Quotable Quotes:

"The bottom line is that you cannot leave the last bacteria ÕKill Step” to a consumer or to a kid in a fast food joint. The industry that makes billions off of selling meat must step up and clean up their mess. They can, and someday will, if I have anything to say about it. That day will come much faster if they start working on it now, and stop blaming victims, their parents, or church groups. And the federal government, which promises to inspect meat, must deliver on that promise." William D. Marler is a Seattle trial lawyer who represents victims of foodborne illnesses.

During the past six weeks, E. coli has sickened at least 17 people and perhaps as many as 30 around Longville. Nine people were hospitalized. Longville, best known for its lakes and turtle races, has about 180 residents, but the area's population swells to about 5,000 during tourist season. Minnesota Department of Health Press Release.

"Until present export of fresh fruits was not started owing to lack of cold storage facilities. But now farmers can export the fruits through a cold supply chain after irradiation and vapour free treatment to the U.S. and European markets. Along with this the processing period of the fruits can also be prolonged by eight to 10 weeks. As a result, the fruits can be harvested when they attain the maturity stage and kept in cold storage". G. Venkatasamy, president of the Dharmapuri District Fruit and Vegetable Processors Federation, India.

In This Update:  

Wegmans reintroduces irradiated fresh ground beef

Irradiated beef comeback

Minnesota E. coli death is state's first in 3 1/2 years

Origin of beef linked to Longville, Minnesota death is still mystery

E. coli and the church picnic

Cold storage facility & Irradiation help India mango growers access markets

Effectiveness of Irradiation in elimination of Salmonella typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes from sprouts

Using Irradiation to protect pets & pet owners

New US Rule opens the door for Thai exporters

USDA proposes allowing in Thai pineapples and fruit

Irradiation project helps Texas Horticulture Students Win Science Honors at National Meeting

Food Irradiation Research and Technology text book now available from IFT & Blackwell Publishing

ROCHESTER, N.Y. t Officials with Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. have announced the retailer is again offering irradiated ground beef at its 71 retail stores. Wegmans was one of the first retailers to offer irradiated beef in 2002 and discontinued carrying the products when the provider of its irradiation service, SureBeam Corp., filed for bankruptcy in 2004.

Wegmans has reintroduced the product in 1-pound rolls in 80% and 90% lean varieties and now touts that its irradiated beef should especially appeal to burger lovers. In a press release posted on its Web site, the company says the irradiated product doesnt necessarily have to be cooked to 160 degrees like traditional ground beef, "because dangerous microorganisms have been killed or rendered incapable of causing illness." The company also offers non-irradiated ground beef.

Jeanne Colleluori, Wegmans communications specialist, says the companys decision to offer irradiated product again was linked to the purchase of the SureBeam electron beam technology and its Sioux City, Iowa processing plant by Sadex Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, and this past year. When asked about the benefit of irradiation to hamburger-hungry consumers and the necessity of cooking ground beef to 160 degrees, Colleluori says, "Now they can cook them the way they like.

MINNEAPOLIS: A woman from Longville, Minn., who apparently ate contaminated food at a church supper, has, according to this story, become the first Minnesotan recorded as dying of E. coli complications in at least 3 1/2 years.
 

The story says that services will be held today for Carolyn Hawkinson, 73, at Salem Lutheran Church in Longville, where the meal was served July 19. Hawkinson, who died Sunday after nearly a month in hospitals, was a former Minneapolis resident, active in her church and its choir, who loved flowers and taught crafts to her grandchildren. She had helped set up for the church supper the day before it was held, her daughter said.
 

The Minnesota Department of Health was cited as reporting that in the past six weeks, E. coli has sickened at least 17 people and perhaps as many as 30 around Longville. Nine people were hospitalized. Longville, best known for its lakes and turtle races, has about 180 residents, but the area's population swells to about 5,000 during tourist season.
 

