Lots of evidence out there on raw milk issue - (Owen Sound Sun Times (ON))
In May 1943, Edsel Bryant Ford, son of auto magnate Henry Ford, died at the age of 49 in Detroit of what some claimed was a broken heart. Biology, however, decreed that Ford died of undulant fever, apparently brought on by drinking unpasteurized milk from the Ford dairy herd at the behest of his father's mistaken belief that all things natural must be good. Scores of consumers across North America have adopted what they believe to be a simple approach to good health including the consumption of raw, unpasteurized milk. Many are willing to pay between $4.50 and $20 a gallon for what they perceive as the creamier taste and finer flavour. In the U.S., 28 states permit the sale of raw milk under varying restrictions, but in Ontario, pasteurization became compulsory across the province in 1938. In an article published in 2005 concerning Canada's rising black market for raw milk, a producer who agreed only to be interviewed if his identity was concealed told a CTV reporter "What we're providing is milk at its purest. I would say customers beg for the milk. It's not even asking, they beg for the milk." He further claimed that some of his customers - mostly city dwellers - drove upwards of 200 kilometres to buy his raw milk products. Last Tuesday, health and law enforcement officials raided Michael Schmidt's biodynamic farm near Durham armed with a search warrant and the power to confiscate his computer hard drives, his milk equipment and milk products. This was part of an investigation into Schmidt's distributing raw unpasteurized milk products. Schmidt is no stranger to controversy. In 1994, the local health unit raided his farm, seizing $800 worth of unpasteurized dairy products. Charges were laid under the Health Protection and Promotion Act. Yet for 12 years now, Schmidt has continued to sell his raw milk. His clientele includes 120 families in the Toronto area - about 200 kilometres away. This past September, two children who drank raw milk from a Whatcom County dairy in Washington State became ill with E. coli O157:H7. At the same time, four children, including two eight-year- olds in San Diego County, Calif., were hospitalized with E. coli infection after consuming raw milk products. Despite this, raw milk advocates are adamant that if drinking raw is milk wrong, they don't want to be right. Health authorities cannot continue to turn a blind eye to such a defiant attitude. In December 2005, 18 people in Washington and Oregon, including six children, were infected with E. coli O157:H7 after drinking an unlicensed dairy's raw milk. Two of the kids almost died. Closer to home, four cases of E. coli linked to unpasteurized milk were reported to Ontario health officials in April 2005 - in this case, from an individual who routinely sold raw milk from the back of a vehicle parked in the city of Barrie. There are too many other such cases to mention. Raw milk drinkers believe the pasteurized milk found on grocery store shelves lacks the essential enzymes and nutrients necessary to absorb calcium, yet research shows this is simply not the case. The only things lacking in pasteurized milk are the bacteria that make people - especially kids - seriously ill. Adults, do whatever you think works to ensure a natural and healthy lifestyle, but please don't sneak around and break the rules to impose your dietary regimes on your kids. ============ Brae Surgeoner is a research assistant with the Food Safety Network at the University of Guelph. Contact: bsurgeon@uoguelph.ca or visit www. foodsafetynetwork.ca Read more…
Unpasteurized milk can carry diseases - letter of the day - (Owen Sound Sun Times (ON))
Hazel R. Lynn, M.D., FCFP, MHSc, Medical Officer of Health, Bruce Grey Owen Sound, writes that her concern with the health and well-being of the residents of Grey Bruce, Ontario, prompts her to provide information relevant to the on-going issue regarding unpasteurized milk. First introduced in the late 1800s, pasteurization resulted in a documented decrease in infant death rates. At that time, raw (unpasteurized milk) consumption was linked with typhoid fever, streptococcal disease, diphtheria, tuberculosis, and brucellosis. Pasteurization was made mandatory in Ontario in 1938 to reduce the incidence of these life-threatening illnesses. In more recent times, direct epidemiological links have been made between raw milk consumption and infections of salmonella, campylobacter, verotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Listeria. These bacteria can cause meningitis, encephalitis, septicemia, endocarditis, spontaneous abortion and tissue abscesses. Great Britain is often cited as an example of where raw milk is legally available to the consumer. In England and Wales only 0.01 per cent of the country's 60 million residents drink