The tomato/pepper/cilantro fiasco goes on. More people sick, harvests destroyed, farmers ruined, $100 million down the drain, and still no answers as to why over 1,220 people have contracted a food borne illness that up until now was extremely rare.

Late yesterday, in what could be the ultimate flip-flop, the FDA announced that tomatoes are ok to eat. Sort of. They say it doesn’t mean that tomatoes harvested in the spring are cleared (try guessing which ones those are). It just means that the tomatoes in fields and stores today are safe to eat, said Dr. David Acheson, the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety chief.

The source of the outbreak of salmonella still isn’t known. The latest suspect is jalapeno peppers. Also still on the suspect list is fresh cilantro.

Thursday’s move to attempt to create some perception that the problem has been resolved, comes as the tomato industry estimates its losses at more than $100 million,

In the United States, the principal federal regulatory organizations responsible for providing consumer protection with regards to food are:

• US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for the safety of meat, poultry, and certain egg products and for performing certain food quality inspections and certifications that include food safety elements.
• FDA is responsible for the safety of all other foods, including milk, seafood, and fruits and vegetables.The FDA is charged with protecting consumers against impure, unsafe, and fraudulently labeled food other than in areas regulated by FSIS.
• EPA’s mission includes protecting public health and the environment from risks posed by pesticides and promoting safer means of pest management. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets limits on the amount of pesticide residues that are allowed in food.
• National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) within the Department of Commerce provides fee-for-service inspections of seafood safety and quality.
• Department of Homeland Security is responsible for coordinating agencies’ food security activities, including at U.S. borders.
• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). APHIS’ primary role in the U.S. food safety network of agencies is to protect against plant and animal pests and diseases.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is responsible for monitoring, identifying, and investigating foodborne disease problems and for working with FDA, NMFS, USDA, state and local public health departments, universities, and industry to develop control methods.

The Department of Treasury’s Customs Service assists the regulatory authorities by checking and occasionally detaining imports based on guidance provided. Many agencies and offices have food safety missions within their research, education, prevention, surveillance, standard-setting, and/or outbreak response activities, including DHHS’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH); USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS); Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES); Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS); Economic Research Service (ERS); Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration (GIPSA); and the U.S. Codex office; and the Department of Commerce’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

Major U.S. food safety authorizing statutes include the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA), the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA), the Egg Products Inspection Act (EPIA), Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), and Public Health Service Act.

Procedural statutes, which regulatory agencies must follow, include the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), and the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA). The APA specifies requirements for rulemaking (i.e., the process by which federal agencies formulate, amend, or repeal a regulation and the process permitting any interested party to petition for the issuance, amendment, or repeal of a regulation). Substantive regulations promulgated by an agency under the APA have the force and effect of law. FACA requires that certain kinds of groups whose advice is relied upon by the government be chartered as advisory committees, that they be constituted to provide balance, to avoid a conflict of interest, and to hold committee meetings in public with an opportunity for comment from those outside the committee. The FOIA provides the public with a statutory right to access federal agency information.

Still wondering why nothing ever gets done?

Source: http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/fssyst2.html

Plastic bags are made from oil: it takes about 430,000 gallons of oil to produce 100 million plastic bags, and the U.S. goes through 380 billion of them a year.

A statistics class at Indiana U did the math: more than 1.6 billion gallons of oil are used each year for plastic bags alone. The more we use plastic bags, the more we waste oil.

Compounding the problem is the fact that, not only do we make tons of plastic bags (and use lots of oil in the process) we only recycle 1 percent. One lousy percent. It’s pitiful.

But the plastic problem gets worse. Under perfect conditions a bag takes a thousand years to biodegrade, and in a landfill, plastic bags decompose even slower. If buried, they block the natural flow of oxygen and water through the soil. If burned, they release dangerous toxins and carcinogens into the air. The damage is even more severe when the bags end up in the ocean, where thousands of sea turtles and other marine life die each year after mistaking plastic bags for food.

Plastic bag litter has become such an environmental dilemma that Ireland, Taiwan, South Africa, Australia, and Bangladesh have heavily taxed plastic bags or banned their use outright. How’s it working for them? In 2001, Ireland consumed 1.2 billion plastic bags, or 316 per person. A plastic bag consumption tax, 37 cents per bag, introduced in 2002 reduced consumption by 90%! Approximately 18,000,000 liters of oil have been saved due to this reduced production. An outright ban in China is expected to save that country 37 million barrels of oil each year.

