Foster Farms issued a recall for chicken part products produced from March 7 to March 11 with sell by dates that range from March 7 to March 31st. Most of this chicken will have already been used unless it was frozen. The recall was issued due to the positive link of a Salmonella Heidelberg illness on June 23, 2014, that was associated with the consumption of a boneless skinless chicken breast product in California with an illness onset date of May 5, 2014.
CDC reports that as of July 2, 2014,a total of 621 persons infected with seven outbreak strains of Salmonella Heidelberg have been reported from 29 states and Puerto Rico, since March 1, 2013. 36% have required hospitalization.
FSIS News Release
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2014/recall-044-2014-release
California Firm Recalls Chicken Products Due to Possible Salmonella Heidelberg Contamination
Class I Recall 044-2014
Health Risk: High Jul 4, 2014
Congressional and Public Affairs
Adam Tarr (202) 870-0810 or (202) 720-9113
EDITOR’S NOTE: The release is being reissued July 4 to update the distribution, production dates, and “Use or Freeze by” and “Best by” date ranges, as well as to provide an updated product list.
WASHINGTON, July 4, 2014 – Foster Farms, a Livingston, Calif., based establishment, is recalling an undetermined amount of chicken products that may be contaminated with a particular strain of Salmonella Heidelberg, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. FSIS requested Foster Farms conduct this recall because this product is known to be associated with a specific illness.
The recalled product includes fresh chicken products sold by retailers under Foster Farms or private label brand names, with varying “use or freeze by”dates ranging from March 16 through March 31, 2014, and frozen Sunland Chicken products with “best by” dates from March 7 through March 11, 2015. The products subject to recall bear the establishment number “P6137,” P6137A” or “P7632” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The chicken products were produced from March 7 through March 13, 2014. These products were shipped to Costco, Foodmaxx, Kroger, Safeway and other retail stores and distribution centers in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The list of products subject to recall can be accessed here. We will continue to update the list as more information is available. FSIS and the company want the public to be aware that the products are most likely no longer available for purchase, but may be in consumers’ freezers.
Showing posts with label poultry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poultry. Show all posts
Monday, July 7, 2014
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Superbugs, Antibiotic Resistance, and Foster Farms Chickens
The term “Superbug”, a label coined by the US media, refers to those bacteria that cause serious disease in humans. Infections from these pathogens are difficult to treat in that those organisms have resistance to a number of commonly used antibiotics (multi-antibiotic resistance). Every time the discussion of superbugs comes up, people immediately identify food as the/a major issue. Primarily they identify meat and poultry as a source in the development and dissemination of superbugs. While there are antibiotic resistant bacteria associated with meat and poultry, the following facts should help clarify some of the myths associated with multi-drug resistant pathogens.
- According to the CDC, the most important source of antibiotic resistant organisms is in hospitals. Along with this, is the over prescribing of antibiotics to people by doctors.
- The use of antibiotics in animals is regulated - the administration of those drugs if limited to prevention and control of illness in the herd or flock, and that administration provides sufficient time so that there are no residues in the meat at the time of slaughter. The use of antibiotics for growth is not permitted.
- The classes of antibiotics used in animals are generally different than those used in people.
- Having antibiotic resistance does not necessarily mean an organism is a superbug - many organisms can have resistance to antibiotics and not cause illness, or in other cases, pathogens can have resistance to antibiotics that are not normally used to treat human illness.
- Many bacteria have naturally occurring antibiotic resistance, so to have raw meat or poultry with no antibiotic resistance microorganisms is impossible.
- If people properly handle and prepare / cook meat, they will eliminate all potential pathogens that may be present. Antibiotic resistance does not give organisms the ability to survive proper cooking or cleaning.
Now this is not to say that people can’t get ill from multi-antibiotic resistant pathogens. There has been the ongoing case of Foster Farms chicken in California that had been a source of severe illness. Some product was recalled – that was product that was cooked at a Costco store and then most likely mishandled leading to cross contamination. Foster Farms, the producer of the chicken, has what appears to be an on-going issue with consumers getting ill from the raw chicken parts that are purchased by consumers through retail stores. While USDA has worked with the facility to put in an action plan, it did not force the company to issue a recall.
