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Posts Tagged food safety

GF Regs Re-Open for Comment

Aug 4

Posted by admin in Administration, FDA, food recalls, gluten-free, health, news

It is a tad ironic to mention on one hand how the phrase “Gluten-Free,” or GF as it is listed on many products, has become mainstream knowledge. Yet, the other hand frantically waves for attention as the FDA has extended the comment period for 2007 regs on labeling food “gluten-free” for an additional 60 days. Wait, 2007 regs are not yet finalized and put into law? What is wrong with this picture?

Let’s see where to begin. How about chronologically? As in this is August 2011 and comment submission materials are now due in early October! Have we not wasted 4 years in trying to figure out how to help individuals who are by illness, as in Celiacs, in need of certified foods? The FDA says we are only talking about 1 % of the population that struggles with Celiac. I struggle with that low percentage for it hardly seems a day passes without more attention to this illness. Celiac research paints a different picture, a more startling numeric: 1 in 133 American people has Celiac, according to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.

How about the people who are gluten intolerant? That number is certainly growing. The FDA focus is only on the US, but we know some countries, such as Ireland, have taken the lead on product identification and restaurant preparedness. Sure, more restaurants in the states are offering gluten-free menus and increasing their range of selections, but what about the security issue? Everyone needs to be certain that what is labeled or described as GF, truly has zero gluten.

Individuals who cannot tolerate gluten continue to struggle with dining out choices as they fear the separation of foods may not be tightly monitored. These are not whimsical fears. They are life-and-death matters.

So what happened to the “new” FDA that was promised to be a more responsive agency? Seems it is still buried under mounds of paper and limited in its roll-out of important mandates. What can a foodservice professional or a consumer do? React; respond within this extended deadline. Go to www.regulations.gov, and submit a comment. Follow the link.

As concerned consumers and food professionals, we cannot let this comment period slip away and allow mounds of paper to be ignored. We’ve had enough of that. GF and gluten intolerance deserve better attention and protection. Now.

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Someone’s in the Kitchen with Uncle Sam

Jun 10

Posted by admin in Administration, beverages, cooking, Economy, FDA, First Lady Michelle Obama, gardening, healthy eating, news, USDA

Not quite the Dinah song, but clearly a spirited shout-out to the National Archives for putting together a phenomenal exhibit, “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?” The answer quite simply is that everything we know about food in this country has some piece of history attached to it and the exhibit underlies the strong connection.

In the past few years since the Obama Administration took office, it seems that food has become a major player in the national conversation. We have talked about the White House Garden, the commitment to getting people to Move off the couch and be aware of their food intake. Obesity has been a major topic of concern as has the School Lunch program. Yet, so many of these discussions have their roots in much earlier times. It is impossible to speak of food safety legislation today without thinking about the letter Upton Sinclair wrote President Theodore Roosevelt.

Our current obsession with food, chefs, and food trends is nothing new. Buying local and supporting the farmer has deep-seeded, yes, it’s true, roots in our country’s agricultural history. You’ll be able to study the past while reflecting on how so much of what we believe today parallels our government’s earliest commitments to food safety. No need to make this sound so serious, as the exhibit focuses on all the aspects of our food culture.

What this exhibition hall is filled with it the how the Federal government’s programs intersected with our lives whether we are referencing food safety regulation or tracing the early paths of those we affectionately call “agricultural pioneers.” Besides enjoying the numerous posters from the collection including the already popular “Vitamin Donuts” or “Uncle Sam Says , Garden to Cut Food Costs.” My initial favorite, “Eat the Carp” includes the advice, “The muddy taste can be washed away.”

Trust me, you’ll have fun exploring the original records (“Eat More Cottage Cheese“) that explain the history of our country through its food supply with an emphasis on four distinct influences on our food environment: Farm, Factory, Kitchen, and Table.

Check out the event calendar as numerous additional programs and speakers have been lined up to supplement the standing exhibit. The exhibit opens today and continues through January 3, 2012. You need to know that date as you’ll want to go more than once!

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Signed, Sealed, but Can It Deliver?

Jan 5

Posted by admin in Administration, FDA, food universe, news

After what felt like an interminable period of time between the Senate and House signing of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), an extra week was added to the timetable for a much-needed Presidential Holiday. Anyway who wants to sign a document when no one is looking? Plenty has been written, on this blog and numerous others, about what the Act will cover and how the FDA will finally assume the mantle of power. Of course, there are the worriers who question any type of authority and simultaneously believe such a broad-sweeping measure will negatively impact the little guy, the small producer.

No need to take sides, but acknowledge the number one issue that hopefully will be improved by the passage and signing of the Act: Food Safety and all aspects of food-borne illnesses. Maybe the myriad of scares and recalls will start to decline, and we will have a safer food system in place. This week, once again, demonstrated how important monitoring and checking is. We began the year with several recalls. (Frankly, I seldom focus on sprout recalls anymore as they are almost commonplace: Buy sprouts and you’re likely to have some sort of Salmonella issue. Of course, there are plenty of small growers who can offer protection, but history has demonstrated more nationwide or regional outbreaks with this particular food than almost any other I can tabulate.)

