posted 08-09-2002 05:31 PM            

08-Aug-2002

A lethal strain of salmonella that's resistant to at least nine antibiotics is spreading rapidly across the U.S. Representative Henry Waxman, D-CA, says multi-drug-resistant salmonella Newport is a "growing and serious threat," and has sent a warning letter to the Dept. of Agriculture.

Salmonella can be caught from improperly stored food and raw chicken. It's found on dairy farms and lives in undercooked hamburger and cheese made from unpasteurized milk. It causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, bloody stools and vomiting, and is most dangerous to very young children, the elderly and those with other illnesses.

Last year, at least seven outbreaks affected more than 100 people. This year, 129 people have become sick, and one, a New York leukemia patient, died after the salmonella caused a massive bloodstream infection.

Salmonella Newport accounts for about 10% of the estimated 1.4 million U.S. cases of salmonella poisoning each year. 26% of salmonella Newport bacteria are multi-drug resistant, up from 1% in 1998, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This may be due to the practice, among ranchers, of routinely giving antibiotics to calves to prevent infection and promote growth.

posted 08-13-2002 12:42 AM            

U.S. Decried on Fungus-Based Meat

By JENNIFER HOYT

ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON- A health advocacy group accused the government Monday of allowing fake meat made from fungus to be sold even though it makes some people sick and demanded the product, known as Quorn, be recalled.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest said it had received reports from 33 people who had suffered vomiting, diarrhea and other ailments after eating Quorn. A North Carolina man broke out in hives and had trouble breathing, the group said.

Quorn is the trade name for mycoprotein, which is used as a substitute for ground beef and chicken, and in lasagna and fettuccine Alfredo.

"Quorn mycoprotein has been proven to cause severe digestive reactions," Michael Jacobson, CSPI's executive director, said in a letter to the Food and Drug Administration. "Those reactions have led to fainting and dehydration, which could be life-threatening."

Because mycoprotein makes some people sick, it "cannot be considered Generally Recognized as Safe" - as designated by the FDA.

"Consumer health and wellness is the number one priority at Quorn Foods," the company said in a statement Monday.

Labels on all Quorn products identify mycoprotein as the main ingredient and describe it as being "mushroom in origin," which the company says helps consumers relate it to other foods and alerts anyone that might be affected by mushroom ingredients.

Quorn Foods, based in Riverside, Conn., is a subsidiary of Marlow Foods Ltd. But critics say that description is a stretch and that the FDA should have studied it more before it hit the shelves in American supermarkets.

"The FDA's stance with regard to Quorn has been 'get sick first, ask questions later,'" Jacobson said. "This product was cavalierly waved through by the FDA with an alarming lack of curiosity" even though the government had seen evidence that it made people sick.

CSPI, citing documents it obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, said one study showed nearly 10 percent of people who ate Quorn reported feeling nauseated or sick to their stomachs. An FDA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the agency was reviewing the information provided by CSPI and would evaluate all available data on Quorn before deciding how to proceed.

Quorn, introduced in Britain in 1985, arrived in U.S. supermarkets in January. Its popularity in Europe now rivals that of soyburgers and other meat substitutes.

---

On the Net: Center for Science in the Public Interest: http://www.cspinet.org
Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/
Marlow Foods Ltd.: http://www.quorn.com

posted 08-21-2002 03:44 AM            

Panel: Monitor Biotech Animal Food

By EMILY GERSEMA
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON- A report by a panel of scientists is feeding consumer groups' claims that federal regulators should work to ensure food safety by tightening oversight of animal cloning and genetic modification.

The National Research Council released a report Tuesday that evaluated risks of animal biotechnology, including food safety. The Food and Drug Administration commissioned the report in response to questions about whether dairy and other food products from cloned animals might be unsafe to eat or drink.

While foods made from cloned animals probably are safe, the committee said, products from transgenic animals - those altered with genes from other species or from drugs - might not be.

