For Safety's Sake • Food Safety Newsletter • March 2009
Information and Tips for Keeping it Fresh!
Volume 2 • Issue 5
Welcome to For Safety's Sake - an informational newsletter dedicated to food safety. We hope you enjoy this issue and share it with others who are concerned about food safety. Sign up to receive this newsletter by email >
Focus on Food Safety
It seems food safety, or lack of, continues to infiltrate our nation's food supply. Just last Friday, eggs containing Salmonella were recalled. These organic shell eggs were sold through Safeway and Costco stores throughout the Western region of the United States, and were sourced from farms in Northern California. Indeed, these recalls are an all too familiar occurence.
Of course, the FDA will further investigate in the upcoming days and weeks ahead to determine if any eggs were shipped to additional retail or food service entities, but given sales through Costco and Safeway, it is entirely possible that these Salmonella-infected eggs could make their way through the food service industry and into America's kitchens. The time for complacency has past.
And, this new recall comes as we are still reeling from last year's peanut butter-related Salmonella outbreak. That recall is one of the largest in our nation's history and, with nine dead and more than 650 sick, the industry is still experiencing both its short-term and long-term effects. In order to move forward and prevent another outbreak of this scale from happening, we as a country and an industry need to set higher food safety standards. The good news is there is change on the horizon.
In response to this food recall and others, significant and broad reaching legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. Designed to help prevent food-borne illness outbreaks and ensure a quick and effective response, the new "FDA Food Safety Modernization Act" will arm the FDA with new authorities, tools and resources to reform our food safety systems. Along with the new commissioner, Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg of the FDA, this legislation is exactly what our industry needs in terms of food safety reform. We also need to be diligent in raising food safety awareness.
In fact, we at National Pasteurized Eggs (NPE) recently retained TNS Worldwide to field research on Americans' attitudes toward food safety, which uncovered even more interesting results including:
- More than 47 percent of Americans are more concerned with food safety now than before the peanut butter outbreak.
- 87 percent of Americans were not able to identify the more serious, long-term effects of Salmonella poisoning, such as heart damage, joint pain, bone marrow infection and even meningitis.
- 94 percent of Americans were unaware that Salmonella illness could lead to miscarriage.
- Nearly half of all Americans could not identify preschool children and pregnant women as being in the high-risk category for long-term complications from Salmonella illness.
You can find more from our survey results in this newsletter's "Did You Know?" section.
As an industry, we need to not only put forth an effort to ensure food safety, but also educate consumers on food safety risks. I applaud our legislators for introducing such forward-thinking legislation that will support the FDA in assuring a safe food supply. I commend those in the industry who do take food safety very seriously and promote education. I also encourage everyone to put an even greater emphasis on food safety in their facilities and in their outreach.
Let's work together to achieve our goal-making the nation's food supply safe for all.
Greg West
President of National Pasteurized Eggs, Inc.
Food Safety in the News
FDA Issues Peanut Safety Guidelines
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidelines for companies that use peanut products and said it may seize any products that test positive for Salmonella bacteria. These guidelines were pertinent to the recent outbreak of food poisoning in the U.S. related to peanut butter. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that to date, 683 people in 46 states have been affected by the outbreak of foods that used peanut ingredients made by the Georgia-based Peanut Corp. of America, now in bankruptcy. This outbreak is widespread and has affected hundreds of the company's customers and has forced more than 3,000 products to be recalled.
Source: Reuters - Posted: March 10, 2009
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Food Safety: Americans Feel Food Industry Doesn't Do Enough
According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of ASQ, food safety in the U.S. is still a major concern. In fact, it was revealed that although the majority of the food industry may be following safe production procedures, most of the public doesn't feel enough is being done to keep citizens safe.
Source: Chain Leader - Posted: March 11, 2009
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If Food is Touted as "Natural," You'd Better Check the Label Carefully
If a trip down the grocery aisles seems to be filled with more "natural" products, it is. However, according to a recent article by The Plain Dealer Health News labels touting "natural" have little meaning in most cases.
