../../../..//2007/12/29/texas-14800-pounds-of/
Texas: 14,800 pounds of stolen ground beef may be contaminated with E. coli, says the USDA. So, uh, just for now, don’t buy any ground beef from the back of a truck. [Reuters]
food safety
Meat Industry Discovers Consumers' Trust Has Eroded
By 12.18.07
The meat and poultry industries have learned that if you poison your customers enough times, they’ll eventually start losing trust in you—although, oddly, they won’t change their purchasing habits. That’s the takeaway from a study carried out by Meatingplace.com (snicker) and “its sister publication POULTRY” (ha ha WHERE’S CHRIS HANSON). However, no description of the study is provided other than that Zoomerang.com was used, so we’re not sure if the results are at all meaningful. We’re just glad the meat industry is starting to notice something’s wrong.
Man Finds Used Condom In Southwestern Whopper, Sues Burger King
By 12.9.07
Van Miguel Hartless is suing the owner of a Rutland Burger King after biting into a Southwestern Whopper that contained a used condom. When Hartless complained to the manager, he “laughed off the incident.”
FDA Is So Underfunded It Can't Protect Consumers
By 12.3.07
Today, an advisory panel to the FDA will present its findings developed over the past year. The result is “a scathing review of the state of the FDA” that says it’s “so underfunded and understaffed that it’s putting U.S. consumers at risk in terms of food and drug safety.”
By 11.14.07
../../../..//2007/11/14/the-norwegian-food-safety/
The Norwegian food safety authority suprise-inspected Norway’s “largest erotic chain store” and determined it was violating food labeling laws by not including nutritional info on things like penis-shaped pasta and edible panties. [Reuters]
Carbon Monoxide-Treated Meat Is Here To Stay, For Now
By 11.14.07
In hearings today, the meat producers Hormel Foods Corp and Cargill Inc testified that the practice of treating meat with carbon monoxide to preserve its red color is safe and should be allowed. As a compromise, they suggested a label on all CO-treated meat and fish that reminded consumers to refer to the date on the package to determine its freshness. According to Reuters, “officials at the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Agriculture Department said they stand by the safety of the carbon monoxide practice and would revisit the process if new data becomes available.”
Cargill Recalls 1 Million Pounds Of Tainted Beef
By 11.3.07 — Updated: 4.18.13
Agribusiness monster Cargill is recalling 1 million pounds of beef that may be contaminated with E. coli. The potentially tainted meat was butchered between October 8 and October 11 at the “Cargill Meat Solutions” slaughterhouse in Wyalusing, PA. According to Cargill, there have been no reports of illness. After the jump, the long list of recalled products.
FDA: Glow In The Dark Shrimp "Not A Food Safety Issue"
By 11.3.07
Seattle shoppers want to know why the FDA won’t investigate bioluminescent shrimp appearing at local Thriftways and Quality Food Centers.
Fake Red Meat: Meatpackers Warn Consumers To "Use The Sell By Date"
By 11.1.07
As we’ve already mentioned, packing meat in carbon dioxide keeps it from turning brown, but doesn’t keep it from spoiling—making it more likely that consumers will buy, and eat, nasty spoiled meat.
USDA Says Defunct Canadian Meatpacker Was Source Of Recent E.coli Beef Contaminations
By 10.30.07
The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service has used “DNA fingerprints” to trace the source of recent U.S. outbreaks of contaminated beef back to one shoddy supplier in Alberta, Canada. The company most likely responsible is Rancher’s Beef, Ltd, which went out of business on August 15th, but not before helping sink Topps and contributing to nearly 100 illnesses in the U.S. and Canada.
A Bunch Of Groups Compromise On State Meat Inspections
By 10.25.07
From the “boring but important” category of meat-related news, the Consumer Federation of America has joined with other advocacy groups as well as union and labor groups, under the assistance of men and women in Congress, to work out a compromise in response to July’s ill-conceived attempt by Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson to do away with the federal inspections requirement for interstate meat sales. The new plan augments Peterson’s measure in a way that ensures state-inspection procedures meet or exceed federal ones.
Chinese Goods No Longer Welcome At Trader Joe's
By 10.20.07
Caving to xenophobia, Trader Joe’s announced that it will purge its shelves of all single-ingredient Chinese products by January 1. Will consumers be any safer?
Russia Bans Import Of U.S. Chicken, Pork
By 10.20.07
Russia has banned the import of chicken and pork from 30 U.S. facilities in the wake of a midsummer audit. Russia has not disclosed what, if anything, the audits uncovered, according to a concerned spokesman from the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council.
All of the banned poultry plants were major suppliers of U.S. poultry to Russia and are some of the most efficient facilities in the country, the export council said.
USDA Food Inspector Calls Job "Just A Joke"
By 10.15.07
An article in the Chicago Tribune takes yet another look at our broken food safety system, declaring that a USDA Food Inspector’s job is now less about inspecting meat and more about inspecting paperwork.
After the Jack in the Box case, the USDA required each meat plant to adopt a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plan. The plans let companies design their own food safety measures, usually around the need to process beef quickly.
Don't Eat Chicken Or Turkey Pot Pies Right Now
By 10.10.07
You can add another item to your special “unsafe food” list for October: chicken and turkey pot pies, including the Banquet brand and generic store brands that have “P-9” stamped on the side, which may contain salmonella. Several cases of salmonella poisoning have now been reported in various states, and ConAgra and the USDA are asking consumers not to eat the product while they investigate.
House Investigators: The Chinese Government Can't Protect Its Own Citizens, Let Alone Ours
By 10.7.07
Investigators from the House Energy and Commerce Committee spent two weeks snooping around China and probably haven’t eaten since. Their investigation revealed a tattered regulatory framework, unable to protect Chinese citizens, let alone foreigners. Among the disturbing facts uncovered:
Robots And Science Will Keep Our Food Safe
By 10.6.07
The Administration envisions a future where science and technology keep our food supply safe and secure. The multi-agency working group tasked with improving food safety has yet to agree on final recommendations, but both interest groups and the Administration seem dead set against new inspectors. Instead, the working group wants to build upon the current system of random inspections to better target potential dangers among the $2.2 trillion worth of goods imported each year.
Meat Industry Showing Signs Of Larger Problems
By 10.2.07
This summer, almost 6 million pounds of beef were recalled due to E. coli contamination. Last week, almost 22 million pounds of frozen hamburger meat were recalled after reports surfaced of E. coli infections. It was the biggest meat recall in 10 years, and “the American Meat Institute (AMI) says it noticed a slight rise in positive E. coli tests by the government this summer,” says a USA Today article. In fact, 2007 is the first time in 3 years that the rate of positive USDA sample-tests have gone up. At the same time, the Chicago Tribune reports that in July, a congressman from Minnesota slipped a special measure into the 2007 farm bill that would reduce the need for federal inspections for small meat producers.