How’s the idea of reducing plastic bags and saving millions of barrels of oil working for us? In March 2007, San Francisco became the first city in the US to ban plastic bags in retail stores. Before the ban, San Francisco used 180 million plastic bags per year. The ban cut the city’s plastic bag use by five million each month. Other US cities are considering implementing a similar ban or tax but we have a long way to go. In the meantime, we can all make a difference by bringing a reusable bag or box along when we shop. It’s easy, effective and just may influence someone else to do the same. 

Sources: http://reusablebags.com/, http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/11/10/sack_the_plastic_shopping_bag/, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/09/0902_030902_plasticbags_2.html, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-royte/why-the-bag-backlash_b_46200.html, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/us.html

Reports from the FDA and CDC (from late May to date) indicate:

• 167  228 552 613 756 869 922 1017 1090 1148 1167 1196 1220 confirmed cases of Salmonella Saintpaul poisoning from contaminated raw tomatoes, peppers, and/or cilantro.
• At least 23 25 48 53 69 95 107 111 203 210 220 hospitalizations have been reported.
• 2 deaths are believed to be associated with the outbreak.
• 17 23  28 30 34 36 40 41 42 states involved. Texas has the largest number of cases with 131 384 448 people affected while Ilinois had 34 100 104,  followed by New Mexico at 70  98 102.
• Illnesses began between April 16 and May 27.
• Patients range in age from 1 to 82 years; 49% are female
• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that for every salmonella case reported, 38 are not brought to the attention of physicians.

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/saintpaul/

This is a Class I, High Health Risk Recall         Nestlé Prepared Foods Company, a division of Nestle,  is recalling approximately 199,417 pounds of frozen stuffed chicken sandwich products that may contain pieces of plastic.

The following products are subject to recall: 9-ounce boxes of “Lean Pockets Spinach Artichoke Chicken - 2 sandwiches.” Printed on the side of each box is a “Best Before” date of “Nov 2009″ followed by a package code beginning “8144 544616.” Also printed on the side of the package is the establishment number “P7721A.”

The products were produced on May 23 and distributed to retail establishments nationwide.

The problem was discovered after the company received consumer complaints. Two injuries have been reported to the company. No word on what the plastic is, where it came from, or the extent of the injuries.

Nestle has not provided infomation regarding the recall on their website. They have set up a toll-free number for consumers. It is 800-350-5016.

Source: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_023_2008_Release/index.asp

You have got to see this! It’s good. It’s true. We are a society that is obsessed with stuff. The average Amercian consumes twice as much as we did 50 years ago. We have less than 5% of the world’s poplulation yet we use 30% of the world’s resources. If everyone in the world consumed at US rates we would need five planets to house our goods and trash. How did this happen? Well it wasn’t by accident. Check out the 20-minute video at www.storyofstuff.com.

It’s Sunday, a day of rest, a day when I traditionally try to stay away from posting anything too depressing. It hasn’t been easy lately. When it comes to our government and our food supply there is a far greater stream of not-so-good news. It often makes me wonder just what God (or Mother Nature) must be thinking. But today I give thanks for people like Don Bustos.

Don lives and farms in northern New Mexico’s Espanola Valley. His land has been passed down from his Spanish ancestors who tilled the same soil centuries before. He went organic 15 years ago when he realized the traditional farming techniques he was using could harm his children’s health. But now, Bustos has found an even safer method — vegan organic farming without any animal fertilizers or byproducts.

This farming method, also called veganic or stock-free farming, is an emerging concept here in the United States. Much like certified organic farmers, veganic farmers use no synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or genetically modified ingredients. Veganic farmers take it to another level by not using any manures or slaughterhouse byproducts. They don’t even use organically approved pesticides.

Salmonella and e-coli are bacteria that live in the intestines of livestock and are present in their waste. Livestock waste, or manure, can be used to fertilize fields, potentially contaminating crops with the disease-causing bacteria (a possible cause of our current tomato/pepper/cilantro contamination problem.)

Crops can also be contaminated by contact with infected animals or their byproducts, including bone meal and blood meal, which are used as fertilizer as well.

