Meritech Food Safety News

New Federal E.Coli and Salmonella Program

2009-07-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

A Food Safety Working Group created by President Obama early in his administration has announced new recommendations and standards that will hopefully reduce salmonella in poultry as well as increase sampling of products for E.Coli.

The group has stated that their three main goals are: Preventing harm to consumers, which is their first priority. Effective food safety inspections and enforcement. And the quick identification of outbreaks of food borne illness.

The group has said that by the end of the month more recommendations will be released to help prevent E.Coli and Salmonella. They also plan to issue draft guidance on steps the food industry can take to establish product tracing systems to improve national capacity for detecting the origins of food borne illness within the next three months.

To learn more about what the new group plans to do, click here!

Company Recalls Products Due to Salmonella Threat

2009-06-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

Plainview Milk Products Cooperative, a Minnesota based company, has voluntarily recalled a list of products due to the possibility of Salmonella contamination. Some of the items include nonfat dried milk, whey protein, fruit stabilizers, and gums (thickening agents). The company has been making these products for the last 2 years and then sells them to other establishments, including distributors and manufacturers, who may have incorporated them into their own products.

The FDA is reporting that Plainview has stopped production of these products and has notified its customers of the recall. Currently, the Plainview recall is limited to industry customers who received suspect product. The FDA is continuing to investigate and will update the public on any new findings.

To read more, click here.

We're one of 50 Colorado companies: Fueling the economic fire!

2009-06-24T09:59:00.001-07:00

Click here to see us as one of 50 Colorado companies that are fueling the economic fire! These fast-growing businesses are building tomorrow's economy.

E.Coli Found in Nestle's Cookie Dough

2009-06-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

There has been a national outbreak of E. coli 0157, a bacterium that lives in the intestines of cattle, in Nestle's refrigerated cookie dough. Food safety experts and microbiologists are stumped as to how the strain could have made it into the product. The outbreak, which has so far sickened at least 65 people in 29 states, is the latest worry for consumers unnerved by a wave of food-borne illnesses, including botulism associated with canned chili and infections from salmonella linked to peanut products. The young and the eldery are more likely to develop complications if infected with the bacteria. As of June 22, no one has died from the infection.

Nestlé recalled all its refrigerated Toll House cookie dough products, or about 300,000 cases, on Friday, within 24 hours of being notified by the FDA that it suspected a problem, said Laurie MacDonald, a vice president at Nestlé USA.

This outbreak comes as the United States government begins to revamp and reform the Food Safety System. President Obama has identified food safety as a priority, and Congress is moving legislation that would place new requirements on food manufacturers while beefing up the Food and Drug Administration's inspection and enforcement powers. A key House committee passed legislation last week that could be voted on as early as this week, and a companion bill is pending in the Senate.

For more information, visit the Washington Post.

FDA Slacking On Audits

2009-06-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

The Food and Drug Administration conducted only about half the state food safety audits it promised in the two years before the recent peanut salmonella outbreak, the AP is reporting. In addition, the FDA was unable to say whether or not audits occured in states like Georgia and Texas, where the deadly salmonella was found. In fact, only 14 states saw 100 percent of the audits completed! According to the AP, a summary of audits for 2007-2008 shows the total number of state contract inspections at 10,218, with only 358 audits completed — that's about 3.5 percent.

Congress has shown considerable interest in reforming the hurting FDA, and many food-safety bills are currently on the table.

To read more, access the AP article here

Breaking News

2009-06-11T10:30:00.001-07:00

The WHO has declared the H1N1 virus a global pandemic Thursday — the first global flu epidemic in 41 years — as infections in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere climbed to nearly 30,000 cases. The WHO has also raised the pandemic level to it's highest: level 6.

For more information, click here!

Wash Your Hands Before You Eat Finger Food!

2009-06-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

A recent article has pointed out how easy it is to step out for lunch and eat with your fingers: chips and salsa as an appetizer, chicken fingers, french fries, all are eaten using your fingers. But, likely-as-not, people won't be washing their hands before they eat their finger-food and the germs from the hands will immediately be transferred to the food, and the consumed. Most of us work indoors, at an office for example, where our desktops, keyboards, phones, pens, calculators, etc are among the worst places for germs. According to a 2008 survey, 35 percent of Americans don't always wash their hands before lunch. Not only should restaurants begin to encourage hand-washing but consumers should take it upon themselves to visit a hand hygiene station before eating their food.