Let us take out the celebratory horns and whistles to herald the future and the hope of success in monitoring and preventing the prior steady stream of food safety issues. The FDA has published a Q and A page to help set the record straight about what the Act will and will not cover, or accomplish, for that matter.fsbillboard_good_luck

We can only hope that implementation with its emphasis on prevention will be smooth and life-saving.

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Not a Safe Start

Jan 3

Posted by admin in health, news

As we begin the New Year and await the President’s signature on the new food safety legislation, we need to send out an alert about a food safety problem. Remember last year when peanut butter and hamburgers, two staples of most households, hit the dreaded danger list? This year is starting off the same with a new recall: Ground Beef. Not just any such meat, but organic ground beef! Doesn’t that make it a double offender? As more people switch to the organic food line to allay safety concerns, we get slammed with the following news:

A California firm sent out a recall notice for their organic ground beef. OK, not every state is affected by this E.coli announcement, but the fact remains we cannot be too diligent. The recall involves over 30,000 lbs of ground beef. That’s a lot of burgers, or meatloaf, or…When you link onto the government announcement, you’ll see a sidebar telling you how to handle ground beef for safe consumption. How about the companies? Where is their safe handling instruction book?Recallimgae

We need to remain extra vigilant about all products. This type of recall can have disastrous effects. The company deserves credit for its action, however…

Check your freezer. This is not a warm, cuddly introduction to the New Year. Let us hope this type of announcement will be a rarity and not a foreshadowing of continually escalating food safety issues.

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Elmo and Congress: A Duet of Hope

Dec 20

Posted by admin in FDA, news

As we rush around fulfilling all the end-of-the-year promises and getting everyone in place for a weekend of festivities, it is fitting that Sesame Street plays a major role in our moves forward. Yes, last week Elmo visited the White House (you might enjoy the video) to congratulate everyone on the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act: A true milestone in more ways than just from Elmo’s visit! The hunger numbers have not decreased.

Then over this past weekend, the Senate wanted to elevate its place in history as it managed to secure passage of the Food Safety Bill. If you recall, they passed it about a month ago, but there was an outcry about how legislation gets initiated and passed. With a few language adjustments, that fear doctrine was removed. Now as the final legislative countdown of the year is in full swing, the House needs to act to put this into law.

What does this all mean for us, the consumer? Are we safer? Is our food safer? Are we protected?

The answers to all those questions depend on who you ask and how much you trust the various systems. No doubt it has been a difficult year in the realm of food safety with E. coli and Salmonella recalls vying for headline prominence. The CDC reported that 1 in 6 consumers gets sick from foodborne illnesses each year! A frightening percentage.eggs

Many of our sacred foods including peanut butter and eggs went under the knife as consumers were in harm’s way from various avenues. Now will our lives be safer? Will the FDA have the manpower to implement the new legislation? Will school nutrition programs prove to be healthier for the millions of young people that need to get food?

These are all questions of hope. Hope that the continuing efforts from the White House for nutritional benefits and from Congress for legislative mandates for government agencies will all benefit the end user: Us.

It is after all the season of hope.

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FDA Wins–Company Action

Nov 17

Posted by admin in beverages, news

The Four Loko company pulled the plug on its double dose and eliminated the caffeine part of the beverage. Good news on the health side but some states and suppliers remark that stockpiling and hoarding is today’s game.

See prior post which delineates problem.

The power of detail won this battle.

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FDA in Action: A Hope

Nov 16

Posted by admin in alcohol, beverages, FDA, news

We complain so vociferously (and frequently) about the FDA’s inaction, that it’s time to spotlight a forward-thinking approach. It is anticipated that the FDA will come down hard this week on the caffeinated alcohol beverage market. You know those specialty drinks that give you a double jump and in the process most likely kill off any potential “benefit” from such a beverage. Severity of interaction has become a more common complaint with hospitalization not an infrequent occurrence.

Several states including Michigan and Washington have already addressed the issue and decided they did not need to wait for any Federal mandate to dictate a potentially unsafe beverage sale. Beer distributors in New York will stop their delivery by early December. The question boils down to scientific safety, the domain in which the FDA can act. We are referencing a product that has high alcohol levels, 12 percent, and gets the added boost of caffeine from the equivalent of multiple cups of coffee. No doubt you believe you can fly. If the FDA acts, we can safely say that its action has been a long time coming: See 2009 link.drinklineup

Hospitalization, injury, death–those words should create enough of a buzz without having to worry about mixing two categories of drinks into one dangerous high.

This time, a year later than anticipated, the FDA needs to act. Some products just should not be so readily available and heavily marketed. Danger outweighs gain.

