More Toll House E. Coli

by: count

Thu Jan 14, 2010 at 19:15:34 PM PST

Sample of Nestlé Cookie Dough Has E. Coli Bacteria

By WILLIAM NEUMAN
Published: January 13, 2010

The headline should read Samples...Have...

Two batches of Toll House refrigerated cookie dough made in Nestle's Danville, Virginia plant last week were contaminated with a strain of E. Coli.

[Nestlé] said that after last summer's recall, it began testing samples of every batch of dough for E. coli O157:H7, the toxic strain behind last year's outbreak.

This might indicate that the two batches were contaminated with O157:H7, although the NYT article does not say so explicitly.

Close to a 100,000 pounds of beef recalled

by: Ellinorianne

Thu May 21, 2009 at 22:03:59 PM PDT

A 7-year-old Cleveland girl died Sunday from an E. coli infection that local health officials say could be linked to a massive ground-beef recall issued Thursday from an Illinois-based company.

Health officials did not identify the girl or provide details of the circumstances that led to her death. But Cleveland Health Director Matthew Carroll said the case might be the latest in a cluster of E. coli infections traced to Valley Meats LLC of Coal Valley, Ill.

The company pulled nearly 100,000 pounds of hamburger patties Thursday after a U.S. Department of Agriculture investigation confirmed that three Cleveland-area residents were infected by eating the same tainted ground beef.

Food Safety Mini-Sampler Platter

by: JayinPortland

Fri May 01, 2009 at 15:10:00 PM PDT

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?

US Marshals Raid New Jersey Peanut Distributor

by: JayinPortland

Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 14:00:00 PM PDT

A federal official said Moradi [Westco/Westcott] "ran away and hid" when government inspectors showed up at his plant. Moradi acknowledged hiding from FDA inspectors but said it was because they had repeatedly visited him and staked out his plant, and he was frightened.

The company is Westco Fruit & Nut, operating out of a Coit Street location in Irvington, NJ.  The company sent out mixed nut products and trail mix containing peanuts from PCA's Blakely, Georgia plant up until February 2009, and FDA is warning people to dispose of all products containing peanuts they may have from Westco/Westcott Fruit & Nut Company.

Westco/Westcott refused to cooperate with FDA in the recall attempt or provide any information to federal investigators, so today US marshals raided their building -

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals today executed an inspection warrant at Westco Fruit and Nuts Inc. (Westco/Westcott), an Irvington, N.J.-based company. Westco/Westcott did not provide access to distribution documents and declined to recall products after an FDA request.

There's that 'voluntary' recall system in action.  I guess the 'honor system' doesn't work when some companies are still willing to put profits before health, even if it risks potentially killing people...

Tropical Tuesday Sampler Platter

by: JayinPortland

Tue Apr 07, 2009 at 14:30:00 PM PDT

• A new (old) cookbook being revised for Oregon's sesquicentennial will be based upon one Southern Oregon family's culinary roots going back 150 years.  The pioneer sour cream pear pie sounds interesting.  Generations of family poetry will also be included, like this gem from Bessie Venable Smith Johnston on a trip to an early-day supermarket - "Foods with additives, preserved to delay the rot; the more I looked, the less hungry I got."  I like her poetry. :)

• A great blog post on the urgent need to improve hospital food.  I spent 5 weeks in a New Jersey hospital ten years ago recovering from meningitis, and the 'food' was probably one of the worst experiences I can remember from that.  It isn't rocket science - better (real, whole) food is one of the keys to better health.  You'd think hospitals would be a natural place to make that connection...

• Marion Nestle offers 3 great suggestions to restaurants, on making it easier for customers to make healthier choices.

• The new trend in food marketing strategies - stressing simplicity.  Which of course in no way makes Fritos or Snapple any 'healthier'.

• In the Washington Post, Jennifer Huget asks what can eaters do as packaged food recalls spread?