To read more, visit the Washington Post.

Senator's Plan to Prevent Food Borne Illness

2009-06-03T09:26:00.001-07:00

Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota has proposed a plan that will help to prevent food borne illness. The plan, she says, doesn't have to be expensive. She has said that she will introduce the bill within the next two weeks.

So what will the bill do?

First, it will direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to enhance the nation's foodborne illness surveillance system through various steps, including improving tools for detecting case clusters, coordinating surveillance efforts, expanding system capacity, and promoting participation by local, state, and federal agencies and the food industry. As well as direct the CDC to provide foodborne illness investigation support and expertise to state health agencies and laboratories and promote "best practices" for the investigations. Finally it will establish regional "Food Safety Centers of Excellence"—collaborations between universities and state public health agencies to help train and support public health officials.

The Senator has said that the repsonsibility of keeping Americans safe from food borne illness rests with the government. Hopefully her bill will help restore the confidence in the nation's food safety system!

To read more, click here.

Tips to Keep Safe During Summer 2009

2009-05-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

With this past holiday weekend came the beginning of summer BBQs and picnics. As Summer 2009 kicks off, keep in mind these tips to keep safe.

Clean! Wash your hands frequently, especially before you touch the food. Remember to rinse veggies and fruit before consuming them as well. Also make sure to clean cuttingboards and other surfaces where raw meat or veggies have been.

Seperate! Avoid cross-contaminating products. Make sure raw meat, seafood and poultry are wrapped securely to prevent juices from contaminating ready-to-eat food and beverages.

Cook! Make sure to cook food to a high enough temperature that bacteria can be killed off. Check the packages for appropriate temperatures and duration of cooking, and remember to grab that cooking thermometer!

Chill! We love to grill outdoors, but don't leave your food outside, put it in a cooler.

For more tips and suggested cookie times and temperatures, click here!

President's Budget Invests in Food Safety

2009-05-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

President Obama's proposed Fiscal Year 2010 FDA budget requests that $3.2 billion be allocated to help protect and promote public health. This results in a 19% increase from last years budget. The budget also introduces two major initiatives for FY 2010: Protecting America's Food Supply and Safer Medical Products. The budget is also proposing the addition of four new user fees that will help to register and inspect food manufacturing and processing facilities along with inspecting companies that fail to meet common food safety standards. issuing export certifications for food and feed will also be part of the proposed plan.

The goal of the new budget, the FDA says, is to protect American consumers from intentional or unintentional contamination and help protect America's food supply.

To read more about the new budget and it's initiatives, click here.

Resurgent Health and Medical Recognized among Colorado Companies to Watch

2009-05-12T08:40:00.001-07:00

GOLDEN, Colo., May 8, 2009--Resurgent Health and Medical, leader in automated hand hygiene technology, today announced it has been recognized by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade as a Colorado Company to Watch. Resurgent will be honored on June 25, 2009 at the Denver Center for Performing Arts Seawell Ballroom.

In its inaugural year, Colorado Companies to Watch drew in over 250 nominations and honored 50 exceptional companies statewide. The awards program, developed by the Edward Lowe Foundation, showcases trend-setting leaders in diverse fields that contribute to Colorado’s economy. Companies considered for this prestigious award must be headquartered in Colorado, privately-held with revenues ranging from $750,000 to $50 million, and employ 6 to 99 full-time employees.

“It is a great honor to be acknowledged as a Colorado Company to Watch” says Jim Glenn, CEO of Resurgent Health and Medical. “We pride ourselves in our commitment to our customers through innovation and dedicated service. Contributing to Colorado’s economy through our values and continued growth not only helps us share our message, but also spreads the awareness of the state’s growing industries.”