Much of the debate is whether Salmonella should be considered an adulterant. To this point in time, it is not considered an adulterant provided the company has safe handling instructions labeled on the product, and the company is following standard accepted practices. But will consumers properly handle and cook poultry?
There is a push to make those multi-antibiotic resistant strains of Salmonella an adulterant, but this is a slippery slope. Not all multi-antibiotic strains are responsible for making people ill. In fact, the Salmonella strain in the Foster Farms case have antibiotic resistance to antibiotics that are rarely used to treat people for salmonellosis. So what can the science support? What is practical, considering that Salmonella has been associated with birds much longer than modern man has been around?
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Chick-fil-A plans to only use antibiotic free chickens
NEW YORK TIMESBusiness Day
Chick-fil-A Commits to Stop Sales of Poultry Raised With Antibiotics
By STEPHANIE STROMFEB. 11, 2014
Chick-fil-A said on Tuesday that within five years it would no longer sell products containing meat from chickens raised with antibiotics.
The company said consumer demand was responsible for the change. “We have an ongoing process of constantly monitoring what our consumers prefer in terms of health and nutrition and what’s in our food, and this issue surfaced as the No. 1 issue for our customers,” said Tim Tassopoulos, executive vice president for operations at Chick-fil-A.
A growing number of restaurant chains, including Chipotle and Panera Bread, have made commitments to serve meat only from animals raised without antibiotics, and consumers have responded enthusiastically.
The trend exemplified what Daymon Worldwide, a consulting firm that works with the food industry and others, has identified as “free-from,” a quest among consumers for pure and simple products, free of preservatives, highly processed ingredients and anything artificial.
Subway announced last week that it would eliminate azodicarbonamide, a chemical that commercial bakers use to increase the strength and pliancy of dough, but, as noted by the consumer crusader Vani Hari, is also used for the same purposes in yoga mats and shoe soles.
And on Tuesday, Kraft said it was taking sorbic acid, an artificial preservative that had come under attack by consumers, out of some individually wrapped cheese slices.
Those were among dozens of product changes announced by major food companies in the last year. “All of this is makes for great P.R., but it doesn’t mean the products are necessarily any more nutritious,” said Michele Simon, a public health lawyer who writes the blog eatdrinkpolitics.com
Ms. Simon said that Chick-fil-A’s decision was different because antibiotic resistance is such an important issue. “This doesn’t make fried chicken nuggets good for you, but given the public health crisis caused by the practice of giving animals antibiotics, I think this is an important decision,” she said.
Concern is growing among public health officials about the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Last fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the first time quantified the toll such resistance is taking, estimating that at least two million Americans fall ill and at least 23,000 die from it each year.
The C.D.C. report said that “much of antibiotic use in animals is unnecessary and inappropriate and makes everyone less safe.” Then in December, the Food and Drug Administration announced a plan to curtail the use of antibiotics in animals.
Meat producers use antibiotics to prevent sickness in animals that are raised in close quarters in industrial farming operations. Chickens are treated, for example, with a small dose of gentamicin while still in ovo in an effort to prevent infection through a tiny hole made when the egg is administered a drug that prevents Marek’s disease and infectious bursal disease, highly infectious viral diseases that can wipe out flocks.
Antibiotics also are incorporated into feed commonly used by large producers to help animals grow faster and use feed more efficiently.
But producers are aware of the consumer demand for antibiotic-free meat. Bell & Evans, a smaller producer, has worked with its feed supplier to incorporate oregano into the kibble it feeds its chickens to act as a replacement for antibiotics, and Tyson last year started a line of chicken marketed under the label NatureRaised Farm, which is raised cage-free on a vegetarian diet without antibiotics.
Chick-fil-A already uses chicken breasts free from fillers, additives and steroids.
Rob Dugas, vice president for supply chain management at Chick-fil-A, said the shift would take time because it required changes by producers from the hatchery to the processing plant. “For instance, any flock treated with antibiotics today is aggregated into the larger production facility,” Mr. Dugas said. “For us, birds will have to be segregated all the way down to the egg production.”
Chick-fil-A executives said they could not say yet whether the changes would result in a price increase for consumers. Typically, antibiotic-free chicken is more expensive than traditionally processed poultry.
