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The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (“FSIS”) has announced the creation of a new help-desk, providing operators of small meat, poultry and egg processing establishments with access to knowledgeable specialists who can help them understand USDA directives, regulations and other information. The help-desk also will provide direct assistance to state and local food regulatory agencies.

"The FSIS is committed to providing assistance to businesses of all sizes that provide American consumers with access to a safe and healthy food supply," said Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Jerold R. Mande. "The small plant help-desk will help the development of small, local producers by offering a one-stop shop for questions about how to make sure their meat, poultry and processed egg products are safe, wholesome and properly labeled."

The new help-desk will support USDA's "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" initiative by helping small processors to reduce the time and expense of dealing with agency requirements. "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" is designed to continue the national conversation about developing local and regional food systems and finding ways to support small and mid-sized producers. It emphasizes the need for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and consumers, building on the 2008 Farm Bill, which provides additional flexibility for USDA programs to promote local foods. More information on the "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" initiative can be found at: www.usda.gov/knowyourfarmer.

The FSIS small plant help-desk will serve as a "one-stop shop" for plant owners and operators with questions. More than 90% of the 6,000 plants inspected by FSIS are small or very small. FSIS staff will assess callers' requests and provide information and guidance materials that best meet their needs. In situations where the answer is not readily available, the staff will research the issue and follow-up with the caller. As appropriate, the help-desk will provide a portal to other services, such as AskFSIS, FSIS' existing service offering agency responses to inquiries on agency policy.

Inquiries can be made to the small plant help-desk by toll-free telephone or by email. The help-desk is open from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. To speak to a staff specialist during this time, call 1-877-FSISHelp (1-877-374-7435). You may also contact the help-desk by email at InfoSource@fsis.usda.gov.

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Scientists from the University of Missouri have developed a new method to detect live E. coli O157:H7 cells in ground beef.

Notably, the two-step method can distinguish between dead and living E. coli cells. The research uses a technique called a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a quick, reliable method for detecting and identifying pathogens in food. However, PCR can't differentiate living from dead microbial cells. Dead cells will not make people ill, and the presence of dead cells often results in false-positive findings, which can result in unnecessary product recalls.

To prevent this, researchers developed a method to stain samples with a dye called ethidium bromide monoazide (EMA). EMA cannot penetrate live cells, but it can enter dead cells. In the dead cells, EMA binds to DNA molecules, making them insoluble and therefore invisible to PCR tests.

The researchers have had success using the new technique on ground beef, chicken and eggs. Testing takes about 12 hours, compared with older methods, which require up to two days to generate results.

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With Halloween fast approaching, it would seem the perfect time to worry the masses.

Researchers from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (“CSPI”), for instance, have just compiled nearly twenty years of CDC data, and used it to create a list of the riskiest foods to consume. In turn, some major news outlets, including CNN, quickly publicized the findings. Click on the following link to view the CSPI Study.

The study attempted to determine the relative risk of select foods by examining the frequency of past food-borne illness outbreaks associated with each. The findings, ironically, are nearly identical to the Food Guide Pyramid, which tells us what, and how much, food we should eat in order to stay healthy.

In any event, according to the CSPI study, the ten most risky foods are as follows:

1. Leafy Greens: 363 outbreaks (13,568 reported cases of illness);
2. Eggs: 352 outbreaks (11,163 reported cases of illness);
3. Tuna: 268 outbreaks (2341 reported cases of illness);
4. Oysters: 132 outbreaks (3409 reported cases of illness);
5. Potatoes: 108 outbreaks (3659 reported cases of illness);
6. Cheese: 83 outbreaks (2761 reported cases of illness);
7. Ice Cream: 74 outbreaks (2594 reported cases of illness);
8. Tomatoes: 31 outbreaks (3292 reported cases of illness);
9. Sprouts: 31 outbreaks (2022 reported cases of illness); and
10. Berries: 25 outbreaks (3397 reported cases of illness).

The implied lesson from the findings seems to be that we should, in order to minimize our risk of getting sick, avoid eating fruits, vegetables, dairy products and seafood. In turn, it would seem, a diet which consists strictly of beef, chicken and candy would be exactly what the doctor ordered.

