1. TWICE AS MANY FOOD-BORNE DEATHS 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 5,200 people die in the U.S. each year from food poisoning. However, according to Danish researchers, the true figure could be twice as high. They believe the underestimate is due to the little long-term data that is available. Food poisoning, such as by salmonella and campylobacter, are considered acute infections with mortalities usually occurring within 30 days of infection. The researchers found that death can actually result up to a year after infection. Death from food poisoning may also be wrongly attributed to other causes.

 

"Study: Deaths from Food Poisoning Underestimated," Reuters, Patricia Reaney, Feb.14, 2003.
http://131.104.232.9/fsnet/2003/2-2003/fsnet_february_14.htm

 

2. UNAPPROVED MEAT ENTERED U.S.
From 1999 to 2001, the USDA allowed in 823,632 pounds of meat from foreign plants that may have been prohibited from trading with the U.S. According to a recent report by the USDA's inspector general, 66,299 pounds of the meat was from processors unapproved for shipping it to this country. Some of the questionable meat came from countries that had outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in 2001. The Food Safety and Inspection (FSIS) administrator couldn't say where hundreds of thousands of pounds of the meat came from because the agency only keeps records for the current and two previous years.

 

"Audit: Ag. Dept. Was Lax on Meat Imports," Associated Press, Emily Gersema, Mar.15, 2003.
http://131.104.232.9/fsnet/2003/3-2003/fsnet_march_16.htm ("Meat Safety")

 

3. USDA RESTRICTS RECALL DATA
The USDA said it would oppose proposed legislation requiring meat companies to let the public know which stores received recalled meat. The department asks companies for lists of such retailers and wholesalers, and has the authority to demand it, but only reveals to consumers where the meat was produced, what states it was distributed to, and specific identification numbers on affected products. USDA Undersecretary Elsa Murano explained that, because store information is considered proprietary, if it were to be made public companies might go to court rather than divulge it, delaying recall action. A spokesperson for the American Meat Institute said the industry would oppose any move to force it to tell the public who its trading partners are, noting that consumers are given the information they need to identify suspect meat. Consumer advocate Carol Tucker Foreman said: "I think that USDA has decided once again to protect its political contributors in the meat industry, rather than to protect public health." Democratic lawmakers have called on the USDA to investigate the 2002 ConAgra meat recall (see issue #77).
 
"USDA Official Would Oppose Making Companies Release Retailer List During Recalls," The Associated Press, Emily Gersema, March 12, 2003.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/5380018.htm

 

4. INCREASING GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY POWERS
S. 2803, the "Safe and Fair Enforcement and Recall for Meat, Poultry, and Food Act (SAFER Meat, Poultry, and Food Act), was introduced in the Senate last year. The legislation would amend the three major federal statutes authorizing regulation of interstate food commerce to: require food believed to be adulterated or misbranded be reported to the federal government; authorize the government to order mandatory recall of any food believed to pose a threat to public health; authorize civil monetary penalties for violation of federal regulations; and authorize suspension of meat inspection for willful violations of inspection rules. This year, the "Safe School Food Act (S. 506) has been introduced in the Senate which includes similar measures. The National Meat Association opposes the legislation, arguing that it is unnecessary, will not improve food safety, and could lead to regulatory abuse.

 

The USDA is also considering action to increase its inspection authorities. At the Washington 2003 Food Safety Summit and Expo, held in mid-March, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman announced a number of possibilities it may seek to improve meat safety. One such possibility is mandatory notification to USDA of meat believed to be adulterated or misbranded. Potential "cease-and-desist orders" and inspection suspensions in regard to HACCP violations (see issue #76) were also mentioned as a possibility. And the Department is considering seeking authority to impose civil penalties for noncompliance. Industry argues that the USDA already has the authority it needs to carry out its responsibilities, and that the suggested actions would not improve food safety.

