Did You Know?
New Jersey to Halt Sale of Irradiated Foods?!
New Jersey assemblyman John Kelly recently took steps to stop the sale and distribution of irradiated food in New Jersey. Kelly’s legislation has garnered 46 co-sponsors, making it very likely to pass the state assembly. According to Mike Perrone, Kelly’s legislative assistant, who spoke to the Food Chemical News Daily, Kelly believes that irradiation generates carcinogens. As support, Perrone quoted from a new scientific study which claims that children in India who ate irradiated wheat and Chinese medical students who ate irradiated food have exhibited chromosome abnormalities. He also noted that monkeys and rats were found to have chromosome abnormalities after eating irradiated meat. Note: the FDA officially sanctioned the sale of irradiated meats last fall and has allowed the sale of other forms of irradiated food for years.
Kidney Damage Linked to Chinese Herbs
According to a recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine, weight loss products containing the Chinese herb aristolochia have been linked to kidney damage and cancer. Cases of kidney damage has been reported in Belgium, France, Spain Japan and Taiwan according to Dr. Joelle Nortier, who submitted these findings to the Journal. The FDA announced that it plans to stop the importation of items containing aristolochia and published a six-page list of herbal remedies suspected of containing the drug. Additionally, the FDA has sent letters to doctors and members of the dietary supplemental industry to beware of products that may potentially contain this herb.
Activated Lactoferrin—New Anti-Microbial Technology
Farmland National Beef Packing Company recently announced it now owns the commercial development rights to activated lactoferrin, a new food safety technology which protects consumers from harmful bacteria that may be found in meat. The activated form of lactoferrin is a natural protein derived from cow’s milk. Laboratory test indicate that when applied to the surfaces of meats during the phases of processing and packaging, the activated lactoferrin is effective against more than 30 different types of harmful bacteria, including E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Campylobacter. According to John R. Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Farmland National Beef Packing Company, more tests are planned to determine how this new technology can be incorporated into beef processing plants and what steps are necessary to have the process approved by the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Sodium Carbonate Kills E. coli!
Laboratory studies have proven sodium carbonate, a common ingredient in household soaps and detergents can kill the E. coli virus. Researchers at Cornell University’s Microbiology Department experimented with a mixture of cattle manure and sodium carbonate. After five days, the sample’s E. coli bacteria count dropped to 10 cells per gram—down from 1 billion. Currently, researchers are preparing to expand their testing to a field environment to gather more research information. Researchers estimate the cost of the sodium carbonate treatment costs less than $15 per cow each year. Although not the “cure” for a possible contamination, researchers hope this method will be an inexpensive alternative to containing the E. coli O157:H7 virus.
Disney: No Micky Mouse HACCP Plan Here!
According to a recent article in Supermarket News, the Disney Corporation takes an aggressive approach to food safety sanitation practices in its theme parks. The company has reportedly developed its own system for HACCP compliance by using a combination of checklists and a new hand-held instrument known as CAFE (Creatively Analyzing Foods and Environments). This mini-computer uses a touchscreen method to log Disney’s food safety scores based upon ratings it created for use in the theme parks (the device also measures temperature). The compliance inspector simply inputs the checklist information into the CAFE system, after which the data is downloaded to the park’s central computer server where the information is e-mailed to senior management.