Current Food Safety Articles
How the FDA Works to Keep Produce Safe(Link)
The contamination of fresh spinach with the bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 during the fall of 2006 led to one of the largest and deadliest outbreaks of food borne illness in recent years.
Illnesses from spinach were confirmed in 26 states, and one case was confirmed in Ontario, Canada. In all, nearly 205 cases of illness were recorded during the outbreak, including 31 involving a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). More than 100 people were hospitalized, and three deaths were recorded.
Fresh produce is especially vulnerable to contamination because it's grown in a natural environment. It may be grown in a field or orchard, and it is often consumed raw, without cooking or other treatments that could destroy bacteria and other pathogens.
The FDA works with many partners to prevent contamination, but it's impossible to eliminate all problems through prevention. "When there is a problem, we want to catch it early and contain it through efficient outbreak response," says David Acheson, M.D., director of food safety and security in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). "In this case, the FDA mounted a collaborative effort with public health authorities throughout the country to identify the source of the problem and prevent its spread."
The CFSAN has the lead responsibility for ensuring food safety, regulating everything except meat, poultry, and processed egg products, which are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a complementary role, serving as the lead federal agency for conducting disease surveillance and outbreak investigations. Surveillance systems coordinated by the CDC, in collaboration with the states, provide an essential early-information network to detect dangers in the food supply.
How to Detect an Outbreak:
When a patient is diagnosed with E. coli O157:H7, a sample of the bacterial strain is sent to a participating PulseNet lab. PulseNet is a national network of public health laboratories that perform genetic fingerprinting on food borne bacteria that result in human illness. Scientists use a process called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), a technique that subtypes bacteria. After the bacterial strain is sub-typed or 'DNA fingerprinted' at a lab, the fingerprint is then uploaded electronically to the national PulseNet database where it can be compared with other patterns in other states.
Epidemiologists in Wisconsin were the first to alert CDC officials about a small cluster of E. coli O157:H7 infections on Sept. 8, 2006. At that time, the source of the problem was unknown. Wisconsin posted the bacterial strain to PulseNet to alert the entire network. PulseNet confirmed that E. coli strains from infected patients in Wisconsin had matching PFGE patterns and identified the same patterns in other states.
Oregon's state health department also had noted a small cluster of cases and began interviewing patients. On Sept. 13, 2006, Wisconsin and Oregon health officials both notified the CDC that eating fresh spinach was reported. Most of those interviewed reported eating prepackaged raw spinach that came from a bag.
That same day, the CDC Director's Emergency Operations Center notified the FDA's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) of the possible association of prepackaged raw spinach to the illnesses. The FDA's EOC is the agency's focal point for coordinating and managing all emergencies involving products regulated by the FDA.
Letting the Public Know:
After learning from the CDC that fresh spinach was confirmed as the source of the outbreak, the FDA immediately took action to prevent further illness by alerting the public. On Sept. 14, 2006, the FDA and the CDC held a conference call with the states and issued a public alert, advising consumers not to eat bagged spinach at that time. Neither frozen nor canned spinach was implicated in the outbreak.
Those who had become ill reported eating various brands of bagged spinach, processed by Natural Selection Foods LLC of San Juan Bautista, California One week after Wisconsin officials notified the CDC, Natural Selections, which bags spinach under several brand names, announced a voluntary recall. Five more companies issued recalls between Sept. 15 and Sept. 22.
On Sept. 16, the FDA expanded its warning and advised consumers not to eat any fresh spinach or fresh spinach-containing products.
E. coli O157:H7 causes diarrhea, often with bloody stools. Though most people recover in a week, some are more vulnerable, especially very young children and older people. Of the 95 cases that had been reported by Sept. 15, 2006, almost half had been hospitalized, and 15 percent had HUS, a condition that can cause kidney damage and death.
The FDA's advice to not eat any fresh spinach remained in effect until Sept. 22, 2006 when the FDA became confident that the source of the tainted spinach was restricted to three California counties. On that day, the FDA advised the public that fresh spinach implicated in the outbreak was grown in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Clara Counties. At the same time, the FDA said that spinach grown elsewhere was not implicated in the outbreak and could be consumed.
Tracing and Investigation:
From the first indications that fresh spinach was the culprit in the fall 2006 outbreak, investigators from the FDA, the CDC, and the states worked together to trace the implicated spinach back from consumption to the fields. The fact that illnesses were reported in multiple states suggested that contamination likely happened early in the distribution chain.
