A West Philadelphia McDonald's continued to operate after having a sewage leak...for at least 4 days. By regulation, they are required to notify the city, and in the case here where the situation cannot be immediately fixed, they would be required to shut down.
And it was not like the restaurant didn't notice...it was so bad they installed porta-potties in the parking lot. It was not until a consumer complained to the City because the restaurant smelled like....sh....poop.
W. Phila. McDonald's leaked sewage for days
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/health/special_reports/clean-plates/20150320_W__Phila__McDonald_s_leaked_sewage_for_days.html#3yek5f7JTtjQSwW8.99
SAM WOOD, PHILLY.COM
LAST UPDATED: Friday, March 20, 2015, 1:08 AM
As the stench of backed-up sewage permeated the restaurant, a West Philadelphia McDonald's continued selling Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, and fries over four days last fall, installing porta-potties in the parking lot but never notifying the city, which would have ordered a closure.
A complaint led the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to dispatch an inspector to the franchise at 52d Street and Columbia Avenue on Sept. 15. She found ruptured plumbing in both restrooms and "smelled sewage throughout the facility."
"The Person in Charge failed to notify the Department of an imminent health hazard and cease operations. Establishment has been operating with raw sewage backup for at least 4 days," La'Sandra Malone-Mesfin wrote in her report. She listed 24 violations, four of which were related to the plumbing.
There is no evidence that any customers or employees got sick, although most cases of food-borne illness go unreported nationwide.
Raw sewage in a restaurant is "a very high-risk situation," said Caroline Johnson, disease-control director for the city health department, who was talking generally.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Arsenic in Wine - Is It Worth the Worry?
A guy who owns a testing laboratory is filing a lawsuit against wine makers, claiming that the wine has too much arsenic. He tested over 1300 bottles of wine and found that 80ish had levels up to 50 ppb (parts per billion).
Should one worry? Of course the mass media would have you worry (CBS News Report).
EPA has set a level of 10ppb in drinking water. And that level is based on drinking 2 L of water per day. Certainly if you are drinking 2 L of wine per day everyday, your liver has bigger issues from the alcohol.
FDA has proposed a limit of 10 ppb for fruit juice, and although that is low, it was done considering that children are the top juice drinkers. But I don't see a lot of children drinking wine.
The EU has a limit of 200 ppb of arsenic, and the Canadians have a limit of 100ppb. So all of these wines would be safe for sale in Europe and Canada.
Arsenic is naturally found in nature, and can be found in many foods in low levels.
Arsenic is naturally found in nature, and can be found in many foods in low levels.
On topics such as this, we like to say that if you are still concerned from the risk, don't drink wine....the more for the rest of us (of course, always consumed in a responsible way).
NPR - The Salt
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/03/25/395091550/arsenic-in-california-wines-should-drinkers-be-concerned
Arsenic In California Wines: Should Drinkers Be Concerned?
MARCH 25, 2015 4:12 PM ET
ALLISON AUBRE
There's been a lot of buzz around the story that some inexpensive California wines, including a Charles Shaw (aka two-buck Chuck) white Zinfandel sold at Trader Joe's, have been found to contain traces of arsenic.
The wines were tested by a commercial laboratory called BeverageGrades. And alawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court against a group of wine producers claims two other labs confirmed tests that found arsenic levels in some wines exceeded what is allowed in drinking water.
With headlines like "Very High Levels of Arsenic" In Top-Selling Wines (from CBS's website), it's not a surprise that some wine drinkers are mystified. Since more than a few burning questions crossed our minds here at The Salt, we went looking for answers.
How does arsenic end up in food and wine?
Arsenic In California Wines: Should Drinkers Be Concerned?
MARCH 25, 2015 4:12 PM ET
ALLISON AUBRE
There's been a lot of buzz around the story that some inexpensive California wines, including a Charles Shaw (aka two-buck Chuck) white Zinfandel sold at Trader Joe's, have been found to contain traces of arsenic.
The wines were tested by a commercial laboratory called BeverageGrades. And alawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court against a group of wine producers claims two other labs confirmed tests that found arsenic levels in some wines exceeded what is allowed in drinking water.
With headlines like "Very High Levels of Arsenic" In Top-Selling Wines (from CBS's website), it's not a surprise that some wine drinkers are mystified. Since more than a few burning questions crossed our minds here at The Salt, we went looking for answers.
How does arsenic end up in food and wine?
