Record Recall of Meat from Downer Cattle

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today a Class II recall of more than 143 million pounds of meat produced by Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company of Chino, CA. The recalled meat was produced between February 1, 2006 and February 2, 2008.

The USDA action resulted from an undercover investigation, which was carried out last fall by the Humane Society of the United States and reported on January 30th. The Humane Society investigation revealed that Hallmark/Westland was processing meat from "downer" cattle – cows that were staggering or unable to stand on their own – in contravention of USDA and California regulations. Some of the meat from the slaughtered downer cattle was supplied to school children through USDA's School Lunch Program.

On January 30th, USDA announced the immediate suspension of Hallmark/Westland as a supplier of meat to the School Lunch Program and other federal food and nutrition programs, and initiated its own investigation into the Humane Society's allegations. Today's recall is a result of the USDA investigation.

In classifying this recall as "Class II" rather than "Class I", USDA is signaling that it does not believe the recalled meat to be a significant hazard to human health. Nevertheless, downer cows are known to be more likely to carry human pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7 than ambulatory cows. A study carried out in 2001 and reported in 2003 revealed that downer cows had a more than 3-fold higher chance of carrying E. coli O157:H7 than ambulatory cows.

There are still some important, unanswered questions regarding this scandalous situation:

1. Why did the Humane Society wait until January 30th before releasing the results of their undercover investigation?
2. Has USDA checked any of the recalled meat for E. coli O157:H7 or other pathogens?
3. Where were the USDA inspectors when the downer cattle were being prodded and pushed by employees of Hallmark/Westland?

USDA's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is carrying out its own investigation at the request of the US Secretary of Agriculture. Let's hope that OIG investigation produces some answers – and a more reliable oversight of slaughterhouse procedures.

It's Not Always The Raw Milk

I am not a booster of raw milk. As I have posted in the past (click on the "raw milk" topic to access those posts), drinking raw milk can be a very risky business. But I am the first to acknowledge that pasteurized milk – and dairy products made from pasteurized milk – can also be the source of food-borne disease.

This past week's issue of Eurosurveillance reports on an outbreak of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in Belgium that has been traced to ice cream made from pasteurized milk. Five children contracted HUS and seven other people suffered severe diarrhea. The ice cream was consumed at the farm where it was produced, and at two birthday parties.

Identical strains of E. coli O145 and E. coli O25 were isolated from the leftover ice cream, fecal samples from patients, fecal samples from calves and soiled straw from the farm. Investigators have determined that the milk used to produce the ice cream had been pasteurized correctly, and that none of the victims had come into direct contact with the farm animals.

The report concludes that the most likely cause of the outbreak was cross-contamination, perhaps as a result of a dairy worker having contact with the farm animals and then accidentally transferring the pathogens from the animals to the ice cream.

This outbreak underscores the need for constant vigilance and for attention to proper hygiene and sanitation in all food processing operations, regardless of size. It is also a reminder that pasteurization is just a preventative – not a panacea.

Salmonella Paratyphi in Raw Ahi - Hawaii: An Update

The Hawaii Department of Health has confirmed another case of salmonellosis linked to consumption of raw ahi tuna. The fish was purchased at an Oahu store.

Since October 2007, the state has confirmed 34 cases of Salmonella Paratyphi B infection. While the specific source of the pathogen has not yet been identified, epidemiological investigations point to imported raw tuna.

According to the Hawaii news release, cases of Salmonella Paratyphi B infections linked to eating raw fish have also been reported in California and Colorado.

It would be a wise precaution to refrain from eating sushi and sashimi - at least those varieties made with tuna - until the source of this outbreak has been traced.

Recall Alert - Organic Sesame Seeds

Nutri-Foods, Inc., of Royal Oak, MI has recalled half-pound packages labelled as "Organic Sesame Seeds Natural - Unhulled", due to the risk that they might contain Salmonella. No illnesses have been reported.

The packages of seeds are labeled with a "packed on" date of December 28and were sold at Nutri-foods between December 15, 2007 and January 28, 2008.

The company has suspended production of this item, and consumers are being encouraged to return the product to Nutri-Foods for a full refund.

I find myself wondering whether there is a tie-in between this recall and prior recalls of sesame seeds in the US, Canada and the UK over the past several months.