The panel believes the federal government needs to balance addressing people's concerns with allowing the technology to advance, said council chairman John Vandenbergh, zoology professor at North Carolina State University.

"By identifying these concerns, we hope we can help this technology be applied as safely as possible without denying the public its potential benefits," he said in a written statement.

The panel wasn't asked to recommend policy changes, but it said the three agencies monitoring biotechnology - the FDA, the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency - need to toughen guidelines and clearly define their responsibilities.

The report also questioned "the legal and technical capacity of the agencies to address potential hazards, particularly in the environmental area." Genetically engineered animals could become an environmental problem should they escape, squeezing out their relatives in the wild by taking control of the food supply and wiping out weaker animals, the group said.

Rebecca Goldburg, a spokeswoman for Environmental Defense, said the report underscores the need for stronger federal oversight, especially in the case of altered fish. The population of the genetically modified version of Atlantic salmon is quickly growing, she said, and it has escaped the fish farms, taking control of territory where wild salmon spawn. "The few remaining wild Atlantic salmon in the U.S. are on the endangered species list," Goldburg said. "Genetically engineered Atlantic salmon ... could further imperil wild salmon."

The Center for Food Safety said the report demonstrated that the government shouldn't allow modified animals to be used in food production.

"You don't rectify the regulatory inadequacies by letting it come on the market," said Joseph Mendelson, legal director for the Center. "That is potentially going to lead to terrible results for human health and the environment."

The industry, however, believes the benefits of transgenics and cloning outweigh the risks. Scientists have working mostly with cows, introducing genes to produce drugs or plasma in large quantities in milk.

People should realize that scientists aren't trying to play with nature, said Lisa Dry, spokeswoman for the Washington-based Biotechnology Industry Organization. Rather, they are trying to develop drug therapies through transgenics and cloning.

Citing Hematech Inc.'s research as an example, Dry noted that the Sioux Falls, S.D., company and its partner, Kirin Brewing Co., are harvesting disease-fighting human antibodies in cow's milk. The proteins will be used to treat illnesses ranging from tetanus to earache-causing viruses.

"These are important treatments that you just can't get any other way," Dry said. The FDA is considering whether cloned animals will require government approval before they can be sold for food.

Farmers and companies owning cloned animals aren't allowed to sell the animals until the debate is resolved.

---

On the Net: National Research Council: http://www.nas.edu/nrc/
Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/
Department of Agriculture: http://www.usda.gov/
Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov Biotechnology Industry Organization: http://www.bio.org
Center for Food Safety: http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/thrive/2002/aug/20/082001623.html

_________________________________________________________________

August 20, 2002 Panel: Food From Clones Seems Safe

By EMILY GERSEMA
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON- There's no evidence to show that food products from cloned farm animals can harm people, but more regulation of animal biotechnology is needed, a panel of scientists said Tuesday.

The National Research Council released a report to identify any risks of genetically modifying animals.

The Food and Drug Administration had commissioned the report in response to misgivings that dairy and other food products from cloned animals might be unsafe for eating and drinking.

"By identifying these concerns, we hope we can help this technology be applied as safely as possible without denying the public its potential benefits," said the committee chairman, John Vandenbergh, a North Carolina State University zoologist.

Foods made from cloned animals probably are safe, the committee said, but food products from animals altered with genes from other species - known as transgenic - might not be.

Despite having some reservations about food from altered animals, the committee views microbes such as E. coli in food as more of a threat to people's safety than biotech foods, Vandenbergh said.

Though the group wasn't asked to recommend a new policy, it said current regulations are inadequate.

Biotechnology is monitored by the FDA, Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but the panel questioned their abilities.

"The committee also notes a concern about the legal and technical capacity of the agencies to address potential hazards, particularly in the environmental area," the report said.

Genetically engineered animals could become an environmental problem should they escape, the group said. Modified animals could squeeze out their relatives in the wild, control the food supply and wipe out weaker animals.