On Sept. 20, 2006, a big break came when New Mexico's public health laboratory announced that it had isolated the outbreak's strain of E. coli O157:H7 from an open package of spinach that came from the refrigerator of a patient who had become ill. The package of spinach that tested positive was Dole baby spinach best if used by August 30. This was a tremendous help in tracing back to the fields. Later, the strain implicated in the outbreak also was isolated from open packages of fresh spinach consumed by ill people in several other states, including Utah, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
In the end, the focus of the trace-back investigation narrowed to four fields on four different ranches. On Sept. 29, 2006, the FDA announced that all spinach implicated in the outbreak traced back to Natural Selection Foods.
Potential Contamination Routes:
The investigation into how the spinach may have become contaminated included sample collection in facilities and a review of animal management practices, processing practices, and water use. Richard Gelting, Ph.D., an environmental engineer from the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, was deployed to California at the FDA's request to join in the investigation of possible environmental sources of contamination. He investigated irrigation well structure, ground water movement, and water management practices in the implicated farm regions.
On Oct. 12, 2006, the FDA and the state of California announced test results. The field investigation discovered the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 involved in the illnesses in environmental samples collected at one of four implicated ranches that supplied spinach to Natural Selection. The samples included water from a stream and cattle feces taken from pasture areas on the ranch outside the crop fields. The E. coli O157:H7 isolates from these samples were matched to the outbreak strain by their PFGE patterns. Wild pig feces collected by investigators on the ranch were also found to contain this same strain of E. coli O157:H7.
Fencing around the cow pastures nearby appears to keep the cows from going into the spinach fields. But Gerald Wiscomb, an expert on the team from the USDA's Wildlife Services, observed during his behavioral studies that pigs go into the crop fields on the ranch. There are many possibilities. It could be that the pigs rooted around the cow feces, contaminating themselves, and then later defecated in the spinach fields. Another possibility is that surface contamination from pig and cow feces in the pasture areas got into the ground water.
The Produce Safety Plan:
The FDA instituted a Produce Safety Action Plan in 2004. The action plan builds on previous guidance and addresses microbial food safety hazards and good agricultural and management practices common to growing, harvesting, washing, sorting, packing, and transporting of most fruits and vegetables sold to consumers in an unprocessed or raw (minimally processed) form.
The plan contains four objectives: preventing contamination of fresh produce with pathogens; minimizing the public health impact when contamination of fresh produce occurs; improving communications with producers, preparers, and consumers of fresh produce; and facilitating and supporting research relevant to fresh produce.
As part of the plan, the FDA has provided technical assistance to help industry develop food safety guidance for five commodity groups: cantaloupes, lettuce and leafy greens, tomatoes, green onions, and herbs. The guidelines for cantaloupes, tomatoes, and lettuce have been finalized and are available. With FDA assistance, industry work on guidances for herbs and green onions is ongoing.
In March 2006, the agency released draft guidance for the fresh-cut produce industry. The agency is working to finalize its "Draft Guidance to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables." The Lettuce Safety Initiative, developed in August 2006, supports the produce safety plan and covers lettuce and other leafy greens, including spinach.
In August 2006, the FDA met with Virginia officials to discuss outbreaks associated with tomatoes produced on the Eastern shore of Virginia. The FDA worked with the Florida Tomato Exchange and the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to arrange a forum, held in November 2006, to discuss improving tomato safety. Also in November 2006, the FDA announced results of an investigation by state and CDC investigators which found that consuming tomatoes in restaurants was the cause of illnesses of Salmonella Typhimurium. Twenty-one states reported 186 cases of illness to the CDC.
Produce safety is the number one priority in CFSAN right now. Their role is to serve as a leader in providing direction for industry and to apply the best science-based approaches toward building an even safer food supply. As a result of effective collaboration with public health partners, the American food supply continues to be among the safest in the world. But reducing the incidence of food borne illness to the lowest level possible is a continual process.
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State OKs Certification Program for Leafy Crops(Link)
California leafy vegetables farmers, still reeling from disease outbreaks linked to their produce, will soon be able to attach seals to their veggies saying their produce is state certified.
California agriculture officials certified a voluntary food safety program for lettuce, spinach and other leafy vegetables after gaining agreement for the plan from 70% of the state's processors and shippers of the greens.