Resurgent Health and Medical designs and manufactures automated hand and boot hygiene technology for the food and healthcare industries out of its Golden, Colo. plant. Vice President of Sales and Marketing Michele Colbert added, "We're committed to helping achieve zero tolerance in the prevention of food borne illness and healthcare associated infections, and the exposure we receive through Colorado Companies to Watch is invaluable."

About Resurgent Health and Medical
Resurgent Health and Medical delivers state of the art employee hygiene technologies to companies that are serious about infection prevention and the elimination of dangerous pathogens in the workplace. Our patented CleanTech infection prevention technology brings science and precision to the process of removing dangerous microbes from hands. For almost 20 years, its CleanTech® brand systems have been used worldwide in healthcare, food processing, food service, clean room manufacturing and hospitality. CleanTech uses up to 75% less water than manual handwashing, discharges 75% less wastewater, and reduces waste in soap utilization. Equipped with the CleanTracker™ RFID Compliance Monitoring Software, CleanTech systems easily track and record hand washing compliance. For more information, visit http://www.resurgenthealth.com/ or call (800) 932-7707.

About Colorado Companies to Watch
Colorado Companies to Watch is presented by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade in association with Adams County Economic Development, Arvada Economic Development, Case Dynamics, Colorado BioScience Association, ColoradoBiz Magazine, Colorado Lending Source, Colorado Rural Development Council, Economic Development Council of Colorado, Edward Lowe Foundation, Jefferson Business Resource Center, Jefferson Economic Council, Littleton Business and Industry Office, TiE Rockies, Region 9 Economic Development of Southwest Colorado and the Westminster Economic Development Office.

Press contact: Amy Garcia, Director of Marketing, Resurgent Health & Medical, (800) 932-7707, agarcia@meritech.com

Swine Flu and the Pork Industry

2009-05-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

With the recent swim flu scare the pork industry has been suffering. After the virus was dubbed "the swine flu" the industry immediately felt the effects, as consumers have stopped buying pork products. Even though food safety officials have confirmed that you can't get swine flu from eating pork products, the U.S. food industry has suffered colossal food safety nightmares, including last year's salmonella outbreak in peanuts and has since left consumers wary of any food safety issues. Pork sales and prices dropped in the United States and other countries have closed their markets to countries that have confirmed cases.

While it's not surprising that Americans are jittery about consuming pork products, the National Pork Producers Council is trying to get out the message that pork continues to be a safe and healthy product.

To read more, click here

Wash Your Hands to Avoid Food-Borne Illness!

2009-04-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

In early Janruary one of scariest outbreaks of salmonella occured, killing at least 9 people and sickening hundreds. Peanuts were the culprit. This time, it's another nut: pistachios. In late March Kraft Foods inspected Setton Pistachio in California where they found contaminated pistachios. Kraft alerted the FDA and the FDA sent out an immediate warning to consumers to stay away from products containing the nut until more could be uncovered. Currently, no illnesses or deaths have been definitely tied to contaminated pistachios, however the government in continuing to investigate.

The question is, who's doing the investigating? There are more than a dozen government agencies that oversee the food safety system. For example, according to a Washington Post article, if a pizza has only cheese on it the FDA is responsible. On the other hand, if the pizza has meat the Department of Agriculture regulates it. Lawmakers in Washington are currently calling for a food safety system reform, including the president.

Food-borne illnesses are usually caused by contaminated produce, poor hygiene, and improper cooking techniques. To say safe, watch for the FDA's recall list and continue to wash fresh produce, use seperate utensils for raw meat, and wash your hands!

Washington to Create New Food Safety Agency?

2009-02-24T15:38:00.001-08:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers are pushing for a new government agency that would be responsible for food safety in the wake of a massive salmonella outbreak in peanuts.

A bill sponsored by Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat, would divide the Food and Drug Administration in two, separating the agency's drug oversight and food safety duties.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has gone even further, suggesting that all the government agencies responsible for food safety, including those that are part of the Agriculture Department, should combine into one.

The FDA bears the brunt of food safety oversight, but at least 15 government agencies have a hand in making sure food is safe.