 

"Safer Meat, Poultry, and Food Act," Herd on the Hill, Kiran Kernellu, March 24, 2003.
"Modernizing Meat Inspection," Lean Trimmings, Kiran Kernellu, March 24, 2003.
http://www.nmaonline.org/files/lt02/lt3.24.03.htm

 

5. E.COLI AND LIVE ANIMALS
Last September, following the E. coli outbreak in Colorado (see issue #77) and evidence that E.coli was more prevalent in live animals than was previously believed, FSIS issued a directive requiring meatpackers reexamine their food safety plans. According to USDA Undersecretary Dr. Elsa Murano: "[I]t is the microbial load that comes with the animal that allow contamination with pathogens that may end up in the meat. The cleaner the animal is when it comes into the slaughter plant the more it contributes to a lessening of the risk of contamination. ‘We're working to see what we can do with the producer. We don't have enforcement authority, but I think we can certainly work with them to determine what are the best practice that will minimize the carriage of organisms by the animal." The agency says it does not have jurisdiction over practices used to raise farmed animals. (See also issue #89)    

 

Mike Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, has compiled documentation of case-controlled studies showing outbreaks of E.coli O157:H7 [a particularly virulent strain] among people who have close contact with cattle or are exposed to cattle manure, such as at petting zoos. He contends that more attention needs to be paid to on-farm interventions. Pointing out that there are no federal standards or requirements, he explains: "Reduction of E. coli O157:H7 in cattle and their manure at the farm is not being addressed by federal agencies." In its FoodNet Surveillance Report for 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also pointed this out, noting: "FoodNet studies and recent outbreaks have shown that an important route of transmission is from direct contact with cattle or their environment. Strategies that reduce E. coli O157 on farms could decrease food contamination and direct contact infection, as well as entry into the water supply."

 

The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is holding a week-long meeting to discuss "a worldwide health emergency": widespread food poisoning outbreaks. Diarrhea alone, caused mainly by contaminated food and water, kills up to two million children in nonindustrialized countries and sickens up to one-third of the population of industrialized countries every year. FAO is fostering a preventative approach to food safety based on how food is produced and consumed rather than the traditional approach of targeting food processing. FAO assistant director-general Hartwig de Haen explains: "[W]e need to give more consideration to hygiene on the farm and the health of the animal, including what it is fed and how it is managed, to avoid contamination of animal products and risks to human health from diseases that can be transmitted to humans....One weak link, especially near the beginning, can make the whole food chain collapse." The FAO is also calling for the producer-to-consumer food chain to become more transparent so national and global crises can be prevented rather than treated.

 

"Murano Has a Goal to Have Year End ‘With No Recalls and No Outbreaks," Feedstuffs, Sally Schuff, March 31, 2003.
"Burgers Aren't Only Mode of Transmission for E. coli," Food Chemical News, Carole Sugarman, February 17, 2003.
"U.N. Food Agency Targets Food Contaminants," Agence France Presse, March 31, 2003.
http://www.meatpoultry.com/newsfinder.asp?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=104&docId=l:22878411&topicId=14427

 

6. SAFE FOOD, MAD COW BOOKS REVIEWED
"Safe Food: Bacteria, Biotechnology, and Bioterrorism" is the title of a new book by Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University and "on-again, off-again insider in federal agencies responsible for food safety." Nestle says the subversion of food safety begins with overlapping and unclear authority within the federal bureaucracy. Even more problematic, she contends, is corporate influence over public policy. As an example, she notes that Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman's choice for chief of staff is a former National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) lobbyist. [Similarly, the new director of the Agriculture Department's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion is a former director of the National Pork Producers Council who also worked for the National Livestock and Meat Board. See: http://upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030224-031003-1526r ] Food and agriculture interests also influence policy via contributions to the Republican party, known for it anti-regulation stance. In 2001, 82% of NCBA's total campaign contributions went to Republicans, as did 96% of the National Food Processors Association contributions and 100% of the United Dairy Farmers. Examples are also given of how industry controls the hand of government through litigation. In an April 3rd USA Today article, Nestle describes irradiation as an "end-stage techno-fix," noting: "It's cleaning up something that should never have been there. Why not just produce safe food in the first place?" (See: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-04-02-foodsafety-usat_x.htm )