“We do know that it has a potential cost ramification, both to us and to our customers,” Mr. Tassopoulos said. “We are going to do everything we can to minimize the impact on the price of our products, and the growing interest in antibiotic-free meat may help with that by increasing
supplies.”
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Don't overlook safe turkey-handling practices for a happy holiday
Penn State News - November 20, 2013
http://news.psu.edu/story/295976/2013/11/20/dont-overlook-safe-turkey-handling-practices-happy-holiday
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Thanksgiving is a time for sharing: good food, family time, friendship and memories. But one thing you don't want to share, warns a food-safety expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, is pathogenic bacteria.
"As you prepare your Thanksgiving dinner, it is important to remember some key food-safety rules when it comes to cooking and serving turkey," said Martin Bucknavage, extension food-safety specialist. "We don't want to spread pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter."
He offers some advice to keep cooks, helpers and guests safe when preparing a turkey:
--There is no need to wash the outside of your turkey. Proper cooking will take care of any pathogenic bacteria that may be present.
"The only thing you will achieve by washing the outside of the turkey is spreading bacteria in your kitchen. This can occur as the water splashes or drips across your kitchen counter, potentially carrying bacteria with it," Bucknavage said.
--Clean as you go when handling raw turkey.
"As people move the raw turkey around in the kitchen, they treat it more like a football than a raw piece of meat, in that it touches a lot of surfaces including the hands," he said. "Because of this, there is the potential to get pathogenic bacteria on our hands, on the counter and on the cutting board. Therefore, clean these surfaces immediately after coming in contact with the raw bird."
-- Cook it to the right temperature. UDSA suggests that the bird gets to at least 165 F, (best if over 172 F for chewing). So Bucknavage recommends the use of a thermometer to monitor the temperature.
"Check the temperature of the bird in a number of spots, including the breast meat and the thickest part of the thigh," he said. "Allow time for further cooking if the temperature is not met."
-- Cook your stuffing separately. If you stuff the bird, the temperature of the stuffing must also get to 165 F.
"In order to get the stuffing to the right temperature, the bird will reach much higher temperatures, often over 185 F, making it very dry. Too often, people will stop cooking once the bird is at the right temperature, but unfortunately, they end up having undercooked stuffing," Bucknavage said.
"Because this stuffing was inside the raw bird, it absorbed turkey juice potentially carrying pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. Undercooking the stuffing lets those bacteria survive. It is much better, and safer, to cook them separately. You will get the right temperature in the turkey without having to overcook it, and you'll get the right temperature in the stuffing."
If you want the look of a stuffed turkey on your table, stuff it before serving, after both have been properly cooked, he advised.
-- Handle leftovers immediately after dinner. Do not allow the turkey to sit on the table for hours after everyone is done eating.
"Bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus can grow on meat items if left out for a long period of time," Bucknavage said. "To prevent that from occurring, it is important to handle leftovers right away. Cut up the turkey, put it in a container or sealable bag, and then refrigerate or freeze."
http://news.psu.edu/story/295976/2013/11/20/dont-overlook-safe-turkey-handling-practices-happy-holiday
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Thanksgiving is a time for sharing: good food, family time, friendship and memories. But one thing you don't want to share, warns a food-safety expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, is pathogenic bacteria.
"As you prepare your Thanksgiving dinner, it is important to remember some key food-safety rules when it comes to cooking and serving turkey," said Martin Bucknavage, extension food-safety specialist. "We don't want to spread pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter."
He offers some advice to keep cooks, helpers and guests safe when preparing a turkey:
--There is no need to wash the outside of your turkey. Proper cooking will take care of any pathogenic bacteria that may be present.
"The only thing you will achieve by washing the outside of the turkey is spreading bacteria in your kitchen. This can occur as the water splashes or drips across your kitchen counter, potentially carrying bacteria with it," Bucknavage said.
--Clean as you go when handling raw turkey.
"As people move the raw turkey around in the kitchen, they treat it more like a football than a raw piece of meat, in that it touches a lot of surfaces including the hands," he said. "Because of this, there is the potential to get pathogenic bacteria on our hands, on the counter and on the cutting board. Therefore, clean these surfaces immediately after coming in contact with the raw bird."
