| Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, along with Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) President George Da Pont, went personally to the closed and suspended XL Foods Inc. beef processing plant in Brooks, Alberta yesterday. Before it was over, Ritz had pulled the rug out from under opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) and Da Pont, who recently moved over to the CFIA from the Coast Guard, managed to rewrite the timeline for what is suppose to be the largest beef recall in Canadian history. While all that was going on, sources south of the border said it was likely the recalled Canadian beef laced with E. coli O157:H7 was distributed in a large enough amount in the U.S. than one or more states will likely soon join Canada by reporting on individuals in the U.S. who are infected with the pathogen. But that has not happened yet. In Canada, at least five people, including three from the same family, are suffering from E. coli infections from eating Kirkland brand strip steaks that originated at XL and were purchased at Costco. Another five cases cases in Alberta are under investigation along with up to 13 in Saskatchewan. Ritz and Da Pont traveled from Ottawa to southern Alberta to visit the 40 CFIA inspectors and six veterinarians who are responsible for food safety at the big XL beef plant. Then they meet with reporters. "While we understand that ranchers, farmers and industry need a strong processing sector, we all agree that the success of the industry must be founded on food safety, " Ritz told the media. "That is why the XL Foods plant will only resume operation when the President of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed in writing to me that the health of Canadians is not at risk." That means Da Pont will decided when XL can produce safe beef and send its 2,000 employees back to work. Da Pont also used the Ritz tour to reshape a bit of the history of the XL recall. He said CFIA came up with a positive E. coli test on XL beef within hours after a random U.S. border check did so on Sept. 3. It took ten more days for CFIA to officially begin its investigation of XL. The CFIA President then said there was a delay in getting some initial information on how widespread the problem might be from XL. Da Pont seemed to be saying that if the government's stalled Safe Food for Canadians Act was law, XL would have been compelled to provide the information without delay. Ritz staff cut Da Pont off from further explaining this statement, saying he'd be available for one-on-one interviews. The XL recall is the biggest food safety event to hit Canada since the 2008 Listeria outbreak, which killed 23 mostly elderly Canadians who ate contaminated ready-to-eat meats made by Maple Leaf Foods in Toronto. As in 2008, opposition MP's are taking shots at Ritz, saying the minister is putting Canadian food safety at risk. Ritz and Prime Minister Harper defended the actions of their government, saying they've hired more than 700 new food safety inspectors, including 170 more meat inspectors. "This Government immediately accepted all fifty seven recommendations of the Weatherill Report and it's why we have acted on all of them," Ritz said, referring to the independent recommendations that were made to the government after the deadly Listeria outbreak. The XL recall is being called the largest in Canadian history, not on the volume or weight involved, but by the number of products. Asked about that, CFIA provided Food Safety News with this statement: "Unfortunately, volume of product by weight is not a figure that we track, as it is not of use when determining what product needs to be recalled, nor is it a useful statistic for informing consumers of what products have been recalled. "Rather, our focus is on distribution of product, retail stores where it has been put on shelves, product names, UPC codes etc., which assist distributors, retailers and consumers in identifying if they have product which has been recalled." Since Sept. 16, XL Foods has recalled more than 1,500 beef products. Food Safety News learned from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that at least 890,000 pounds of recalled XL beef went to at least 40 states in the U.S.  |
10.03.2012
Canadian Health Authorities Defend Response to E. coli Outbreak and Recall
Canadian Health Authorities Defend Response to E. coli Outbreak and Recall
| Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, along with Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) President George Da Pont, went personally to the closed and suspended XL Foods Inc. beef processing plant in Brooks, Alberta yesterday. Before it was over, Ritz had pulled the rug out from under opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) and Da Pont, who recently moved over to the CFIA from the Coast Guard, managed to rewrite the timeline for what is suppose to be the largest beef recall in Canadian history.