Rev. John Monson, Salem's pastor, was quoted as saying, "In summertime there's food everywhere. Church meals. People selling food on the streets. ... Service organizations having dinners."
 

Doug Schultz, a Health Department spokesman, was cited as saying that circumstantial evidence suggests that many of the illnesses resulted from a meatball dish made from ground beef and probably cross-contaminated with cold items such as potato salad and lettuce salad.

A few people who did not attend the dinner but ate hamburgers at area restaurants also experienced symptoms such as bloody diarrhea or abdominal cramps, the Health Department said. Schultz said the ground beef in Longville apparently came from a meat plant where a matching strain of E. coli was found during a routine inspection. Then the meat went to a distributor and a grocery store serving the area.

Corrective action was taken at the plant, but there was no specific product trail to prompt a recall, Schultz said. The Health Department did not name the businesses, and Schultz said he knew of no action that might be taken against any of them.

About 300 people attend each of the three summer smorgasbords that Salem Lutheran Church has held since the 1940s, Monson said. The church canceled one scheduled for this month and had its water and kitchen checked out with good results, he said.
 

A communitywide Taste of Longville proceeded Aug. 11 without incident, said John Weins, activity coordinator for the Longville Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce. The 10 vendors were warned to wear gloves and cook meat thoroughly, Weins said. More than 300 people showed up, and the food went quickly.

Minnesota state health officials said August 23rd that the source of the ground beef that was linked to the death of a Longville, Minn., woman might elude disease investigators. Although the beef was ground by a local grocery store, the source of the E. coli contamination probably came from a meat processing plant.

Kevin Elfering, director of the dairy and food division of the Minnesota Agriculture Department was quoted as saying, "The final conclusion is we don't know which plant any of this came from." The store receives meat from an Albert Lea distributor that gets its supply from four different meat processors. The processors operate at least eight different slaughterhouses. The Albert Lea distributor does not have records on the source of the meat that it shipped to the Longville grocery store, Elfering said.

I expect soon to receive the below email commenting on the recent tragic death and thirty illnesses tied to E. coli contaminated hamburger served at a Minnesota church dinner:
 

ÕIt is not the failure of the Meat Industry in not keeping cattle feces out of hamburger that sickened the people, it is the fault of the person who handled and cooked the hamburger that was fed at the church dinner.” At first I will calmly try to respond to the person that the Meat Industry that makes a profit off of selling ÕUSDA Inspected Meat” can not blame the consumer if the product actually contains a pathogen that can severely sicken or kill. I will then point out the fact that this deadly form of E. coli, E. coli O157:H7, is not supposed to be in hamburger in the first place c the USDA has a Õzero tolerance” policy for this nasty bug. And I will argue that there is no other product in the United States manufacturers would expect consumers to Õfix” before they use it.
 

The reply to my calm response will be something to the effect of, Õthe consumer should know that meat may contain bacteria and they are told to cook it.”
My calmness will fade.
 

In fact, after 13 years of litigating E. coli O157:H7 contamination cases, my calmness has faded.
Think about the little labels on meat that you buy in the store c the ones that tell you to cook the meat to 160 degrees c of course, they say USDA inspected too. What the labels do not say is: ÕTHE USDA INSPECTION MEANS NOTHING. THIS PRODUCT MAY CONTAIN A PATHOGENIC BACTERIUM THAT CAN SEVERELY SICKEN OR KILL YOU. HANDLE THIS PRODUCT WITH EXTREME CAUTION.”
 

I wonder why the Meat Industry does not want a label like that on your pound of hamburger. It knows that the label is truthful. Do you think it might be concerned that Moms and Dads would stop buying their product?
 

The reality is that the Meat Industry cannot assure the public that the meat we buy is not contaminated.
So, instead of finding a way to get cattle feces out of our meat, they blame consumers (and presumably all the teenagers that work at all the burger joints in America) when people get sick. Consumers can always do better. However, study after study shows that, despite the CDC estimated 76 million people getting sick every year from food borne illnesses, the American public still has misconceptions and overconfidence in our Nations food supply.
 