Home-Canned Tomatoes Linked to Botulism

The International Society for Infectious Diseases reported today that 14 people were hospitalized due to botulism recently in the Yugra district of Russia after participating in a "feast" on February 3rd. One of the victims died. Preliminary investigation results are pointing to home-canned tomatoes as the source of the illness.

This is a reminder that even relatively acid canned foods, such as tomatoes, can be a source of botulism. Boiling temperatures will inactivate the toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum. If you home-can, please reheat the canned food to the boiling point and allow it to simmer for at least 10 minutes before tasting even a tiny amount of the food.

Tasmanian Tummy - An Update

A few days ago, I posted about a Salmonella outbreak in the Australian state of Tasmania. The outbreak, which had claimed at least 75 victims as of February 9th, was linked to sauces made from raw eggs and served in at least one restaurant and at a funeral home.

Now, a local Tasmanian newspaper is reporting that the outbreak has been traced to a single egg supplier, Pitt's Poultry. According to the news article, this is not the first time that Pitt's has been the source of a Salmonella outbreak. Three other outbreaks were traced to this supplier between 2005 and 2007.

The Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water expressed puzzlement at the continuing problems at Pitt's, especially since this supplier has improved its operations since the last spate of outbreaks and now uses industry "best practices".

In response to this latest outbreak, the Tasmanian Department of Health has tightened its regulations for businesses that use raw eggs. The DoH is now requiring such businesses to register with their local council, improve their documentation, and follow specific guidelines for handling and storing eggs.

The Tasmanian authorities have not, to my knowledge, revealed the specific serotype of Salmonella that is responsible for this latest outbreak. Nor have they indicated whether all of the outbreaks traced to Pitt's have been caused by the same strain of Salmonella. It will be interesting to see how this investigation continues to unfold.

Electronic "Nose" For Consumers - Hope or Hype?

Last December, I came across an ad for a product called "SensorfreshQ Freshness Meter". The first paragraph was guaranteed to catch the eye of anyone who has ever stumbled across a forgotten package of food at the back of the refrigerator.

"Is your family's food as fresh as it should be? Never guess again. SensorfreshQ," the ad promised, "easily confirms the freshness of uncooked meat or poultry in less than a minute."

The ad went on to explain that this "revolutionary" hand-held device detect the byproducts of bacterial growth in food, and can distinguish among three freshness categories for raw meat and poultry:

1. meat that is spoiled and should be thrown out immediately,
2. meat that is still OK to use, but which should be used within a day or two, and
3. meat that is still fresh.

Intrigued by these claims, I decided to email the manufacturer and ask what tests had been carried out to validate the reliability of their device. I sent the following email message to Food Quality Sensor International on December 20, 2007.

"I am a food safety microbiologist and am maintaining a food safety blog for consumers. I am intrigued about SensorfreshQ and would like to mention it in my blog - if you have corroborating data that you can share with me.

Specifically, I would be interested in knowing what you have done to validate the sensitivity and specificity of SensorfreshQ readings versus actual or incipient spoilage levels."

I never heard from the company. As a result, I am left wondering. What, if anything, has been done to validate this sleek-looking device? Is the SensorfreshQ any more reliable than the human nose? Is it worth US$89.00, plus the cost of replacement cartridges?

So far, this sounds more like "Hype" than "Hope" but I could be wrong. I'll let you know if I ever receive a reply to my email of last December.

Keeping Things In Perspective

While those of us in the developed world lament the shortcomings of our food processing industry and government regulatory bodies, it's instructive from time to time to look at the problems endemic in some of the less fortunate regions of the world.

Yesterday, the International Society for Infectious Diseases published an update on the incidence of cholera, dysentery and diarrhea. Here's a summary of the latest tally.