But that has not happened yet. In Canada, at least five people, including three from the same family, are suffering from E. coli infections from eating Kirkland brand strip steaks that originated at XL and were purchased at Costco. Another five cases cases in Alberta are under investigation along with up to 13 in Saskatchewan. Ritz and Da Pont traveled from Ottawa to southern Alberta to visit the 40 CFIA inspectors and six veterinarians who are responsible for food safety at the big XL beef plant. Then they meet with reporters. "While we understand that ranchers, farmers and industry need a strong processing sector, we all agree that the success of the industry must be founded on food safety, " Ritz told the media. "That is why the XL Foods plant will only resume operation when the President of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed in writing to me that the health of Canadians is not at risk." That means Da Pont will decided when XL can produce safe beef and send its 2,000 employees back to work. Da Pont also used the Ritz tour to reshape a bit of the history of the XL recall. He said CFIA came up with a positive E. coli test on XL beef within hours after a random U.S. border check did so on Sept. 3. It took ten more days for CFIA to officially begin its investigation of XL. The CFIA President then said there was a delay in getting some initial information on how widespread the problem might be from XL. Da Pont seemed to be saying that if the government's stalled Safe Food for Canadians Act was law, XL would have been compelled to provide the information without delay. Ritz staff cut Da Pont off from further explaining this statement, saying he'd be available for one-on-one interviews. The XL recall is the biggest food safety event to hit Canada since the 2008 Listeria outbreak, which killed 23 mostly elderly Canadians who ate contaminated ready-to-eat meats made by Maple Leaf Foods in Toronto. As in 2008, opposition MP's are taking shots at Ritz, saying the minister is putting Canadian food safety at risk. Ritz and Prime Minister Harper defended the actions of their government, saying they've hired more than 700 new food safety inspectors, including 170 more meat inspectors. "This Government immediately accepted all fifty seven recommendations of the Weatherill Report and it's why we have acted on all of them," Ritz said, referring to the independent recommendations that were made to the government after the deadly Listeria outbreak. The XL recall is being called the largest in Canadian history, not on the volume or weight involved, but by the number of products. Asked about that, CFIA provided Food Safety News with this statement: "Unfortunately, volume of product by weight is not a figure that we track, as it is not of use when determining what product needs to be recalled, nor is it a useful statistic for informing consumers of what products have been recalled. "Rather, our focus is on distribution of product, retail stores where it has been put on shelves, product names, UPC codes etc., which assist distributors, retailers and consumers in identifying if they have product which has been recalled." Since Sept. 16, XL Foods has recalled more than 1,500 beef products. Food Safety News learned from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that at least 890,000 pounds of recalled XL beef went to at least 40 states in the U.S. © Food Safety NewsMore Headlines from Foodborne Illness Investigations |
Wheat Foods Council turns 40
| Oct. 3, 2012 11:46am Advertisement  The Wheat Foods Council (WFC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about the benefits of wheat, is turning 40 this year. Today, the WFC is made up of more 35 member organizations, including grain producers, millers, baking suppliers, life science companies and cereal manufacturers. The group targets and partners with audiences that include educators, consumers, chefs, health and nutrition professionals, and supermarket and retail dietitians. |
Food Source Might Be Responsible for 10,000 German Illnesses
| As many as 10,000 German school children stricken since Friday by a vomiting virus may be suffering from eating cafeteria food, health authorities say. While the investigation is far form over, attention has focused on the food services company called Sodeco that supplies cafeteria food to many schools and day care centers in areas of German experiencing the outbreak.  Berlin health officials expect most children will recover from the norovirus symptoms within a few days, but in the meantime the young people are suffering from vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, fever, and head and body aches. Laboratory testing is currently underway to determine the cause of the massive outbreak of illnesses. The prestigious Robert Koch Institute has told the media that a single food supplier did serve all the schools and day care facilities reporting illnesses. Until the source of the virus is found and the outbreak is over, German school and pre-school children are being encouraged to pack their own lunches. Children who are ill are being told to remain hydrated and to avoid sugary beverages because such drinks can make the symptoms of diarrhea worse. A task force of state and national officials was set up on Friday to investigate the cause of the illnesses, as the number of sick German school children grew rapidly, The Robert-Koch Institute told the newspaper Die Welt that the ill children attend schools and pre-schools in Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia. Consumer Affairs Minister Ilse Aigner said the goal was "to find the cause of the illnesses as soon as possible and to stop its entry into the food chain." A spokesman for Sodexo said less than five percent of the schools it serves has sick children. He said the cause of the illnesses may be a norovirus that is not food related. "The reason that almost all of the children ate food from our kitchens is simply because we deliver food to a lot of schools. We hope that the children feel better soon," he said., However, the Robert-Koch-Institute told Die Welt that it stood to reason that the children were suffering from a food-borne illness, and that some of them had tested positive for the norovirus. The norovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea , is highly contagious, and can be transmitted by contaminated food or water, infected people, or contaminated surfaces. Some German schools have closed as a precautionary measure. © Food Safety NewsMore Headlines from Foodborne Illness Investigations |
Has Imported Dutch Smoked Salmon Sickened 100 Americans?
| Several states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control are investigating a spike in Salmonella Thompson cases in the U.S. — 85 people in 27 states — that may be linked to the same contaminated smoked salmon that has sickened 200 people in the Netherlands.