unpasteurized milk. In 2005, 149 farm gate locations regulated by government inspection, testing and licensing were eligible to offer unpasteurized milk for sale. The milk is sampled and tested quarterly. The cows must be certified as free from tuberculosis and brucellosis. Unpasteurized milk is sold as "Green Top" milk, which is marketed with a green cap on the bottle to clearly identify it as unpasteurized. However, it must be marked with a warning label that states: "This milk has not been heat treated and may therefore contain organisms harmful to health." Despite these safety measures, outbreaks of illness have been associated with raw milk consumption in Great Britain. For example, in 1980, 2,500 school children contracted gastrointestinal illness from Campylobacter bacteria linked to drinking raw milk. Additional food poisoning reports for England and Wales (Northern Ireland doesn't have a registered producer now) indicated that approximately 50 per cent of all milk-related outbreaks from 1992 to 1999 were associated with raw milk even though only a tiny fraction of the population consume it. It is worthy to note that Scotland imposed a ban on the sale and distribution of raw milk in 1983. Before this ban, the British Food Standards Agency attributed 12 deaths in Scotland to the consumption of raw milk. In the two years immediately prior to compulsory pasteurization, there were 1,321 raw milk-related outbreaks and four deaths. In contrast, when compulsory pasteurization was introduced, the outbreak numbers fell dramatically. Only two cases and no deaths were reported for the year 2000. Closer to home, in Ontario during the past year, several cases of Escherichia coli O157:H7 were linked to unpasteurized milk consumption. This infection can cause significant immediate adverse health consequences and some of these patients were hospitalized. In addition, we are still documenting long-term adverse health effects in people infected with this organism during the Walkerton outbreak in 2000. At the Grey Bruce Health Unit we investigate several cases of E. coli O157 each year where the most likely exposure is unpasteurized milk. Farm families have been drinking raw milk for many years. However, the volume of milk is small and it is consumed promptly. It does not enter a large-scale transport and distribution network across a wider population. Milk provides an ideal medium for pathogens to grow. Under ideal conditions E. coli can double in number in just 20 minutes. Further, the Canadian Medical Association maintains that there is no evidence that raw milk is more nutritious than pasteurized milk. Scientific comparison of the two shows no meaningful difference. Despite the myths, the important ingredients in milk - protein, fat, carbohydrate, calcium, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, niacin and vitamins A, D, B6, E, and K - are not affected by pasteurization. Although pasteurization reduces the content of vitamins B, B12, and C, it is by no more than 10 per cent and other dietary sources can provide these vitamins. Also, blind taste tests confirm that pasteurization does not alter the taste of milk. There are legitimate means in our society to advocate for changing the regulation regarding the sale and availability of raw milk. If a person or a group wants to see a system set up to prudently implement a change, they should work toward that goal. Failing that, they would have the option to move to a jurisdiction that permits the lifestyle they seek. In a civil society putting oneself above the law should not be an option for any of us. As Medical Officer of Health, Lynn cannot legally or in good conscience disregard the activity of someone who chooses to break the law when their actions jeopardize the health of others. Together we build healthy communities. Read more…
Raw milk debate: Health hazard or better beverage? - (Detroit News (MI))
After closely watching Richard Hebron for weeks, Michigan State Police officers and other state officials stopped him recently on his way to Ann Arbor to make a delivery of unpasteurized milk and also used a search warrant to raid Hebron's Cass County home near the Michigan-Indiana border and made surprise visits to two of his suspected customers. State officials were cited as saying Michigan law is clear: It is illegal to sell raw milk or distribute it in a retail setting. Following the Oct. 13 raids, Cass County prosecutors are working on possible misdemeanor criminal charges against Hebron, 41, of Vandalia, Mich. However, farmers are allowed to drink milk from their own cows, so consumers buy shares in cows and herds of cows through setups such as Hebron's Family Farms' Cooperative. Katherine Fedder, director of the food and dairy division of the Michigan Department of Agriculture, was cited as saying Michigan law is silent on "cow