web Services server instances without providing advance notice to our site host or network monitoring service. The result was that our site and its backup were largely unavailable on December 13. The stories posted Tuesday remain on the site, in case you missed them.

We have been notified that Amazon plans to reboot additional server instances over the next 7 days. We’re told Food Safety News should not be impacted.

Our last break in service came last April when Food Safety News was part of the Amazon “cloud crash” that affected many well-known websites, including the Netflix site.

Many of us on the Food Safety News team and our technical service providers spent a sleepless night. We hope this was a one-time event that won’t be repeated.

As always, we welcome your feedback and are grateful for your patience, understanding and support.

Suzanne Schreck
Web Producer

Thanksgiving Potluck: Apple-Blackberry Pies

Suzanne Schreck — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:59:08 +0000

It’s become a tradition — or at least a habit — for Food Safety News to host virtual potlucks on holidays as a way to share our favorite recipes and love of food, and also to take a little break from writing about the potential risks in what we eat.

Always, but especially at Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for the many people who work hard to provide us with fresh, wholesome and safe food.

Just like last year, in addition to the turkey, our virtual Thanksgiving 2011 potluck includes a choice of two soup starters – Gretchen’s Thai Butternut Squash soup and Andy’s Gorgonzola and Celery Soup. Helena has contributed homemade herb chard stuffing., Dan is offering pumpkin applesauce muffins, Alli is bringing herb-roasted winter veggies, Suzanne has made apple-blackberry pies and Cookson has suggested coconut-milk pumpkin pie.

Thank you for reading Food Safety News. Have a happy and food-safe Thanksgiving.

Suzanne’s Apple-Blackberry Mini-Pies

When it comes to Thanksgiving dessert, there’s nothing better than pie. Some of my family members prefer apple. I prefer berry. To satisfy everyone, I decided to do an apple-blackberry combo this year for the Food Safety News potluck. And for an added twist, I made each member of our team an individual mini-pie.

I’ve been doing variations of these mini-pies for a few years now and think these apple-blackberry pies stack up nicely against my favorite – peach (or nectarine)-blueberry pies. Feel free to make up your own combos. They’re fun to make, although they take more time to prep than a normal 8- or 9-inch pie.

Crust:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tablespoons gluten
Up to 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
Water

Combine flour, gluten and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening until the mixture is crumbly. Add enough cold water as you need to form the crust into 8 small balls a little bit larger than golf balls.

Roll the balls of cough out into rough circles and place them in muffin tins. These pies don’t get a top crust, so I leave the extra crust that falls over the edge of the muffin tin unfinished.

Fruit Filling:

2 cups Jonathan apples, cut into small chunks
1/2 to 1 tablespoon lime juice, squired over the cut apples so they don’t turn brown
1 cup blackberries
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2-3 tablespoons butter

Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl and fill the pie crusts. The apples will cook down, so you can mound the fruit a bit and the pies shouldn’t boil over.

Top the pies with thin pats of butter.

Brush milk onto the exposed crust and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the milk.

Bake at 350 for 20 – 25 minutes, until the fruit is cooked and the crust is browned. After removing from the oven, drizzle with honey so the fruit shines. (Admittedly, this works better on peaches or nectarines than on apples.) Serve warm, topped with ice cream or whipped cream. I usually use whipped cream and strategically place it wherever the crust is lacking in aesthetic.

Crumble Topping:

If you prefer a crumble topping instead of no topping, you can combine oats, butter and cinnamon in a ratio of 1/2 c. oats to 1 tablespoon butter to 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon and top your pies. Bake them uncovered for 15 minutes, then loosely cover them with foil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking so the topping doesn’t burn.

Makes 6-8 individual pies that are also excellent for brunch!

Potluck: Cabbage Salsa

Suzanne Schreck — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 08:59:07 +0000

My cousin’s wife introduced our family to this amazing ‘salsa’ recipe a few years ago, and it’s been a hit at every BBQ I’ve been to since I started bringing it as one of my staples. You can serve it with chips or use it as a coleslaw substitute, as a side dish with almost any type of meat or fish.

There’s a lot of chopping involved, so make sure you give yourself time before embarking on this one. It’s best to make the salsa early in the day or even the night before, so all the flavors have a chance to meld.

I err on the side of making the salsa on the spicy side, adding more jalapeno and pepperocinis than the recipe calls for. You can substitute any type of tomato for the Romas as long as they’re not too juicy. I tend to use grape tomatoes partially because I always have them on hand and partially because they have more flavor than most tomatoes I can find in the store.

Without further ado, here’s the recipe for:

Julie’s Homemade Salsa

1/2 head chopped cabbage
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 to 4 pepperocinis, with juice, diced

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Dress, then cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Dressing:

1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Enjoy!

The Food Safety News crew is taking a day off from writing about food to take time to simply enjoy it. In keeping with our holiday tradition, we’re sharing some of our recipes in another virtual potluck: from Suz’s cabbage salsa to Cookson’s squash salad, from Dan’s pasta to Andy’s prawns, from Helena’s ciabatta to Gretchen’s cookie bars. Have a restful Labor Day.

Potluck: Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Suzanne Schreck — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 01:59:05 +0000

It’s become a tradition at Food Safety News to take a break on major holidays by hosting a virtual potluck or picnic, held entirely online for our far-flung staff.

So we’re celebrating Independence Day 2011 by once again sharing our dishes – Mary’s farmers’ market veg dip, Cookson’s garden-fresh potato salad, Suzanne’s Aunt Sandy’s spinach and strawberry salad, Helena’s apricot-rosemary halibut, Andy’s Everyman’s Gumbo, Dan’s Fried Ice Cream Cake Sticks and Gretchen’s coconut berry lime cake.

We’re often asked if writing about foodborne illness makes us reluctant eaters. Far from it. We relish good food and all the healthy choices available. To us, food freedom means the right to spend our grocery dollars with growers and producers who see safe food-handling practices not as an inconvenience or cost, but as a responsibility to protect their customers and the public health, and therefore an essential part of doing business. Independence Day is a good day to think about freedom from fear.

Have a food-safe Fourth of July.

The Food Safety News team

AUNT SANDY’S SPINACH AND STRAWBERRY SALAD

I first had this salad years ago at a party at my aunt’s house. She was kind enough to write the recipe down for me that evening, but it took me years to rediscover. It’s the perfect early summer salad since fresh strawberries are easy to come by. Serve it at BBQs or with any meal and it’s sure to be a hit!

Ingredients

2 large bunches spinach, rinsed and drained (or one bag baby spinach)
2 cups strawberries, sliced
2 to 4 Tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds

Dressing

1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons red onion, minced
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine spinach, strawberries, and sunflower seeds in bowl. Mix dressing in separate container and dress salad immediately before serving.

Enjoy!

Our Apologies: It Was 'The Cloud'

Suzanne Schreck — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 01:59:01 +0000

Yesterday Food Safety News was one of many victims of a failure at Amazon Web Services, or “the cloud.”

