The Honor System....More Than Just That

Leave it to the media to create the next tagline to describe the food safety system....'the honor system'.  And they will use the PCA criminal investigation as the hammer to pound 'honor system' into the public's mind.  Forget the fact that there are regulations on top of regulations for the food industry or that these are businesses that need to make safe food to stay in business..... the media will claim the only thing protecting the public is the 'honor system.'...and of course, what do people think of when they hear that term, honor system....well, it harkens them back to grade school when they knew some kid, maybe themselves, who cheated on that self-graded quiz.  Oh my gosh....cheaters are making our food.  Outside of the Parnell's....probably not.

 

Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/270604281.html
Salmonella trial shows how US food safety relies on honor system that can kill when it fails
Article by: RUSS BYNUM , Associated Press
Updated: August 9, 2014 - 7:52 PM

ALBANY, Ga. — Jurors at the nation's first federal criminal trial stemming from a deadly outbreak of food-borne illness are learning a disconcerting fact: America's food safety largely depends on the honor system.

Increased Scrutiny of US Food Companies in China, OSI -Takes the High Road

Establishing operations in China has been a challenge for many US food companies.  This week, a Walmart store was investigated for using old oil in their store frying operation.  (Not sure how this story garnered international media attention?.)  In July, OSI, a supplier for McDonalds and KFC took a hit in the media as Chinese papers reported a scandal involving OSI's Chinese operation, Husi.  In this report, Husi was cited for mixing expired meat into their process.

The thing that seems odd with the OSI related story is that, as detailed in the NY Times piece (below), OSI has had a sterling reputation, both domestically and abroad.  So it seems weird that that they could let one of their operations fall off the rails?

No doubt, there is a lot of scrutiny on US food companies operating in China by the Chinese media and the local regulatory authorities.  Why?  One could speculate that with the increasing push of US companies into China along with mergers of Chinese and US companies for the stated purpose of improving quality (Smithfield acquisition), there may be some backlash against foreign companies pushing into the Chinese marketplace.   Add to that the negative media exposure that the Chinese food system has received by the US media and it is easy to see why so much attention on US companies (when they could also be reporting on Chinese owned companies).  So perhaps showing that US companies have their own issues is a way to make a stand.  Perhaps even more importantly, this negative media barrage provides a leg up to Chinese firms that wish to compete against the likes of  Walmart, McDonalds and KFCs in the Chinese marketplace. 

Now it is hard to say for certain to what extent the food safety allegations are true.  Certainly we have not heard any rational for the incidents from the US companies..  And while there could be some legitimate justifications for the actions used by OSI in China - perhaps the meat that was being mixed back had been frozen instead of refrigerated thus nullifying the date used on the packaging - the chairman of OSI provided no excuses but rather said they would make improvements.

Interesting though, the talking heads are still willing to take these Chinese reports at face value and spin them in order to spread fear on the safety of our own food supply.


Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/09/china-walmart-idUSL4N0QF09U20140809
Chinese regulators investigating Wal-Mart store for food safety violations - Xinhua
Sat Aug 9, 2014 8:49am EDT 

* Anonymous employee's video alleges violations at deli

* Shows images of black fryer oil, worms crawling in rice

* Shenzhen authorities investigating - Xinhua

* Wal-Mart: Internal, gov't probes uncovered no evidence

SHANGHAI, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Chinese regulators are investigating a Wal-Mart store in the southern city of Shenzhen for food safety violations, the official Xinhua news service reported, based on videos it said were taken by a Wal-Mart employee at one branch.

Tick Bite Triggers Allergic Reaction to Red Meat

Each year, a few hundred people become allergic to meat after being bitten by a specific type of tick.  The tick harbors a sugar that humans don’t have, called alpha-gal. The sugar is also is found in red meat — beef, pork, venison, rabbit — and even some dairy products.  When the tick bites a person, the person develops an immune response to this sugar.  The next time the person eats meat with this sugar, the person has a reaction to that sugar.

It is interesting in that 1) It takes as long as 8 hours for the body to react, whereas regular food allergies occur within minutes, and 2) this reaction is to sugar whereas most allergic reactions are to proteins.

According to the article, this does not appear to be a lifelong issue.

Ticks do really suck.

Pittsburgh Post Gazette
  http://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2014/08/08/Tick-bite-can-cause-allergy-to-red-meat/stories/201408080090#ixzz3A5s4w700
Tick bite can cause allergy to red meat

August 8, 2014 12:00 AM
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2014/08/08/Tick-bite-can-cause-allergy-to-red-meat/stories/201408080090#ixzz3A5s4w700

By Marilynn Marchione / Associated Press


A bug can turn you into a vegetarian, or at least make you swear off red meat. Doctors across the nation are seeing a surge of sudden meat allergies in people bitten by a certain kind of tick.