Technology has progressed to the point where scientists have been introducing human genes into animals to develop therapies for people suffering from disease.

Researchers have been experimenting mostly with cows. Though tightly managed, this biotechnology needs tougher restrictions to ensure that the milk and meat from altered cows doesn't mix into the food supply, the committee said. The report fueled consumer groups' arguments that the government shouldn't allow cloned and modified animals to be used in food production.

"You don't rectify the regulatory inadequacies by letting it come on the market," said Joseph Mendelson, legal director for the Center for Food Safety. "That is potentially going to lead to terrible results for human health and the environment."

The FDA is considering whether cloned animals will require government approval before they can be sold for food. Farmers and companies owning cloned animals aren't allowed to sell the animals until the debate is resolved.

Cloning and genetic engineering can lead to better food, said Ron Gillespie, a marketing official for the Worcester, Mass., cloning company, Cyagra Inc.

"A way to look at that is we also are going to be able, again through transgenics, to make food safer," Gillespie said. "You could knock out the prion gene that causes mad cow. That's the theory anyway."

The council stressed in its report that it was asked by the FDA to identify the risks involved in genetically modifying or cloning animals but wasn't asked to review the benefits.

"We need to look at a balance between the benefits and the concerns," Vandenbergh said. "We don't want to stand in the way of progress, yet at the same time, we don't want to allow progress that's going to cause techniques that are going to endanger you, the environment or animal health."

The National Research Council is a part of the National Academy of Sciences, an independent agency chartered by Congress to provide advice to the government on scientific issues.

---

On the Net: National Academy of Sciences: http://www.nap.edu Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/ U.S.

Department of Agriculture: http://www.usda.gov/

Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov Center for Food Safety: http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/ Cyagra Inc.: http://www.cyagra.com/

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/thrive/2002/aug/20/082000753.html

posted 08-22-2002 09:42 PM            

Wis. McDonald's Closes After Illness

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ASHWAUBENON, Wis.- A McDonald's restaurant voluntarily closed after one employee, her son and another child became infected with hepatitis A, health officials said Thursday.

Jessica Van Straten, 19, was in critical condition at University Hospital in Madison, said hospital spokesman Tim Le Monds. Her 18-month-old son and another employee's child, also 18 months, contracted the virus; their conditions were not immediately known.

Health officials said there was no indication anyone who ate at the restaurant became ill. About 40 employees will be tested and given injections to minimize their chances of getting sick.

Brown County Health Department director Judy Friederichs urged the public watch for symptoms, including fatigue, fever, and vomiting.

Hepatitis A is rarely fatal; Friederichs said Brown County usually has a few cases every year. She said the restaurant, which had no history of health problems, closed voluntarily and was cooperating.

"We would caution people not to jump to conclusions, as the investigation is ongoing," said David Schanock, the restaurant's owner.

posted 08-22-2002 10:51 PM            

717,000 Pounds of Beef Recalled

ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON- A Minneapolis firm is recalling about 717,000 pounds of frozen ground beef products, which were sold nationwide, because of possible E. coli contamination.

GFI American Inc. produced the ground beef between June 25 and July 16, the Agriculture Department said Thursday in announcing the recall. The meat was distributed to hotels, restaurants and institutions nationwide.

The government has not received any reports of consumers falling ill from the recalled beef.

"Because of the potential hazard of foodborne illness from consumption of meat products contaminated with harmful bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7, diners may want to ask if their meals contain the recalled product," said William J. Hudnall, acting administrator of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The E. coli bacteria is found in the intestinal tracts and feces of livestock. If it contaminates meat, it can lead to digestive illnesses, dehydration and even death. The USDA advises people to only eat ground beef patties cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees.

For more information, consumers can call the USDA meat and poultry hot line at 1-800-535-4555 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday. They can also call GFI American at (612) 872-6262 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The recalled ground beef products include:

-10-pound boxes of beef fritters for chicken fried fritters bearing the product code 5203 and the lot number L33011.