What that means for you, our readers, is that our promise to provide timely news coverage of all food safety issues was broken.

What are we doing to rectify the situation?

Food Safety News is improving our ability to respond to a server failure and keep the news coming to your inbox, browser, or smartphone. We’ve established a backup plan, and are in the process of providing a backup to the backup. In the meantime, we’ve been assured that our service will continue as before.

As always, we value your feedback. If you have suggestions for how we can improve Food Safety News, we’re all ears. And remember that we’re open to suggestions for topics you’d like to see us cover.

Again, to all of our readers, some of whom we recently met at the Food Safety Summit in Washington, D.C., our apologies.

Suzanne Schreck
Web Producer

Thanksgiving Potluck: Butternut Squash Dessert

Suzanne Schreck — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 01:59:02 +0000

To celebrate Thanksgiving here at Food Safety News we’re hosting our fourth virtual potluck (we’ve also held virtual picnics on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day).

We’ll be having turkey, of course, and for tips on how to cook a turkey, you can’t beat the Food and Drug Administration’s Keep Food Safe Blog. For instance, did you procrastinators know it’s safe to cook a frozen turkey? It will just take 50 percent longer than a fully thawed turkey. Check out the FDA’s helpful Turkey Roasting Chart and reminders that no matter what method you use — roasting, brining, deep frying or smoking — the bird isn’t safe until it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees (and that goes for the stuffing).

In addition to the turkey, we’ve got two soups–Dan’s lentil and Marijke’s curry kale. Claire has contributed corn pudding, Gretchen made Brussels sprouts, and Helena suggests roasted squash and veggies, Alexa has shared Parmesan-rosemary potatoes and cranberry Waldorf salad. For dessert there’s Michelle’s “that blueberry thing,” a variation on a crisp, and Suzanne is bringing an unusual-but-delicious concoction involving butternut squash and pretzels.

We’re sharing the recipes here, so you can join in our virtual potluck or use them at your next one

Have a happy and food-safe Thanksgiving Day.

The Food Safety News team.

Suzanne’s Butternut Squash Dessert

It’s dessert month at Marler Clark, so I made this on a test-run for our Thanksgiving celebration and got rave reviews. Similar recipes are all over the Internet, but I’ve made a few changes and adding pretzels to the bottom and top crust for a little added crunch and saltiness since I love sweet and savory desserts. One half of the top crust has pretzels added and the other half has pecans added. The only extra ingredient in the bottom crust is pretzels. I also used butternut squash instead of pumpkin this time around.

Crust

– Yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup for topping)
– 3/4 to 1 stick butter, melted
– 1 egg, beaten
– 1/2 cup broken pretzels (optional)

Filling

– 2 to 3 cups pumpkin or squash — Bake the pumpkin or squash at 400 for 30-45 minutes, or until done. Let cool. Skin and puree, then cool.
– 2/3 c. brown sugar

– 3 eggs
– 2/3 c. nonfat evaporated milk
– 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (or you can just mix up some cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg)
– 1/4 tsp. salt (I left it out since I added the pretzels to the crust)

Topping

– Leftover cake mix
– 1/2 c. white sugar
– 1/2 c. chopped pecans or pretzels (optional)
– 1/4 – 1/2 stick butter, cut up in to small chunks with a pastry blender

Instructions

CRUST: Mix well and spread mixture into a greased 9 X 13 baking pan or spring form pan. Pack the mixture down so it’s firm.

FILLING: Mix all ingredients together and spread the filling over the crust.

TOPPING: Mix all topping ingredients and crumble over the filling. Bake at 350 F for 50-60 minutes or until the top is starting to brown. Cool and serve with whipped cream on top. (I suggest checking it after 40 min. to be on the safe side.)

Enjoy!

FDA, US Marshals Seize Creamery’s Cheese

Suzanne Schreck — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 01:59:04 +0000

The Estrella Family Creamery of Montesano, Washington, had a booth at Seattle’s University District farmers market this weekend, but cheese was not on display at the creamery’s stand. Instead, Anthony and Kelli Estrella were showing off current inspection records.

The World Cheese Award-winning dairy recalled a variety of cheeses after the creamery’s products tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes in February. In September the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers that Estrella Family Creamery cheeses put consumers at risk for listeriosis, the illness caused by the ingestion of Listeria bacteria.

On Oct. 22, Kelli Estrella notified the customers that a seizure order had been issued for all the creamery’s cheeses. The following statement was issued on the creamery Website:

“Last night at about 5:30 three cars pulled into the yard with FDA and Federal Marshals, alarming our kids. They posted a seizure order that named all cheeses on the property. This is serious, it could put us out of business.

“I need to write something more lengthy than I have time for right now. But tomorrow we will be at the University District farmer’s market, sadly without cheese. But we’ve invited the media and would love to have our customer’s voices heard. Because we’ve been hearing you voice very strong opinions about wanting the right to choose your food. Please feel free to come and ask questions.”

The FDA and U.S. Marshals have not yet posted information regarding the seizure.

Texas Salmonella Victim Sues Egg Producer

Suzanne Schreck — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 01:59:02 +0000

Wright County Egg, one of two egg companies whose products resulted in over 1,500 Salmonella cases nationwide this year, was sued by another outbreak victim yesterday. The most recent lawsuit, filed by the Seattle-based Marler Clark law firm, was filed in Federal District Court in Iowa yesterday on behalf of a Brookshire, Texas resident.

According to the lawsuit, plaintiff Jim Bussey purchased a breakfast taco containing eggs and sausage in Sealy, Texas, on June 205, 2010. Bussey consumed the taco and later became ill with salmonellosis. He was hospitalized for three days and continues to suffer from ongoing Salmonella-related gastrointestinal issues.

Bussey’s Salmonella infection was later determined to be part of the nationwide outbreak that was ultimately traced to eggs produced by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms.

“Companies that sell food to consumers need to double and triple check their food safety procedures to make sure they’re doing everything they can to prevent foodborne illness,” commented Bussey’s attorney, Bill Marler of Marler Clark.

Marler continued, “What we’re seeing right now in Texas is another company’s failure to prevent consumers from becoming ill with foodborne illness–this time listeriosis.”

On October 20, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) announced that chopped celery was the source of a Listeria outbreak among Texas residents. At least 10 Texans have become ill with listeriosis in the last 8 months; 5 have died as a result of their Listeria infections. Texas DSHS determined that the source of the outbreak was chopped celery sold by Sangar Fresh Cut Produce in San Antonio.

Alfalfa Sprouts Recalled for Salmonella

Suzanne Schreck — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 01:59:07 +0000

Salmonella contamination led to a recall of alfalfa sprouts by Living Foods, Inc. of Ionia, Michigan, this week after one of the company’s retail-size packages of alfalfa sprouts tested positive for Salmonella.

The alfalfa sprouts subject to recall were distributed to retail and food service facilities in Michigan through wholesale produce suppliers.

