Results tagged “food safety” from iVillage - Health beat
How much do you know about foodborne disease? With recent food scares plus those holiday dinners to prepare for, perhaps not as much as you should. Senator Robert Casey (D-PA), alongside a panel of food safety experts, spoke today with the Make Our Food Safe Campaign in an effort to raise food safety awareness and move toward legislation and protection for consumers before the end of 2009.
The campaign, comprised of public health organizations, consumer organizations, and groups representing the families of victims of foodborne illness, released a report today with the Center for Foodborne Illness (CFI), documenting the long-term impact of foodborne illness, especially on children.
Foodborne illnesses cause thousands of deaths each year and many, many more hospitalizations. What you may not know, however, is the serious long-term effects it can have on those most vulnerable, children, the elderly and pregnant women. The most frightening consequences can include kidney failure, mental retardation and diabetes.
The campaign is attacking the problem from several fronts, including bipartisan legislation by Senator Casey and Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa). The Eat Safe Act aims to bring an end to food smuggling in the United States; the Act would ensure that importers who bypass the Department of Agriculture's re-inspection process would be subject to civil penalties.
Most importantly, the campaign demands food safety guidelines to be implemented, better documentation and monitoring of foodborne illness, and recognition of foodborne illness as a serious public health issue.
The Make Our Food Safe Campaign includes the following organizations: American Public Health Association, Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumer Federation of American, Consumers Union, Food & Water Watch, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Safe Tables Our Priority, and Trust for America's Health.
Visit makeourfoodsafe.org for more information about the campaign and how you can make a difference.
First, peanuts. Now pistachios? Late last month, Setton Pistachio, the California processor where salmonella contamination was found, recalled 2 million pounds of pistachios. Initially limited to roasted pistachios shipped on or after September 1, the recall expanded to include all of its roasted in-shell pistachios, roasted shelled and raw shelled pistachios harvested in 2008.The recall was sparked after Kraft Foods discovered salmonella contamination during routine testing and alerted the Food and Drug Administration to the source of the contamination on March 24. Which leads one to wonder...had the FDA not been alerted, how long would it have taken before the tainted products were pulled from shelves? Just months after the peanut scare, consumers can't help but ask, "Who's keeping our food safe?"Recently the Obama administration has signaled a move towards changing the government's handling of food safety and a tougher stance towards food manufacturers. President Obama also announced the creation of a working group to change food-safety laws and coordinate government efforts to make sure the nation's food is protected.
In the meantime, bad news for pistachio lovers. The FDA advises consumers not to eat pistachios or foods containing pistachios unless they can determine the products do not contain pistachios from Setton. The CDC is currently investigating whether there there is a link between recently ill patients infected with the same strain of Salmonella found at the plant and exposure to Setton pistachios. See a list of recalled pistachio and peanut products on the FDA website. The Western Pistachio Association has also created a list of "safe" products that do not contain pistachios from Setton.
When the major food recalls hit, things tend to get busy around the health sites. We scramble to find the root of the problem and the lists of tainted products, and we try to figure out how big of the problem really is. But according to a new study from Rutgers, maybe we have it all wrong. As it turns out, only around 60 percent of Americans check their homes for recalled products once the news hits.
The study only surveyed about 1,100 people, so the 60 percent on its own isn't quite frightening. But comparing a few numbers starts to expose the problem. Researchers also found that around 84 percent of people pay close attention to the news, and almost as many people said they tell others about it. So the word is spreading. But when we get home, we're not doing anything about it. It's hard to escape the "it'd never happen to me" mentality--which likely plays into how widespread these epidemics become.
The salmonella outbreaks, like the recent peanut butter and pistachio problems, aren't going away. In fact they seem to be getting worse. We've called for help, but government action won't be enough. Safety also needs to start at home. We can take some good lessons from the at-home advice we got during the peanut butter recall. Simple steps, like washing your hands before preparing food, and always washing foods and food prep surfaces, can go a long way.
Still, the most important steps are in our reactions to the specific recalls. When the news hits, a quick kitchen audit can keep your family safe from foodborne illness. Usually the FDA keeps an easy-to-search list available, so you can look out for any potential problems waiting for you at home. It's tough to follow through, but it can make a huge difference. What's your style? Do you usually check at home, or if you don't, why not?
Get more updates by following us on Twitter. .poll{padding:10px; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;} .poll a,.poll a:visited , .poll a:hover {color:#772243;} .pollContent p{margin:0px 0px 0px 0px; padding:0px;} .pollContent form{margin:0px; padding:0px;} .pollContent ul{margin:5px 0px 5px 0px; padding:0px;} .pollContent li{list-style:none; margin:0px; padding:0px;} .link{padding:5px 0px 0px 0px;}What's your usual response to food recalls?
I check my pantry and fridge for potentially recalled products.
I avoid whatever's recalled, but I don't really check my stuff at home.
I follow the story, but it doesn't really change my shopping habits.
I don't bother--those stories always blow over anyway.
Spring is in the air, and for most of us it's a happy time of year as we look forward to warmer weather and more time outdoors. We're smiling a lot more, but that doesn't mean we don't have big questions about our health and our families health. Helpful answers are all over the health blogs, and so here are a few new posts for your weekly dose of health information:
- Is Our Food Safe?
- Tired All the Time?
- "Brown" Fat for Weight Loss?
- Will Your Child Water over Soda?
- HIPAA Made Easy
- Raising Grandchildren in a Recession
- When Medicine Makes You Fat
- A Tax on Sugary Drinks?