-10-pound boxes of beef patties for Salisbury steaks, chopped and formed, bearing the product code 5504 and the lot number L32914.

-10-pound boxes of breaded veal steaks, beef added-chopped and formed, bearing the product code 6049 and the lot number L32943.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent ground beef patties, one-pound portions, bearing the product code 2202 and the lot number L33019.

-20-pound boxes of seasoned beef patties bearing the product code 2740 and the lot number L32967.

-20-pound boxes of seasoned beef patties bearing the product code 2742 and the lot number L32966.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent ground beef patties bearing the product code 2220 and the lot number L32953.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent pure beef patties bearing the product code 2729 and the lot number L32963.

-20-pound boxes of seasoned beef patties bearing the product code 2732 and the lot number L33039.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent ground beef patties, one-pound portions, bearing the product code 2002 and the lot number L33072.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent ground beef patties bearing the product code 2029 and the lot number L33075.

-20-pound boxes of beef patties with seasoning bearing the product code 38307 and the lot number L33099.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent pure beef patties bearing the product code 2036 and the lot number L32925.

-20-pound boxes of beef patties with seasoning bearing the product code 38253 and the lot number L33382.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent pure beef patties bearing the product code 2038 and the lot number L33369.

-20-pound boxes of beef patties with seasoning bearing the product code 38244 and the lot number L32919.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent ground beef patties bearing the product code 2238 and the lot number L33021.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent pure beef sirloin steaks, chopped and formed, bearing the product code 2539 and the lot number L32891.

-20-pound boxes of seasoned beef sirloin patties bearing the product code 2541 and the lot number L32946.

-20-pound boxes of seasoned beef sirloin patties bearing the product code 2531 and the lot number L32969.

-20-pound boxes of beef sirloin patties bearing the product code 2538 and the lot number L32892.

-20-pound boxes of seasoned beef sirloin patties bearing the product code 2530 and the lot number L32949.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent pure beef patties bearing the product code 2229 and the lot number L33018.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent pure beef patties bearing the product code 2042 and the lot number L32974.

-20-pound boxes of beef patties bearing the product code 8049 and the lot number L33101.

-20-pound boxes of beef pattie blocks bearing the product code 8422 and the lot number L33103.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent pure beef patties bearing the product code 2044 and the lot number L32951.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent pure beef pattie bearing the product code 2049 and the lot number L3292.

-20-pound boxes of beef fritters for chicken fried fritters bearing the product code 5808 and the lot number L33001.

-20-pound boxes of Cracker Barrel's 100 percent ground beef patties bearing the product code 2629 and the lot number L32921.

-20-pound boxes of Cracker Barrel's 100 percent ground beef patties bearing the product code 2658 and the lot number L32934.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent ground beef patties bearing the product code 2066 and the lot number L33379.

-20-pound boxes of 100 percent pure beef patties bearing the product code 2069 and the lot number L32905.

-20-pound boxes of seasoned beef patties bearing the product code 2752 and the lot number L32965.

-20-pound boxes of Famous Dave's 100 percent ground beef patties bearing the product code 2829 and the lot number L33015 or L32895.

-25 lb. boxes of seasoned beef sirloin patties bearing the production code 2521 and the lot number L32945.

-30 lb. boxes of beef patties with seasoning bearing the product code 38265 and the lot number L33100.

-30 lb. boxes of 100 percent ground beef patties bearing the product code 2283 and the lot number L32950.

-36 lb. boxes of beef patties bearing the product code 8446 and the lot number L33384.

-36 lb. boxes of 100 percent ground beef patties bearing the product code 2246 and the lot number L32954.

-36 lb. boxes of beef patties for Salisbury steaks, chopped and formed, bearing the product code 6994 and the lot number L32918.

-36 lb. boxes of beef patties bearing the product code 8046 and the lot number L33385.