Products being recalled include the following:

* Four (4) 1-pound bags of alfalfa sprouts, packaged in unlabeled 1-pound plastic bags in a box labeled as Living Foods, Inc. ALFALFA SPROUTS, with a SELL BY DATE of 10/2/2010.

* Five (5) Pound Bulk Container (bag in a box) of alfalfa sprouts labeled as, Living Foods, Inc. ALFALFA SPROUTS, with a SELL BY DATE of 10/2/2010.

* 4-ounce cup alfalfa sprouts labeled as Living Foods, Inc. ALFALFA SPROUTS, with a SELL BY DATE of 10/2/2010. UPC Code: 0 26684 10006 5.

* 4-ounce bag alfalfa sprouts labeled as Living Foods, Inc. ALFALFA SPROUTS, with a SELL BY DATE of 10/2/2010. UPC Code 0 26684 10004 1.

No illnesses have been reported in association with consumption of the alfalfa sprouts.

Consumers who have purchased these products should discard them. Wholesalers and retailers in possession of this product should remove the product from sale and cease distribution.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Michigan Department of Health are working together to determine the source of the Salmonella contamination.

Deli Turkey, Ham, Ground Beef Recalled for E. coli

Suzanne Schreck — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 01:59:06 +0000

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced Friday that the Hamilton Corner Meat Market is recalling all in-store ground beef, in-store sliced deli turkey and in-store sliced ham sold on Sept. 29 for potential E. coli O157:H7 contamination.

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker announced that the meat products being recalled by the meat market, which is located at 1 Hamilton Place, New York, New York, were all sold per order from the meat department and were coded with the date of purchase.

The Hamilton Corner Meat Market voluntarily closed its deli and meat processing sections after laboratory analysis conducted at the New York State Food Lab showed the E. coli contamination on meat samples collected from the market. Food inspectors seized and destroyed all non-prepackaged products in the meat case on Oct. 8.

Commissioner Hooker is urging consumers who purchased the recalled deli turkey, ham, or ground beef from the market to discard the product or to return it to the Hamilton Corner Meat Market.

No illnesses have been reported in association with the consumption of these products.

E. coli

E. coli O157:H7 is the source of an estimated 73,000 illnesses, 2,000 hospitalizations, and 60 deaths in the United States every year.

E. coli infection typically occurs 2 to 4 days after ingestion of E. coli bacteria and is characterized by the sudden onset of abdominal pain and severe cramps, followed within 24 hours by diarrhea. As the diarrheal illness progresses, diarrhea becomes watery and then may become grossly bloody – bloody to the naked eye. Vomiting and fever can sometimes be symptoms.

In most infected individuals, the intestinal illness lasts about a week and resolves without any long-term problems, but about 5 to 10 percent of infected individuals develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe, life-threatening complication of E. coli O157:H7 bacterial infection that can lead to kidney failure and central nervous system impairment.

Haifa Smoked Fish Recalled for Listeria

Suzanne Schreck — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 01:59:05 +0000

D & M Smoked Fish, Inc., which does business as Haifa Smoked Fish, announced this week that the company was recalling specific lots of its Haifa Smoked Fish brand products due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

The recalled products, which were sold in vacuum-packed plastic packaging, were sold between Aug. 10, 2010 and Sept. 3, 2010 to retailers and distributors in greater New York, New Jersey, and areas of Illinois. A sample of fish tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revealed the contamination, which led to enforcement of a previous court order requiring production and distribution of the products to cease.

Listeria is a bacterium that can cause gastrointestinal illness in healthy individuals. If the infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur.

In immune-deficient individuals, Listeria can invade the central nervous system, causing meningitis and/or encephalitis (brain infection). Infected pregnant women ordinarily experience only a mild, flu-like illness; however, infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth.

According to a company press release, the recalled Haifa Smoked Fish products were air-packed in bulk boxes and vacuum-packed in various sized plastic packages including 4 oz., 8 oz., 16 oz., and random weight sizes. Lot numbers appear on the bottom of the gold boards, labels, and/or on bulk boxes.

The recalled lot numbers are: 220; 221; 222; 223; 224; 225; 227; 228; 229; 230; 231; 232; 234; 235; 236; 237; 238; 239; 241; 242; 243 & 244. The following products are subject to recall:

•   Cold Smoked Salmon
•   Cold Smoked Semga
•   Hot Smoked Semga
•   Cold Smoked Butterfish
•   Cold Smoked Butterfish – Salmon
•   Cold Smoked Sprats
•   Cold Smoked Capelin
•   Cold Smoked Sea Bass
•   Cold Smoked Sea Bass & Salmon
•   Hot Smoked Sea Bass
•   Cold Smoked Whitefish
•   Hot Smoked Whitefish
•   Cold Smoked Mackerel
•   Hot Smoked Mackerel Fillets
•   Hot Smoked Mackerel
•   Cold Smoked Turbot
•   Cold Smoked Herring
•   Shmaltz Herring
•   Herring in oil – glass jars
•   Hot Smoked Sable
•   Cold Smoked Rainbow Trout
•   Hot Smoked Gold Brook Trout
•   Cold Smoked Gold Brook Trout
•   Dry Capelin
•   Hot Smoked Lake Trout
•   Hot Smoked Paddle Fish

Consumers who have purchased any of the above lot codes of Haifa Smoked Fish brand products are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Anyone with questions may contact the company at 718-523-8899, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Fridays until 2 p.m. ET.

Campylobacter in New York Traced to Raw Clams

Suzanne Schreck — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 01:59:03 +0000

In an official statement from the Onondaga County Health Department early this week, Health Commissioner Cynthia Morrow said she expected the number of ill people associated with a Campylobacter outbreak associated with Hinerwadel’s Grove clambake restaurant in Syracuse, NY to grow. On Oct. 5, only 7 cases of campylobacteriosis had been associated with the outbreak; now there are 60.

According to WSYR TV, the Campylobacter outbreak has been traced to raw clams served at an event sponsored by the CNY Builders Exchange on Sept. 15. Approximately 3,800 people were in attendance at Hinerwadel’s Grove for the clambake.

In September of 2008 at least 236 people became ill with Campylobacter infections after eating contaminated clams from the Hinerwadel’s Grove restaurant in Clay, New York. Clams were confirmed as the source of the 2008 outbreak as well.

Campylobacter Infection

The incubation period, or time between exposure to Campylobacter jejuni and onset of the first symptom of Campylobacteriosis – the illness caused by ingestion of Campylobacter – is typically two to five days, but onset may occur in as few as two days or as long as 10 days after ingestion of the bacterium. The illness usually lasts no more than one week, but severe cases may persist for up to three weeks, and about 25 percent of individuals experience a relapse of symptoms.

Diarrhea is the most consistent and prominent manifestation of Campylobacter infection and is often bloody. Typical symptoms also include fever, nausea, and vomiting, abdominal pain, headache, and muscle pain. A majority of cases are mild, do not require hospitalization, and are self-limited. However, Campylobacter jejuni infection can be severe and life-threatening. It may cause appendicitis or infect other organs as well as the blood stream. It is estimated that about one in 1,000 cases of Campylobacter infection results in death. Death is more common when other diseases (for example, cancer, liver disease, and immune deficiency diseases) are present.