Veganic farmers use crop rotations and composted plant matter — or “green manure” — to fertilize their crops.

Bustos, 51, was inspired to pursue veganic farming four years ago after listening to then-U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns speak.

“He was talking about ways to protect the safety of our food system, but to me you still have things like e-coli and salmonella from manure (fertilizer),” Bustos said. “Now, I use no manures, no bone meals, blood meal, no pesticides, nothing.”

Stephane Groleau, co-founder of the Veganic Agriculture Network based in Quebec, Canada, said he’s aware of only a dozen veganic farms or gardeners in the U.S. He said the farming method is more popular in England and Europe because of lack of available land for raising livestock and concerns over livestock diseases transferring to humans.

Veganic farmers in the U.S. are motivated by the need to protect the environment and human health, said Ron Khosla, who operates the 77-acre vegan organic Huguenot Street Farm in New Paltz, N.Y., with his wife.

Khosla said the primary source of nutrients on many organic farms in the country comes from manure from confined animal operations, or what he calls “factory farms.”

“You think you are getting these clean happy vegetables, but more often than not they’re grown in waste from factory farms,” he said. “The animals … were fed non-organic feed laced with hormones and antibiotics. Those products bio-accumulate in the animals and it’s present in their waste as well.”

Both Kholsa and Bustos said they have a strong customer base that seeks out their produce because of the vegan growing philosophy as well as a growing awareness about food production.

“Customers are becoming more aware about how their food is grown and the practices by the farmer who’s growing it,” Bustos said. “It’s the customers that are encouraging us to find ways to become more environmentally conscious and efficient.”

Veganic growers say their methods reduce environmental impact by using less land, conserving water and producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

The practice, they say, is also cheaper than traditional farming and organic farming.

Farmers can be certified as veganic by meeting standards set by the Soil Association Certification Ltd. in England. However, Khosla is working on veganic standards for American farmers through his organization, Certified Naturally Grown, based in Stone Ridge, N.Y.

Veganic-Healthier, cheaper, safer, greener, cruealty-free, environmentally friendly. The only thing better is the people who actually put it into practice. Thank you.

For more information go to:

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jHLDeQLnFGUAVrbg5DXiBKXN_H6QD91CD2A80

On the heels of another 5 million pound ground beef recall, and with over 1000 people sickened and no answers in the salmonella contaminated tomato/pepper/cilantro fiasco, Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer today announced that beginning next month, the USDA will begin listing retail stores receiving meat and poultry products involved in Class I recalls - those of the most serious concern to public health.

The USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) will post on its site a list of retail stores that receive products subject to Class I recalls (only), the highest risk category, generally within three to ten business days of issuing the recall release. Retail stores include supermarkets or other grocery stores, convenience stores, meat markets, wholesale clubs and supercenters. FSIS will not identify distribution centers, institutions or restaurants, since they prepare food for immediate consumption without packaging that is identifiable or available to consumers.

Recall announcements from FSIS will include the name of the establishment recalling the meat or poultry, the reason for the recall, a description of the recalled product, any identifying product codes, the recall classification and contact information at FSIS and the company involved. The additional information releasing the names of retail stores receiving recalled meat and poultry will improve the consumers’ ability to identify and discard or return the products they may have purchased and may still have in their home by checking the list of stores and locations.

Bottom line: 1. In order to be sure that meat and or poultry you purchase will not be recalled, freeze all store bought meat and poultry for at least 10 days prior to consumption. When ready to consume, check FSIS website to make sure said meat and or poultry is not contaminated and has not been recalled. 2. Think twice before eating meat and or poultry at a restaurant or institution. 3. Don’t buy meat or poultry if you don’t know where it came from. 4. Become a vegetarian.