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On the Net:

Food Safety and Inspection Service: http://www.fsis.usda.gov

--

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/thrive/2002/aug/22/082205233.html

posted 08-27-2002 11:17 PM            

Health Worries Threaten Scottish Dish

By ED JOHNSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON- The traditional recipe for haggis, a potent Scottish dish long associated with highland fortitude, could face extinction amid concerns over mad cow disease.

Scotland's most famous food was eulogized by the poet Robert Burns who declared it the "great chieftain o' the puddin-race."

Scots have eaten it for centuries, usually with turnips and potatoes, and quite frequently doused with whiskey.

But food safety experts say haggis - usually the heart, liver, and lungs of a sheep minced with suet, onions, oatmeal and seasonings and boiled inside the animal's intestines - should be banned because of the possible risk of mad cow disease, a fatal brain destroying illness.

Britain's Food Standards Agency wants the European Commission to ban the use of sheep intestines in food throughout Europe, officials said Sunday, fearing that bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, is present in sheep.

The proposed ban would mostly affect lamb sausages wrapped in natural casings, but would also spell doom for traditional haggis.

The proposal was roundly scorned by Haggis fans.

The Scottish National Party, which campaigns for an independent Scotland, dubbed it "ludicrous," and "officialdom gone mad."

Burns, the 18th-century bard who is Scotland's most famous poet, celebrated the dish with his popular ode, "Address to a Haggis."

Fans of the poet mark his birthday on Jan. 25 with a celebratory dinner, where haggis is brought out accompanied by a bagpiper, poetry is recited and the meal is toasted with whiskey.

"It would be ridiculous if we had to alter the way haggis is made because of this," said David Smith, honorary secretary of the Burns Howff Club in Scotland, which celebrates the poet's life. "Sheep intestines are an important element of haggis and there is no way we will stop eating it. Chefs would also be appalled if they were told they could not use sheep intestines, in fact they would find it laughable," he added.

The British food agency says there is a "theoretical risk" that BSE, which infected thousands of cattle during an epidemic in the late 1980s and early 1990s, might also be present in sheep after flocks were fed recycled meat and bone meal from infected cows. The disease has never been found in sheep, however.

A human form of the disease, apparently spread by eating infected beef, has killed at least 90 people in Europe.

posted 09-16-2002 12:07 AM            

Rat poison suspected in China mass poisoning

BEIJING (Reuters) - Rat poison may be to blame for a mass food poisoning that killed 41 people and sent hundreds to hospital near China's central city of Nanjing at the weekend, state media reported on Monday.

"Initial investigations indicate there was rat poison in the food that was served to victims," the China Daily quoted Zhou Qiang, a Jiangsu provincial government spokesman, as saying.

The paper said doctors treating the victims said their symptoms were consistent with rat poisoning and Zhou said it could have been put in the breakfast snacks deliberately.

The official Xinhua news agency said on its Web site on Saturday 400 people, many school children and construction workers, were poisoned at a breakfast shop in the town of Tangshan, and 41 had died. It later reverted to an earlier story saying 200 were poisoned and dropped the toll, saying only that a number of people died. Zhou was quoted by the China Daily as saying the death toll was "less than 100". Locals who had seen scores of ambulances, however, estimated that more than 100 had died and some said on Sunday they saw victims bleeding at the mouth and ears.

Authorities had held for questioning the boss of the Heshengyuan Soy Milk chain store, which sold food including sesame cakes and fried dough sticks.

China's cabinet and the Communist Party's Central Committee, which oversees national policy, sent a team of police and health officials to investigate the case, state media said, highlighting concerns in Beijing about bad publicity in the run-up to a key leadership transition expected later this year.

Food poisoning deaths have sometimes occurred in China from restaurants using cheaper industrial salts instead of edible, supermarket salt.

posted 09-17-2002 09:42 PM            

Meat Recalled Over E. Coli Concern

ASSOCIATED PRESS

SMITHFIELD, Va.- A Pennsylvania beef-packing company owned by Smithfield Foods recalled 203,600 pounds of ground beef after some of its meat tested positive for E. coli bacteria.

