The US Department of Health and Human Services released an interesting article this morning about animals and their uncanny ability to give people salmonella–specifically birds, frogs,  snakes, turtles, and other amphibians.  Contact with these animals causes about 74,000 cases of salmonella each year in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).   Normally, salmonella is considered a foodborne illness, but children tend to handle these animals and then touch their mouths, eyes, and noses without washing their hands.  After the release of the animated film The Princess and the Frog, in 2009, dozens of little girls became ill with salmonella after feeling compelled to kiss frogs.  Even adults can become culprits of spreading salmonella this way when they clean aquariums and fish tanks in the kitchen, thereby contaminating areas where food is prepared.

Linda Capewell of the CDC recommends not having birds, snakes, or amphibians in homes with children under 5 years of age.  When children (and adults) handle these animals, they should wash their hands immediately–scrubbing with antibacterial soap for at least 20 seconds in a steady stream of warm water.

Ok, so we’ve been obsessed with Jamie Oliver–Britain’s tastiest export–for a while now.  Formerly known as England’s “Naked Chef,” Jamie single-handedly overhauled the United Kingdom’s school lunch program and has now taken America by storm with his new cookbook Jamie’s Food Revolution.  Oliver teaches non-foodies how to use fresh, healthy ingredients to make simple, affordable, delicious meals the whole family will love.

If you can’t get enough of Jamie, then you’ll love his new show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution debuting on ABC March 26th.  He’ll head to America’s unhealthiest city to try and break the cycle of destructive habits, arming himself with fresh ingredients and some alarming facts.  (Did you know that America’s current generation of children is not expected to live longer than their parents?!)  In one powerful promo, he visits a first grade classroom only to find they are unable to identify even the most basic fruits and vegetables.

In the show, Jamie will focus largely on the eating habits of America’s youth.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is likewise concerned with this issue. They issued a press release last Friday (Feb 26, 2010) stating that on average, parents who considered nutrition when selecting fast food items for their children, chose meals that were at least 100 calories less than meals selected by uninformed parents.  As the USDHHS   put it, “100 calories, added up over time, is actually a significant amount.”

For more information, check out Jamie Oliver’s website and sign the petition to become “part of the revolution.”

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has strongly recommended that ALL persons, 6 months or older, receive a flu vaccine for the 2010-2011 flu season.  The swine flu has hit the 5-17 year-old population especially hard.  Those hospitalized with the disease generally had an underlying illness, like asthma, to weaken their immune system and allow them to be more susceptible to the virus.

As of mid February, 126 million doses of the vaccine had been ordered by states, with health departments targeting at-risk groups for treatment.

If you are pregnant, over 50 years of age, or the parent of small children–get yourself (and your children over 6 months) vaccinated!

View the CDC’s press release.

It’s not hard to believe however.  The CDC estimates that 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur EACH YEAR in the United States, but when you take into consideration that as few as 1 in 5 cases are ever reported, the number could be much higher.

Did you get the “24-hour flu” this year?  You may be surprise to know that there is no such thing as the “24 hour flu.”  What you probably had was foodborne illness. Even the “stomach flu” is really a foodborne illness called gastroenteritis that results from ingesting contaminated food and water.  It’s doubtful you called the health department about your sickness–and just like that, another case of foodborne illness went unreported.

If you are asking youself, “Ok, then do I need to call my doctor every time I get sick??” then we have the answer for you.  Well, actually the CDC does:

“A health care provider should be consulted for a diarrheal illness if it is accompanied by:

• high fever (temperature over 101.5 F measured orally),
• blood in the stools,
• prolonged vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down (which can lead to dehydration),
• signs of dehydration, including a decrease in urination, a dry mouth and throat, and a dizzy feeling when standing up,
• diarrheal illness that lasts more than three days”

If you do contract “stomach flu”-like symptoms, take care of yourself!  This includes resting, drinking LOTS of clear liquids–especially sports beverages to replace electrolytes, and when possible, attempt to eat foods like popsicles, chicken noodle soup, and gelatin.  You’ll be feeling better soon.

For food handlers, always make sure you’re practicing safe food handling procedures.  Just because you didn’t hear about a case of foodborne illness coming from your establishment, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

Food safety is JUST as important at home as it is in the workplace.  One place where toxic foodstuffs love to hide is the back of the refrigerator, or as we like to call it “The Land that Time Forgot.”  Summon the new season with this essential Spring Cleaning task: cleaning out the fridge.