share" programs, adding, "Because it is rather unclear in the law we have not taken any action when an individual buys cow shares and goes out to a farm and picks it up." Fedder said her office got concerned when it appeared Hebron's milk distribution was moving into retail settings. John Sheehan, dairy and egg safety director for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, told the Ohio Legislature in May raw milk is inherently dangerous and "should not be consumed by anyone, at any time, for any reason." Sheehan said a "vast array of pathogens" could be present in raw milk, with potentially deadly bacteria such as E.coli being the major current concern, and the risk is greater for children, whose immune systems may not be as well-developed, he said. Yet those who drink raw milk and give it to their children, such as Nan Reed Twiss of Ann Arbor, cite health benefits they say they can't get from pasteurized milk. Reed Twiss, who enjoys raw milk along with her husband, Ian, and children, Adrian, 9, Miranda, 7, and Devon, 4., was quoted as saying, "It seems ludicrous that raw milk is treated as if it's a drug. sWe just want to be able to drink milk from a cow." Proponents of raw milk, such as the Washington, D.C.-based Weston A. Price Foundation, say pasteurization inactivates enzymes and diminishes milk's protein and vitamin benefits while killing beneficial bacteria and actually promoting pathogen production. Those claims are disputed by the FDA. Proponents also say most grocery store milk comes from hormone-injected Holsteins specially bred and confined for maximum production, whereas real milk comes from pasture-fed cows of traditional milk-producing breeds such as Jerseys and Guernseys. The FDA points to outbreaks of illnesses in Wisconsin, Oregon and Washington state in recent years it links to raw milk consumption, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture points to local incidents in Michigan in 2003 and 2004, each involving a half-dozen people who got ill after drinking raw milk. Sally Fallon, founding president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, was cited as saying authorities are too quick to point to raw milk when there is evidence of other possible or likely causes of illness, adding, "Whenever there's an opportunity to bash raw milk, they'll take it, but it's not necessarily based on good science." Read more…
Limited resources hamper county inspectors - (Rocky Mountain News (CO))
Surprise restaurant inspections, training sessions and the drumbeats "Wash your hands!," "Wash the vegetables!," "Cook the meat!" are the major tools Colorado counties use to combat food-borne outbreaks. But, the story says, with one food inspector for every 250 or so eating establishments, it's impossible to spot all the poorly washed hands and undercooked meat. From 2000 to 2004, Colorado had 106 confirmed cases of food-borne outbreaks that sickened 2,424 people. That amounts to 56.36 cases per 100,000 people, the 16th-highest per capita rate in the nation, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed by Scripps Howard News Service. But Colorado ranks better in the number of outbreaks for which a cause can be found. And Colorado had a low fatality rate from food- and water-borne diseases in 2003, the most recent year for which detailed data was available. For the complete news item, please visit http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5171911,00.html Read more…
New rules could close restaurants: 600 in Macomb Co. not yet certified - (McClatchy-Tribune Business News)
Hundreds of Macomb County restaurants could be shut down Jan. 1 if they do not meet new Health Department regulations. Tom Kalkofen, the county's Health Department director, was cited as saying last week that a list of food service businesses not in compliance by next week will be posted on the county's Web site, www.macombcountymi.gov/publichealth, adding, "The county passed a regulation that became effective Jan. 1, 2004, that gave food service operators three years -- yes, you heard that right, three years -- to have a certified manager on staff. We want to work with the industry to get this re solved and get all the folks certified and move on." About 600 of the county's 2,200 restaurants have yet to certify a manager in proper food safety and preparation during emergencies. Many appear to be scrambling to do so. Spots are filling up fast for classes at the Michigan Restaurant Association, a Lansing-based trade group that includes 500 Macomb County food service establishments among its 4,500 members. The story says that the impetus for the new regulations was the massive August 2003 blackout. Concerns were raised that restaurants might not have been trained in how to handle food and keep it safe during such emergency situations. Read more…