According to a study by the Partnership for Food Safety Education
TFewer than half of the respondents knew that fresh vegetables and fruits could contain harmful bacteria
T25% thought that eggs and dairy products could be contaminated
TMost consumers believe that food safety hazards can be seen or smelled
T 25% knew that cooking temperatures were critical to food safety
T Even fewer knew that foods should be refrigerated promptly after cooking.
 

Consumers do not expect that things that you cannot see in your food can kill you.
Consumers are being blamed, but most lack the knowledge or tools to properly protect themselves and their children from foodborne illness. The FDA has stated, Õunlike other pathogens, E. coli O157:H7 has no margin for error. It takes only a microscopic amount to cause serious illness or even death.”
 

Over the last few years our Government and the Meat Industry have repeatedly told consumers to cook hamburger until there is no pink. Yet, recent university and USDA studies show meat can turn brown before it is actually Õdone.” Now consumers are urged to use a thermometer to test the internal temperature of the meat. But do consumers know how to use one, let alone own one?
 

The bottom line is that you cannot leave the last bacteria ÕKill Step” to a consumer or to a kid in a fast food joint. The industry that makes billions off of selling meat must step up and clean up their mess. They can, and someday will, if I have anything to say about it. That day will come much faster if they start working on it now, and stop blaming victims, their parents, or church groups. And the federal government, which promises to inspect meat, must deliver on that promise.
William D. Marler is a Seattle trial lawyer who represents victims of foodborne illnesses.

Krishnagiri, India: The announcement by the Indian Government to establish cold storage facilities for mangoes has gladdened the hearts of mango growers and fruit processing owners in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts. With more than 40,000 hectares under mango cultivation the district is a major mango-producing belt in the southern region. Along with this 60,000 tonnes of mango pulp are processed in Krishnagiri district every year, which is about 30 per cent of the total mango production in the country. The establishment of post-harvesting facility, which is a vital link in an Agricultural Export Zone (AEZ), would definitely boost the export of choice varieties, especially Alphonsos from Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts. This would not only generate employment opportunities but would significantly increase the area under cultivation of mangoes for export and marketing purposes.

"Until present export of fresh fruits was not started owing to lack of cold storage facilities. But now farmers can export the fruits through a cold supply chain after irradiation and vapour free treatment to the U.S. and European markets," president of the Dharmapuri District Fruit and Vegetable Processors Federation, G. Venkatasamy, told The Hindu. Along with this the processing period of the fruits can also be prolonged by eight to 10 weeks. As a result, the fruits can be harvested when they attain the maturity stage and kept in cold storage. At the end of the season farmers can keep the fruits in cold storage and release it to pulp industries and traders at remunerative prices, he said.

The facility will be established at an outlay of Rs.5 crore at Chikarimedu near Krishnagiri on the Salem-Bangalore National Highway. The District Administration has also sent a proposal for establishment of an agricultural export zone for mangoes in Krishnagiri district at an outlay of Rs.50 crores. It is learnt that the AEZ would be established with contributions from the State Government, Agricultural Processed Foods Export Development Authority and National Horticultural Board.