Long-term consequences and complications can sometimes result from a Campylobacter infection. Some people may develop a rare disease that affects the body’s nervous system following infection. This disease is called Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). It begins several weeks after the diarrheal illness, may last for weeks to months, and often requires intensive care. Full recovery is common but some affected individuals may be left with mild to severe neurological damage. Two therapies, intravenous immunoglobulin infusions and plasma exchange, may improve the rate of recovery in patients with GBS.

Mobile Slaughter Unit Info Session Today in CO

Suzanne Schreck — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 01:59:04 +0000

The Agriculture Department is holding another in its series of mobile slaughter unit information sessions today in Fort Collins, CO as part of its “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative. The session will focus on red meat slaughter.

Mobile slaughter units are self-contained slaughter facilities that can travel from site to site. Regional small livestock producers can take advantage of slaughter services provided through these units at local host farms. Livestock slaughtered at the units include cattle, hogs, sheep and goats.

According to a USDA press release, “The goals of this information session are to educate farmers, ranchers and processors on how to operate mobile slaughter units and meet USDA food safety requirements.”

Inspection issues that are unique to mobile slaughter units will be addressed during the session, which will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. MDT at the Colorado State University Taylor Conference Center.

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Administrator Al Almanza commented, “This information session will educate small producers and processors on establishing mobile slaughter units and how to ensure the safety of the products so that they can receive the USDA federal mark of inspection.”

More mobile slaughter unit resources are available on the USDA Website.

Campylobacter Outbreak Detected in Central NY

Suzanne Schreck — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 01:59:03 +0000

The Onondaga County Health Department and New York State Department of Health announced this week that an uptick in laboratory-confirmed Campylobacter cases has been detected in Central New York state.

According to a health department press release, at least 7 people became ill with campylobacteriosis, the illness caused by the ingestion of Campylobacter bacteria, after eating at Hinerwadel’s Grove clambake facility on September 15, 2010. Commissioner of Health Cynthia Morrow said she expects the number of ill people associated with the outbreak to grow as additional cases are reported.

Public health officials are encouraging anyone who ate at Hinerwadel’s Grove, which is located at 5300 West Taft Road in Syracuse, on or after September 15 and became ill with a gastrointestinal illness to seek treatment from a health care provider and contact the health department at 315-435-6607.

Campylobacteriosis is an infectious disease that is characterized by diarrhea (which is often bloody), abdominal pain, malaise, fever, nausea and vomiting. The severity of the illness caused by the ingestion of Campylobacter bacteria is variable, but usually people who get campylobacteriosis recover completely within 10 days. For a small number of people, Campylobacter infection may result in long-term health problems. For example, Campylobacter infection is the most common cause of a rare disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome that occurs several weeks after the acute diarrheal illness, and may result in permanent paralysis.

The investigation into the source of the Campylobacter outbreak is ongoing. In a statement the Onondaga County Health Department stated that at this time there is no indication of improper food handling at the restaurant.

Wyoming Food Freedom Bill Clears Committee

Suzanne Schreck — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 01:59:03 +0000

Wyoming’s Joint Agriculture Committee decided yesterday to sponsor the hotly contested Wyoming Food Freedom Bill in next year’s legislative session. The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Sue Wallis, R-Recluse, would exempt all “cottage foods”, or foods prepared in home kitchens and sold directly to consumers, from regulation.

Supporters of the bill argue that consumers should be able to purchase food directly from ranchers and farmers without government inspection.

In 2008, Wallis introduced a bill to exempt all cottage foods, including potentially hazardous foods such as dairy products, canned foods, and sauces, from regulation. The bill did not pass through the Legislature, so last year she introduced a modified version of the bill, which exempted only non-hazardous foods, such as jams, cookies, and bread, from regulation.

This second bill passed, and as a result on July 1, 2009 it became legal to sell non-hazardous home-produced foods at roadside stands and farmers markets.

There is some question as to what foods will specifically be regulated under the new bill. According to the Casper Tribune, Joint Agriculture Committee members disagreed on whether the current bill would cover meat and milk products.

Opposition

In January, members of the Wyoming Governor’s Council on Food Safety planned to send letters to Gov. Dave Freudenthal and legislators cautioning against an expansion of the cottage foods exemption.

Opposition to the Wyoming Food Freedom Bill comes not only from the council, but from public health officials, who support the inspection and licensing process because it allows inspectors to help cottage businesses minimize the risk of distributing foods contaminated with foodborne pathogens, which cause foodborne illness.

At a committee hearing this week Robert E. Harrington, director of the Casper-Natrona County Health Department, demonstrated that the majority of foodborne illnesses in Wyoming and other states are linked to poor food handling in unregulated settings.

“Regulation does not guarantee absolute safety,” Harrington said in prepared testimony. “But it REDUCES risks and facilitates traceback vis-à-vis. Exemption guarantees INCREASED risks and impedes traceback.”

More Food Safety Battles to Come

The Joint Agriculture Committee will also sponsor a bill that will allow for “cow-share” agreements in Wyoming. Under a cow-share agreement, a person can purchase a “share” of a cow and therefore the right to a share of the raw cow’s milk produced by the cow.

It is currently illegal to sell raw milk in Wyoming.

UK Will Tackle Foodborne Campylobacter

Suzanne Schreck — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 01:59:02 +0000

About 65 percent of raw chicken in the United Kingdom is contaminated with Campylobacter, a bacteria that sickens about 300,000 people each year, and the UK’s Food Standards Agency has made reducing those levels its top priority, its chief scientist said yesterday.

Andrew Wadge highlighted the FSA’s focus on science-based food safety and its emphasis on reducing foodborne Campylobacter infections as he released the agency’s fourth annual Chief Scientist report.

The report, which covers work from April 2009 to March 2010, “emphasizes the value of working closely with our partners and sharing good information to develop a high quality evidence base, so we can make a real impact on public health problems,” Wadge said.

Focus on Microbial Food Safety and Foodborne Pathogens

Campylobacteriosis is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the UK, causing 80 percent of illnesses associated with the five major pathogens monitored by the FSA. Of the other major pathogens monitored, Clostridium perfringens causes 13 percent, Salmonella causes 7 percent, and E. coli O157 and Listeria monocytogenes cause 0.3 and 0.1 percent, respectively.

Campylobacter causes 21 percent of deaths associated with the five major pathogens, while Listeria causes 35 percent of deaths; Salmonella causes 22 percent; Clostridium perfringens 15 percent; and E. coli 7 percent.

Because poultry is the leading cause of Campylobacter infection, the FSA has implemented a program to work with the entire poultry industry supply chain to identify and develop interventions to prevent Campylobacter contamination in chicken flocks and on carcasses. The agency will also conduct a public education campaign to help consumers understand the risks associated with raw or under-cooked poultry and other foods that have the potential to be contaminated with Campylobacter.

