Consumers Union, the organization behind Consumer Reports, is concerned about heavy metals content in toddler and baby foods. They are asking the FDA to take steps to protect children from these contaminants in their food supply. Heavy metals, such as cadmium, lead, and inorganic arsenic, can cause serious health problems in babies and toddles. The most serious issues are carcinogens, and cognitive and reproductive effects. Babies and young children can have lower IQ and behavior problems when they are exposed to heavy metals. Dr. James E Rogers, director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports said in a statement, "Babies and toddlers are particularly vulnerable due to their smaller size and developing brains and organ systems. They also absorb more of the heavy … [Read more...]
Consumer Reports Finds Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria on Ground Turkey
An investigation by Consumer Reports has found that more than half of raw ground turkey meat and patties sold at retail stores in the U.S. tested positive for fecal bacteria. Ninety percent of all samples tested had one or more of the five bacteria the organization tested for, including Enterococcus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, and Campylobacter. In addition, almost all of the pathogens were resistant to one or more of the antibiotics used to fight them. This, once again, raises the alarm about giving factory farmed animals sub therapeutic doses of antibiotics to encourage growth and prevent illness. The study found that 69% of ground turkey had Enterococcus, and 60% had E. coli, the two bacteria associated with fecal contamination. More than half of the E. … [Read more...]
Consumers Reports Study Finds Pork Contaminated with Yersinia
A new study conducted by Consumer Reports has found that 69% of ground pork and pork chops for sale in the United States was contaminated with Yersinia enterocolitica, a pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, some of the bacteria was antibiotic-resistant to multiple drugs or entire classes of drugs used to treat humans, posing a great threat to public health. Yersinia sickens 100,000 Americans a year, especially children, and can cause fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Scientists also found the bacteria Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, or Listeria monocytogenes on 3 to 7 % of pork samples. Eleven percent of the samples had enterococcus, a mostly harmless bacteria that is an indicator of fecal contamination. While an animal's muscles, blood, and brain are sterile, during slaughter and … [Read more...]