• A cool link from TreeHugger on a Scottish sustainable development charity building greenhouses from recycled soda bottles.

• It's the season for snacking on maple syrup on snow in Vermont these days...

• Another article on the loopholes contained in country-of-origin labeling, this one from Tampa Bay.

• The National WWII Museum is seeking your stories and memories about food, recipes, Victory Gardens and rationing at home during the war.

• An article from Australia on organic baby food and the rapid growth of other "eco-baby" products.

Cockroaches and Rat Poop Found In Second Setton Nut Plant

by: JayinPortland

Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PDT

"Last month, New York agricultural authorities discovered nearly two dozen dead cockroaches, rodent droppings and one live cockroach on an ingredient rolling rack inside the Commack plant. It failed its state health inspection.... State inspectors went back for a visit Wednesday to swab the plant and take food samples to be tested for salmonella and other pathogens as part of the pistachio recall,... The test results are pending."

This Commack, New York plant is now the second Setton plant under investigation, along with Setton's Terra Bella, California plant from which the earlier recall was issued.  A separate recall of products from the Commack plant will be coming soon -

The Commack company said in a statement last night it plans a voluntary recall soon, related to the pistachios issue. It has engaged at least three outside public relations representatives since news of the California salmonella scare broke.

And the similarities don't end there - these guys are certified organic, too.  I wouldn't suggest ordering anything from that page, of course...

Pistachios from California plant recalled due to salmonella

by: DarrellNC

Tue Mar 31, 2009 at 06:00:47 AM PDT

Got any pistachios at home?  Don't eat them--but don't throw them away either.  The FDA is issuing this advisory after a Central Valley plant issued a recall.

A California food processing plant is voluntarily recalling up to 1 million pounds of roasted pistachio products that may have been contaminated with salmonella, the Food and Drug Administration announced Monday.

The nuts came from Setton Farms in Terra Bella, California, about 75 miles south of Fresno. They were largely distributed in 2,000-pound containers to food wholesalers who would then package them for resale or incorporate them as ingredients in other products, such as ice cream and trail mix.

Unlike the Peanut Corporation of America affair, an outbreak didn't trigger this recall.  Rather, the recall came after Kraft found strains of salmonella during routine testing.

This could have a massive ripple effect--Setton is the second-biggest pistachio processor in the nation.

Remember PCA?

by: JayinPortland

Fri Mar 06, 2009 at 16:15:17 PM PST

* A dead mouse stuck to a glue trap. "The mouse appeared to have died recently," the report reads.

* "What appeared to be rodent excreta pellets too numerous to count were observed in the cabinet under the sink in the south most kitchen."

* "In the cabinet north of the dishwasher ... I counted approximately 27 rodent excreta pellets."

* "Another dead mouse was found just outside the south most doorway of the kitchen. ... This mouse also appeared to have recently died."

* "What appeared to be a bird's nest was observed in the wall/ceiling metal support beam at southwest corner of the mezzanine area."

* Processing machines had buildup of "gooey" peanut paste.

* Numerous roof leaks.

In an ironic twist, it turns out that a Texas State Health Inspector regularly drove past the Plainview, TX PCA plant that the state didn't know existed on his way to other jobs -

A state inspector drove by the Plainview plant regularly on his way to other jobs, but he never entered the facility.

"I find it inconceivable that an inspector could pass the plant and not know food was processed there," Estes said. "We need a mechanism where people are aware of what's happening in their communities."

Also, an AP article from yesterday notes how easy it was for PCA to fool inspectors into believing it was licensed -

Jack McCasland, environmental inspector for the Plainview-Hale County Health Department, said plant officials led him to believe the licensing process was under way when he visited the facility before it opened.

"To be honest, I never really thought to follow up on it," McCasland said. "It just never occurred to me that they wouldn't be (licensed)."