Abstract:
The effectiveness of radiation treatment in eliminating Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes on laboratory inoculated ready-to-eat sprouts was studied. Decimal reduction doses (D10-values) for Salmonella Typhimurium and L. monocytogenes in dry seeds of mung (green gram), matki (dew gram), chana (chick pea), and vatana (garden pea) ranged from 0.189 to 0.303 kGy and 0.294 to 0.344 kGy, respectively. In sprouts made from these seeds, the D10-values ranged from 0.192 to 0.208 kGy for Salmonella Typhimurium and from 0.526 to 0.588 kGy for L. monocytogenes. Radiation treatment with a 2-kGy dose resulted in complete elimination of 104 CFU/g of Salmonella Typhimurium and 103 CFU/g of L. monocytogenes from all the four varieties of sprouts. No recovery of Salmonella Typhimurium and L. monocytogenes was observed in the radiation treated samples stored at 4 and 8 C up to 12 days. Radiation treatment with 1 kGy and 2 kGy resulted in a reduction of aerobic plate counts and coliform counts by 2 and 4 log CFU/g, respectively; the yeast and mold counts and staphylococci counts decreased by 1 and 2 log CFU/g, respectively. However, during post irradiation storage at 4 and 8C, aerobic plate counts, coliform counts, yeast and mold counts, and staphylococci counts remained constant throughout the incubation period. This study demonstrates that a 2-kGy dose of irradiation could be an effective method of processing to ensure microbial safety of sprouts. Investigators: Saroj, Sunil D.; Shashidhar, R.; Pandey, Manoj; Dhokane, Varsha; Hajare, Sachin; Sharma, Arun; Bandekar, Jayant R.

Growing in popularity is the irradiation of pig ears, rawhide dog chews and other pet treats to protect people from getting salmonella infections.  On June 30, 2006 the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 9 cases of pet owners becoming sick after handling pet treats from two different manufacturers in the state of Washington and the other British Columbia.  This is the third outbreak in North America. After the 1999 Canadian outbreak, Health Canada and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encouraged manufacturers to take voluntary action and use treatments such as heat or irradiation to kill bacteria on these products.  Some companies did so recognizing the importance of producing safe, uncontaminated pet treat products.

The FDA began regularly testing pet treats for Salmonella in 2004. Because testing indicates that contamination levels have not decreased, the FDA plans to step up its enforcement activities according to this CDC article.

Typical doses range from 2 to 25 kGy depending on the product and level of contamination.  Unfortunately regulations vary from country to country.  For example:

*In Canada pet treats are not regulated per se, but recalls are performed through the Animal Health Act.

*The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) require a minimum 50 kGy. 

*In the United States the Irradiation of Animal Feeds is regulated under FDA 21 CFR 579 and dog chews under special permission letters. 

While many pet food companies are aware of the hazard of harmful bacteria on their products some companies, especially smaller ones are reluctant to use irradiation because of the impact on their profit margins.  A shame since irradiation can be a cost-effective solution when applied at the appropriate dose level.

Protecting pet owners from the risk of developing salmonella infections is easy with labeled irradiated pet treats. http://www.doubleia.org/index.php?sectionid=18&parentid=5&contentid=337

USDA proposes allowing in Thai pineapples and fruit:

HONOLULU, HAWAII(AP) _ The U-S Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing a rule change that would allow imports of irradiated pineapples and other fruits from Thailand.

The fruits would include lychees, rambutans, mangos, longans and mangosteens. Irradiation would be used to kill and pests.

According to state figures, the islands raised 212-thousand pounds of pineapple last year worth nearly 80 (m) million dollars. The specialty tropical fruit industry here brought in more than two (m) million dollars in sales in 2004.

Growers say the impact of the rule change on Hawaii could be dramatic. Wailea Agricultural Group raises lychees, rambutans and other fruits.

The group's Leslie Hill says that while rambutans go for about three dollars per pound in Hawaii, in Thailand they sell for just five cents per pound.

Irradiation project helps Texas Horticulture Students Win Science Honors at National Meeting; By Kathleen Phillips; AG News & Public Affairs (Aug. 23, 2006)

NEW ORLEANS cTexas A&M University horticulture students recently won top awards for scientific papers at the American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting in New Orleans. Jose Emilio Villareal from Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, who recently completed a master's degree, won second place in the graduate student poster competition. His paper was entitled "E-beam Irradiation Induced Minor Changes in Phytochemical Content and Antioxidant Capacity of Pecan Kernels." The paper was co-authored by Dr. Lombardini and Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos, both horticulture faculty members.

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