 

"How the Cows Turned Mad," a book by French molecular biologist Maxime Schwartz, traces the scientific history of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and the variant disease form in humans, Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD). Lappe recommends "Mad Cow U.S.A.," by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber, as a less demanding read. [The book can be downloaded at: http://www.prwatch.org/books/madcow.html ] An updated paperback version is to be published this summer, which will also contain information on the cervid version of the disease: chronic wasting disease (CWD). Lappe also recommends "Fat Land" and "Fast Food Nation" as books adding "to a growing literature arguing that corporate influence subverts government responsibility to protect our health." [See also "Spoiled" by Nichols Fox.]

 

"Last Meals? How Corporate Power Taints Safety Rules," San Francisco Chronicle, Anna Lappe, March 30, 2003.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/03/30/RV35673.DTL

 

7. ANTIBODIES FROM EGGS
Dr. Hoon Sunwoo, chief investigator and food chemist at the University of Alberta, made a presentation on producing a pathogen antibody powder from chickens' eggs at the American Chemical Society's spring meeting. Dr. Sunwoo asserts that a powder with antibody immunoglobulin could provide protection from poor sanitary food production methods. The powder, a product of a decade of research, is made with the technique used to manufacture flu virus. Hens are injected with a specific pathogen, such as E. coli, salmonella, campylobacter, staphylococcus or listeria. They then develop antibodies to the bacteria, which accumulate in large quantities in the yolks of the eggs they lay. The yolks are collected and processed into the powder, which can be sprinkled on food. Sunwoo explains: "Previously, antibodies have often been collected from mammalian sources. But if you collect from mammals you have to extract it from their blood, and may eventually kill the animal. Chickens we don't need to kill." He says a great amount of antibodies can be obtained from a single yolk, with chickens laying up to 285 eggs per year. A spokesperson for Advocates for Animals protests: "Instead of tackling concerns about the way animals are raised and promoting good hygiene, this is another way to cut corners." The powder has been successful in laboratory trials and human tests are expected soon.

 

"Pass the Salt....And the Germ Spray," Sunday Herald, Stephen Naysmith, March 23, 2003.
http://www.sundayherald.com/32338

 

8. DEADLINE FOR FOOD SAFETY TECHNOLOGY COMMENTS
The 2002 Farm Bill included a requirement concerning the use of allowed food safety technologies (irradiation, chemical rinses, etc.) for commodity purchase programs (e.g., the National School Lunch Program). The USDA will be accepting comments until April 11th. For more information, see: http://0-www.ams.usda.gov.library.csuhayward.edu/fst/

 

9. IRRADIATION INFORMATION
The USDA has created a new web site about food safety technologies, focusing almost exclusively on irradiation, with info from various government agencies: http://www.usda.gov/fst

 

Subscriptions to Food Irradiation Update, a weekly newsletter published by the Mn. Beef Council, are available for free by writing to: reustice@mnbeef.orgis.net or calling: 952-854-6980

 

The first "World Congress on Food Irradiation" will be held May 5-7th in Chicago. The event is billed as "a comprehensive technical and scientific forum to promote the technology and benefits of food irradiation around the globe." A tour of a commercial food irradiator is available. For more information see: http://www.foodsafe.msu.edu/Congress/congress.html

 

The Mn. Beef Council and SureBeam Corp. will be conducting  irradiation workshops around the country. The schedule is at: http://www.mnbeef.org/food_irradiation_education_workshop.htm

 

10. FOOD SAFETY RESEARCH SITE; FOOD SAFETY MOBILE TOUR
USDA's Agricultural Research Service and National Agricultural Library have established the Food Safety Research Information Office with a site at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fsrio/index.htm

 

The cornerstone of the USDA's new national food safety education initiative is the Food Safety Mobile: a 35-foot RV emblazoned with graphics and messages. The Mobile is intended to "empower consumers through education." It will tour the U.S., appearing at schools, stores, and community events. Photos, video and schedule are at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/foodsafetymobile