-- Cook it to the right temperature. UDSA suggests that the bird gets to at least 165 F, (best if over 172 F for chewing). So Bucknavage recommends the use of a thermometer to monitor the temperature.
"Check the temperature of the bird in a number of spots, including the breast meat and the thickest part of the thigh," he said. "Allow time for further cooking if the temperature is not met."
-- Cook your stuffing separately. If you stuff the bird, the temperature of the stuffing must also get to 165 F.
"In order to get the stuffing to the right temperature, the bird will reach much higher temperatures, often over 185 F, making it very dry. Too often, people will stop cooking once the bird is at the right temperature, but unfortunately, they end up having undercooked stuffing," Bucknavage said.
"Because this stuffing was inside the raw bird, it absorbed turkey juice potentially carrying pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. Undercooking the stuffing lets those bacteria survive. It is much better, and safer, to cook them separately. You will get the right temperature in the turkey without having to overcook it, and you'll get the right temperature in the stuffing."
If you want the look of a stuffed turkey on your table, stuff it before serving, after both have been properly cooked, he advised.
-- Handle leftovers immediately after dinner. Do not allow the turkey to sit on the table for hours after everyone is done eating.
"Bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus can grow on meat items if left out for a long period of time," Bucknavage said. "To prevent that from occurring, it is important to handle leftovers right away. Cut up the turkey, put it in a container or sealable bag, and then refrigerate or freeze."
Friday, October 18, 2013
Costco issuing a recall for cooked Foster Farms chicken
Costco is recalling over 20,000 units of rotisserie cooked chicken product because the product may have been connected to some of the illnesses related to the Foster Farms Salmonella outbreak. While Costco reports to cook chicken to 180ºF, investigators are suggesting that cross contamination may be the issue.
The number of illnesses related to Foster Farms contaminated with Salmonella is now reported to be 317 cases Foster Farms has not yet conducted a recall. Some are predicting that this may face higher liabilities due to their inaction. It has already had an impact on their sales. FSIS did issue an FAQ (included below), but it would have been nice if they specifically answered the question why they did not request a recall.
This will be an interesting case to follow in that Costco has issued a recall, but Foster Farms has not.
USDA News Release
California Wholesale Store Recalls Rotisserie Chicken Products Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2013/recall-058-2013-expanded
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2013 – Costco’s El Camino Real store in San Francisco, Calif., is recalling an additional 14,093 units of rotisserie chicken products that may be contaminated with a strain of Salmonella, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. This is in addition to the 9,043 units that were recalled on Oct. 12.
The number of illnesses related to Foster Farms contaminated with Salmonella is now reported to be 317 cases Foster Farms has not yet conducted a recall. Some are predicting that this may face higher liabilities due to their inaction. It has already had an impact on their sales. FSIS did issue an FAQ (included below), but it would have been nice if they specifically answered the question why they did not request a recall.
This will be an interesting case to follow in that Costco has issued a recall, but Foster Farms has not.
USDA News Release
California Wholesale Store Recalls Rotisserie Chicken Products Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2013/recall-058-2013-expanded
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2013 – Costco’s El Camino Real store in San Francisco, Calif., is recalling an additional 14,093 units of rotisserie chicken products that may be contaminated with a strain of Salmonella, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. This is in addition to the 9,043 units that were recalled on Oct. 12.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Linkage of the level of pathogens at farm level to the level at processing
In a recent study, researchers found that pathogen level at the farm level impacted the level of pathogens found in the processing plant, that is, the more pathogens at the farm, the more that were found in the plant. While this is not surprising, it points to the need for added control at the farm level. Unfortunately, there is still a disconnect for some on the impact of farms on downstream contamination issues. While total elimination of pathogens at the farm would unfeasible, a reduction of the level may be achieved through the adoption of improved practices.
