FDA Proposes Limit for Inorganic Arsenic in Infant Cereals

FDA has proposed a limit of 100 ppb of inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal.  The cereals that had been tested (400) were all within this limit.

The FDA found that inorganic arsenic exposure in infants and pregnant women can result in a child’s decreased performance on certain developmental tests that measure learning, based on epidemiological evidence including dietary exposures. 

 
FDA Press Release
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm493740.htm
FDA proposes limit for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal
Agency releases new data and scientific assessment on arsenic in rice, provides advice for pregnant women and infants
For Immediate Release
April 1, 2016

Report on FDA Import Refusals

A report issued by USDA Economic Research Service on FDA import refusals shows that seafood, vegetables and fruits are the items that are most often rejected at port of entry.  FDA physically inspects about 1% of food, but uses a risk based approach to hopefully best utilize its limited resources to focus on real issues.

 

Regarding food safety issues, we look to those products that were rejected due to adulteration.  A few key points gleaned from the document:

• Violations for pathogen/toxin adulteration were highest for fishery and seafood products in both 1998-2004 and 2005-13. Spices, flavors, and salts had the second largest number of pathogen/toxin violations per year in 2005-13.
• The most frequent violation in 2005-13, by far, in the pathogen/toxin adulteration category was for the presence of Salmonella. The most Salmonella violations were in fishery and seafood products (42.0 percent of total), followed by spices, flavors, and salts (33.2 percent). 
• Listeria was the second-most common violation for pathogen/toxin adulteration in 2005-13.  Fishery and seafood products had 59.4 percent of Listeria violations.  Listeria violations in cheese and cheese products fell to 32.0 percent.
• Vegetables/vegetable products. Almost three-quarters of these chemical violations were for unsafe pesticide residues  Fruit/fruit products had the second-most violations per year for chemical adulteration in 2005-13.

Another interesting quote:

As the total volume of imported food has risen, the number of shipments refused has declined relative to the volume of food imports. This relative decline may reflect improvements in compliance with U.S. laws among foreign producers and importers, or it may reflect FDA’s limited resources and capacity to inspect, detain, and refuse imported food.

 

  

USDA ERS

http://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2016-march/patterns-in-fda-food-import-refusals-highlight-

most-frequently-detected-problems.aspx#.Vv6a3032Z9B

Patterns in FDA Food Import Refusals Highlight Most Frequently Detected Problems

by John Bovay

March 28, 2016

 

How Clean is Your Deli's Meat Slicer?

A study published in MMWR shows that many deli operations may not be cleaning their slicer often enough and well enough.  In this study, about half of the food operations contacted did not fully clean the slicer as frequently as they should.   They noted that this is more the case at independent and smaller delis.  Fully clean includes disassembly of the slicer before cleaning

The issue with not cleaning the slicer is that the slicer can be a point of cross contamination for Listeria monocytogenes.   If Listeria contaminates the slicer, it can then contaminate all the meats that are sliced after that.  According to the US Food Code, food contact surfaces in constant use should be fully cleaned at least every 4 hours.  As the time between cleaning increases, the more opportunity Listeria has to grow.

Cleaning must include disassembly.  If a slicer is just wiped down, Listeria can be present in the areas that were not cleaned, such as under the guard or down around the motor (where there may be higher temperatures).   Never getting to spots on the slicer where foods particles build-up could mean that the slicer itself becomes a source for Listeria in that operation, not just a point of cross contact.  It is important for establishment personnel to evaluate slicers to make sure there are no niches for food build-up.

Even is a slice is cleaned successfully, it is important that operators recognize that the slicer is not the ultimate source, but still can be a point of cross contamination.  Important sources include:

• Deli cases - deli cases must be cleaned and properly maintained.
• Walk-in-coolers - also must be cleaned and properly maintained.
• Deli working environment - build-up of meat in the environment can result in high levels of Listeria in the operations, which increases the chance it can make its way to food contact surfaces including the slicer.
• Floor drains
• Sinks and wash areas

As a consumer, it is important to evaluate where you buy your deli products.  If a deli appears nasty, time to find a new deli.  Don't be afraid to ask about cleaning schedule.  If still concerned, buy your deli meat early in the day when the slicer is most likely to be the cleanest.
 