Hope For the Food Safety System

2009-01-27T15:13:00.000-08:00

With a nation-wide salmonella outbreak killing 7 and sickening people in 43 states, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced his plans to re-do the current food safety system. He hopes that an updated system would help protect the public from other dangerous food-related outbreaks.

"A modernized system would have as a goal prevention, early detection if it can't be prevented, and mitigation of any adverse impacts if something occurs," Reuters quoted Vilsack.

While some argue that the FDA (which has jurisdiction over 80% of the nation's food) and the USDA (which regulates poultry, beef, eggs and other meats) should merge, Vilsack responded that he thought that "...before there can be any conversation about merging of entities or a single agency or anything of that sort, you've got to get the foundation right."

“We need to do a better job of responding to challenges, apologizing for mistakes when we make them, empowering our employees to make decisions and drive change, and emphasizing a transparent and inclusive style of governing," Vilsack said.

See the full article here http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1628652/secretary_of_agriculture_hopes_to_heal_failing_food_safety_system/

Nationwide Salmonella Outbreak

2009-01-20T12:52:00.000-08:00

The nationwide outbreak of Salmonella, caused by contaminated peanut butter paste products, continues to find victims across 43 states. The Associated Press reported that the outbreak has killed 6 and sickened more than 470. Many companies including General Mills, Kroger, Kellogg, Little Debbie, and Clif Bar have pulled their products containing peanut butter. The outbreak, traced to the Peanut Corp. of America, a peanut butter distributor, is the second in two years that involves infected peanut butter. The Peanut Corp. has extended its recall to peanut butter and peanut butter products produced after July 1. "We deeply regret that this product recall has expanded, and our first priority is to protect the health of our customers," said Stewart Parnell, president of Peanut Corp.

Salmonella, the nations leading cause of food poisoning, tends to pray on the elderly or those with lowered immune systems. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain. The FDA and CDC have recommended that consumers stop eating peanut butter products until the outbreak has been corrected. To see the latest list of recalled products visit http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html

For more information, visit the Associated Press article.

Study Examines Why Restaurant Workers Don't Follow Food Safety Practices

2009-01-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

A recently published study traces 59% of reported foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurants to food-handler error. Typically, foodborne illnesses are caused by poor personal hygiene, cross contamination and improper time and temperature control.

In a Kansas State University study, researchers looked at the perceived barriers to handwashing, cleaning work surfaces, and using food thermometers with restaurant employees.

The study participants listed time constraints, inconvenience, inadequate training, and inadequate resources as the most common reasons for employees to disregard food safety procedures.

Click here to read the article

Wal-Mart and Others Recognize SQF Standard

2008-12-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

A new set of food safety standards has hit the food supply chain with major implications for the future.

The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has developed the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Program which certifies that a product, process or service meets the highest standards of food safety practices. The program allows suppliers to guarantee to consumers that the food has been produced, processed, prepared and handled in accordance with food safety best practices and meets all regulatory requirements.

More and more U.S. and international retailers and food service providers are requiring their suppliers to meet this stringent certification. It is projected that many more retailers will only do business with SQF-certified suppliers. There are currently seven global retailers that have indicated that they will exclusively purchase from SQF-certified suppliers, including Wal-Mart, Tesco, and Ahold.

The SQF program is recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative as a program that meets "the highest international standards and utilizes protocols administered by International Accreditation Forum member Accreditation Bodies."

For more information, go to the SQF Institute's Website, visit NSF International's Website, or view the SQF Program brochure.

Hand to Hand Combat: the Hygiene Equation

2008-12-12T09:04:00.000-08:00

Food contamination has been a topic of serious concern within the last year, which is all the more reason for an increased focus on sanitation of all types in food and beverage plants. The recent food scares should act as an alarm, reminding food processors to go back to the basics and put an emphasis on personal hygiene.

There are a myriad of efforts that plants can employ, from hand washing and bootscrubbing to clean uniforms and face masks, but all of these efforts are futile if employees do not execute the policies correctly.

Education and training is a key element in ensuring a safe and successful food processing plant. Many plants ask for outside sources to step in, such as the NSF, to help supervise and train employees in sanitation procedures.