No food safety training required - (Wilmington News Journal (DE))
Tom Hannum, food and beverage director, Hotel du Pont, was quoted as saying, "If a guest wants a rare fillet, that's what they are going to get. We leave it up to them." Go ahead and order that rare steak, just don't say your menu didn't warn you. As the now-familiar small print warns, consuming raw or undercooked meat increases the risk of contracting food-borne illness. Marion Turow, who teaches food safety at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., considered the premier culinary college in the United States, was quoted as saying, "Generally speaking, good food safety practices mean good quality. By not holding something on a steam table for six hours, you're going to have better quality food and better safety." For the complete news item, please visit http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061127/NEWS/611270338/1006/NEWS Read more…
Probe into banquet hall food ongoing - (Hamilton Spectator (ON))
Hamilton's public health department will decide in a couple of weeks whether or not to lay any charges against a Mountain banquet hall involved in a flu-like illness outbreak. Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, chief medical officer of health for the city, was cited as saying yesterday the investigation into an outbreak of Norovirus stemming from the Piazza Banquet Centre on Anchor Road is ongoing. Richardson said 96 people have been interviewed by public health which has given them enough information to proceed with their analysis and investigation. The infection is believed to have spread through at least one sick employee. Richardson said the virus is spread fecal-oral, which means someone was not washing their hands as well as they should have been after using the washroom. Three to four hundred people are believed to have been exposed to food prepared by the banquet centre between lunchtime Nov. 14 and lunchtime Nov. 17. The kitchen at the hall was fully re-opened last Tuesday after all of the potentially contaminated food was thrown out and the kitchen was disinfected. Read more…
Hepatitis A outbreak at Etobicoke school - (680 News (ON))
Toronto - Toronto Public Health confirms an outbreak of 20 cases of Hepatitis A at an Etobicoke middle school. The source of the outbreak at Elmbank Junior Middle Academy hasn't been determined. However, a health official tells CP24 that the general public is safe. Read more…
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) - (European Commission, Health and Consumer Protection)
Weekly Overview - Week 47 available at http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/rapidalert/index_en.htm Read more…
A raw-milk raid leads to a special Thanksgiving - (Businessweek)
On Thanksgiving, Kimberly Gelhaus, a 39-year-old mom and student at the University of Cincinnati, will drive over an hour to the Double O Farms in Verona, Ky. Once at the tiny farm, she, her husband, and three children (ages 6, 8, and 18) will spend several hours dispensing milk from a holding tank into dozens of glass bottles, and then affixing lids. Once the work is done, "We'll just sit and talk," she says. The story of how Gelhaus and her family came to spend this holiday working and frolicking on a farm isn't about charity, but rather about how a seemingly straightforward business investment turned into a legal crisis—and then evolved into something much bigger, something involving community and caring. Because the legal part wasn't resolved until earlier this month, Gelhaus and others involved in the story didn't want to talk about it until now. It all began in October, 2004, when Gelhaus went on a health kick. She had spent much of the previous two winters in doctors' offices and emergency rooms with sick kids. "The doctors knew us so well, we were on their Christmas card list," she recalls. A major part of the new regimen included raw milk, which is unpasteurized and unhomogenized, and viewed by increasing numbers of consumers and health experts as healthier than the pasteurized stuff because its enzymes and beneficial bacteria haven't been destroyed by the heat of pasteurization. For updates on this situation, and additional thoughts based on having investigated a half-dozen raw milk enforcement actions over the last few months in California, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky, see my blog, www.thecompletepatient.com. ================== Gumpert is author of "Burn Your Business Plan! What Investors Really Want from Entrepreneurs" and "How to Really Start Your Own Business." His Web site is www.davidgumpert.com. Read more…
Elton John falls ill onstage in Australia - (My Fox (Milwaukee))