Last year’s FSA annual Chief Scientist report focused on an increase in listeriosis among people over 60. The FSA conducted public education campaigns to inform consumers about the risks associated with the consumption of various food products, particularly chilled, ready-to-eat foods. “The advice was not to use food past its ‘use by’ date, to make sure their fridges are between 0 C and 5 C, and to follow storage instructions on food labels.”

The FSA will use information gained in its research on listeriosis prevention to educate consumers in ways to prevent campylobacteriosis. The focus will be on people’s actual behavior when handling food: the way they handle food rather than their attitudes toward how they believe food should be handled.

Because Listeria is responsible for the highest number of deaths in the UK, the listeriosis education campaign is an ongoing effort by the FSA.

“The Agency is continuing to extend and refine its work to control Listeria monocytogenes. During 2010 we will develop a risk management programme that aims to reduce listeriosis, particularly within high-risk groups, such as people over 60. Central to the programme will be development of a targeted and effective communication strategy to ensure consumers are aware of the risk associated with Listeria and know how to avoid it.”

The FSA will also continue its work with the food supply chain to prevent Listeria contamination.

In addition to reducing illness associated with microbial foodborne contaminants, the FSA is working toward consolidating local food safety inspection rating systems into an overall standard system. “The rating given to each business will reflect the level of compliance with food hygiene legislation found at the time of inspection. There are six different ratings – the top rating means a very good level of compliance. These ratings will be made available via an online search facility, and businesses will be encouraged to display them at their premises.”

Meat Safety

Beyond reducing the risks of Campylobacter and Listeria contamination, the FSA is working to improve its meat inspection system in an effort to move to a more science-based model of inspection. The agency states in the report:

“Official meat controls, particularly post-mortem inspections of meat, are based on a traditional inspection approach that was developed more than a hundred years ago to tackle the public health concerns of that era, such as parasites and defects visible to the naked eye. Today, the main causes of foodborne disease are microbiological, such as Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli, which cannot be tackled using traditional inspection methods.”

The FSA is researching various areas of meat safety to be addressed, including post-mortem inspections, use of inspection data and food chain information, analysis of roles of veterinarians and inspectors, requirements for outdoor pig processing, and ante-mortem inspection of animals and poultry.

Beyond Microbes

The report also includes information about the FSA’s efforts to reduce other contaminants in food, such as acrylamide and furan, which are chemical substances that are naturally produced in food during manufacturing, cooking, packaging and other processing activities.

Other topics covered include nutrition, obesity, food labeling, and the FSA salt campaign as well as information about how the FSA has changed its procedures for commissioning research to support strategic goals; its work to improve science governance in the agency to ensure scientific advisory committee members provide independent scientific advice, and the FSA’s work to monitor and prepare for emerging risks.

The full FSA report can be found on the agency’s Website.

Epidemiologists Search for Source of OK Salmonella

Suzanne Schreck — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 01:59:01 +0000

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) continues to search for the source of a Salmonella outbreak among Mustang Public School students and other Oklahoma residents who became ill with salmonellosis in September.

Laurence Burnsed, an epidemiologist with OSDH, told Food Safety News that as of Oct. 1, 15 individuals had been identified as part of the outbreak. Two of those cases were included in the case-count Friday after interviews were conducted with Mustang elementary school students and their parents.

Burnsed said all cases had an onset of illness between September 2 and 13, and that additional cases could surface through the interview process or through laboratory testing. Thus far, 12 students from 4 Mustang Elementary Schools, which are located in Canadian County; 2 adults from Oklahoma County; and 1 adult from Carter County have been confirmed ill with Salmonella. The serotype, or strain, of Salmonella associated with the outbreak is Java.

As of Oct, 1 the state health department had interviewed 60 people, including 15 cases and 45 non-ill controls, in an attempt to determine which exposures could have led to illness. Burnsed said investigators are still considering all potential sources of illness and that food is not the only suspect source.

Salmonella is a zoonotic disease, or a disease that can be transferred from animals to humans. It can be isolated animals such as chickens, turkeys, pigs, cows, turtles, reptiles, and birds. Salmonella bacteria can be spread through various modes of transmission, including through food and water sources, animal-to-human contact, and person-to-person contact.

In a message to parents posted on the Mustang Public Schools Website, Deputy Superintendent Belinda Rogers stated, “There are many factors that could cause cases of [S]almonella and it’s important to provide as much information as possible. Mustang Public Schools’ Child Nutrition Department has a stellar record, and we want to assure our parents salmonellosis is not necessarily related to food preparation. Salmonella begins with a contaminated product, and we are working diligently with the State Department of Health officials to determine the origin of the cases.”

Editor’s note: Food Safety News learned Oct, 2 that public health officials in Nebraska and Iowa are investigating Salmonella outbreaks that may be linked to the Oklahoma Salmonella outbreak.

Sources of Salmonella

Salmonella is most commonly transmitted through contaminated food or water, and is often associated with the consumption of eggs or poultry products.

The introduction of pasteurization greatly reduced the number of foodborne illness outbreaks associated with milk and other dairy sources; however, the consumption of raw milk and unpasteurized cheeses remains a risk factor for Salmonella infection. Salmonella and other pathogens are shed in the feces of livestock such as cows and goats and can contaminate milk during the milking process.

Fresh fruits and vegetables can become contaminated before or after harvest. Contaminated seeds, irrigation water, and flooding have contributed to Salmonella outbreaks traced to sprouts, lettuce, and other fresh produce. Unpasteurized orange juice has been the source of several Salmonella outbreaks.

Water intended for recreation (e.g., pools, shallow lakes) and for human consumption can also become tainted with Salmonella. When lakes become contaminated with Salmonella, several weeks or months can be required for water quality conditions to improve or return to normal. Proper chlorination resolves Salmonella contamination issues in pools and municipal water systems.

Person-to-person transmission of Salmonella occurs through a fecal-oral route, and is particularly common among infants and young children who have not yet developed hygienic practices conducive to stopping the spread of Salmonella. Other person-to-person transmission of Salmonella has been known to occur between infected individuals and their caregivers, and between infected food handlers and people who consume the food they prepare.

Salmonella

Symptoms of Salmonella infection, or salmonellosis, include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, nausea and/or vomiting. In mild cases diarrhea may be non-bloody, occur several times per day, and not be very voluminous; in severe cases it may be frequent, bloody and/or mucoid, and of high volume.

Fever generally occurs in the 100°F to 102°F (38°C to 39°C) range. Vomiting is less common than diarrhea. Headaches, myalgias (muscle pain), and arthralgias (joint pain) are often reported as well. Whereas the diarrhea typically lasts 24 to 72 hours, patients often report fatigue and other nonspecific symptoms lasting 7 days or longer.

