Idaho illnesses have prompted the Idaho Central Health District into issuing warnings to consumers about unlicensed restaurants and unregulated food vendors. In the last few months, officials have received food poisoning complaints related to those facilities. Consumers are urged to use caution when purchasing foods from home vendors and to not visit unlicensed "underground" restaurants operated out of home kitchens. Environmental Health Program Manager Natasha Ferney said in a statement, "There are multiple risk factors in buying from unlicensed and unregulated vendors, but the most serious is the risk of foodborne illness. These vendors may not have a sanitary kitchen that meets provisions of the Idaho Food Code or know how to properly store or handle food to help prevent growth … [Read more...]
UK’s Food Standards Agency Steps Up for the Olympics
The Summer Olympics Games begin in London on Friday, July 27, 2012. Athletes, the press, and observers from around the world will congregate in this city, and the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) is stepping up their own game. The FSA's Incidents Unit is extending their office hours during the Olympics to address food safety issues, including any food poisoning incidence, food contamination issues, and food fraud. The Unit will be staffed from 7:00 am to 8:30 pm Monday through Friday, and from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekends. The phone number to contact the Unit is 020 7276 8448. Their email address is [email protected]. After office hours, the phone number will be answered by the Defra duty room. Issues and problems will be passed to the Food Standards Agency … [Read more...]
Shopping at a Farmers Market This Weekend? Buyer Beware.
Farmers markets are booming. In the last 40 years, farmers markets around the country have grown by 2000% as demand for local foods has increased. Farmers markets generating at least $1.3 billion in consumer spending every year. We all know that foods purchased directly from the farmer are fresher, taste better, and are more nutritious. But how safe are those foods? State and local laws about these temporary establishments vary, since each state has its own farmers market regulations. Some vendors are completely exempt from health department inspections, others sell food prepared in uninspected homes, and some farmers markets are inspected by authorities. A study published in Food Protection Trends found that food safety behaviors by vendors at farmers markets are inconsistent at … [Read more...]