The new regulations would create an inspection program to verify that leafy greens handlers are complying with a set of food safety standards (which are still being discussed and set). The rules are part of a marketing agreement developed by the leafy greens industry with the help of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Specific regulations will be set by the state-appointed board of the agreement and dictate that the shippers purchase produce only from growers who also agree to abide by new farming rules.
The agreement is a response by growers and shippers to a series of disease outbreaks linked to California produce. California has about 900 farms that grow spinach and lettuce, crops that are worth $1.6 billion a year, and accounts for about 70% of domestic production.
Although most in the produce industry support the move to improve food safety, many believe it is only the first step. The United Fresh Produce Association, a national trade group, recently called for federal regulation of the produce industry.
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HHS, FDA Announce New Tools for the Nutrition Facts Label(Link)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) have unveiled two new learning tools to help consumers use the Nutrition Facts label to choose nutritious foods and to achieve healthy weight management.
The tools are Make Your Calories Count, a Web-based learning program, and a new Nutrition Facts Label brochure.
The Web program is part of the FDA's response to the recommendations contained in a 2004 report issued by the agency's Obesity Working Group. The program is based on recommendations in the federal government's 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Dietary Guidelines contain science-based advice designed to help Americans choose diets that meet nutrient requirements without exceeding calorie needs, promote health, support active lives, and reduce the risk of chronic disease.
This learning program provides a quick and simple way to educate consumers on how to use the Nutrition Facts label. By making it easier for consumers to understand the Nutrition Facts label, the FDA is helping them make quick and informed food choices that contribute to lifelong healthy eating habits.
Make Your Calories Count is an interactive online learning program that is also available in a downloadable format. It is designed to help consumers understand and use the Nutrition Facts label to plan a healthy diet while managing calorie intake.
The program guide features an animated character, called Labelman, who expertly leads the viewer through a series of exercises on the food label. The program includes exercises to help consumers explore the relationship between serving sizes and calories while they learn how to limit certain nutrients and get enough of others. For simplicity, the program presents two nutrients that should be limited -- saturated fat and sodium -- and fiber and calcium, two nutrients that should be consumed in adequate amounts.
Consumers can use the Nutrition Facts label to take control of their caloric intake and weight and to make healthy food choices, if they know how. This program will show consumers how, in part, by explaining what serving sizes, percentages, and daily values mean and how to use them.
A new downloadable Nutrition Facts Label brochure for use by consumers is also available. The brochure can be used by health professionals to teach people how to make healthier food choices. The brochure includes information that will help consumers understand the relationship between calories and serving size, which may help them use the label to manage their intake of calories. Visit www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/lab-gen.html to download.
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Bacteriophage Viruses and Food Irradiation for Food Safety(Link)
Contrary to popular misconceptions, not all viruses harm people. Recently, the FDA has approved a combination of viruses that are used as a food additive designed to protect people. Bacteriophage means “bacteria eater”. These phages occur naturally throughout our environment. Thousands of different varieties exist. They attack only specific bacteria. The particular viruses in the approved mixture are very specific to Listeria monocytogenes.
According to estimates of the Centers for Disease Control, this bacteria causes over two thousand people to become seriously ill and 500 deaths each year. According to Capt. Andrew Zajac, a food safety expert and acting director of the Division of Petition Review within the FDA’s Center Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, as quoted in the publication, FDA Consumer “They’ll only thrive if Listeria are present.”
The new additive is approved for use by processing plants as a spray on ready to eat meat and poultry products. The FDA advises that “cooking can kill L. monocytogenes, but many ready-to-eat foods, such as hot dogs, sausages, luncheon meats, cold cuts and other deli style meats and poultry, may become contaminated …after cooking but before packaging.”1 Since they are not generally reheated before ingesting, any bacteria present can survive and be consumed. Bacteria in contaminated food can survive and even multiply despite being refrigerated. The Bacteriophage spray works through the action of the viruses that insert genetic material into the bacteria. It is then replicated hundreds of times until the cell walls burst. Once all the bacteria are gone the phages become inactive.
The FDA’s Center Food Safety and Applied Nutrition determined the Bacteriophage preparation does not pose any safety concerns. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service evaluated it for suitability and determined it to be effective for performing the purpose intended and that using the preparation does not result in a product that is unfit for human consumption and does not mislead consumers. As required by the Federal meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act which are both administered by the USDA, on any product where the preparation was used the label must state, “bacteriophage preparation”. For more information on this new Bacteriophage approval, visit www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/opabacqa.html.