According to the Mintel Global News Products database, which monitors the appearance of household products, one third of all new U.S. beverage and food products claim of being "all natural." Read on to find out what the labels means.
Source: Health News from The Plain Dealer - Posted: March 11, 2009
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Food Safety Q & A
If you have a question you would like us to address in a future e-newsletter, please contact us at 4safetyssake@gmail.com.
Q. With infection risks on the rise and the downturn in the economy, many Americans are finding that growing their own vegetable gardens are both cost effective and healthy. What vegetables are recommended to get one started?
A: According to a recent article earlier this month in USA Today, it was reported that vegetable seed sales are up significantly at the nation's largest seed seller. In fact, the National Gardening Association predicts that the number of homes growing vegetables will increase more than 40 percent this year as compared to just two years ago. Tomatoes are popular vegetables to grow as are peppers, cucumbers, zucchini and squash. Or, consider an herb garden complete with lavender, mint and basil, to name a few.
Food Safety Spotlight
Who is leading the pack in food safety? In this section, we highlight foodservice entities that hold the highest standards and can teach all of us a thing or two. If you believe your organization deserves to be recognized, please e-mail us at 4safetyssake@gmail.com and let us know. We'd love to share your story, too.
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle, Washington
Located in Seattle, Washington, Seattle Children's Hospital serves as the pediatric referral center for Great Northwest including Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Rich in history, the hospital was founded in 1907, and provides excellent patient care with compassion and respect, while conducting cutting-edge pediatric research. With a rating as one of the best children's hospitals in the country, comes great responsibility ensuring the health and safety for everyone who steps foot in Seattle Children's Hospital. Walter Bronowitz, executive chef and dietary manager for Seattle Children's Hospital, as well as CCC, CCE and AAC accredited, plays an integral role in making this happen.
Directly responsible for managing 80 people in the department, Chef Bronowitz also oversees the catering division and café, which serves more than one million people annually; develops and plans the meals; and ensures the menus are patient-friendly. In his role and throughout his daily activities, Chef Bronowitz takes food safety very seriously. He ensures Seattle Children's Hospital meets the standard food safety and sanitation guidelines through numerous methods.
"Working at a hospital with 250 beds puts an even greater emphasis on food safety and I believe training is key to eliminating any risks," Chef Bronowitz said. "My staff and I created a training module focused specifically on food safety and sanitation guidelines. This training is above and beyond the standard hospital training module and all staff is required to review this yearly."
In addition to the training module, staff is regularly trained on food safety measures when new menus are developed and implemented to ensure guidelines are met. Among other standards the facility upholds, Chef Bronowitz also ensures consistent temperature records are kept of every food item that enters the building-from the time it leaves the truck and enters the kitchen- to the minute it is put on a tray for delivery to a patient.
When it comes to menu planning and development, Chef Bronowitz also chooses the best products to meet food safety guidelines, which includes using pasteurized shell eggs. "Menu planning at a hospital can be a daunting task because you need to take each and every patient's special dietary needs into consideration," he said. "Using pasteurized shell eggs enables us to incorporate egg-related dishes in the menu, without the worry and risk of food-borne illnesses such as Salmonella affecting our patients."
Chef Bronowitz says his kitchen primarily uses the pasteurized shell eggs in basic, simple items that meet the specialized or modified diets for patients. These include soft and hard cooked in the shell eggs, scrambled eggs and egg sandwiches.
"As the hospital looks to expand and we look at new ways to update our menus and our methods, food safety and sanitation will always be our main priority," he said.
For more information about Seattle Children's Hospital, visit www.seattlechildrens.org.
From the Food Safety Expert
Food Recalls: What You Can Do
By: Sue Grossbauer, RD.
Are you concerned about food recalls? Here are a few simple steps you can take to protect yourself and those you care for:
- Understand the language. A recall is almost always a voluntary action taken by a food manufacturer or producer based on food safety concerns. The most dangerous recall is "Class I," which represents a serious health threat. (An example is the series of recent recalls of peanut butter and peanut-containing products.) In addition to documented contamination with bacteria, foods are sometimes pulled because of undeclared allergens (such as milk products, wheat, etc.), other forms of contamination, or mislabeling. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees recalls of fresh produce and processed foods-which is most of our food supply-while the U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees recalls of fresh meat and poultry.