• Nigeria. More than 60 children died from cholera in Cross River state in late January. The children, who were all between the ages of 1 and 2 years, were infected as a result of drinking untreated water due to a lack of safe drinking water.
• Uganda. A cholera outbreak has been reported in the Kampala district. Six people have been diagnosed so far.
• Angola. A cholera epidemic is winding down in Luanda after the government banned consumption of fish from a contaminated lagoon and distributed clean drinking water. The number of new cases reported for the week of January 28th declined to 30 from 37 the week before.
• Congo. An outbreak of cholera has been in progress in the province of Katanga since September 2007. This epidemic has claimed 97 people so far, out of a total of 4029 confirmed cases.
• Mozambique. Severe flooding in the city of Tete has provoked an epidemic of diarrhea due to contaminated water. The outbreak has affected 835 people – 64 fatally – since the beginning of the year.
• Papua-New Guinea. An outbreak of dysentery in a high school has been blamed on contaminated drinking water.
• India. A four-year old child was diagnosed with cholera. The child was treated in hospital and released.

Diseases such as cholera, diarrhea and dysentery are "diseases of disaster". They are endemic in areas where sanitation is poor and safe drinking water is difficult to procure. Natural or man-maid disasters often are the triggers that permit these diseases to explode into epidemics. Helping underdeveloped countries to acquire a safe, reliable drinking water supply is probably the single most important contribution that the developed world can make towards improving public health in the "Third World".

Veggie Booty Update

Attorney and fellow blogger Bill Marler has posted an update on last year's Veggie Booty Salmonella outbreak investigation.

According to a report issued by the New York Department of Health, the Veggie Booty snacks (produced by Roberts American Gourmet), which were responsible for 83 cases of salmonellosis in more than 20 states, contained at least five different Salmonella serotypes as well as another pathogen - Enterobacter sakazakii. Samples of a seasoning blend used to coat the snacks also tested positive for Salmonella.

Thirteen out of 61 bags of snacks tested nationwide were confirmed to be contaminated with Salmonella. This astonishingly high contamination rate, and the presence of multiple serotypes of Salmonella in this product, indicates to me that there was a major breakdown in the company's food safety control procedures.

The New York State report, which can be downloaded from Bill Marler's web site, doesn't address the origins of the contamination beyond saying that preliminary indications pointed to a blended seasoning that was used to coat the snacks. Nor does it mention the country of origin of the seasoning or its components. The FDA and CDC have not yet published their final reports. Let's hope that they will be able to inform us of the source of the contaminated products.

The Great Myanmar Watermelon Caper

One precaution that we were very careful to follow throughout our entire Southeast Asia tour was to avoid eating any fruit that had not been peeled by one of us. This was difficult, as the usual dessert offered in most of the restaurants was cut fruit - especially, luscious-looking papaya and watermelon. Inevitably, this resulted in a craving for watermelon, which was in season and on display in every Myanmar food market.

While we were walking through the Mandalay food market with our guide, Michael spied a display of watermelons stacked neatly at a booth. He decided that – by hook or by crook – we were going to enjoy some watermelon. With the help of our Mandalay guide, he purchased a watermelon (for the equivalent of US$1.00). Next, we needed to figure out how to enjoy this dirt-encrusted treasure.

We returned to our hotel, the Mandalay Hill Resort, and asked the receptionist whether their restaurant would be able to wash the watermelon for us (using bottled water, of course), and slice it at our table so that we could be certain how it had been handled. The receptionist agreed readily, and offered to hold the watermelon at the desk until we came down to dinner (more about that dinner in another post). We thanked her and our guide for their assistance in our quest and headed up to our room to relax before dinner.

Within five minutes of arriving in our hotel room, we received a call from the reception desk. The clerk informed us that the restaurant manager had refused to serve our watermelon to us because it was "food from outside".

The following morning, we reclaimed our watermelon from the reception desk, and left for Maymyo with our guide. Maymyo is a small mountain resort town about 40 miles from Mandalay and was quite popular with the British during the height of their Empire. Our guide offered to babysit the watermelon (it spent the drive nestled at his feet), and said that he would arrange for our hotel in Maymyo – the Kandawgyi Hill Resort – to help us.

The management of the inn was very accommodating, and agreed to assist in Operation Watermelon.

This is the inn where the watermelon caper attained its grand climax.

That night, after we had finished our main course at dinner, the maitre d' arrived with our freshly-bathed watermelon.



The first order of business was to complete the clean-up by drying the melon.

With the patient properly "prepped" for surgery, it was time for the first incision.

The surgery was successful...

... and the patient was delicious.