This bizarre problem was discovered only a few years ago but is growing, as the ticks spread from the Southwest and the East to more parts of the United States. In some cases, eating a burger or a steak has landed people in the hospital with severe allergic reactions.

Few patients seem aware of the risk, and even doctors are slow to recognize it. As one allergist who has seen 200 cases on New York’s Long Island said, “Why would someone think they’re allergic to meat when they’ve been eating it their whole life?”

The culprit is the Lone Star tick, named for Texas, a state famous for meaty barbecues. The tick is now found throughout the South and the eastern half of the United States.

Botulism Poisoning Cases Result from CA Company Processing Errors

A California company is recalling a number of jarred products after two people in Ohio were diagnosed with botulism poisoning.  Both individuals are improving after being on ventilation.  The FDA Notice (below) indicates the products may have been processing errors.

The Company, VR Green Farms, looks to be a vegetable farm that has expanded into numerous product offerings. http://vr-green-farms.myshopify.com/

Their website is not fully functioning, but you can get a sense from their LinkedIn site

Locally grown vegetables delivered within hours of harvest. No Herbicides or Pesticides used. VR Green Farms originated from an idea that was shared by our founder Nic Romano and Bella Collina Towne & Golf Club in San Clemente. Bella Collina provided the land and with the expertise and help from our sister farm in Bell Gardens, Nic transformed the land into a farm. Today VR Green Farms sells weekly vegetable baskets to the local community and wholesales our vegetables to local restaurants who have embraced the concept of buying fresh local produce. In addition we market honey, olive oil, cheese, bread and even eggs all from local sources

Many have predicted that with so many small entities entering the processed food arena, including through the farmers' market channel,  that it was only a matter of time before there would see processing deviations that would result in botulism cases.  Although FDA has strict regulations regarding canning foods that include requirements for registering of processes, training, testing, etc., many small entrepreneurs are either ignorant to these regulations, are incapable of implementing them, or choose not to follow.

You can walk through any farmers' market and see the vast array of jarred food items.  Are they acidified properly?  Have they received the proper thermal treatment?  Guarantee these are the same people fighting not to have to follow these 'restrictive government regulations'.  But trust us, there is a reason that that those regulations are in place.

Clostridium botulinum is a spore-forming pathogen that produces one of the strongest toxins known.  The organism can survive boiling temperatures and if the jarred product does not have any barriers (low pH, preservatives, strict refrigeration), the organism will grow and produce toxin.  The toxin, a neurotoxin, travels into the bloodstream to the nerves and it stops neurotransmission to muscles. And so when one ingests this toxin and does not receive quick medical attention, they will die of suffocation.  A hell of a way to buy the farm, so to speak.

No doubt, this farm/company will also have a difficult road ahead, from an intensive investigation to lawsuits.  That is a huge price to pay for not making the effort to produce safe products (unless the product is not to blame, and it was found to be consumer practices.)

In any event, hopefully this will be the 'shot across the bow' for state and federal officials to begin focusing attention on this developing cottage industry.


Cleveland Plain Dealerhttp://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2014/08/two_ohio_cases_of_botulism_inv.html
Two Ohio cases of botulism investigated in connection with California jarred sauce recall
By Brie Zeltner, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer  
on August 04, 2014 at 2:39 PM, updated August 04, 2014 at 2:54 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Two people in Ohio have been hospitalized with botulism that public health officials suspect is connected to a nationwide recall of a California company's jarred sauces, according to the Cincinnati Health Department.

Potential Salmonella Contamination of Carob Powder Ingredient Results in Numerous Recalls

A series of recalls were issued when a supplier of organic carob powder notified its customers.  The supplier, Ciranda Inc, has no information on the Salmonella issue on its website, but the ingredient they sold resulted in a number of recalls nationwide.  There have been no illnesses.


The Plain Dealer
Salmonella in carob triggers recall of snacks nationwidehttp://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2014/07/salmonella_in_carob_triggers_r.html
By Brie Zeltner, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer
on July 29, 2014 at 12:36 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio-- A recall of organic carob powder that began last week due to salmonella contamination has expanded to include several brands of energy bars and snacks sold nationwide, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
 

Five Things You Should Know About Food Safety on the Tavis Smiley Show

A light discussion on Food Safety with Tavis Smiley of The Tavis Smiley Show on PRI.
Five Things You Should Know About Food Safety.

Bread Company Retracts Recall After Negative Confirmation for Listeria monocytogenes

A Ohio bread company cancelled a recall after discovering that the Listeria organism they found was not the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.

Why were they doing Listeria testing in the first place?  Listeria has not been shown to be a hazard in bread products.  The water activity is too low to support growth and the environment is not one that would be conducive to allow the organism to be a big concern.  Salmonella would be a better choice if you really wanted to do environmental testing.