Blue Bell Ice Cream Expands Recall Due to Listeria
Blue Bell is expanding their recall to include oz. institutional/food service ice cream cups- chocolate, strawberry and vanilla with tab lids because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. This comes after Blue Bell Ice Cream was identified as a source of contamination in a set of hospital related illnesses and deaths.
FDA Recall Notice
FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm439533.htm
Blue Bell Ice Cream Recalls 3 oz. Institutional/Food Service Ice Cream Cups – Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla (Tab Lid) – Because of Possible Health Risk
Contact:
Consumer:
979-836-7977
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — March 23, 2015 —Blue Bell Ice Cream of Brenham, Texas, is recalling three 3 oz. institutional/food service ice cream cups- chocolate, strawberry and vanilla with tab lids because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
On March 22, the Kansas Department of Health & Environment reported one positive test for Listeria monocytogenes on a chocolate institutional/food service cup recovered from a hospital in Wichita, Kan. This cup was produced in the Broken Arrow, Okla., plant on April 15, 2014. These cups are not sold thru retail outlets such as convenience stores and supermarkets.
The ice cream cups listed below were distributed in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wyoming via food service accounts.
Ice Cream Cup Chocolate (3 FL OZ) No UPC - SKU #453
Ice Cream Cup Strawberry (3 FL OZ) No UPC - SKU #452
Ice Cream Cup Vanilla (3 FL OZ) No UPC – SKU #451
There have been no reported illnesses to date.
This recall in no way includes Blue Bell Ice Cream half gallons, pints, quarts, 3 gallons or other 3 oz. cups.
Blue Bell Ice Cream Recalls 3 oz. Institutional/Food Service Ice Cream Cups – Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla (Tab Lid) – Because of Possible Health Risk
Contact:
Consumer:
979-836-7977
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — March 23, 2015 —Blue Bell Ice Cream of Brenham, Texas, is recalling three 3 oz. institutional/food service ice cream cups- chocolate, strawberry and vanilla with tab lids because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
On March 22, the Kansas Department of Health & Environment reported one positive test for Listeria monocytogenes on a chocolate institutional/food service cup recovered from a hospital in Wichita, Kan. This cup was produced in the Broken Arrow, Okla., plant on April 15, 2014. These cups are not sold thru retail outlets such as convenience stores and supermarkets.
The ice cream cups listed below were distributed in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wyoming via food service accounts.
Ice Cream Cup Chocolate (3 FL OZ) No UPC - SKU #453
Ice Cream Cup Strawberry (3 FL OZ) No UPC - SKU #452
Ice Cream Cup Vanilla (3 FL OZ) No UPC – SKU #451
There have been no reported illnesses to date.
This recall in no way includes Blue Bell Ice Cream half gallons, pints, quarts, 3 gallons or other 3 oz. cups.
Listeria Contamination in Bulk Organic Frozen Spinach Results in a Number of Recalls
A number of spinach products are being recalled due to the fact that bulk frozen spinach supplied by Coastal Green Vegetable Company LLC of Oxnard, CA, was found to have Listeria contamination. This bulk spinach was repacked by Twin City Foods into smaller bags for grocery stores as well as by Superior Foods that packed for Target. Recalls were also made by Amy's Kitcehn Carmel Food Group, and La Terra Fina for products made using the suspect spinach as an ingredient.
Spinach is blanched before freezing. Blanching, if done correctly, would eliminate the Listeria. The issue is with post-blanching contamination. Listeria is a known environmental bacterial pathogen that can become established in processing facilities. If not controlled, it can contaminate the spinach after blanching in the freezing and packing steps.
While cooking by the consumer would eliminate the pathogen, spinach is often used in dips and other products such as spinach smoothies where there may be little or no heating. There is an increasing trend of using spinach in these RTE applications. This poses a problem for those facilities that are built for RTE level of processing.
There have been no reported illnesses.
FDA Recall Notice
Spinach is blanched before freezing. Blanching, if done correctly, would eliminate the Listeria. The issue is with post-blanching contamination. Listeria is a known environmental bacterial pathogen that can become established in processing facilities. If not controlled, it can contaminate the spinach after blanching in the freezing and packing steps.
While cooking by the consumer would eliminate the pathogen, spinach is often used in dips and other products such as spinach smoothies where there may be little or no heating. There is an increasing trend of using spinach in these RTE applications. This poses a problem for those facilities that are built for RTE level of processing.
There have been no reported illnesses.
FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm439755.htm
Twin City Foods, Inc. Recalls Frozen Cadia Organic Cut Spinach, Meijer Organics Chopped Spinach, Wild Harvest Organic Cut Leaf Spinach, and Wegmans Organic Just Picked Spinach Because of Possible Health Risk
Contact: Consumer:
(804) 385-3772
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — March 24, 2015 — Twin City Foods, Inc. of Stanwood, Washington is recalling the following products because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
Twin City Foods, Inc. Recalls Frozen Cadia Organic Cut Spinach, Meijer Organics Chopped Spinach, Wild Harvest Organic Cut Leaf Spinach, and Wegmans Organic Just Picked Spinach Because of Possible Health Risk
Contact: Consumer:
(804) 385-3772
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — March 24, 2015 — Twin City Foods, Inc. of Stanwood, Washington is recalling the following products because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Catfish and USDA Regulations - The Issue of Unintended Consequences and The One Food Agency Solution
In a New York Times article, a case study of how unintended consequences of a regulatory change has challenged the catfish industry. The catfish industry wanted protection against imports, and so asked to be regulated as part of the USDA inspection. It is however, not working out as intended.
Looking at the proposals being made to transition food safety oversight to one agency, it is not the things considered that will be a challenge, but all of the unintended consequences that follow.
NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/21/us/catfish-farmers-seeking-regulation-to-fight-foreign-competition-face-higher-bills.html?_r=1
Catfish Farmers, Seeking Regulation to Fight Foreign Competition, Face Higher Bills
By RON NIXONMARCH 20, 2015
WASHINGTON — In 2008, faced with increased competition from Vietnam and China, catfish producers in the United States did the unthinkable: They asked for more regulation of their industry.
Congress concurred and agreed to move the inspection of foreign and domestically produced catfish from the Food and Drug Administration to a more rigorous program at the Agriculture Department. The process, however, has dragged on for nearly seven years.
Now, as the Obama administration prepares to finalize the inspection regulations, domestic catfish farmers may have received more than they bargained for, experts say.
More rigorous inspections could cost an already beleaguered industry millions of dollars to comply with the new regulations, potentially driving more catfish farmers out of the business and costing hundreds of jobs in the rural South, said John Sackton, a seafood industry analyst.
Looking at the proposals being made to transition food safety oversight to one agency, it is not the things considered that will be a challenge, but all of the unintended consequences that follow.
NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/21/us/catfish-farmers-seeking-regulation-to-fight-foreign-competition-face-higher-bills.html?_r=1
Catfish Farmers, Seeking Regulation to Fight Foreign Competition, Face Higher Bills
By RON NIXONMARCH 20, 2015
WASHINGTON — In 2008, faced with increased competition from Vietnam and China, catfish producers in the United States did the unthinkable: They asked for more regulation of their industry.
Congress concurred and agreed to move the inspection of foreign and domestically produced catfish from the Food and Drug Administration to a more rigorous program at the Agriculture Department. The process, however, has dragged on for nearly seven years.
Now, as the Obama administration prepares to finalize the inspection regulations, domestic catfish farmers may have received more than they bargained for, experts say.
More rigorous inspections could cost an already beleaguered industry millions of dollars to comply with the new regulations, potentially driving more catfish farmers out of the business and costing hundreds of jobs in the rural South, said John Sackton, a seafood industry analyst.
Listeria in Stone Fruit May Have Resulted in Illnesses in US
In July of 2014, a California packing house recalled stone fruit due to Listeria that was discovered through testing. There were no illnesses reported at the time.
CDC took the PFGE patterns from the Listeria isolated at the peach facility and matched against human cases of Listeria infection across the country. Two cases, one in Minnesota and one in Massachusetts had matching patters and had eaten fruit that may have come from the company.
If the connection is truly there, this would be the first cases of listeriosis from stone fruit.
But what about the scenario here? Basically FDA (or USDA) isolates Listeria from a product followed by the CDC running the isolate's DNA patter through their database to match that bacteria’s DNA pattern with any cases of illness that have occurred across the country . Then in those cases where there is a DNA match, they happen to find that person ate (or may have ate) that product at some point, then that food would be implicated. But was it really the food that resulted in the illness? Or is it circumstantial evidence? Could that person have eaten another item that contained that specific strain of Listeria?