There were two other tables filled with diners in the Inn's restaurant that evening. Everyone received a share of our "certified clean and safe" watermelon.

Clallam Bay, WA Water Restrictions Lifted

Residents of Clallam Bay, WA will be relieved to learn that their tap water is once more safe to drink.

The Washington State Department of Health had issued a precautionary "bottled water advisory" on February 5th, following the discovery of a broken eight-inch water main. Repairs to the water main have been completed, the system has undergone disinfection, the water has been tested, and the reservoirs are full once more.

The Department of Health lifted the advisory earlier today.

Dunkin' Donuts - Thai Style: A Follow-up

One of the first reports I published on our Southeast Asia travels concerned our visit to a Dunkin' Donuts location in Bangkok, Thailand. Some of you might recall my description of the coffee cream dispenser, and the instructions for preparing a croissant sandwich.

I emailed the Dunkin' Donuts US customer service department to advise them of my blog posts. I am delighted to report that my email was forwarded to Mr. Nadim Salhani, the Group General Manager of Golden Donuts (Thailand). I received the following message from Mr. Salhani by email this morning:

Dear Mrs Entis,

Many thanks for the comments in regards to our Dunkin store at Siam Square well received, and on behalf of Golden Donuts (Thailand), I sincerely apologize for this unfortunate incident that must have spoiled yours and your husband day.

The experience you had is not acceptable and it is very clear we did not keep our standards were it should be. This shows we have failed to train our people on proper hygienic conduct.

I want to make sure this does not happen again and therefore will be conducting special training sessions within this week to discuss and revise our hygiene and sanitation standards with our operations team. The plastic cup will have to go, and maybe we should try to improve English communication in the stores that service to more foreign customers.

Thank you once again for bringing this issue to our attention. I know the damage is already done and unfortunately the scar remains, but I would like you to know that we will be taking the proper corrections in order to offer the customer experience we strive for at Dunkin Donuts.

Yours sincerely
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nadim Xavier Salhani
Group Managing Director
Abp Cafe (Thailand) - www.aubonpainthailand.com
Golden Donuts (Thailand) - www.dunkindonuts.com
Golden Food Services
209/1 K Tower B, 25th Floor. Sukhumvit road No.21. Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel: +66 2261 5354, Fax: +66 2261 5360

A tip of the hat to Dunkin' Donuts in the US for forwarding my email, and to Mr. Salhani for his prompt and substantive response.

Malaysian Malaise

Lest you conclude that food poisoning outbreaks are phenomena that are limited to the "developed world", the New Straits Times Online edition reported today that 18 students in residence at the SMK Seri Nering school suffered from nausea, vomiting and diarrhea after eating their porridge.

The students were taken to a local hospital as a precaution, and released after receiving out-patient treatment.

Unlike Oliver Twist, these students must be saying "Please, sir. I want NO MORE."

Why I Don't Eat Sushi - Or Sashimi

Choyce Products of Honolulu, HI is recalling almost 5,500 pounds of yellowfish tuna ("ahi"), according to a notice released yesterday by the FDA. This recall is the result of an investigation led by Hawaii's state epidemiologist, Dr. Paul Effler, who linked the a recent outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B to the consumption of raw ahi.

The Choyce tuna that has been recalled has not been confirmed as the source of the outbreak, but was found to be contaminated with Salmonella Paratyphi B when it was sampled as part of the outbreak investigation.

To date, 33 people have been confirmed to have suffered from food poisoning due to infection with the outbreak strain since October.

Strangely, the Hawaii Department of Health web site has been completely silent on this outbreak investigation. Until yesterday, when FDA issued its own press release, the only sources of information for consumers have been newspaper articles and bloggers.

Myanmar Food Processing: Snake Fish

We saw a lot of similarities in the cuisines of the four countries we visited on our Southeast Asian travels. But each country also had its own special foods. One food that we saw for sale in many Myanmar markets was dried snake fish.

The name "snake fish" refers to the appearance of the dried fish, not the species. The fish attains its unique shape from the way in which its processors gut, clean and spread it for drying. Here, in brief, is how the fish was prepared and processed at a roadside outdoor "factory".

The freshly-caught fish is delivered in burlap sacks. The sacks are weighed and then cut open.

