The USDA is offering Memorial Day food safety tips to help keep you. safe and healthy. This holiday weekend is not like other years because of the coronavirus pandemic, but don't forget about food safety while you observe the holiday. Remember that if the weather is hot and humid, perishable foods can only be out of refrigeration for one hour before bacteria start to grow rapidly. Those foods include meat and poultry, dips and cold salads, and cut fruits and vegetables. About 85% of respondents to a recent USDA survey said they don't nest cold foods in ice when served. Keeping cold foods cold is important for food safety. In that same survey, 66% of respondents said they did. not keep cooked foods, such as burgers and hot dogs, warm after cooking. Those foods need to be kept … [Read more...]
Stop Foodborne Illness, CSPI Call For Poultry Safety Modernization
The food safety agencies Stop Foodborne Illness and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) are calling for poultry safety modernization to reduce Salmonella and Campylobacter infections in poultry. Those agencies believe that the USDA's regulatory framework lags behind advances in science and technology and doesn't reflect the best. practices to prevent illness from poultry. Stop Foodborne Illness CEO Mitzi Baum said in a statement, "To their credit, FSIS, academic experts, and many poultry industry leaders recognize the poultry safety problem and are working on solutions. Consumers rightfully expect, however, that FSIS build today’s best practices into its regulatory system so they can become common practices. Outbreaks linked to poultry products have occurred … [Read more...]
COVID-19 Outbreaks at Meatpacking Plants Increase Food Supply Concern
While the USDA and FDA reassure the public that the shortages they are seeing in grocery stores are primarily the result of panic buying and shortage and not due to problems in the supply chain, other consumer advocate groups are increasingly concerned. COVID-19 outbreaks at meatpacking plants across the country are decreasing supply. That doesn't mean that you have to start hoarding pork, beef, and chicken. It's an acknowledgment that those workplaces may be at higher risk for coronavirus hotspots. They are considered an essential service and need to remain open during the pandemic. So COVID-19 outbreaks at meatpacking plants are a concern. At least 13 processing plants around the country have closed in the past few weeks because so many employees have contracted this illness. … [Read more...]
Consent Decree Against PA Miller’s Organic Farm For Avoiding Inspections
A consent decree has been issued against Miller's Organic Farm of Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania for violating USDA laws by avoiding inspections and misbranding meat and poultry. In November 2019, the U.S. government permanently enjoined the company and its owner, Amos Miller, for obstructing federal health and safety oversight and from selling uninspected meat to the company's nationwide "private membership association." USDA inspectors and investigators went to the farm in December 2019 to assess compliance with the injunction. They found 2,000 pounds of fresh meat carcasses that Miller's had slaughtered without federal inspection, in violation of the injunction. FSIS tagged the meat so it couldn't be used or sold, but Miller's voluntarily destroyed them. FSIS fond more violations … [Read more...]
What Is Happening to FDA and USDA Food Recalls?
If you have been a longtime reader of Food Poisoning Bulletin, you may have noticed that food recalls have decreased substantially in the past few months. The USDA has issued three recalls since January 24, 2020: One was issued on February 8, 2020, and two were issued on April 10, 2020. The FDA has had more recalls, with seven in the month of April 2020 (including three recalls for enoki mushrooms as part of a Listeria Monocytogenes outbreak), but that is far below normal. What is happening to FDA and USDA food recalls? Food Poisoning Bulletin contacted the USDA about this. issue. This was their response: "To answer your question about recalls for products under FSIS’ regulatory jurisdiction, a recall is a firm’s voluntary removal of distributed meat, poultry, or egg products from … [Read more...]
Food & Water Watch: New Swine Inspection System Could Spur Pandemic
Food & Water Watch, commenting on the New Swine Inspection System (NSIS) proposed by the USDA, says that this new swine inspection system is so dangerous it could spur another zoonotic pandemic. Zoonotic diseases are those that make the jump from animals to humans. Food safety agencies, including Center for Food Safety, have issued warnings about this new system for months. The system would let corporation. employees inspect the carcasses instead of federal inspectors. It also surrenders federal control over removing contamination from carcasses by untrained employees. It also lifts limits on slaughter line speeds. That means plant employees can determine which animals are fit for slaughter, which carcasses can be placed into commerce, and can set their own line speeds. Food … [Read more...]
Consumer Reports Letter to USDA Outlines Recommendations For Safety
Consumer Reports letter to USDA outlines recommendations to ensure the safety of food products during the COVID-19 pandemic. This emergency has put pressure on the food chain, and personnel numbers have dwindled as more shelter in place orders have been put in place. The agency wants the USDA to commit to several points that Consumer Reports thinks will ensure the safety and availability of food during this time. First, the USDA should publicize the number of USDA-FSIS personnel testing positive or getting sick with the symptoms of COVID-19 as they occur. Consumers deserve to know that the number of inspectors may be dwindling as the pandemic continues. Second, they want USDA to ensure that food inspectors and workers are safe. Many food production jobs are … [Read more...]
USDA Increasing Chicken Slaughter Line Speeds, Granting Waivers
According to Food & Water Watch, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service granted another regulatory waived to a chicken plant to increase its chicken slaughter line speeds up to 175 birds per minute with only one FSIS trained inspected at the end of the line. The plant in question is the Foster Farms slaughter and processing plant in Kelso, Washington. Last year, the USDA allowed many chicken slaughter plants to increase their line speeds under the New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS). One of those plants failed the FSIS Salmonella performance standard and is in violation of the new criteria established by USDA to qualify for line speed waivers, according to Food & Water Watch. Chicken carcasses are put onto lines and moved past inspectors who check them for obvious … [Read more...]
Supermarkets Are Failing To Post Food Recalls, Says U.S. PIRG
A new report by the U.S. PIRG (public interest research groups) has found that most supermarkets are failing to post food recalls and don't make it easy for consumers to find out about recalled products. The report is titled, "Food Recall Failure: Will your supermarket warn you about hazardous food?" It gave a failing grade to 84% of the nation's 26 largest supermarket chains. Some of the chains that received a failing grade include Aldi, Publix, Whole Foods, Safeway, Albertsons, HEB, Meijer, Stop & Shop, Trader Joe's, Food Lion, and Walmart. Those supermarkets are failing to post food recalls. U.S. PIRG Education Fund Consumer Watchdog Adam Garber said in a statement, "Supermarkets should be our best recall notification system, but instead, we found that shoppers must go on … [Read more...]
Super Bowl Food Safety Tips From the USDA
The USDA is offering Super Bowl food safety tips. There are things to think about if you are hosting a party for the big game. Start with party prep, and learn about serving food and what to do when the party is over. First, wash your hands well with soap and water immediately before and after handling food. A recent USDA Food Safety Consumer Research Project study showed that 99% of handwashing attempts were not done correctly. So, wet your hands with water, lather with soap, and scrub for 20 seconds. Remember to clean under your fingernails too. Rinse and dry with a paper towel or clean towel. Always use a food thermometer when cooking meat, fish, poultry, and egg. Make sure that foods reach a safe final internal temperature when you're cooking (use this chart), and always … [Read more...]