Investigators Link Poultry Contamination on Farm and at Processing Plant
CONTACT: Jim Sliwa ASM Newsroom
http://www.asm.org/index.php/asm-newsroom2/88-news-room/journal-tipsheets/91694-investigators-link-poultry-contamination-on-farm-and-at-processing-plant
WASHINGTON, DC – May 31, 2013 -- Researchers at the University of Georgia, Athens, have identified a strong link between the prevalence and load of certain food-borne pathogens on poultry farms, and later downstream at the processing plant. They report their findings in a manuscript published ahead of print in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
“This study suggests that reducing foodborne pathogen loads on broiler chicken farms would help to reduce pathogen loads at processing, and may ultimately help to reduce the risk of foodborne illness,” says Roy Berghaus, an author on the study. “This is important because most of our efforts towards reducing foodborne pathogens are currently focused on what happens during processing. Processing interventions are effective but they can only do so much.”
Salmonella and Campylobacter bacteria cause an estimated 1.9 million food-borne illnesses in the US annually, and poultry is a major source of both. Earlier studies have linked pathogen prevalence on the farm and at processing, but none has measured the strength of the associations between pathogen loads, according to the report. In the current study, Salmonella and Campylobacter detected at the processing plant were found in farm samples 96 and 71 percent of the time, respectively.
The prevalence of both pathogens dropped during processing, Salmonella from 45.9 percent to 2.4 percent, and Campylobacter from 68.7 to 43.6 percent, according to the report.
The two pathogens are major contributors to human misery in the US. Among 104 different pathogen-food combinations, Campylobacter and Salmonella infections from poultry were recently ranked first and fourth, respectively in terms of “combined impact on the total cost of illness and loss of quality-adjusted life years,” according to the report.
The team suggests that fewer pathogens on the farm would reduce contamination levels at the processing plant, and notes that “vaccination of breeder hens, competitive exclusion products and the use of acidified water during feed withdrawal” have all reduced Salmonella in commercial broiler flocks. However “reliable approaches to reduce Campylobacter colonization are currently unavailable,” although post-processing freezing has reduced Campylobacter loads on carcasses.
A copy of the manuscript can be found online at http://bit.ly/asmtip0513a. The paper is scheduled to be formally published in the June 2013 issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
(R.D. Berghaus, S.G. Thayer, B.F. Law, R.M. Mild, C.L. Hofacre, and R.S. Singer, 2013. Enumeration of Salmonella and Campylobacter spp. in environmental farm samples and processing plant carcass rinses from commercial broiler chicken flocks. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. published ahead of print 26 April 2013 ,doi:10.1128/AEM.00836-13.)
Investigators Link Poultry Contamination on Farm and at Processing Plant
CONTACT: Jim Sliwa ASM Newsroom
http://www.asm.org/index.php/asm-newsroom2/88-news-room/journal-tipsheets/91694-investigators-link-poultry-contamination-on-farm-and-at-processing-plant
WASHINGTON, DC – May 31, 2013 -- Researchers at the University of Georgia, Athens, have identified a strong link between the prevalence and load of certain food-borne pathogens on poultry farms, and later downstream at the processing plant. They report their findings in a manuscript published ahead of print in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
“This study suggests that reducing foodborne pathogen loads on broiler chicken farms would help to reduce pathogen loads at processing, and may ultimately help to reduce the risk of foodborne illness,” says Roy Berghaus, an author on the study. “This is important because most of our efforts towards reducing foodborne pathogens are currently focused on what happens during processing. Processing interventions are effective but they can only do so much.”
Salmonella and Campylobacter bacteria cause an estimated 1.9 million food-borne illnesses in the US annually, and poultry is a major source of both. Earlier studies have linked pathogen prevalence on the farm and at processing, but none has measured the strength of the associations between pathogen loads, according to the report. In the current study, Salmonella and Campylobacter detected at the processing plant were found in farm samples 96 and 71 percent of the time, respectively.
The prevalence of both pathogens dropped during processing, Salmonella from 45.9 percent to 2.4 percent, and Campylobacter from 68.7 to 43.6 percent, according to the report.
The two pathogens are major contributors to human misery in the US. Among 104 different pathogen-food combinations, Campylobacter and Salmonella infections from poultry were recently ranked first and fourth, respectively in terms of “combined impact on the total cost of illness and loss of quality-adjusted life years,” according to the report.