Moyer Packing, based in Souderton, Pa., was told by the Department of Agriculture on Sept. 10 that a sample was contaminated. Late last week, Moyer determined that the beef was produced Aug. 31 and the company recalled beef made on that day.

The tainted ground beef was shipped to customers in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Moyer is owned by Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, is the world's largest hog producer and processor. David Bartlett, a Smithfield Foods spokesman, said customers who think they bought the recalled beef should check with the store they purchased it from. He said there have been no reports of illnesses associated with the ground beef.

E. coli can cause vomiting, cramps and diarrhea. It also can lead to kidney failure and death, particularly among the elderly and children.

The following products were recalled:

-"Pure Ground Beef 93 Coarse," bearing the code "1930316100."

-"Pure Ground Beef Chuck Coarse," bearing the code "1940056100."

-"Pure Ground Beef Round X85," bearing the code "1941116100."

-"Pure Ground Beef 75 Coarse", bearing the code "1910216100."

-"Pure Ground Beef 81 Coarse," bearing the code "1920116100."

-"Pure Ground Beef 91 Coarse," bearing the cod "1930146100."

-"Pure Ground Beef Sirloin X90," bearing the code "1942116100."

-"Pure Ground Beef Sirloin Coarse," bearing the code "1942016100."

-"Pure Ground Beef 91 Coarse," bearing the code "1930116100."

-"Pure Ground Beef 73 Coarse GU," bearing the code "1910016110."

Also being recalled are 40-lb cases labeled "Pure Ground Beef X Sirloin Fine" and bearing the code "1942164100."

---

On The Net: Agriculture Department: http://www.fsis.usda.gov

posted 09-27-2002 04:10 PM            

From the National Desk
Published 9/27/2002 1:12 PM

MADISON, Wis., Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Public health officials said Friday 59 people have been sickened by E. coli O157:H7 in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois but it still is unclear where the contamination originated and whether the cases are related.

The majority of the cases are in Wisconsin, with Minnesota reporting six and Illinois one.

The U.S. Agriculture Department is investigating the Minnesota and Wisconsin cases. Samples of ground beef obtained from the homes of two Minnesota victims tested positive for E. coli bacteria.

Health officials have not yet said where the ground beef was purchased or processed.
Nineteen of those sickened required hospitalization, with one victim suffering from hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney failure.

Epidemiologists said two strains of E. coli are involved -- one affecting 33 Wisconsin residents and the other infecting 19.
The outbreak first was reported Aug. 20 and the second, Sept. 9.

E. coli is characterized by diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps. Health officials say it can be avoided by cooking meat thoroughly or choosing irradiated products.

News of the outbreak comes just days after the USDA announced a series of new measures aimed at reducing the incidence of contamination as part of a Food Safety and Inspection Service review prompted by scientific data indicating the pathogen is more common than previously believed.

posted 09-28-2002 01:50 AM            

Wis. Meat Co. Recalls Ground Beef

By MELISSA TRUJILLO

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MILWAUKEE- A Wisconsin meat packing company said Friday that it is recalling about 400,000 pounds of ground beef that may be connected to an E. coli outbreak that sickened 40 people in three states.

Health investigators also are probing another E. coli outbreak that sickened 19 people in Wisconsin. It is not known if the outbreaks are related, though officials believe all the people got sick after eating ground beef. The most recent case was reported in mid-September.

Officials learned of the first outbreak last month after 19 people who went on a rafting trip in northern Wisconsin fell ill. While investigating the first outbreak, officials found another of a different strain. That outbreak hit 40 people in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota. The meat company said its recall was a precaution.

"The evidence linking this to this product is what you would call circumstantial," said Justin Segel, president of Emmpak Foods. "We are in the interest of public safety, consumer safety, recalling five days of production."