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The Goliath Effect

Oct 14

Posted by admin in food universe

Little Davids are running around everywhere in the food world. We’ve been reading plenty about food trucks and pop-up restaurants as solutions for high-rent avoidance. A week seldom goes by when a restaurant that’s been on the local scene for some time turns to the landlord and says, “Enough.” High rents are nothing new, but they are the most direct route to changing a city’s restaurant landscape. Few cities manage to escape the laundry list of former hot spot restaurants that now carry “For Rent” signs. Look at the Iron Gate Inn which the Washington Post just revealed would close its doors at the end of the month. Greedy v Needy: An endless debate.

How about the restaurants that stay and make it only to be mimicked by a food truck? That’s not an uncommon scene and one that stirs the hackles of a business that tries to meet rent. Trucks literally pull up at the street space and sell a similar product for less than a fixed location as equipment, not rent, makes up the biggest truck expense. Of course, food costs are both types of business concerns, but no need to put that into the current equation. The reality of truck stops and gourmet food options seems to multiply with the increase in new businesses. We have come a long way from the sole hot dog vendor. Truck wars have become more commonplace as cities try to grapple with location proximity and food safety issues.

Yet, the little guy story always has another chapter. This week a judge ruled in the hamburger war of a big law firm v a fry guy cooking in the alley adjacent to the building. This was not an immediate slam dunk but let me get to the score first: Law Firm, 1; Hamburger truck, 0. Today no hamburger truck, no matter its award-winning ways and its popularity. Plans are to reopen in another area. Burgers were good.

What’s the moral of the story? Trucks have been pulling up all over the place and restaurants want a piece of the popularity pie. Some cities want them to have stationary locations instead of Twitter feeds.

What’d be the fun of that!Fry_Captain_white_logo_normal

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Support the Farm; The Farmer

Oct 8

Posted by admin in dining out, food universe

The American Farmland Trust inaugurates its first Dine Out (“Dine Out for Farms“) event from October 10-16. Here’s an opportunity to support a sustainable venture and at the same time acknowledge a restaurant’s commitment to quality, fresh food. The list of participants is impressive but still in an expansive state as additional restaurants continue to sign up.

For a good deed, go to your local, neighborhood spot that believes strongly in its sourcing and get them on board. The site has a sign-in area for restaurants. (No, I do not work for the organization, but I do love all the opportunities we as diners have to champion those restaurants that participate in a give-back approach to life).

After a summer of conversation about farm markets and CSAs, and local products and food miles, and the list goes on, we can stand back and recognize how important freshness is and how we strive for healthy eating. Here’s a chance to look at the suppliers and award the restaurants that are committed to finding the best, non-commercial purveyors.

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Time for all of us to thank the farmer, and this special Dine Out event enables us to marry the farm and the food or as the organization’s motto says, “No Farms, No Food.”  Make your reservations now.

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Back on the Beat

Sep 20

Posted by admin in FDA, First Lady Michelle Obama

I’ve been off key and away for a few weeks as I lost my staunchest advocate, my bright light, and overall, my all-out supporter. Now, it’s time to come out from under my shell and fulfill the promise he so desperately wanted me to achieve: To stay on top of the story and tell it like it is. So here we go.

A lot has happened in the food world, or nothing has happened, depending on your outlook.  Little changes prove noticeable as in the more things change, the more they stay the same. So sameness envelops what’s happening, or not, when we speak of food safety and when the phrase, the FDA gets mentioned.

Yes, folks, it’s an election year and that means paper gets shuffled, but in the fall weeks preceding a November election, time stands still. Any hope of seeing the FDA assume the leadership mantel that was so eloquently promised—review blog entries on FDA and food safety and food recalls--and you’ll notice little change. Sorry, truth is truth. Peanut butter, lettuce, burgers, and eggs are still topics of grave concern and continued surveillance. Without some degree of enforcement, E.coli and Salmonella will continue to be words echoed repeatedly and plague our decision-making.

We have talked frequently about the importance of organics and how some products should only be organic purchases. It seems that the popularity of going organic continues to increase and there are some early indications that the price of organic produce seems to be less out of touch than in earlier years. Irony aside but many stores that have large organic departments also manage to deliver better prices on the organic line-up than their larger chain competitors. Whole Foods continues to accomplish this price-value coefficient. If you need first-hand proof, go to the dairy aisle and check-out organic milk. You’ll be a believer.lunch208345913

Not that there have been miraculous overall changes to the school lunch program, but concern is widespread. Many well-known chefs joined with their nearby school systems and volunteered their time and talent to help implement change. What Jamie Oliver accomplished with his well-publicized Revolution earned him numerous accolades and got couch potatoes to be thinking about more than starches. Then, of course, First Lady Michelle Obama found a judicious cause and continues to champion its direction. Harder to go higher up the ladder than 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!

Always end with good news, at least that’s what I was taught.

The week has begun. So much to report.

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