Food Irradiation has been a very controversial subject. The aim of irradiation is to destroy pests, fungi or bacteria that cause food to degrade or cause human sickness. It is argued that when that is accomplished, food will retain a better quality and can be kept for longer periods. Testing has shown that at doses used to destroy harmful pathogens, nutritional losses are less than or about equal to cooking or freezing. At the levels generally used, irradiation does not sterilize food. Most of the microorganisms are destroyed so that the food is safe to eat, but the intent is not to guarantee the food is rid of every last microorganism. When food is subjected to any kind of treatment, chemical changes occur. The changes that take place in food that has been irradiated are not detectable by consumers and have been found to be safe. Foods that have been irradiated are required to be labeled with a logo and the words “Treated with Radiation” or “Treated by Irradiation”.
1 FDA Consumer / January-February 2007
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Food Allergen Update(Link)
The recommendations published in the FDA’s guidance documents are just that – recommendations. They are not legally enforceable requirements; rather they represent the FDA’s current thoughts on a particular topic. At the end of 2006, the FDA released the 4th Edition of it Food Allergen Guidance for Industry. The revisions addressed the following four food issues:
Seafood
The FDA clarified what is meant by the ‘species’ of finfish or shellfish (crustaceans). The market name provided in the FDA List should be used in labeling for allergens. The FDA Seafood List is a current list of acceptable names for domestic and imported seafood. The list was developed jointly by the FDA and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), with common usage in the United States determines the market names.
Single Ingredient Foods
The Food and Drug Administration further confirmed that single-ingredient foods, which are exempt from ingredient declaration, must include allergen labeling (if applicable). Any single-ingredient food item that contains allergic protein can identify the source in the name of the food (e.g. “all-purpose wheat flour”)1 or use a ‘contains’ statement (i.e. “contains wheat”). If a ‘contains’ statement is used, the placement should be immediately above the signature line unless the product requires further manufacturing, then the statement should be placed on the principal display panel.
Wheat
The Food and Drug Administration has stated that “wheat” is to include any species in the genus Triticum. This covers the grains including club wheat, common wheat, durum wheat, einkorn, emmer, kamut, semolina, spelt and triticale.
Tree Nuts
The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) lists ‘tree nuts’ as a major food allergen category. This statute, though, only lists three examples: almonds, pecans and walnuts. The latest edition of the Food Allergen Guide for Industry published by the FDA contains a broad list of tree nuts for the purposes of allergen labeling.
This new list is based on a broad group of scientific categories that may contain species of tree nuts with no current food use. The term “tree nut” is defined by the FDA as follows: almond; beech nut; brazil nut; butternut; cashew; chestnut (American, Chinese, European, sequin); chinquapin; coconut; filbert; hazelnut; ginkgo nut; heartnut; hickory nut; lichee nut; macadamia nut; bush nut; pecan; pine nut; piñon nut; pili nut; pistachio; shea nut and walnut (black, California, English, Japanese, Persian).
Because FALCPA generalizes tree nuts as a major food allergen category, the FDA updated its list to include all varieties of tree nuts, regardless of their relatively low-to-no allergenicity (e.g. coconuts). Furthermore, the FDA has stated that if a nut on the list can be shown to be botanically dissimilar to a allergen-ripe tree nut, it can be considered for removal from the list. As with single-ingredient foods (see above) the FDA recommends the use of ‘contains’ statements for labeling and in ingredient declarations.
1 Wellness Foods / February 2007
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French Fries - Are they really that bad?(Link)
There is nothing wrong with potatoes. We love them baked, mashed and scalloped. We especially love them deep fried. As one of America’s favorite foods, french fries are one of those irresistible snacks – perfect for sharing. But how unhealthy are they?
Current trends toward seeking better dietary choices by removing excess fat from our meals logically leads to french fries being an enemy to a healthy diet. But you don’t have to remove them altogether. You just need to learn to enjoy them in moderation. Smaller portions of 10-12 fries per meal instead to 10-12 fries per handful is a good place to start.
Or try a baked version using white potatoes, or sweet potatoes. If you just toss them in a bit of olive oil and roast them in the oven, you end up with a delicious alternative to the fast-food variety.
Remember, the FDA includes potatoes in the starchy vegetable section of the food pyramid. One medium potato is equal to one cup. For women up to age 50, it is recommended that they consume no more than 3 cups of starchy vegetables per week, with that amount dropping to 2 1/2 cups after age 50. For men, 6 cups a week up to age 50, dropping to 3 cups a week after that age.
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