Last May, the company recalled 471,000 pounds of ground beef because it may have been contaminated with E. coli. Symptoms of E. coli infection include diarrhea and stomach cramps. The bacteria can be lethal in some cases.

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http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/thrive/2002/sep/27/092707485.html

posted 09-30-2002 12:39 AM            

Scientists Find Clue to Carcinogen

By LAURAN NEERGAARD

ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON- Scientists have found a clue to the chemical reaction that may cause potato chips, french fries and other fried or baked starchy foods to build up high levels of a possible cancer-causing substance.

The suspect is asparagine, a naturally occurring amino acid that, when heated with certain sugars such as glucose, leads to the formation of the worrisome substance acrylamide.

The Food and Drug Administration has made studying acrylamide's risk and determining how to lower its levels in food one of its highest research priorities, according to a plan that agency officials were to discuss Monday with consumer groups and food manufacturers.

Canada's government made the discovery about the suspect chemical reaction and has ordered food manufacturers to look for ways to alter it and thus lower levels of acrylamide in food.

Cincinnati-based manufacturer Procter & Gamble Co. says its scientists, too, have found the asparagine connection. It is the first clue to emerge in the mystery of acrylamide since Swedish scientists made the surprise announcement in the spring that high levels of the possible carcinogen are in numerous everyday foods: french fries, potato chips, some types of breakfast cereals and breads - plenty of high-carbohydrate foods that are fried or baked at high temperatures.

The chemical was not found in boiled foods, which are cooked at lower temperatures. Sweden's findings were confirmed in June by governments in Norway, Britain and Switzerland, and preliminary testing of several hundred foods by the FDA suggests U.S. foods contain similar acrylamide levels, said Richard Canady, who is directing the agency's assessment of acrylamide's risk.

Acrylamide is used to produce plastics and dyes and to purify drinking water. Although traces have been found in water, no one expected high levels to be in basic foods.

It causes cancer in test animals, but it has not been proved to do so in people. Still, Swedish scientists have said the levels are high enough that foodborne acrylamide might be responsible for several hundred cases of cancer in that country each year.

In the United States, the FDA has been careful to caution that acrylamide so far is only a suspected carcinogen. The FDA has not yet advised consumers to alter their diets to avoid it.

Still uncertain is whether the FDA, once it finishes testing different foods next year, will publicly identify which brands contain the most acrylamide - information wanted by consumer advocates.

For now, Canady said, "We want to reinforce ... eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. That's the best way to ensure that you're getting adequate nutrition."

The FDA has an impressive research plan but "should give the public better advice," said Michael Jacobsen of the consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest.

"People should be consuming less french fries and potato chips for other reasons - the salt, the calories, the fat - and the government should have been urging that anyway. Here's yet another reason," he said.

The food industry stresses that while fried potato products are getting most of the bad publicity - most testing so far shows the highest levels in them - acrylamide is in a wide variety of foods.

Procter & Gamble said Friday that its testing found acrylamide in such previously unimplicated foods as roasted asparagus and banana chips.

"The other aspect people need to look at is while a french fry or a potato chip may be high ... in concentration, it still comes down to what is the total contribution of that food to the diet," said Henry Chin of the National Food Processors Association.

Asparagine is in lots of vegetables, Chin noted.

Regardless, the asparagine clue is encouraging, Chin and Jacobsen said. Different varieties of potatoes contain different levels of both asparagine and glucose.

That might explain varying acrylamide levels among different brands - levels in french fries, for instance, vary widely among fast-food restaurants.

Pick a different potato and a brand's acrylamide level might drop.

---

posted 10-13-2002 08:41 PM            

Wampler Expands Deli Product Recall

By TINA MOORE
ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHILADELPHIA- Wampler Foods recalled all cooked deli products made since May at a suburban plant and halted production because the meat is possibly contaminated with listeria, authorities said Sunday.

