By the Numbers

—According to a recent article in Western Producer magazine, poultry producers like Tyson Foods are getting more bucks for their birds thanks to changes in the markets. While chicken breast meat remains the industry’s premium product, the popularity of buffalo wings has added value to a product that 10 years ago was worth less than five cents a pound. Wings now sell for 85 cents a pound. And while chicken feet were once sold for two cents a pound to pet food companies, a new market in China gobbles up 3 million pounds of them per week, paying anywhere from 30 to 50 cents a pound!

—According to the USDA ARS News Service, cooks who rely on the color of their hamburgers to determine whether meat has been adequately cooked are asking for trouble. ARS scientists Bradford Barry and Marnie Bigner-George determined that ground beef cooked to 135°F and allowed to sit for four minutes looked the same as a burger cooked to 160°F—the temperature at which E. coli is killed. The reason being that burgers removed from the grill with pink centers continue to brown for several minutes even though they do not rise in temperature.

—According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, up to 20 percent of people who had a peanut allergy as a child end up outgrowing their allergic reaction in adulthood. The findings come from a study conducted on 223 patients with a well-documented childhood history of peanut allergy. Of this group, 48 had no adverse reaction by the time they reached their late teens. As well, many had lost sensitivities to other foods, including milk or eggs.

—According to FT.com, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is having a devastating impact on European beef markets. In Germany, which has detected 20 cases of mad cow disease since November 2000, the beef market has experienced a 36 percent drop in retail prices and a 50 percent drop in consumption. Meanwhile, throughout the entire European Union (EU) beef consumption has dropped on average 27 percent. It is estimated that the crisis could cost EU an extra $1 billion over the next year.

—According to Congress’ General Accounting Office, American consumers spent an estimated $31 billion in 1999 on dietary supplements and functional foods. This might be seen as a positive trend were it not for the fact that many people, ignorant of the potency of such supplements and the danger of potentially harmful physical reactions, take significant doses of herbs and vitamins without first consulting their physician. As a result, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration annually logs over 2,900 adverse-event reports—including 104 deaths—involving the herbs ephedra, ginko, St. John’s-Wort, ginseng, and thousands of other supplements. For every adverse event in its files, the FDA estimates 100 go unreported.