- Stay informed! Today's technology provides easy ways to be among the first to know when there's a problem. You can sign up for recall notices by email at www.recalls.gov (Click "Food".) Or, if a news story concerns you, go to www.fda.gov to check the latest recall information. This site is updated frequently with product details and reasons for withdrawal from the food supply. During the recent peanut recall, the FDA launched a full-blown searchable website where you can check anything in your kitchen cupboards for your own peace of mind...and the expanding recalls continue. Offline, you can call the FDA at 1-888-SAFEFOOD with your questions about recalls and food safety.
- Play it safe. Before you panic, start by checking the UPC code on your product against those reported. If you have any recalled product on-hand, save the UPC code and discard the product immediately. You can usually go to the manufacturer's website to request a coupon or refund, or call the manufacturer's 800 number for assistance. If you believe you may have eaten a suspect food and have symptoms of food-borne illness, such as nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, or fever, consult your healthcare professional. While the U.S. government actively informs the public about recall notices, paying attention and staying up-to-date are steps you can take on your own to stay food-safe. When it comes to food safety, knowledge is power!
About Sue Grossbauer, R.D.
Sue Grossbauer, R.D., building on a career in hospital food service, is active in educational support, marketing communications, and internet development within the foodservice industry. She writes the Food Protection Connection column for Dietary Managers Association (DMA) and has authored several textbooks and online courses, including Behind the Food Code, offered by DMA. Grossbauer is president of The Grossbauer Group in Chesterton, Ind. She can be contacted at sue@ggnet.net.
Did You Know?
According to a national survey recently conducted by TNS Worldwide on behalf of NPE, Americans are still exposing themselves to Salmonella illness by eating eggs in undercooked styles.
What's more:
- 93 percent of Americans consume eggs, potentially one of the most dangerous foods in terms of Salmonella-related food-borne illness;
- Three out of 10 Americans still eat their eggs in undercooked styles such as over easy and sunnyside up and;
- Seven of 10 Americans eat scrambled eggs, which can also pose a risk if they are served softly scrambled.
"These new statistics show Americans continue to hold taste and tradition over risk of illness or worse," says California food safety expert Jeff Nelken. "While eggs are nutritionally dense and a great food item, there is a great risk of contracting Salmonella poisoning from not only undercooking, but cross contamination in the kitchen."
"The best way to deal with Salmonella in foods is to remove the risk before it enters the kitchen," Nelken said. He recommends using only pasteurized shell or liquid eggs to eliminate potential cross contamination. Nelken further explains that food service operators and restaurateurs must realize individuals in high risk groups, including pregnant women; children under age 10; those 55 and older, and even those with temporarily compromised immune systems, who eat undercooked foods, can experience long-term, dire consequences and not just one bad night.
Illnesses such as those from Salmonella can be virtually eliminated if precautions are taken and foods are prepared and cooked properly. Some tips from Nelken to ensure food safety when prepping and cooking include:
- Cook your foods to the proper temperatures. Eggs need to reach 160 degrees throughout. Use a thermometer to be sure.
- Purchase pasteurized eggs. Make sure the label says pasteurized and enjoy a full range of foods such as eggs over easy or Caesar salad, without the risk associated with non-pasteurized eggs.
- Continually wash your hands to reduce the risk of contamination.
- Use separate serving dishes. Cross contamination is easy to correct. Use different dishes for preparation than for serving to eliminate the risk of Salmonella and other illnesses.
- Food service operators should not save egg wash, use batter containing eggs from one meal to the next, or pool eggs. Don't eat eggs that are prepared in lightly cooked styles unless pasteurized shell eggs are used.
The TNS survey was conducted in February 2009, with 1,000 Americans. For more survey information, visit www.safeeggs.com
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