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2008/07/0183.xml

1. Which biotech corporation was involved in research on uranium for the Manhattan Project and operated a nuclear facility for the US government until the late 1980s? ANSWER: Monsanto

2. Name two biotech corporations that were once part of the German chemical firm at the financial core of the Nazi regime and which supplied Zyklon-B during the extermination phase of the Holocaust? ANSWER: Bayer and BASF

3. Which biotech firm other than Monsanto was a major supplier of Agent Orange, as well as manufacturing napalm? ANSWER: Dow

4. In relation to which Alabama town, where the undertaker who lived across the street from the Monsanto plant said he always thought he was burying too many children, was the company found guilty of conduct “so outrageous in character and extreme in degree as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency so as to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in civilized society”? ANSWER: Anniston

5. What happened on October 21 2007 to Valmir Mota de Oliveira, also known as Keno, during a protest at an experimental GMO farm owned by Syngenta? ANSWER: He was killed with two shots to the chest at point-blank range by militiamen employed by Syngenta. (The company denies responsibility)

6. In 2005 the Bollywood star, Nana Patekar toured India’s main cotton growing area of Maharashtra, promoting Monsanto’s Bt cotton to farmers. What made him announce the following year that he would no longer support Monsanto or promote its Bollgard Bt cotton? ANSWER: Two reasons were given in press reports: the large scale losses caused to cotton farmers across the state and the impact of Bt Cotton cultivation on farmer suicides.

7. Monsanto says, “Integrity is the foundation for all that we do”. How many current and former Indonesian government officials and their family members are known to have received illicit payments on the company’s behalf? ANSWER: At least 140, according to the US Securities & Exchange Commission.

8. Who was in overall charge of business operations in Indonesia when the bribes scandal got underway? ANSWER: Hugh Grant, Monsanto’s current Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President. He was managing director of Monsanto’s Asia Pacific division.

9. Which country has a bilateral agreement with the US for the development of its agriculture, including the promotion of GMOs, overseen by a board that includes Monsanto, ADM and Wal-Mart? ANSWER: India (Knowledge Initiative on Agriculture)

10. Which Health Canada scientist told a Canadian Senate committee of being in a meeting where officials from Monsanto made an offer of between $1-2 million to the scientists from Health Canada — an offer that she told the senators could only have been interpreted as a bribe. Additionally, she also recounted how notes and files critical of scientific data provided by Monsanto were stolen from a locked filing cabinet in her office. ANSWER: Dr. Margaret Haydon

Source: www.gmwatch.eu

It started in April and since then 1017 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 41 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada.The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2 persons), Arkansas (14), Arizona (49), California (9), Colorado (13), Connecticut (4), Florida (2), Georgia (24), Idaho (4), Illinois (100), Indiana (14), Iowa (2), Kansas (17), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), Maine (1), Maryland (29), Massachusetts (25), Michigan (8), Minnesota (15), Missouri (12), New Hampshire (4), Nevada (11), New Jersey (9), New Mexico (98), New York (28), North Carolina (10), Ohio (8), Oklahoma (24), Oregon (10), Pennsylvania (11), Rhode Island (3), South Carolina (2), Tennessee (8), Texas (384), Utah (2), Virginia (29), Vermont (2), Washington (11), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (11), and the District of Columbia (1). Four ill persons are reported from Canada; three appear to have been infected while traveling in the United States. At least 203 people have been hospitalized, 2 people have died. The outbreak isn’t over, or even showing any sign of slowing — with about 25 to 40 cases being a reported a day for weeks now.

The toll far surpasses what had been considered the largest foodborne outbreak of the past decade, the 715 salmonella cases linked to peanut butter in 2006. In the mid-1990s, there were well over 1,000 cases of cyclospora linked to raspberries, and previous large outbreaks of salmonella from ice cream and milk.

The CDC acknowledges that for every case of salmonella confirmed to the government, there may be 30 to 40 others that go undiagnosed or unreported.

“The outbreak could actually be tens of thousands of people rather than 1,000 people,” agreed Caroline Smith DeWaal of the consumer advocacy Center for Science in the Public Interest. “It’s certainly a disturbing event to have this many illnesses spanning this many months.”

To make matters worse, no one is sure if the cause is tomatoes, peppers, cilantro or a combination of one or more.

Certain raw tomatoes — red round, plum and Roma — remain the chief suspect and the government stressed again today that consumers should avoid them unless they were harvested in areas “cleared of suspicion.” We are all left to try to figure out exactly what that means.

In a brilliant statement, FDA food safety chief Dr. David Acheson added: “It’s just been a spectacularly complicated and prolonged outbreak.” Thanks Captain Obvious.

For more information go to: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/saintpaul/

See also: US tomato outbreak, the facts