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6512a2.htm?s_cid=mm6512a2_e

Retail Deli Slicer Cleaning Frequency — Six Selected Sites, United States, 2012

Weekly / April 1, 2016 / 65(12);306–310

 

Food Bank Recalls Canned Oranges Due To Leakage



The Pittsburgh Area Food Bank is recalling canned oranges due to leakage.  While the product is within the stated shelf-life, it can be noted that the manufacturer has stated a three year shelf-life, which may be an error on the manufacturer's part.  Acid foods in cans do not last long, and normally, the shelf-life is two years.  The reason is that the acid will react with the can lining, and over time, it will get through to the steel base and rust through.  This is especially the case with tin-lined cans (additionally, if tin lined, tin concentrations will increase).  As cans begin to deteriorate, you  will initially see a hydrogen swell...hydrogen gas is released as the acid reacts with the can.  As the can swells, the ends will pop up.  But once the acid eats through the can leading to a pinhole, the pressure will be release and the can may look normal.

 

Food banks will normally distribute product past the state shelf-life.  For low acid canned foods, one to two years is normal.  In many cases, those types of foods will last even longer (although the product will break down over time...unlike fine wines, canned foods do not get better over the years).  But for acid foods, 6 months should be a limit past the life of the can.  And in the example here, the cans did not even make it that long. 

 

Other potential issues that could have resulted in leakage:  A bad seam - a double seam (the seam that holds the lid to the body) can be out of specification leading to too little of overlap and thus a weak seal.  Damage to the double seam - cuts into the double seam or dents to the double seam can also result in leakage.  Headspace evacuation - If the air in the headspace was not properly evacuated with steam, residual oxygen could hasten can deterioration.

 

 

 

 

 



FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm493605.htm
Food Bank Recalls Canned Mandarin Oranges Due to Possible Health Risk
For Immediate Release
March 17, 2016

FDA Submitted Final Rule on Sanitary Transport of Food

The FDA has submitted the Final rule on the Sanitary Transport of Human and Animal Food.  The rule should be expected to be available for us to review next week or soon after.   Nothing more can really be said until it is made public.

CDC Updates Salmonella Outbreak Info on Raw Meal Organic Shake Product

CDC provided an update on an ongoing Salmonella outbreak linked to Garden of Life Raw Meal Organic Shake and Meal Products.  there are now 27 cases in 20 states.

The company issued a recall on January 29, 2016 and then expanded the recall on February 12.  The issue was stated to be a ingredient contamination issue, namely organic Moringa Leaf powder (moringa oleifera, is a plant that is native to northern India and is used for health benefits).

 

CDC Outbreak News

http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/virchow-02-16/index.html

Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Virchow Infections Linked to Garden of Life RAW Meal Organic Shake & Meal Products

 

Baby Food Pouches Recalled Due to Packaging Defect

Gerber is recalling 2 lots of baby food in pouches due to the potential for leakage because of a defect in the packaging.  The leakage could result in product spoilage.  It appears that the packaging defect was noticed by the company and they then went and issued the recall.

The good thing is that this is a low pH (high acid) product.  While it has some vegetable products in there, there is the addition of acid fruits and citric acid.  Otherwise, if it were high pH (low acid), it could be a bigger risk..particularly from organisms like Clostridium botulinum.

 

FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm492260.htm
Gerber is Voluntarily Recalling Two Batches of GERBER® Organic 2ND FOODS® Pouches Due to a Packaging Defect That May Result in Product Spoilage

Chipotle Hires Food Safety Expert, Back on Some Food Safety Initiatives

Chipotle's food safety issues make for a great case study.  The company has finally hired a food safety expert (should have learned this from the Jack-in-the-Box E. coli Outbreak).  Additionally, they are  backing off on some of the corrective actions they stated they were going to implement.   Some were probably not really needed or may have had too much impact on the quality of the product.  But that is what happens when poop-hits-the-fan and a whole host of consultants are brought in to fix the situation.


Market Watch
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chipotle-taps-ksu-professor-for-food-safety-post-2016-03-15-164853242
Chipotle taps KSU professor for food-safety post
 By Jesse Newman
Published: Mar 15, 2016 4:32 p.m. ET

Impact of Food Safety Issues on Chipotle Bigger than Expected

The impact of food safety issues on Chipotle have been much more than expected.  They estimate that 7% of customers may never return.  Then there are the "costs to address food safety, increased staffing needed to serve free food and the volume of fresh produce wasted due to lower traffic and testing were all higher than expected."  Chipotle shares are still off 28% from last year.

Wall Street Journal
http://blogs.wsj.com/cfo/2016/03/17/chipotle-food-safety-problems-may-cost-it-up-to-7-of-customers-cfo/
Chipotle Food-Safety Problems May Cost It Up To 7% of Customers: CFO
1:13 pm ET
Mar 17, 2016 
By Maxwell Murphy