In my view, scaring people away from certian foods doesn’t help promote food safety. And, warning people not to eat fruits and vegetables may be a bit short-sighted. Leafy greens, for instance, are served in virtually every single salad and on every single sandwich; that translates to nearly a billion safe servings every single day. The same is true for other foods on the list, including countless fruits and most vegetables.

So, in twenty years, we have less than 14,000 reported cases of people getting sick from leafy greens? You do the math. This is really no different than arguing that visiting the grocery store (to buy your produce) is an inherently dangerous activity because, every so often, someone trips.

Moreover, in my house, it is not what you eat that determines the risk, but rather who made it. My father, for instance, didn’t stop at just cooking our food. He cremated it. In this regard, most foods we enjoy are perfectly safe when properly handled and cooked to a thousand degrees centigrade (or, 160 degrees fahrenheit as recommended by FSIS).

In any event, recognizing that nothing in our world is without risk, I’ll continue to take my chances with a healthy diet and tasty food. And, despite its safety record, the candy can wait until Halloween. For now, I’m going to go eat a salad.

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The FDA has announced a new regulation which it expects to prevent approximately 80,000 cases of food-borne illness (and 30 deaths) caused each year by Salmonella Enteritidis in eggs.

The final rule, Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in Shell Eggs During Production, Storage, and Transportation (74 FR 33030), requires manufacturers to employ additional preventive measures during the production of shell eggs in poultry houses, and mandates subsequent refrigeration during storage and transportation. Click on the follwing link to view a copy of the FDA Final Egg Rule.  According to the FDA, the implementation of such measures could potentially reduce the number of Salmonella infections from eggs by nearly 60 percent.

“Preventing harm to consumers is our first priority,” said Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs. “Today's action will prevent thousands of serious illnesses from Salmonella in eggs.”

Salmonella Enteritidis can be found inside eggs that appear perfectly normal. Eggs in the shell can become contaminated on the farm, primarily because of infection in the laying hens. If the eggs are subsequently eaten raw or undercooked, the bacterium can cause illness.

The new rules requires that measures designed to prevent Salmonella be adopted by virtually all egg producers with 3,000 or more laying hens whose shell eggs are not processed with a treatment, such as pasteurization, to ensure their safety.

Producers with at least 3,000 but fewer than 50,000 laying hens must comply within 36 months after the rule’s publication. Producers with 50,000 or more laying hens must be in compliance with the rule within 12 months after its publication in the Federal Register.

Under the rule, egg producers must:

• Buy chicks and young hens only from suppliers who monitor for Salmonella bacteria;

• Establish rodent, pest control, and biosecurity measures to prevent spread of bacteria throughout the farm by people and equipment;

• Conduct testing in the poultry house for Salmonella Enteritidis. If the tests find the bacterium, a representative sample of the eggs must be tested over an 8 week time period (4 tests at 2 week intervals); If any of the four egg tests is positive, the producer must further process the eggs to destroy the bacteria, or divert the eggs to a non-food use;

• Clean and disinfect poultry houses that have tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis; and

• Refrigerate eggs at 45 degrees Fahrenheit temperature during storage and transportation no later than 36 hours after the eggs are laid.

Egg producers whose eggs receive treatments such as pasteurization must still comply with the refrigeration requirements. Similarly, certain entities such as distributors, packers, or truckers holding or transporting shell eggs also must comply with the refrigeration mandates.

To ensure compliance, egg producers must also maintain a written Salmonella Enteritidis prevention plan and associated records documenting compliance. Producers (except those who have less than 3000 hens or who sell all their eggs directly to consumers) also must register with the FDA. In turn, the FDA will develop guidance and enforcement plans to help egg producers comply with the rule.

The FDA has estimated that the rule would provide $1.4 billion in annual public health benefits, at an annual cost of $81 million to the regulated industry, or less than 1 cent per dozen eggs produced in the United States.

The new rule is part of a coordinated strategy between the FDA and the FSIS. The FDA and the FSIS will continue to work closely together to ensure that egg safety measures are consistent, coordinated, and complementary.

In addition to the new safety measures being taken by industry, consumers can also reduce their risk of food-borne illness by following safe egg handling practices. The FDA reminds consumers to buy eggs that have been refrigerated, to make sure eggs in the carton are clean and not cracked, and to cook eggs (and any foods containing eggs) thoroughly.

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