PCA Update: VA Plant Had Long History of Rodents, Mold on Peanuts

by: JayinPortland

Wed Feb 25, 2009 at 03:29:35 AM PST

In Virginia, tests for salmonella have come back negative. But inspection reports revealed evidence of rodents and other unsanitary conditions at the Peanut Corp. plant in Suffolk. State inspectors repeatedly found evidence of rodents at the plant since Peanut Corp. bought it in 2000, according to inspection reports.

As recently as October, a Virginia inspector found "an accumulation of black, green and yellow mold" on blanched peanuts and 43 containers each holding 2,000-pounds of peanuts. The plant manager told the inspector after the discovery that those peanuts would be destroyed if not used for animal feed and oil stock.

That must be the new Rainbow Mold flavor.

Also, following up on the news from a week and a half ago of the new salmonella find at PCA's Texas plant, salmonella poisoning cases linked to products from PCA's Texas plant have moved beyond just Colorado, and on into Oregon -

Oregon health officials have confirmed a new case of salmonella infection, and for the first time peanuts sold in bins are the likely culprit. The peanuts came from the Peanut Corp. of America's Plainview, Texas, plant, which has been linked to a salmonella outbreak.

The recall continues to expand, and more below the fold...

Central Food Safety Agency Being Formed

by: JayinPortland

Wed Feb 25, 2009 at 02:01:53 AM PST

The commission's task would be "to strengthen the country's food monitoring system, whose low efficiency has long been blamed for repeated food scandals," the report said.

[...]

Experts have said a key reason for ... regulatory shortcomings is that too many different agencies have jurisdiction over the food industry.

Absolutely, and it's about time!  Even though it's fading from the headlines, the peanut salmonella outbreak is still ongoing, and the number of sicknesses continues to grow as one of the largest food recalls in history continues.

As Jill asks in the title of her Alternet article published yesterday, how do we know what's safe to eat?  Well unfortunately, we're still going to have to wait a bit for that here in the US...

Because the country currently setting up that central food safety agency is China.  Where at least 70 people were just sickened from eating tainted pork -

Investigations showed the suspect pork bought from local markets was contaminated with clenbuterol, a drug often given to people to treat asthma but also commonly used to cut body fat.

Cases of clenbuterol being given to pigs in China to reduce their fat have been recorded, but it is a banned food additive because it can be fatal for humans, the China Daily said.

One of the worst cases involving clenbuterol occurred in Shanghai in 2006 when 336 people were hospitalised after eating pig meat or organs contaminated with the additive, according to the paper.

Maple Leaf Foods Wants Their Wieners Back

by: JayinPortland

Tue Feb 24, 2009 at 13:15:00 PM PST

Maple Leaf Foods has voluntarily recalled hundreds of cases of wieners that had not completed tests for the listeria bacteria species.

[...]

Smith said 1,100 cases of wieners were quarantined for a second round of testing at a plant in Hamilton, Ont., but they were mistakenly shipped out prematurely. Initial testing revealed a partial positive result for a the listeria species, Smith said. Maple Leaf says it tests for all six listeria species, not just Listeria monocytogenes.

It is not known whether the recalled wieners have tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a species that can be fatal in humans and was blamed for last year's deadly listeriosis outbreak.

A bit more, and the list of recalled products below the fold...

Peanut Corp. was a "time bomb," had sanitation problems as early as 1980s

by: DarrellNC

Sun Feb 15, 2009 at 11:00:26 AM PST

Today's Washington Post has a front-page story--about the rise and fall of Peanut Corporation of America.  The most devastating tidbits come from a former buyer for a major snack company, David Brooks.  Apparently, the conditions that eventually led to the salmonella outbreak had been prevalent in the company's operations for at least 20 years.

On three occasions in the mid-1980s, Brooks inspected PCA's Gorman plant to determine whether to buy its peanut products, he said. Each time, he gave the plant a failing grade.