BRISBANE, Australia -- Elton John left the stage briefly during a weekend concert in Brisbane after being struck by a bout of nausea, according to a news report Monday. The Australian Associated Press was cited as reporting that John left the stage without a word about two hours into his Sunday concert. He was gone for about five minutes, reported. When he returned, the 59-year-old pop star used an Australian colloquialism to explain that he had left the stage to vomit. "I thought I'd better chunder in the toilet (rather) than all over the front row," he was quoted as saying. Apparently feeling better, John closed the show about 45 minutes later. Read more…
Investigation: 1 In 10 schools has serious health violations - (MSNBC)
COLUMBIA STATION, Ohio -- Investigator Ron Regan found serious violations of Ohio's health codes at school cafeterias all over the area. He reviewed inspection records for 765 schools in nine counties. NewsChannel5 found one in 10 schools had health code violations so serious they could cause potentially deadly food borne illnesses. "After hearing that, it makes me want to pack my daughter's lunch," one parent said. For example, Regan found food stored at improper temperatures, undated lunch meat and coolers failing to keep milk cold. However, the most common health code violation was dishwashers in 40 schools that were failing to sanitize. The dishwater was not hot enough to kill germs and bacteria. Health inspector Paul Desario was quoted as saying, "All your plates and utensiles are going into this dish machine. If they are not propertly being cleaned and sanitized, it's not going to kill the pathogens that are on the plates and utensils that the students and all the people use. So improper cleaning of those can spread illness." In Columbia Station, one of the smallest districts, the elementary, middle and high schools were all cited for dishwashers that failed to sanitize. Read more…
Greater Vancouver boil-water advisory lifted - (CBC.ca News)
About a million people who have been under a boil-water advisory in Greater Vancouver for 12 days have finally been told it's safe to drink from the taps. The Greater Vancouver Regional District issued the advisory on Nov. 16, following a major rainstorm that created unacceptable levels of silt in the Capilano and Seymour reservoirs on the North Shore. It was lifted the following day for about a million residents of the Lower Mainland. However, the remaining million residents in Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver and West Vancouver didn't get the all-clear until Monday. Medical health officer Dr. Patricia Daly said turbidity levels in the Seymour watershed have dropped low enough to allow people to drink unboiled, unbottled water. Read more…
Viewable program: Reducing risk factors at retail and food service - (Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition)
Closed Captioned - Satellite Broadcast Satellite Technical Information November 30, 2006 1:00 – 3:30 PM ET This program will focus on the topic of reducing risk factors in retail food stores and food service facilities. The goal of this program is to improve the ability of regulators and industry to reduce the occurrence risk factors and foodborne illness at retail. Success stories and tools will be discussed through interviews with various leaders in the regulatory community and industry. Topics include communication skills, using risk control plans, tools for improving food employee behaviors, food preparation practices personal hygiene of foodservice workers and techniques used to ensure safe food temperatures. This is an interactive program involving a live audience and a Q & A segment so viewers will have the opportunity to call/fax in specific questions. Note: Continuing Education Units (CEU) are not offered for this informational event. Using this announcement (no formal outline), contact your local organizations that offer CEUs to pursue credit. Target Audience: Federal (FDA; USDA/FSIS; other), state and local food safety agency personnel and local regulators; food service and retail food store industry employees; members of trade associations involved in food safety; associations of federal, state and local regulators; and others interested in the topic. Program Materials: Several days prior to the broadcast please visit Broadcast and Videoconference Announcements and printout available program materials. After viewing the broadcast, program forms should be faxed to 301-827-8708. Email: Questions / Guidance Prior to Program Program Viewing This program will be delivered via satellite to any location that has access to a steerable C-band satellite dish (see information on viewing). Viewing Site Registration: All viewing locations should register your site (Open or Closed (to outside viewers)) by filling out the online form for this broadcast. Up-to-date, on-line technical information (handouts, coordinates, updates and program forms). Viewing Options: Interested viewers are responsible for making viewing room reservations, etc. This program will be closed captioned. Via Satellite: Primary mode for viewing for all nationwide locations with a steerable satellite dish. Subsequent Viewing: The program will be recorded for future viewing via the web. Read more…