The team suggests that fewer pathogens on the farm would reduce contamination levels at the processing plant, and notes that “vaccination of breeder hens, competitive exclusion products and the use of acidified water during feed withdrawal” have all reduced Salmonella in commercial broiler flocks. However “reliable approaches to reduce Campylobacter colonization are currently unavailable,” although post-processing freezing has reduced Campylobacter loads on carcasses.
A copy of the manuscript can be found online at http://bit.ly/asmtip0513a. The paper is scheduled to be formally published in the June 2013 issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
(R.D. Berghaus, S.G. Thayer, B.F. Law, R.M. Mild, C.L. Hofacre, and R.S. Singer, 2013. Enumeration of Salmonella and Campylobacter spp. in environmental farm samples and processing plant carcass rinses from commercial broiler chicken flocks. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. published ahead of print 26 April 2013 ,doi:10.1128/AEM.00836-13.)
Thursday, April 12, 2012
NY Times reports E. coli on Chicken...oh noooooo
What would we do without the occasional ‘shocking’ story about raw meat containing bacteria, in this case, a study that E. coli was found on chicken? Yes, raw meat, including chicken, can and will have E. coli associated with it, as well as some pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. This will occur whether it is conventionally processed, organic, or even farm raised. Those processing chicken put in steps to help reduce the level of bacteria, but it is nearly impossible to eliminate all bacteria on a raw product (one that you would still want to buy). I don’t want a farmer or processor treating my chicken to a point that eliminates all of the bacteria, and neither should you. It would not be a chicken that you would want to buy.
Have we become such germaphobes that we cannot longer tolerate the thought that E. coli might be on a raw chicken or raw beef. What, you don’t think that soon after you put on your underwear that you have a few E.coli on them? Or on our hands after we use the restroom? And what do we do, we wash them. And for raw meat and poultry products…..we cook them (and keep our kitchen counter clean as well).
A few problems with this study, one pointed out by our own Dr. Cutter in the NY Times article below. (You can link to the published report http://www.pcrm.org/health/reports/fecal-contamination-in-retail-chicken-products.)
They constantly refer to the E. coli contamination as feces. Although linked, these are two different images. Yes, there may be a few E.coli in your underwear, or even on your hands after you use the restroom, but would you call it feces? Have you ever seen feces on a raw chicken breast? Does your chicken breast smell like poop? E. coli is of fecal origin, and it can cross contaminate onto food and surfaces such as your hands, but to what degree are feces particles present…microscopic at best. And if that thought still concerns you, then you better live in a bubble with your colon direct linked to the sewer pipe.
Another issue is that the study does not look at actual levels of E. coli per bird, just the absence or presence. Therefore, it is possible that there may only be an extremely low level of E.coli there…and based upon real scientific studies, we know that this is the case. So we start with a bird where there are billioins and billions of E. coli present in the intestine, the bird is eviscerated, cleaned, and packaged. Now, there only has be a few organisms present for the test to show a positive. I am surprised the number isn’t even higher….but that would be no more concerning.
Is it surprising that the person who conducted the study is a vegan? So what is the agenda? I have no problems with those people who choose not to eat meat. But please don’t push that agenda onto others through the use of ill designed studies.
The real take away…cook your food….and use a thermometer to verify.
48% of Chicken in Small Sample Has E. Coli
By STEPHANIE STROM
NY Times Published: April 11, 2012
A recent test of packaged raw chicken products bought at grocery stores across the country found that roughly half of them were contaminated with the bacteria E. coli.
E. coli, which the study said was an indicator of fecal contamination, was found in 48 percent of 120 chicken products bought in 10 major cities by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit group that advocates a vegetarian diet among other things. The study results were released Wednesday.
“Most consumers do not realize that feces are in the chicken products they purchase,” said Dr. Neal D. Barnard, president of the group. “Food labels discuss contamination as if it is simply the presence of bacteria, but people need to know that it means much more than that.”
Food safety specialists said the findings were a tempest in a chicken coop, particularly because the test was so small and the E. coli found was not a kind that threatened public health.
Have we become such germaphobes that we cannot longer tolerate the thought that E. coli might be on a raw chicken or raw beef. What, you don’t think that soon after you put on your underwear that you have a few E.coli on them? Or on our hands after we use the restroom? And what do we do, we wash them. And for raw meat and poultry products…..we cook them (and keep our kitchen counter clean as well).