The contents of the sack are dumped onto a mat on the ground, and the fish are allowed to writhe for a while as onlookers watch from a local bus.

The fish are then scaled, cut open, cleaned and gutted and spread out on woven to dry in the sun.

Some of the finished product is available for sale at the "factory store". The rest is shipped to local markets.

For the record: After watching the local villagers walking barefoot on the drying mats, we decided to forego a taste of this local delicacy.

Tasmanian Tummy - The New Delhi Belly?

On January 31st, Dr. Roscoe Taylor, the public health director for the Australian state of Tasmania, announced that his agency was in the process of investigating an outbreak of Salmonella gastroenteritis.

The outbreak, which had claimed 27 victims by then, had been tied to catered food served at several functions. By February 2nd, the toll had climbed to 56 victims, some of whom had eaten catered food while attending two separate funerals at a funeral home. At least three of the victims were sick enough to have needed hospitalization.

The number of victims has since grown to at least 75 - and possible 120 - people, and epidemiological studies have revealed a probable culprit - one or more sauces made from raw eggs.

Raw eggs have become a political hot potato in Tasmania's state parliament. Tasmanian Green Party MP, Nick McKim, has been excoriating Primary Industries Minister David Llewellyn over his department's ineffectual efforts at protecting the public's health. McKim has suggested that a conflict of interest exists within the Primary Industries Department, and that the state's public health department should be handed food safety regulatory responsibility for the agricultural sector.

The Tasmanian regulatory situation sounds very similar to the situation in the United States, where the US Department of Agriculture, together with the 50 State Departments of Agriculture, are responsible both for promoting US agricultural products and for regulating meat, poultry and egg processors.

Conflicts of interest are frowned upon in most other situations, including government agencies and advisory boards. Why do we continue to allow this flagrant conflict of interest to taint our food safety system?

New Era Expands Recall Again

FDA has just alerted consumers to another expansion of the New Era Canning Company recall.

For those who missed the earlier notices, since December 21st, New Era has been recalling an ever-increasing number of production lots and brand names of its institutional-sized cans of peas and bean, due to a potential risk of Clostridium botulinum contamination.

Please see the FDA "Hot Topics" web page for up-to-date details on the recalled products.

Clostridium botulinum grows in the absence of oxygen, making it especially liable to develop in underprocessed canned foods. The microbe produces a potentially-deadly neurotoxin. Symptoms of Clostridium botulinum food poisoning, or "botulism" can include muscle weakness, vertigo, double vision, and difficult in speaking, swallowing and breathing. If untreated, botulism is a potentially fatal disease. Treatment consists usually of supportive care, including mechanical breathing assistance.

Williams-Sonoma Recall Notice

Thanks to "Anonymous", who posted this link in a comment to one of my previous blogs, we can now access the Williams-Sonoma recall notice for Olivier's Parmesan and Asiago Dip.

I have to wonder, though, why Williams-Sonoma buried this recall in the "Recipes" section of their web site.

Laos - Elephants and Other Animals

We spent a day in the Laotian back country outside of Luang Prabang, where we visited a village and an elephant camp.

Unlike the situation in the United States, Canada and much of the "developed" world, food animals in Southeast Asia are raised close to home.

This family of pigs appeared to be quite contented with their lot in life.

Little did they dream that a Phosy Market stall might be their next destination.

Poultry is always "free-range" – never cooped up in close quarters.

But this rooster didn't realize that his feet could end up on someone's dinner table.

Of the animals that we met on this trip, the elephants had the least to worry about. Rescued from their work in the teak forests of northern Laos, the elephants are well cared for. They are bathed daily and allowed to graze to their hearts' content. Their only job is to give rides to the occasional tourists and pose for photographs.

We probably felt like a couple of fleas on this beauty's back.

These beasts go "bananas" over their fruit snacks.

This 3-year old baby elephant thought our camera was a treat. He wanted MORE!

If you, like this elephant, want MORE, just enable the "subscribe" option at the bottom of the blog page and you will receive updates of our Southeast Asian adventures and other blog posts automatically.

Oregon Beach Advisories Lifted

Intrepid swimmers on the Oregon coast will be pleased to hear that the health advisories for Umpqua Beach and Nye Beach have been lifted.