FSIS clarifies use of training materials - (National Meat Association)
FSIS has issued a Notice clarifying how its training materials are to be used. While FSIS encourages the training materials to be used by FSIS personnel in training situations as well as "whenever they believe it will help them in making decision and in problem-solving," it cautions that this training material should not be used by establishments "as validation or support for their food safety systems." Moreover, FSIS personnel should not use the training material "to support any regulatory enforcement documentation, nor as a basis for taking any regulatory actions." FSIS personnel are not to recommend that training materials be used by an establishment in support of any of its written plans or programs. An establishment may, however, decide to use some of the scientific documents or studies referenced in the FSIS training materials in support of its food safety system. Any questions regarding FSIS policy or access to validation support should be directed to the Technical Service Center at 800-233-3935 or techcenter@fsis.USDA.gov. The Notice may be viewed at: http://www.fsis.USDA.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISNotices/79-06.pdf. NEW EXPORT SALES DATABASE USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service has launched a new export sales database. Weekly and historical USDA data for a variety of agricultural products, including beef, cattle hides and skins, will be available to query and to custom graph. The database is available online at http://www.fas.USDA.gov/export-sales/ersd1.html. Read more…
Sorry, bureaucrats just aren't that into you - (Commentary from the Food Safety Network)
If Canadian cattle or chickens get sick, the public is told all about it. If Canadian people get sick, not so much. The silence surrounding salmonella in Hershey's chocolate made in Smiths Falls, Ont., this month is just another episode in the arrogant and dysfunctional father-knows-best approach to providing health advice practiced by various Canadian authorities. Dr. Phil would say the relationship between officials at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Canadian public is like a couple headed for divorce: they don't speak unless forced to, and when asked, it's denial, deceit and deception. The American-based Hershey Co. finally relented to media pressure and identified the mystery ingredient thought to contain salmonella (soy lecithin). At one point, a spokesthingy for CFIA said that since the contamination had been contained, and the tainted products recalled, there was no longer a public safety interest in divulging the source of the salmonella. Poop happens -- literally on the product, and metaphorically out of the mouths of bureaucrats. Public health officials in Hamilton, Ont., tried the same tact earlier this week, saying that it was not necessary to notify the public of a foodborne illness outbreak -- norovirus spread by an ill banquet hall food handler that sickened about 100 -- because the situation was contained and deemed under control. Except that when that many people get sick, word is going to get out, as it did. One local wrote, "I know of 45 people who became ill during this outbreak, including two who went to the hospital. … It would have been very helpful to all if the health department people had given immediate information on symptoms, how to deal with it and how to prevent it spreading. Putting that information out after all those originally infected have recovered is stupid, which pretty much sums up the health department, with the addition of arrogant and anachronistic." I can imagine Dr. Phil asking in his Texas drawl "How's that working out for ya?" The public has a right to know. On Sept. 14, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public about E. coli O157:H7 in spinach, which eventually sickened 200 -- including one Canadian -- and killed four. It took a slumberous CFIA a full day to issue similar advice to Canadians who, along with retailers, were waiting and concerned. FDA did an excellent job communicating about the risk posed by spinach, including the emphasis that washing would do … nothing. CFIA continued to put the responsibility on consumers, stressing the need to wash fresh produce rather than tell farmers and processors to smarten up. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) told Americans on Monday, Oct. 30 that salmonella -- in what was eventually determined to be tomatoes -- sickened 172 people in 18 states. At least two of the victims were Canadian. The next day, CFIA issued a press release "to educate" Canadians on how to safely handle fresh produce. Except just like E. coli O157:H7 contaminated spinach, there is little consumers can do to control dangerous bugs on fresh produce; it has to be controlled on the farm. It wasn't until the following Saturday that CFIA finally acknowledged the tomato outbreak, and even then, stressed the solution was in consumers' hands, not farmers'. Pointing fingers is a common tactic in a bad relationship, especially when one partner is in full denial mode: I did not; I don't know what you're talking about; it's all your fault, you started it. Research has established that an early release of information sets the pace for resolution of the problem, it may prevent similar situations elsewhere, and, most importantly, people are entitled to information that affects their lives. The most frustrating part is that CFIA is staffed with individuals who are excellent public advocates and spokespeople. On issues relating to mad cow disease or avian influenza, CFIA goes out of its way to communicate with Canadians, perhaps fearing that any crisis of confidence will reduce sales and impact Canadian farms. Yet when it comes to the 11 to 13 million foodborne illnesses in Canada each and every year, CFIA has adopted a policy of don't ask, don't tell. It’s time for counseling. Maybe Dr. Phil can get the public and CFIA into a relationship based on open communication, trust, and respect. But, like any counseling, it will only work if both parties are committed. ============== Douglas Powell is scientific director of the Food Safety Network at Kansas State University, dpowell@ksu.edu foodsafety.ksu.edu 785-317-0560 Read more…
Urban devotees of raw milk soured by health raid on farmer - (Globe and Mail)
TORONTO — Michael Schmidt, a maverick dairy farmer who has openly provided raw milk to hundreds of families for more than a decade since his last brush with the law, faces a charge of operating a milk plant without a licence and could be slapped with more. The story says that the raid has unleashed the powerful outrage of sophisticated, health-conscious, political-minded urbanites who are willing to a pay a premium for natural, unadulterated food straight from the farmer -- and insist that their right to choose healthful food is at stake. Mr. Schmidt has celebrity chefs such as Jamie Kennedy and Michael Stadtlander among his supporters, and a history of providing unpasteurized milk to the family of a senior Ontario cabinet minister whose ministry is involved in the investigation. The raid seems poised to thrust the most motherhood of all issues, milk, into a spotlight likely unintended by the government. The raid on Mr. Schmidt's farm pushes him back into court 11 years after he switched from selling milk outright to a shareholder system designed to circumvent the Ontario law that has banned the sale and distribution of unpasteurized milk since the 1930s. Under the program, customers purchase a share of the herd for $300, paying Mr. Schmidt $2 a litre to milk and feed their cows. Schmidt was quoted as saying, "The whole battle, which started with the simple fact that people wanted unaltered milk, turned into the question, 'Are people able to be responsible for their own informed decision they make?" Until now, provincial authorities have turned a blind eye to Mr. Schmidt's very public operation. His following has grown to nearly 200 families -- there is a three-year waiting list -- who drive to the parking lot of the private Toronto Waldorf School in Thornhill, north of Toronto, every Tuesday morning to exchange empty milk jars for fresh refills. Ontario Finance Minister Greg Sorbara and his family were among Mr. Schmidt's early cow shareholders. Chef Mr. Kennedy, who purchases organic meat from Mr. Schmidt's farm and will play host tomorrow to a news conference at his downtown restaurant on the subject of Mr. Schmidt's battle with the government and a hunger strike he launched six days ago, was cited as saying that from a gastronomic perspective, raw-milk cheese offers "more subtleties, more nuance" to the palate than cheese from pasteurized milk. "As long as he practises a very high level of cleanliness, then there should be no issue. It's not like he's doing something no one in the world is doing. These are culinary traditions set for centuries and nobody's getting sick." Indeed, unpasteurized milk can be purchased in many European countries and in more than half of U.S. states. In some states, notably California, raw milk is sold on store shelves and there have, the story says, been few, if any, disease outbreaks. Read more…
Health officials test Hoss's food - (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (PA))
