Food safety

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2009 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a final rule to amend the federal meat inspection regulations to require a complete ban on the slaughter of cattle that become non-ambulatory disabled after passing initial inspection by Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspection program personnel.    » read more »

March 11, 2009 -- Consumer Federation of America welcomes the appointment of Dr. Margaret Hamburg and Dr. Joshua Sharfstein as commissioner and principal deputy commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Their resumes are extremely impressive and both are familiar with the FDA’s failure to protect the public from foodborne illness.    » read more »

February 10, 2009 -- NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- In support of a major nationwide United States Food & Drug Administration alert related to some peanut products suspected of causing salmonella food poisoning, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) continue to take precautionary and proactive measures.

As a precautionary step, state and federal officials suggest that residents, who received disaster-relief meals other than military meals-ready-to-eat (MREs), inspect the contents and throw away any item containing peanut products such as peanut butter or peanut butter crackers. To date, there have been no reported cases of illness among anyone who has received disaster-relief meals.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 02/11/2009 - Erik Olson, director of chemical and food safety programs with Pew Health & Human Services Policy, issued the following statement at today’s House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Hearing on the recent peanut-related salmonella outbreak:

“The ongoing peanut product recall, widespread illnesses, and eight reported deaths highlight yet again that the nation’s food safety net has gaping holes that must be mended. As President Obama recently said, ‘At a bare minimum, we should be able to count on our government keeping our kids safe when they eat peanut butter.’    » read more »

February 11, 2009 -- Consumer Federation of America applauds Congressmen Dingell, Stupak and Pallone for their strong leadership on food safety. Their bill, the Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act, will do much to improve the FDA’s ability to assure the safety of the food supply. Consumers cannot afford an FDA that does not have the authorities and funding necessary to protect the public health.

The current Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter and peanut paste is only the latest example in an unfortunate series of nationwide foodborne disease outbreaks that demonstrate the problems that can occur without strong FDA authority and oversight.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 02/04/2009 - "In the midst of an ongoing peanut product recall, the introduction of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) could not be more timely. The FSMA contains key improvements that will enable federal authorities to better ensure the safety of the food supply – by requiring food companies to implement preventive plans and meet performance standards for contaminants in food; creating a system for certifying the safety of imported foods; establishing a strong risk-based inspection regime for food companies; and granting the government explicit authority over all food-production facilities. The legislation also provides essential enforcement tools such as mandatory recall and civil penalties.    » read more »

February 4, 2009 -- Consumer Federation of America today endorsed the Food Safety Modernization Act introduced by Rep Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and urged the Congress to act quickly and favorably on it.    » read more »

WILMINGTON, Del., July 1, 2008 – The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) has specified the BAX® system as an official method for pathogen detection in food imports and exports.

AQSIQ is a government agency responsible for monitoring the safety and quality of food in China. The agency recently published a new professional standard for entry/exit inspection and quarantine in the PRC. Standard SN/T1869-2007describes the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for rapid pathogen detection and names the automated BAX® system as an approved PCR method for detecting Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni and E. sakazakii in food.    » read more »

New York State First to Achieve FDA National Food Safety Standards; Consistent Regulations from Feds and State Will Help Reduce Food-Borne Illness

May 30, 2008 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced that New York is the first state in the nation to meet, and in many areas exceed, nationally recognized food protection program standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

New York Governor David Paterson

New York was among five states asked by the federal government to pilot a new federal program designed to achieve uniformity and consistency between state and federal regulatory agencies for manufactured foods.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today applauded the decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue a rule closing a loophole in current law that can result in animals that are too sick to stand entering the food supply.

Cattle at sunset: Photo by Brad Smith (CC)    » read more »

Minnesota has identified one possible case; other states have more cases

April 11, 2008 -- State health and agriculture officials are investigating whether there are any cases of illness in Minnesota that may be linked to recalled cereal from the Malt-O-Meal company after at least 21 cases of Salmonella agona have been identified in at least 13 states.

Salmonella bacteria

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has identified one case of Salmonella agona in the state that matches the genetic fingerprint of the other states’ cases and the strain of Salmonella found in the cereal that was recalled April 5.    » read more »

Statement Of CFA’s Carol Tucker-Foreman

April 11, 2008 -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control report on foodborne illness rates for seven pathogens in 2007 looks depressingly like the reports for the last six years. The U.S. is no closer to reducing the toll of foodborne illness today than it was in 2001.

Incidence of foodborne illness: Chart by CFA

Graphs portraying the record show a flat line stalled far above the National Health Objectives. Even the CDC acknowledges little or no progress since 2001 in combating illnesses caused by these pathogens.    » read more »

April 10, 2008 -- A 10-state report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed little change in the incidence of some foodborne infections after a period of decline.

The findings are from 2007 data reported to the CDC as part of the agency′s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, FoodNet.

Poultry products on store shelves: Photo by Jill (CC)    » read more »

April 10, 2008 -- On April 5, 2008 the Malt-O-Meal Company of Minnesota announced a recall of unsweetened puffed rice and unsweetened puffed wheat cereal. In addition to Malt-O-Meal’s own brand, these cereals are sold under multiple labels, including the store brands for Hannaford and Shaw’s Supermarkets.

Salmonella invades human cells: Photo by Rocky Mountain Laboratories,NIAID,NIH (CC)    » read more »

March 28, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to promptly issue regulations to give consumers a list of establishments that sold tainted meat during a recall. Current USDA policy does not allow consumers access to this information.

A similar disclosure requirement was included in legislation introduced earlier this month by Senator Feinstein to improve food safety at slaughterhouses. This will help distributors, retailers and consumers to better identify and more quickly get recalled meat products off their shelves and out of their homes.    » read more »