(Source: About-Salmonella.com)

Alfalfa Sprouts Recalled for Salmonella in CA

Suzanne Schreck — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 01:59:07 +0000

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced yesterday that Banner Mountain Alfalfa Sprouts were being recalled for potential Salmonella contamination.

Consumers who have the alfalfa sprouts in their possession should discard them or return them to the place of purchase. The recalled alfalfa sprouts were sold in four-ounce, clear, flexible clamshell plastic containers with green labels. Sell-by dates indicated on the sprout packages ranged from September 7 to October 8, 2010.

According to CDPH, no Salmonella cases have been reported in association with the recalled alfalfa sprouts. Anyone who has consumed the alfalfa sprouts and experiences symptoms of Salmonella infection, including abdominal cramping, fever, and diarrhea, should contact a health care provider.

CDPH encourages consumers who find the sprouts still being sold at retail outlets to call the CDPH toll free complaint hotline at (800) 495-3232.

Ginger Candy Recalled in California for Lead

Suzanne Schreck — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 01:59:07 +0000

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) warned consumers this week not to eat “Ginger Candy” imported from China due to potential lead contamination.

According to a CDPH press release, the candy, which was manufactured by Dai jyoBu in China, and distributed by Anhing Corporation in Los Angeles, contained more than twice the amount of lead that California allows in candy products. California considers candies with lead levels in excess of 0.10 parts per million (ppm) of lead to be contaminated; the Ginger Candy test results revealed 0.25 ppm of lead.

CDPH stated: “‘Ginger Candy is sold in a 8 1/2 inch x 6 inch plastic bag containing six individually wrapped pieces of candy. There is a bright orange border at the top of the package. Chinese characters and ‘Ginger Candy’ appear in the border. The bag is decorated with boxes that alternate between clear and white with blue dots. The bottom of the package shows a large yellow ginger root with green sprouts. There is a character of a winking, black-haired boy on the right-hand side of the package. The word ‘DaiJyoBu’ appears at the boy’s feet.

Anhing Corporation has recalled the candy and is working with distributors and retailers to ensure the product is taken off store shelves. Although there have been no illnesses associated with the consumption of the “Ginger Candy,” anyone who has purchased the candy should discard it immediately.

Consumers who find the brand name “Ginger Candy” for sale are encouraged to call the CDPH Complaint Hotline at 1-800-495-3232. For more information about lead poisoning, contact your county childhood lead poisoning prevention program or public health department. Additional information is available at CDPH’s California Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch: Children at Risk page.

Hagen Promises to Declare More STECs Adulterants

Suzanne Schreck — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 01:59:03 +0000

Less than a week after being confirmed as Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dr. Elisabeth Hagen met yesterday with food safety leaders in a meeting organized by former food safety Under Secretary Dr. Richard Raymond to discuss whether non-O157 shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) strains should be declared adulterants in ground beef.

The meeting was attended by Raymond; nationally recognized food safety advocate Nancy Donley, whose son died after suffering an E. coli O157:H7 infection in 1993; and “meatpacking maverick” John Munsell, who has advocated for improved meat trace-back systems since 2002, when his small meatpacking plant was shut down after E. coli O157:H7 was detected in samples of meat from his plant. The meat was ultimately traced back to a ConAgra plant in Greeley, CO., that has since been sold to JBS Swift. Food safety attorney Bill Marler participated in the meeting by telephone.

During the meeting, Hagen said the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service will take action on declaring more STECs adulterants, but did not specify when or which non-O157 E. coli bacteria would be included in FSIS testing.

Munsell, after the meeting, said he found Hagen to be “remarkably well-informed” given her as-yet short tenure as Under Secretary for Food Safety. He was particularly encouraged by Hagan’s willingness to share “ground-breaking news regarding the agency’s continuing improvement in lab-testing protocol for non-O157 STECs.”

Munsell, in an email, told Food Safety News that Hagan’s candor during the meeting “revealed her courage to traverse difficult terrain. She is one bold leader, precisely what FSIS needs …”

Like E. coli O157:H7, other STECs are found in cattle and get into the beef supply when feces contaminate meat during slaughter and processing. The Shiga toxin produced by these E. coli serogroups causes acute, often bloody, diarrhea in individuals who have ingested STEC bacteria. STEC infection can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening condition that can result from E. coli infection, and can cause kidney failure, central nervous system damage, and other complications in otherwise healthy individuals.

The CDC estimates that non-O157 STECs cause 36,700 illnesses, 1,100 hospitalizations, and 30 deaths annually. Validated tests for four of six non-O157 STECs have been developed.

In October of 2009, Marler petitioned the USDA to declare E. coli O26, O45, O111, O121, O145, and O103–all of which are known to cause human illness–adulterants in beef. FSIS approved an expedited review of the petition this January, stating the agency needed to conduct research and develop data needed to help address outstanding issues, including “the need to develop laboratory capacity to support policy decisions with respect to non-O157:H7 STEC.”

At the time, Marler told Food Safety News he was preparing a letter to the FSIS response to demonstrate the availability of the necessary lab capacity, and asserted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a test specifically designed to detect non-O157:H7 STECs.

In February, Safe Tables Our Priority, or S.T.O.P., called on the USDA to declare non-O157:H7 STECs adulterants in beef. Donley, S.T.O.P.’s president, voiced her concerns that the government was not moving fast enough to address the public health risk posed by non-O157 STECs.

“The USDA and CDC have known for decades of the public health risk posed by non-O157 STEC,” she said.

In 2007 and 2008–under Raymond’s direction–the USDA had public meetings on the issue, but has not yet enacted any prevention-based strategy for non-O157 STECs. Instead, USDA declared that it would first conduct testing of ground beef and components to determine the extent of non-O157 STEC contamination and implement a regulatory program if needed.

“While S.T.O.P. has no objection to conducting a baseline study, we object to holding up declaring these additional E. coli strains as adulterants in beef,” said Donley. “We have been urging USDA for years to enact health-based prevention strategies for these killer strains of E. coli.”

At the August meeting of the International Association for Food Protection, Pina Fratamico, with USDA’s Agricultural Research Station at the University of Georgia in Athens, said that while E. coli O157 infects about 73,000 people annually, the other STECs account for about 37,000 illnesses.

Alex Gill with Health Canada questioned whether, from a diagnostic and treatment approach, it would be better just to focus on STECs, period, and not specific strains.

In an October 2009 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the CDC, the authors recommended “that all stools submitted for routine testing from patients with acute community-acquired diarrhea (regardless of patient age, season of the year, or presence or absence of blood in the stool) be simultaneously cultured for E. coli O157:H7 (O157 STEC) and tested with an assay that detects Shiga toxins to detect non-O157 STEC.”

They state, “The recommendations are intended primarily for clinical laboratories but also are an important reference for health-care providers, public health laboratories, public health authorities, and patients and their advocates.”

In April, retail giant Wal-Mart announced that the company would begin testing for all STECs, not just E. coli O157:H7, in ground beef sold at Wal-Mart stores.