Allegheny County officials might know by week's end whether bacteria sickened 20 people attending a Nov. 18 birthday party at the Hoss's Steak and Sea House in Pleasant Hills. Spokesman Dave Zazac health was cited as saying the department is testing a cake taken to the restaurant for the party, as well as vegetables -- such as broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes and green peppers -- similar to those served that day. The story notes that the restaurant passed a food safety inspection the department conducted Nov. 22. "The facility was clean," Zazac said. "No condition was found at that time that would lend itself to a food-borne (illness) outbreak." Health officials are testing stool specimens from three people who complained of gastrointestinal distress, Zazac said. Other reported symptoms, which Zazac said were not major, included vomiting and diarrhea. Read more…
Hepatitis A outbreak brings mass vaccines - (Toronto Star)
A mass vaccination program for hepatitis A is, according to this story, underway in a pocket of Etobicoke after 20 cases of the liver infection surfaced among local children and teenagers. Public health officials were cited as saying yesterday that so far, 800 people have been inoculated against the virus at a special clinic run for three days last week in the gymnasium of Elmbank Junior Middle Academy. Two further sessions are to be held at the school on Saturday and Dec. 9. "There is no increased risk to the general community," said Dr. Barbara Yaffe, director of communicable disease control for Toronto Public Health. Read more…
Guidance for Industry: Lead in candy likely to be consumed frequently by small children: Recommended maximum level and enforcement policy - (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration)
This guidance document represents the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) current thinking on this topic. It does not create or confer any rights for or on any person and does not operate to bind FDA or the public. You may use an alternative approach if the approach satisfies the requirements of the applicable statutes and regulations. If you want to discuss an alternative approach, contact the FDA staff responsible for implementing this guidance. If you cannot identify the appropriate FDA staff, call the appropriate telephone number listed on the title page of this guidance. I. Introduction This guidance provides a recommended maximum lead level of 0.1 ppm in candy[2] likely to be consumed frequently by small children. FDA considers the recommended maximum lead level to be achievable with the use of good manufacturing practices in the production of candy and candy ingredients and to be protective of human health. For additional discussion of the background and rationale underlying this recommended level, see "Supporting Document for Recommended Maximum Level for Lead in Candy Likely To Be Consumed Frequently by Small Children." In addition to announcing the recommended maximum lead level, FDA as explained below, is rescinding the previous 0.5 ppm guideline for considering enforcement action against candy products likely to be consumed frequently by small children. FDA is prepared to take enforcement action against any candy product containing lead at levels that may pose a health risk. Further, FDA is reiterating its enforcement policy toward the use of lead-based ink on candy wrappers as originally stated in its 1995 letter to the industry on this subject. FDA considers the issuance of this guidance to be a prudent public health measure consistent with the Agency's policy of reducing lead levels in the food supply to reduce consumers' lead exposure to the lowest level that can be practicably obtained. The complete document may be accessed at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/pbguid3.html Read more…
Restaurants : Where Playing With Fire Is Not Taboo
At Spicy & Tasty, you have to be willing to take chances, and you have to trust that most of them will pay off. Read more…
The Minimalist: Stand-Up Party Food Without a Punch Line
Entertaining doesn’t mean that you need to spend days in the kitchen or hundreds of dollars on caviar; there is stand-up party food that can be made without much hassle. Read more…
A Web site for the everyday cook
Aimed at everyday cooks, the Yahoo Food home page hit the ground running early this month with major media partnerships and a bright, easy-to-navigate format. Read more…
Retro gone Asian
Are you a culinary sophisticate who secretly pines for salmon croquettes, French onion soup and Tater Tots? Stonewall Kitchen Favorites: Delicious Recipes to Share With Family and Friends Every Day (Clarkson Potter, $32. Read more…
Cheese is in for a close shave
Zyliss' adjustable Dial-n-Slice cheese slicer lets you shave as little or as much as you need. A knob on the handle is easy to adjust (up to a 1/4 inch thick), and the sharp stainless-steel edge cuts through cheese nicely. It's dishwasher-safe, too. Read more…