Click here to view the original article

GAO: Obama Should Address Health Preparedness, Food Safety

2008-12-05T13:25:00.000-08:00

Congress’s investigative agency, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), has compiled a list of 13 “urgent issues” that they feel will need immediate attention from President-elect Barack Obama and the new congress next year.

Public health emergency preparedness and food safety are two of the issues that the GAO has laid out specific steps for to help strengthen public health preparedness, especially for pandemic influenza, and to improve coordination of food safety efforts.

The 13 urgent issues are located on a new Web site that the GAO launched to help smooth the transition to the new administration and congress. The site has statements and explanations on all 13 issues.

Click here to view the article

Better Detection Tools in Food and Beverage Industry Increases Recalls

2008-11-25T13:08:00.000-08:00

Recently the food & beverage industry has been receiving more attention than it might like as contaminated products and subsequent recalls continue to make headlines. The magnitude of a problem is often determined by how much attention the problem receives. The media quickly latches onto stories of illness, recalls and products being removed from shelves, but this is not an accurate indicator that food safety procedures are getting worse.

Recalls are often the result of manufacturers simply having much better tools to detect various pathogens. In addition, digital communication has helped agencies like the CDC, USDA and FDA recognize patterns in what would previously have been regarded as isolated cases and find the "smoking gun" that leads to one specific contamination.

Better detection means we can more quickly and accurately find the food safety problems before they get out of control; unfortunately, better detective work can make the problem look worse than it really is.

Read the full article here

Thanksgiving Podcasts From the American Chemical Society Feature Advances Toward Safer, Healthier Food

2008-11-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

The holiday season will soon be upon us and many of us are anticipating the delicious food that will be consumed. To help ensure that the food that we eat is safe and nutritious, scientists are meeting for the 10th and 11th episodes of the American Chemical Society’s Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions (GC/CS) holiday podcast series.

Part One will focus on food safety and will be highlighting research done by Dan Donoghue, Ph.D., a chemist at the University of Arkansas. Donoghue is focusing on tying to reduce the risk of food poisoning correlated with consuming poultry.

Part Two is focusing on the development of “functional foods” and “nutraceuticals.” It has been found that these foods have medicine-like effects in improving health and reducing the risk of disease.

For more information on who is attending and speaking, you may view the original article at Medical News Today.

Tests Find Potentially Deadly Bacteria in Pork

2008-11-13T08:43:00.000-08:00

Popular wisdom holds that as long as you cook meat thoroughly, it won't make you sick. But popular wisdom doesn't take MRSA into account.

A recent investigation has found toxic, life-threatening Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) bacteria in pork you might buy at grocery stores.

This drug-resistant bacteria is already responsible for more deaths in this country than AIDS. What makes MRSA so potentially dangerous is the bacteria can make you sick just by touching it.

In spite of the risk, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has resisted testing store-bought pork for the aggressive bacteria.

Read the full article here

Women Have More Bacteria on Their Palms Than Men

2008-11-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

A newly released study by University of Colorado researchers found women have a significantly higher amount of bacteria on their palms than men.

“The wide ranging differences seen between individuals and also between two hands from the same person is nothing short of amazing,” said University of Colorado biochemistry assistant professor Rob Knight, study co-author.

Researchers are unsure why women generally harbored a wider variety of bacteria than men, but Fierer suggests it may be because men generally have more acidic skin than that of women.

Other possibilities may be differences in sweat and oil gland production between men and women, the abundance of cosmetics and moisturizer applications, and hormone production.

Overall, 4,742 species of bacteria were identified and on average, 150 types of bacteria was detected on each hand.

Click here to read the rest of the article

Report: FDA Lax in Oversight of Produce Industry

2008-10-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

The Government Accountability Office's report on food safety "paints a frightening picture of the FDa's fresh produce safety efforts," says Senator Barbara Boxer of California.

The report claims that only 1 percent of produce imported into the US is inspected. Unfortunately, the FDA's efforts to combat foodborne Illness have been hampered by everything from staffing shortages to preparations for biological attacks.

"While the FDA has considered fresh produce safety a priority for many years, resource constraints and other work have caused the FDA to delay key produce safety activities," the GOA report reads.

View the full article here