| Here's an interesting blog to check out. The photos (of boxes of meat covered in rat poop) are from a few years ago, but as it's been made very clear since then, no real food safety changes have yet been instituted since that time.
I've worked in a few warehouses, and I've certainly seen nasty stuff before. I've never worked in a food distribution or manufacturing facility, though. I can say, however, that food manufacturing facilities were pretty common to run across during my decade working in environmental remediation back in New Jersey. If they can't, don't or won't properly handle their wastewater discharges, it's probably a good bet that's not the only sanitary problem with the facility...
A few other recent items:
- Federal "regulators" are warning people to stop using a popular line of "diet supplements", after about 2 dozen reports of "significant adverse health effects" (including one death) in people who used it. Eye-opening read, that NY Times piece -
Unlike drugs, whose manufacturers must provide safety and effectiveness data before receiving federal approval to sell the products, dietary supplements do not need prior F.D.A. sanction to go on sale. Manufacturers of dietary supplements are themselves responsible for ensuring and documenting the safety and efficacy claims of their products.
- Families and victims of food poisoning have been in Washington, DC this week to push for updated federal food safety legislation.
- Follow the trail! Arizona spinach goes to a Wisconsin packer, then heads on to a nationwide distributor who ships the product to Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. The spinach tests positive for salmonella, and is recalled. Interestingly enough, the distributor was notified of the positive test results on April 27, yet no recall was announced until April 29. Why did
it take two days they wait until the third day (thanks, nycstray!) to announce to the public, especially considering that no weekends or holidays were involved?
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