“In light of recent beef recalls, we determined it was prudent to require an additional layer of protection for our customers,” said Frank Yiannas, Wal-Mart’s vice president for food safety. “It’s sincerely about reducing the risk to our customers,” Yiannas told Food Safety News in an interview.

In an August 19 letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the American Meat Institute (AMI) stated that a move by the USDA to declare all STECs adulterants “will result in a regulatory program that will do more harm than good,” and that non-O157 STEC “in beef products may be a reason for potential public health concern, but it is not a public health emergency.”

USDA’s inaction on a petition submitted five years ago by the AMI was also discussed during yesterday’s meeting. In July of 2005, the AMI submitted a petition for carcass irradiation–a process to reduce or eliminate pathogens like E. coli on meat carcasses.

Approval of the AMI’s petition would allow for low-dose e-beam radiation over the surface of chilled carcasses as a processing aid, a process the meat industry favors but that opponents have advocated is an excuse for not cleaning up “the industrial system that delivers feces-covered cattle to the slaughterhouse in the first place.”

At a September 18, 2008 public meeting on the issue, FSIS announced that the petition had “merit,” but no action has been taken in response to the petition. Feedstuffs, an agribusiness newspaper, reported that
Raymond said Hagen agreed that five years was too long to allow a petition to go unanswered, but that she had not indicated a clear action plan for the AMI’s request.

Since 1999, FSIS has permitted the use of ionizing radiation for treating meat, meat byproducts, and certain meat food products so long as labels disclose the product is irradiated, but putting radiation labels on food has not gained consumer acceptance.

Food Safety Advocate Named 2010 Game Changer

Suzanne Schreck — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 01:59:06 +0000

Arianna Huffington announced that she had chosen 100 people in a variety of fields to honor as the Huffington Post’s 2010 Game Changers yesterday. Food safety advocate Barbara Kowalcyk, founder and director of food safety for the Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention (CFI), was honored alongside 9 others in the Huffington Post Food category “for their willingness to look at things and take the risk of saying, ‘I think I have a better way.'”

Kowalcyk, who was featured in the 2009 documentary Food, Inc., became a food safety advocate after losing her 2-year-old son, Kevin, to an E. coli infection in 2001. Since that time she has continued to fight for a safer food supply through her work at CFI and through her service as a member of the National Academies of Science (NAS) Standing Committee on the Use of Public Health Data in FSIS Food Safety Programs. She served as one of the authors of the recent NAS report, Enhancing Food Safety: the Role of the Food and Drug Administration.

“Thank you to Arianna Huffington and The Huffington Post for this honor and for the recognition that when it comes to food safety, the status quo of recalls, illnesses and deaths is not acceptable,” said Kowalcyk in a statement.

Kowalcyk, who was recently awarded the Lennon Ono Grant For Peace, goes up against First Lady Michelle Obama and the 8 other honorees in the Food category in a competition to become the “Ultimate Food Game Changer.”

Mrs. Obama was honored in the Food category for her efforts through the Let’s Move! campaign, which aims to curb the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation. Huffington says, “The First Lady’s commitment to the health of our children is as well-rounded as it is realistic, embracing both smarter eating and physical exercise. Practicing what she preaches, Obama demonstrated the joys of locally-grown produce by planting the first organic garden on White House grounds. And, knowing that having the message be heard is as critical as the message itself, the First Lady even made an appearance as a judge on ‘Iron Chef America.'”

Los Angeles street food vendor Roy Choi, who won Food and Wine magazine’s New Chef of the Year award, and Michel Nischan, an award-winning chef and cookbook writer who is President and CEO of Wholesome Wave Foundation, which has a mission of increasing access to affordable local food, are also up for the Ultimate Food Game Changer award.

Huffington calls Choi the “unofficial godfather of the food truck movement.” Choi recently opened a wheel-less restaurant, Chego, which “churns out cheap and delicious rice bowls and intends to overturn the public perception of fast food.”

She commends Nischan for “showing busy Americans on a budget that sustainable food isn’t just for the rich.” The Wholesome Wave Foundation has worked with community organizations and farmers markets to open up the availability for families to pay for local, sustainable food with food stamps.

Other nominees are Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewery; Anthony Bourdain, host of the “No Reservations” TV show; New York chef Marcus Samuelsson; novelist, screenwriter, and director Nora Ephron; chef and host of “Top Chef,” Tom Colicchio; and Martha Stewart.

Vote for your favorite Food Game Changer on the Huffington Post Food page.

China Working to Improve Food Safety Systems

Suzanne Schreck — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 01:59:01 +0000

Official Chinese media recently reported that the country will pour money into its food monitoring and risk assessment system technologies. This influx of money is meant to improve food safety in accordance with a food safety law that was passed in 2009 in response to the melamine milk scandal.

A report submitted to China’s top legislature this month detailed the government’s initiative to improve the assessment of food and agricultural product safety. Xinhua reported that the Ministry of Health has established 31 food safety monitoring centers at the provincial level and 312 nationally, while the Ministry of Agriculture has expanded its monitoring of agricultural product safety to 259 large- and medium-sized cities.

While the report’s authors acknowledge that food safety monitoring in China is still developing, they state that the Chinese government will increase spending on technology and will introduce other measures to improve monitoring. Just-food.com reports that the Chinese will increase the use of third-party food inspections.

China has ramped up its focus on food safety since the melamine-tainted milk scandal, when at least 6 babies died and 300,000 became ill after they were fed infant formula containing melamine. Manufacturers used melamine to artificially inflate the protein content of milk samples. More recently, mooncakes, shrimp, and tea oil contaminated with various adulterants–even known carcinogens–have raised red flags among Chinese consumers.

Zhong Yaoguang, a professor at the College of Food Science & Technology of Shanghai Ocean University, noted that increased inspections, including those by third-party companies, may not be the answer to improving food safety in China. “These scandals were caused by toxic chemicals…forbidden by the food regulation [and] thus out of the scope of inspection,” he told Just-Food.com. Yaoguang noted that inspections currently focus on excessive use of legal additives.

Earlier this month at least 87 toddlers were hospitalized with gastrointestinal illness after eating what officials believe was tainted yogurt. The investigation into the children’s illness is ongoing.

Just last week, Chinese authorities announced that several people who had eaten crawfish had been diagnosed with Haff disease, an illness caused by the ingestion of biotoxins that can cause kidney failure within 24 hours. At a press conference, officials announced that the crawfish eaten by 23 people with Haff disease was potentially tainted with a powder used to wash them, but that they had not finished the investigation.

Chinese supervision and testing authorities conducted an investigation during which crawfish from several fish farms, wholesale outlets, and restaurants were tested. Banned food additives or chemicals that would cause Haff’s disease were not identified.

Another step for food safety

Food safety leaders from across the globe will convene in Shanghai from Nov. 10-11, for the fourth annual China International Food Safety and Quality Conference and Expo.