According to agency spokeswoman Lola Russell, CDC has been investigating a spike in Salmonella Thompson illnesses since last month (health officials might normally see 30 reported cases of this strain of Salmonella during this time frame). Russell said epidemiologists have not yet identified a common food source. Russell said it's likely there are more illnesses that have not been reported, but it's also likely that not all 85 cases are linked to the same source. So why did Dutch officials tell the press that there were 100 illnesses in the United States linked to their smoked salmon? Russell explained that CDC often communicates with health agencies abroad and during a conversation with the Dutch National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) someone from CDC may have stated that there were "around 100″ illnesses in the U.S. Of the reported cases, 10 individuals were hospitalized and there have been no reports of death. States have been reporting illnesses since July. CDC's investigation is ongoing, but the agency has so far declined to identify which states have reported illnesses. Phyllis Entis, who runs eFoodAlert, a clearinghouse for recall information, has compiled a list of some of the states that are known to be investigating illnesses. U.S. public health officials have said that so far there is no epidemiological link between the illnesses and smoked salmon. According to eFoodAlert, the recalled Dutch smoked salmon was sold in the U.S. by Costco under both the Foppen and Kirkland brands. © Food Safety NewsMore Headlines from Foodborne Illness Investigations  This is ridiculous! Every day I see numerous recalls for an assortment of food products whether its from salmonella or E-coli or any other of the many food borne illnesses. |
Has Imported Dutch Smoked Salmon Sickened 100 Americans?
| Several states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control are investigating a spike in Salmonella Thompson cases in the U.S. — 85 people in 27 states — that may be linked to the same contaminated smoked salmon that has sickened 200 people in the Netherlands.
According to agency spokeswoman Lola Russell, CDC has been investigating a spike in Salmonella Thompson illnesses since last month (health officials might normally see 30 reported cases of this strain of Salmonella during this time frame). Russell said epidemiologists have not yet identified a common food source. Russell said it's likely there are more illnesses that have not been reported, but it's also likely that not all 85 cases are linked to the same source. So why did Dutch officials tell the press that there were 100 illnesses in the United States linked to their smoked salmon? Russell explained that CDC often communicates with health agencies abroad and during a conversation with the Dutch National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) someone from CDC may have stated that there were "around 100″ illnesses in the U.S. Of the reported cases, 10 individuals were hospitalized and there have been no reports of death. States have been reporting illnesses since July. CDC's investigation is ongoing, but the agency has so far declined to identify which states have reported illnesses. Phyllis Entis, who runs eFoodAlert, a clearinghouse for recall information, has compiled a list of some of the states that are known to be investigating illnesses. U.S. public health officials have said that so far there is no epidemiological link between the illnesses and smoked salmon. According to eFoodAlert, the recalled Dutch smoked salmon was sold in the U.S. by Costco under both the Foppen and Kirkland brands. © Food Safety NewsMore Headlines from Foodborne Illness Investigations This is ridiculous! Every day I see numerous recalls for an assortment of food products whether its from salmonella or E-coli or any other of the many food borne illnesses. |
Has Imported Dutch Smoked Salmon Sickened 100 Americans?
| Several states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control are investigating a spike in Salmonella Thompson cases in the U.S. — 85 people in 27 states — that may be linked to the same contaminated smoked salmon that has sickened 200 people in the Netherlands.
According to agency spokeswoman Lola Russell, CDC has been investigating a spike in Salmonella Thompson illnesses since last month (health officials might normally see 30 reported cases of this strain of Salmonella during this time frame). Russell said epidemiologists have not yet identified a common food source. Russell said it's likely there are more illnesses that have not been reported, but it's also likely that not all 85 cases are linked to the same source. So why did Dutch officials tell the press that there were 100 illnesses in the United States linked to their smoked salmon? Russell explained that CDC often communicates with health agencies abroad and during a conversation with the Dutch National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) someone from CDC may have stated that there were "around 100″ illnesses in the U.S. Of the reported cases, 10 individuals were hospitalized and there have been no reports of death. States have been reporting illnesses since July. CDC's investigation is ongoing, but the agency has so far declined to identify which states have reported illnesses. Phyllis Entis, who runs eFoodAlert, a clearinghouse for recall information, has compiled a list of some of the states that are known to be investigating illnesses. U.S. public health officials have said that so far there is no epidemiological link between the illnesses and smoked salmon. According to eFoodAlert, the recalled Dutch smoked salmon was sold in the U.S. by Costco under both the Foppen and Kirkland brands. © Food Safety NewsMore Headlines from Foodborne Illness Investigations This is ridiculous! Every day I see numerous recalls for an assortment of food products whether its from salmonella or E-coli or any other of the many food borne illnesses. |