The recall of about 27.4 million pounds of meat is the largest in USDA history. It follows an Oct. 9 recall of 295,000 pounds of turkey and chicken products at the plant in Franconia.

The company voluntarily expanded the recall to all cooked deli products made from May 1 through Oct. 11 and halted production Saturday at the facility about 25 miles north of Philadelphia after receiving test results of samples taken from floor drains.

"We want consumers to be aware of the recall because of the potential for foodborne illness," said Dr. Garry L. McKee, the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service administrator. "Diners may also wish to ask if their meals contain the recalled products."

The national recall is the largest in the history of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, inspection service spokesman Steven Cohen said. Each package being recalled bears the plant number P-1351 inside the USDA mark of inspection and a production date.

Wampler officials said the recall didn't include fresh turkeys and that it should have no effect on the holiday season.

The discovery was the result of a scientific investigation into the cause of illnesses, deaths and miscarriages in the Northeast from the listeria strain, the federal agency said.

No Wampler's products have been linked to that outbreak, said David Van Hoose, Wampler's chief executive officer.

At least 120 illnesses and 20 deaths were caused by listeria in eight Northeast states since last summer.

The genetic strain that caused those illnesses is different than the strain found at the plant, officials said.

"We don't have any scientific evidence at this point that there is a connection, but our analysis of sampling in that plant is not complete," Cohen said.

The deli products were sold to consumers in retail groceries, delicatessens and food service distributors under the Wampler Foods and select private labels.

Company officials said consumers who had cooked meats produced during the recall period should return the meats to where they were purchased.

Listeria can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea, according to the USDA. It can be fatal in young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems and can cause miscarriages and stillbirths.

Van Hoose said plant workers will receive training and the plant will be cleaned before production resumes. The meat being recalled makes up roughly 6 percent of the company's total turkey production, he said.

The company didn't say how much revenue it would lose as a result of the shutdown. Consumers with questions can call the company at toll-free at 877-260-7110 or the USDA Meat and Poultry hotline at 800-535-4555.

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posted 10-14-2002 09:49 AM            

By Randy Fabi

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. poultry giant Pilgrim's Pride Corp. has launched the largest U.S. meat recall in history and halted production at a Pennsylvania plant because of possible contamination with listeria.

Pilgrim's Pride -- the second biggest U.S. poultry producer -- said in a statement it was recalling 27.4 million pounds of fresh and frozen ready-to-eat turkey and chicken products under the Wampler brand.

The company said the recall occurred after environmental tests at its Franconia, Pennsylvania, plant found a strain of listeria similar to the one identified in an outbreak in the U.S. Northeast that has caused at least 23 deaths and 120 illnesses.

"A strain with similar characteristics to the (Northeast) outbreak was found on the plant's floor drain, but it was never in contact with food," said Richard Cogdill, the company's chief financial officer.

Cogdill said the recall was a "precautionary step" and no illnesses have been linked to meat produced by the Pittsburgh, Texas-based company.

"We have no reason to believe our products are the cause of this," he added.

The company said it voluntarily closed the meat processing plant about 25 miles north of Philadelphia.

The recalled deli meat products were produced between May 1 and Oct. 11 and distributed nationwide. All products bear the establishment code "P-1351" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

Pilgrim's Pride last week pulled 295,000 pounds of turkey and chicken products from the market due to listeria concerns.

Eating food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, leading to miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as infections in those with weak immune systems.

LISTERIA INVESTIGATION

The USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) have been unable to pinpoint the source of the listeria outbreak in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Connecticut, Michigan and Massachusetts.

But the CDC has suspected turkey deli meat as one likely source.

The company said it hoped to reopen its meat processing plant by Tuesday.

"We closed the plant and we are completely resanitizing the equipment," Cogdill said.

Steve Cohen, spokesman for the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, said the department must first certify the plant meets federal food safety standards before it can be reopened.

About 2,500 cases of listeriosis occur each year in the United States. Listeria can be destroyed by cooking meat to a temperature of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 C).