“Food is essential, and safety should be a top priority. Food safety is closely related to people’s lives and health, economic development, and social harmony,” says a statement from Vice Premier Li Keqiang, Head of the National Food Safety Commission, on the conference Website. “We must create a food safety system of self-disciplined food companies with integrity, effective government supervision, and broad public support, to improve overall food safety.”

Keqiang was appointed to lead the national Food Safety Commission in response to the melamine milk scandal.

Investigation Into Ontario Outbreak Continues

Suzanne Schreck — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 01:59:05 +0000

Last month, the Porcupine Health Unit announced that it was investigating several reports of Salmonella in the Cochrane district of Ontario. According to recent reports, the investigation into what caused at least 7 people to become ill with salmonellosis is ongoing.

Moose FM reported last week that the source of the Salmonella outbreak has not yet been identified and that the strain of Salmonella had not yet been determined.

In a press release dated Aug. 18, the health unit announced that 2 people who had become ill with Salmonella infections had died. Both had underlying medical conditions and suffered complications of the gastrointestinal illness caused by Salmonella that may have contributed to their deaths.

Area physicians were alerted to the possibility that additional cases could be reported in Cochrane, and inspectors were conducting testing to determine whether all the ill individuals’ infections were from a common source. At the time of the announcement, another Salmonella outbreak had been linked to the consumption of green onions. “However it has been confirmed that one of the isolates is not S. oranienburg–the type of Salmonella infection recently linked to eating green onions and declared as an outbreak by Dr King, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health,” the health unit stated in the press release.

No new cases of Salmonella have been reported in association with the latest outbreak since August 20.

Salmonella

Salmonella is one of the most common enteric (intestinal) infections in the United States. Salmonellosis–the disease caused by Salmonella–is the second most common bacterial foodborne illness after Campylobacter infection. It is estimated that 1.4 million cases of salmonellosis occur each year in the U.S.; 95 percent of those cases are related to foodborne causes.

Approximately 220 of each 1000 cases result in hospitalization and eight of every 1000 cases result in death. About 500 to 1,000 deaths–31 percent of all food-related deaths–are caused by Salmonella infections each year.

Canada: Cowboy Burgers Recalled for E. coli

Suzanne Schreck — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 01:59:07 +0000

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced this week that Leadbetters Foods Inc. is recalling its Leadbetters Cowboy Beef Burgers for potential contamination with E. coli O157:H7.

According to a press release, CFIA is investigating an E. coli outbreak in Ontario that may have been caused by the consumption of the Cowboy Beef Burgers. CFIA stated that it is collaborating with the Ohio Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Health Canada, and other health units in Ontario to investigate the E. coli outbreak.

Leadbetters Foods recalled Leadbetters Cowboy Beef Burgers sold frozen in 2.27 Kg (5 lb) cartons containing 20 X 113.5 gr (4 oz) burgers bearing the UPC 8 73587 00003 5 and code 20169 that were distributed in Ontario on Sept. 8.

E. coli infection is characterized by the sudden onset of abdominal pain and severe cramps, followed within 24 hours by diarrhea. These symptoms typically occur within 2 to 5 days of ingestion of E. coli, but the incubation period, or time between the ingestion of E. coli bacteria and the onset of illness, may be as broad as 1 to 10 days.

As the infection progresses, diarrhea becomes watery and then may become bloody. E. coli symptoms also may include vomiting and fever, although fever is an uncommon symptom.

In about 10 percent of E. coli patients E. coli infection progresses to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication of E. coli infection that is now recognized as the most common cause of acute kidney failure in infants and young children.

For more information about the recalled products, consumers can contact Leadbetters Foods Inc. at 1-705-325-9922 or [email protected]; 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).

Dog Treats Recalled for Salmonella

Suzanne Schreck — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:59:08 +0000

Hartz Mountain Corp. recently announced that it is recalling one lot of Hartz Naturals Real Beef Treats for Dogs because of potential Salmonella contamination.

The dog treats were imported by Hartz, which purchased the dog treats from Bertin S.A., a Brazilian supplier. According to a company press release, “While regular testing conducted by Bertin (prior to shipment to the US) did not detect the presence of Salmonella in any packages of this product, random sample testing conducted by FDA did indicate the presence of Salmonella. Hartz is aggressively investigating the source of the problem.”

Hartz is recalling 74,700 8-oz bags of Hartz Naturals Real Beef Treats

for Dogs, lot code BZ0969101E, UPC number 32700-11519. Anyone who has

purchased these products should check the lot code on the bag to

determine if it is part of the recall.

Salmonella contamination can result in serious gastrointestinal illness in animals and humans. Anyone suffering symptoms of Salmonella infection, including bloody diarrhea, should contact a healthcare provider.

Do not feed dog treats involved in the recall to pets. Discard them.

Consumers can contact Hartz at 1-800-275-1414 at any time with any questions and for information on how to obtain reimbursement for purchased product.

Egg Noodles Recalled for Salmonella Contamination

Suzanne Schreck — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:59:07 +0000

Real Taste Noodle Manufacture of Chicago, IL announced that the company is recalling its “Egg Noodle” product for possible Salmonella contamination because the egg noodles were made with recalled eggs.

The egg noodles subject to recall were distributed to restaurants and grocery wholesalers by pick up or delivery between June 12 and Aug. 25. The noodles were sold in 5-pound bags, with 10 bags per case.

The company has not received any reports of illness associated with its products. According to About-Salmonella.com, symptoms of Salmonella gastroenteritis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting. In mild cases diarrhea may be non-bloody, occur several times per day, and not be very voluminous; in severe cases it may be frequent, bloody and/or mucoid, and of high volume.

Anyone who purchased egg noodles from Real Taste Noodle Manufacture between June and August is encouraged to return noodles that have not been used for full credit. Consumers with questions may contact Real Taste Noodle Manufacture at (312) 738-1893.

FSIS Releases Spanish Language Food Safety Info

Suzanne Schreck — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:59:03 +0000

September is Food Safety Month. Accordingly, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that it has launched Spanish language versions of its Ask Karen (Pregúntele a Karen) service and the FSIS Twitter feed. According to a USDA press release, “These new features are meant to further prevent foodborne illnesses and promote food safety by reaching out to a broader audience of consumers.”

“We are excited to be able to provide America’s Spanish speaking community additional tools to prevent foodborne illness,” said FSIS Administrator Al Almanza.

In addition to launching Spanish language versions of its interactive online offerings, FSIS has translated hundreds of fact sheets and other publications on food safety topics, which are available on the agency’s Website.

Pregúntele a Karen (Ask Karen) is a virtual food safety representative with information for consumers about preventing foodborne illness, safe food handling and storage, and safe preparation of meat, poultry, and egg products. Spanish-speaking consumers can chat live with this food safety representative and obtain food safety information.

The FSIS Twitter feed keeps consumers and other interested communities informed of the latest agency news and events and provides useful food safety tips.

“Now, Spanish-speaking consumers will be able to ask questions and receive immediate safe food handling and consumer food safety education information using Pregúntele a Karen and following us on our Spanish Twitter account,” Almanza added.