A few problems with this study, one pointed out by our own Dr. Cutter in the NY Times article below. (You can link to the published report http://www.pcrm.org/health/reports/fecal-contamination-in-retail-chicken-products.)
They constantly refer to the E. coli contamination as feces. Although linked, these are two different images. Yes, there may be a few E.coli in your underwear, or even on your hands after you use the restroom, but would you call it feces? Have you ever seen feces on a raw chicken breast? Does your chicken breast smell like poop? E. coli is of fecal origin, and it can cross contaminate onto food and surfaces such as your hands, but to what degree are feces particles present…microscopic at best. And if that thought still concerns you, then you better live in a bubble with your colon direct linked to the sewer pipe.
Another issue is that the study does not look at actual levels of E. coli per bird, just the absence or presence. Therefore, it is possible that there may only be an extremely low level of E.coli there…and based upon real scientific studies, we know that this is the case. So we start with a bird where there are billioins and billions of E. coli present in the intestine, the bird is eviscerated, cleaned, and packaged. Now, there only has be a few organisms present for the test to show a positive. I am surprised the number isn’t even higher….but that would be no more concerning.
Is it surprising that the person who conducted the study is a vegan? So what is the agenda? I have no problems with those people who choose not to eat meat. But please don’t push that agenda onto others through the use of ill designed studies.
The real take away…cook your food….and use a thermometer to verify.
48% of Chicken in Small Sample Has E. Coli
By STEPHANIE STROM
NY Times Published: April 11, 2012
A recent test of packaged raw chicken products bought at grocery stores across the country found that roughly half of them were contaminated with the bacteria E. coli.
E. coli, which the study said was an indicator of fecal contamination, was found in 48 percent of 120 chicken products bought in 10 major cities by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit group that advocates a vegetarian diet among other things. The study results were released Wednesday.
“Most consumers do not realize that feces are in the chicken products they purchase,” said Dr. Neal D. Barnard, president of the group. “Food labels discuss contamination as if it is simply the presence of bacteria, but people need to know that it means much more than that.”
Food safety specialists said the findings were a tempest in a chicken coop, particularly because the test was so small and the E. coli found was not a kind that threatened public health.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Salmonella outbreak linked to Ground Poultry
(My comments are in parenthesis and italicized.)
Cargill Meat Solutions is recalling 36 million pounds of ground turkey products that has been linked to a Salmonella outbreak with 79 infected individuals in 26 states. Of that, 22 have been hospitalized and there has been one death.
Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation, a Springdale, Ark. establishment, announced the recall on August 3rd after learning their product may be contaminated with a multi-drug resistant strain of Salmonella Heidelberg. (One probable reason for the delay is the wide distribution of the cases and more importantly, the long time period over which the cases occurred. CDC receives many reports each day, and it can be difficult in identifying trends when there is only a case or two coming in at a time).
The products subject to recall today bear the establishment number "P-963" inside the USDA mark of inspection
According to the CDC on August 1st, a total of 77 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Heidelberg have been reported from 26 states between March 1 and August 1, 2011. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows:AL (1), AZ (2), CA (6), GA (1), IA (1), IL (7), IN (1), KY (2), LA (1), MA (1), MI (10), MN (1), MO (2), MS (1), NC (1), NE (2), NV (1), NY (2), OH (10), OK (1), OR (1), PA (5), SD (3), TN (2), TX (9), and WI (3).
The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product. It can be life-threatening to some with weakened immune systems.
It is important that all poultry products be cooked to the proper temperature of 165ºF. It is also important to prevent cross contamination through thorough hand washing after handling raw meat products such as poultry and to clean any surfaces that have come into contact with raw poultry including knives and cutting boards. Consumers with questions about this recall should contact Cargill's consumer relations toll free telephone number at 1-888-812-1646. (People tend to undercooked or mishandle ground meat, whether it is ground beef or ground turkey. Additionally, it is very difficult to use color or firmness as an indicator of doneness when cooking raw ground poultry – the safest way to measure doneness is to use a thermometer, making sure ground poultry has reached 165ºF).
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