Perhaps a customer requirement where the bread products would be used in premade sandwiches?  Or it was part of a third party audit requirement where some less-than-knowledgeable inspector told then they had to do Listeria testing.  (The latter would be a more likely case....always question auditors when they require you to do something that does not make sense). 

Why did they conduct a recall based on environmental testing results that were not confirmed?  This is another question that is difficult to figure out.  Before you begin testing for a pathogen in the environment, know the implications of what you will do when you find it.   First there is timing - in cases there a positive result can trigger a recall, be sure to use rapid tests that have a higher degree of differentiation.  Second - a program should be set up so that you are not just testing product contact surfaces (which is probably the only time where an environmental positive sample warrants a recall).  So were they testing product contact surfaces or plant surfaces? 

It seems the company had not put sufficient thought into the various scenarios that can occur when a positive is found.  Again, the company may have been doing this to comply with some audit requirement, rather than really understanding the real risks associated with their operation and the implications of positive test results.

It is also equally important to understand your supplier's testing programs.  If your supplier is doing testing, it is important that you know that they know what they are doing is correct.



Columbus Dispatch
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/public/2014/07/23/schwebel-and-giant-eagle-breads-recalled.html
Schwebel’s says recalled bread poses no health risk

By Lisa Abraham The Columbus Dispatch • Thursday July 24, 2014 2:35 AM 

With tests having determined that the bacteria found at Schwebel Baking Co.’s Youngstown bakery is not harmful, the plant is expected to resume full production today.

US Companies Facing Difficulties in China After Supply Chain Issues

It is not easy for US food companies to establish operations in China, as YUM and McDonalds found out. Both companies encountered issues two years ago when a chicken supplier was found to be using antibiotics. Both were sent reeling again as a meat provider was exposed for carrying out some unsanitary practices including "workers picking up meat from a factory floor, as well as mixing meat beyond its expiration date with fresh meat".

It is puzzling that the US companies catch such heat when it is the Chinese supply chains that cause them such issues.  Granted, companies need to secure their supply chains to ensure that upstream suppliers are following strict controls, however, one would thing that these suppliers are also providing other Chinese based companies their supplies as well.

Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/21/us-yum-brands-food-safety-idUSKBN0FQ01P20140721
Yum, McDonald's apologize as new China food scandal brews
By Adam Jourdan

SHANGHAI Mon Jul 21, 2014 5:55am EDT

Reuters) - McDonald's Corp and Yum Brands Inc are facing a new food safety scare in China, denting the fast food giants' efforts to shore up reputations and businesses that were hurt by a 2012 safety scandal in one of their biggest markets.

McDonald's and KFC-parent Yum apologized to customers on Monday after Chinese regulators shut a local meat supplier following a TV report that showed workers picking up meat from a factory floor, as well as mixing meat beyond its expiration date with fresh meat. The firms said they'll stop using the supplier.

Stone Fruit Recalled by CA Packer Due to Positive Listeria Results, Bakery Products Also Recalled

A California packing house is recalling various stone fruit (whole peaches (white and yellow), nectarines (white and yellow), plums and pluots) packed between June 1, 2014 through July 12,2014 after internal testing found positive Listeria results.  There have been no reported illnesses.

Wegman's then recalled bakery products that were made from the fruit.

Both companies acted out of an abundance of caution.  Research published in the Journal of Food Protection (abstract below) shows that Listeria, while it can attach to the exterior surface, does not grow, let alone survive.  The only issue would be if the contamination at the source allowed a high level of the organism to attach, which would be, according to the  publication "it is unrealistic to assume that such artificially high levels of contamination would occur when basic good agricultural practices are followed."

In terms of the bakery products, baking would eliminate the pathogens.  It would only be a concern if the fruit was added to the bakery items after cooking in a 'fresh application'.  Even then, the fruit would be washed and peeled, and that process would serve as a reduction step.

FDA News Release
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm405943.htm
 Recall -- Firm Press Release
FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.

Wawona Packing Co. Takes Precautionary Step of Voluntarily Recalling Fresh, Whole Peaches, Plums, Nectarines, and Pluots Because of Possible Health Risk

Contact: Consumer: 1-888-232-9912
Media: Amy Philpott 703-472-6615

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 19, 2014 - Wawona Packing Company of Cutler, Calif is voluntarily recalling certain lots of whole peaches (white and yellow), nectarines (white and yellow), plums and pluots packed between June 1, 2014 through July 12,2014 due to the potential of the products being contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Wawona Packing has notified retailers of the specific lots being recalled. No other products are impacted by this recall. No illnesses have been linked to this recall to date.