"It was just filthy," said Brooks, who has since retired from the food business. "Dust was all over the beams, the braces of the building. The roofs leaked, the windows would be open, and birds would fly through the building. . . . It was just a time bomb waiting to go off, and everybody in the peanut industry in Georgia, Virginia and Texas -- they all knew."

This was back when Hugh Parnell, Sr. still ran the company.  He sold it in 1994, but Stewart Parnell bought it back in 2000 and added the Georgia and Virginia plants later on.  Like father, like son.

Salmonella Cases Traced To PCA Texas Plant

by: JayinPortland

Sun Feb 15, 2009 at 06:47:29 AM PST

Lynne Terry (aka "peanut girl") of the Oregonian broke the story yesterday that Colorado Health Officials have traced six Salmonella illnesses to the now closed Peanut Corporation of America's (PCA's) Plainville, Texas plant of Peanut Corporation of America. Until Lynne broke the story, "federal authorities had identified the company's plant in Blakely, Georgia as the [only] source of the outbreak that has sickened nearly 640 people and killed nine." According to Lynn, "epidemiologists in Denver told [her] on Friday that they have linked six new cases to the [Texas] plant...."

Here's the original Oregonian article from Friday -

On Thursday, Texas health authorities ordered the recall of all peanut-related ingredients ever shipped from the plant, which had operated since 2005 without an inspection. Texas officials found dead rodents and feces, and preliminary tests by a private lab indicated salmonella was present.

Wow, this is just getting ridiculous now.  Bill Marler also asks another great question - has anybody taken a look at their third plant in Virginia?

Georgia Will Consider Charging Parnell, PCA With Manslaughter

by: JayinPortland

Fri Feb 13, 2009 at 01:35:19 AM PST

Georgia officials say they will consider charging the company and its CEO, Stewart Parnell, with manslaughter, if federal authorities do not.

First time I've heard anything about that.  Somebody had better!  How much more evidence do they need?  Manslaughter is the least Parnell should be charged with, imo...

The very next paragraph brings up another interesting question, which shouldn't even be a serious question at all -

But legal experts say the current food-contamination scandal will test the willingness of federal law enforcement officials to use handcuffs against Mr. Parnell and other allegedly rogue operators in a country with some 60,000 food-production factories.

How much more evidence is needed that this was a premeditated act?  It was a business decision on the part of Stewart Parnell and PCA to introduce food that they knew was contaminated with deadly bacteria into the food system.  Nine people have died as a direct result of that decision.  There's a word for that, and it ain't "business".

Why is it that Stewart Parnell and others like him are allowed to commit heinous crimes under the cover of the legal entity known as a corporation, and there are actually questions as to whether (or what) charges will be filed against the guy?

Was the key legal mistake of every murderer in prison right now that they failed to 'incorporate' before they killed people?

Ninth Salmonella Death Confirmed

by: JayinPortland

Thu Feb 12, 2009 at 12:08:07 PM PST

A second Ohio woman's death has been linked to peanut products from a Georgia plant now under fire for sending tainted food to manufacturers across the country.

An elderly woman from Medina County died after contracting Salmonella typhimurium, the strain of the bacteria associated with a nationwide outbreak that has prompted widespread food recalls, said Ohio Department of Health officials.

Out of the 9 deaths and over 600 reported sicknesses currently linked to this outbreak, 2 deaths and at least 90 sicknesses have so far been confirmed in Ohio.  Ohio leads the nation in confirmed cases.

In other peanut news today - for the families of PCA's victims, file this one under too little, too late -

The Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously approved a plan that would require food makers to alert state inspectors within 24 hours if a plant's internal tests show its products are contaminated.

[...]

"If this bill had been in place six months ago, a red flag would have been raised," said Republican state Sen. John Bulloch, the committee chairman and the measure's sponsor. "I think we could have identified this plant had a problem."

Food safety experts, government groups and industry lobbies say they don't know of any other state that requires food manufacturers to share internal data.

What have these 'regulators' been 'regulating' all along, anyway?