CDC MMWR
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6410a6.htm?s_cid=mm6410a6_e
Notes from the Field: Listeriosis Associated with Stone Fruit — United States, 2014
Weekly
March 20, 2015 / 64(10);282-283
Brendan R. Jackson, MD1, Monique Salter, MPH2, Cheryl Tarr, PhD1, Amanda Conrad, MPH1,3, Emily Harvey4, Lisa Steinbock5, Amy Saupe, MPH6, Alida Sorenson, MPH7, Lee Katz, PhD1, Steven Stroika1, Kelly A. Jackson, MPH1, Heather Carleton, PhD1, Zuzana Kucerova, MD, PhD1, David Melka2, Errol Strain, PhD2, Mickey Parish, PhD2, Rajal K. Mody, MD1 (Author affiliations at end of text)
On July 19, 2014, a packing company in California (company A) voluntarily recalled certain lots of stone fruits, including whole peaches, nectarines, plums, and pluots, because of concern about contamination with Listeria monocytogenes based on internal company testing (1). On July 31, the recall was expanded to cover all fruit packed at their facility during June 1–July 17 (2). After the initial recall, clinicians, state and local health departments, CDC, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received many inquiries about listeriosis from concerned consumers, many of whom had received automated telephone calls informing them that they had purchased recalled fruit. During July 19–31, the CDC Listeria website received >500,000 page views, more than seven times the views received during the previous 52 weeks. However, no molecular information from L. monocytogenes isolates was available to assess whether human illnesses might be linked to these products.
CDC took the PFGE patterns from the Listeria isolated at the peach facility and matched against human cases of Listeria infection across the country. Two cases, one in Minnesota and one in Massachusetts had matching patters and had eaten fruit that may have come from the company.
If the connection is truly there, this would be the first cases of listeriosis from stone fruit.
But what about the scenario here? Basically FDA (or USDA) isolates Listeria from a product followed by the CDC running the isolate's DNA patter through their database to match that bacteria’s DNA pattern with any cases of illness that have occurred across the country . Then in those cases where there is a DNA match, they happen to find that person ate (or may have ate) that product at some point, then that food would be implicated. But was it really the food that resulted in the illness? Or is it circumstantial evidence? Could that person have eaten another item that contained that specific strain of Listeria?
CDC MMWR
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6410a6.htm?s_cid=mm6410a6_e
Notes from the Field: Listeriosis Associated with Stone Fruit — United States, 2014
Weekly
March 20, 2015 / 64(10);282-283
Brendan R. Jackson, MD1, Monique Salter, MPH2, Cheryl Tarr, PhD1, Amanda Conrad, MPH1,3, Emily Harvey4, Lisa Steinbock5, Amy Saupe, MPH6, Alida Sorenson, MPH7, Lee Katz, PhD1, Steven Stroika1, Kelly A. Jackson, MPH1, Heather Carleton, PhD1, Zuzana Kucerova, MD, PhD1, David Melka2, Errol Strain, PhD2, Mickey Parish, PhD2, Rajal K. Mody, MD1 (Author affiliations at end of text)
On July 19, 2014, a packing company in California (company A) voluntarily recalled certain lots of stone fruits, including whole peaches, nectarines, plums, and pluots, because of concern about contamination with Listeria monocytogenes based on internal company testing (1). On July 31, the recall was expanded to cover all fruit packed at their facility during June 1–July 17 (2). After the initial recall, clinicians, state and local health departments, CDC, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received many inquiries about listeriosis from concerned consumers, many of whom had received automated telephone calls informing them that they had purchased recalled fruit. During July 19–31, the CDC Listeria website received >500,000 page views, more than seven times the views received during the previous 52 weeks. However, no molecular information from L. monocytogenes isolates was available to assess whether human illnesses might be linked to these products.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Trader Joe's Recalls Walnut Pieces Due To Salmonella
Trader Joe's is recalling walnut pieces due to the potential to be contaminated by Salmonella. The contamination was found through routine testing by a laboratory contracted by FDA. To date, no illnesses have been reported.
FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm438472.htm
Trader Joe’s Recalls Raw Walnuts Because of Possible Health Risk
Contact: Consumer: (626) 599-3817
Media: (626) 599-2843
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — March 17, 2015 — Monrovia, CA — Trader Joe’s Company is recalling Raw Walnuts because these products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
The recalled Trader Joe’s Raw Walnuts were distributed to Trader Joe’s stores nationwide.
FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm438472.htm
Trader Joe’s Recalls Raw Walnuts Because of Possible Health Risk
Contact: Consumer: (626) 599-3817
Media: (626) 599-2843
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — March 17, 2015 — Monrovia, CA — Trader Joe’s Company is recalling Raw Walnuts because these products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
The recalled Trader Joe’s Raw Walnuts were distributed to Trader Joe’s stores nationwide.
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