Follow these simple steps to get your fridge looking and smelling fresher than a new box of baking soda:

• Turn the temperature to OFF and remove all the food from the fridge.
• Discard any food that is moldy, past its expiration date, or growing miniature versions of itself.
• If you have a drip pan remove and clean it.
• Remove all shelves, trays, and drawers.
• Fill the kitchen sink with soapy water–as warm as you can stand–and wash the shelves, trays, and drawers.  Lay to dry on clean paper towels.
• Wipe drips, stuck-on mess, and food material from the bottom of the fridge.
• Using disinfecting wipes or antibacterial dish soap, wipe out the entire fridge and allow to dry.
• Clean the outside of the fridge with soap and water.  Don’t forget to sweep around and underneath!
• Replace the shelves, drawers, and trays.
• Reset the temperature to the recommended settings.
• Wipe off any sticky food containers and put them away in the fridge.

Happy cleaning!

They must have skipped a few steps.

Source:  eHow.com

If you have been following our blog recently, you are already aware that there have been LOTS of food recalls this year.  In fact, there have been so many, we’ve had a hard time keeping up!  The US Department of Health & Human Services just create a create online resource that gives a comprehensive rundown of all the food items that have been recalled in the last month and a half.  Check it out and make sure all your salami, cookie, and dried fruit bases are covered.

Recall list for 2010

To help us introduce Trichinellosis, we thought we’d use this handy chart:

We had no idea what this chart meant, so we went to the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) website for some clarification.  Trichinellosis is a cycle of disease.  For the patient, it begins when he or she consumes meat of an animal infected with Trichinella cysts.  Trichinella is a parasitic worm that enters the body of its host through ingestion.  The worm’s larvae are in the form of round cysts with a hard outer shell.  When an animal eats infected meat, the cystic shell dissolves in stomach acid and the baby worm is released into the intestinal tract and become mature within 1-2 days.  Once the mature worm mates, it lays its eggs which develop into immature worms.  The young worms then travel through the host’s and are carried into the muscle tissue where they curl up and become cysts.  When the host tissue (i.e. contaminated pork) is consumed, the cycle begins anew.  Gross, right?  Here are some additional facts from the CDC:

• What is Trichinellosis? Trichinellosis, or Trichinosis, is a disease caused by eating undercooked meat of animals infected with the larvae of the worm Trichinella.  Although this is most common in carnivorous (meat-eating) wild animals, Trichinellosis can also be contracted through domestically-raised pigs.
• What are the symptoms? In the first stages of infection (in the majority of cases) fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain are all common.  The second phase of symptoms will often add chills, eye swelling, aching joints, muscle pain, itchy skin, and constipation to the list.  For patients who contract a larger infection labored breathing and coordination problems are possible.  Death is rare, but can occur.  Generally symptoms subside in a few months.
• How soon to symptoms appear? Abdominal symptoms can appear within 1-2 days, whereas other symptoms may take as much as 8 weeks to become apparent after eating infected meat.  Severity of symptoms depends on how many Trichinella worms were ingested.
• Am I at risk for Trichinellosis? Do you eat raw or undercooked meat from wild animals such as bears, pigs, felines (cougars), foxes, dogs, horses, seals, or walruses?  Then yes, you are at risk.
• Is Trichinellosis common in the United States? Trichinellosis used to be very common in the US because of undercooked pork.  Today, however, infection is rare.  Infection in the US has decreased due in part to refrigeration and in part to new regulations making it illegal to feed raw meat to hogs.

For more information about Trichinellosis, visit the CDC website.

Turkey Hill Dairy, in Pennsylvania, has recalled it’s 1.5 qt packages of Chocolate Marshmallow Premium Ice Cream because they failed to declare that the ice cream contains almonds–a common tree-nut allergen.

A New Jersey firm, Schmalz European, has recalled approximately 1,500 lbs of sausage products that may contain foreign materials (i.e. pieces of plastic).

We just finished reading what may go down is history as one of the most disgusting food safety articles of all time.  A reporter for ABC 13 in Las Vegas, NV decided to investigate the local restaurants who failed their health inspections and find out whether or not they had cleaned up their act.   As the article mentions, the goal was not to ruin anyone’s business, but to keep the consumer public informed about potentially hazardous health violations in their area.  We suggest every food worker should read it–kind of a list of what NOT to do.  Here are some of the highlights:

• The Health inspector found pork being stored in the mechanical room of one Las Vegas Mexican restaurant.  It was inside an open, dirty cardboard box.
• The same Mexican restaurant was keeping ice for beverages in a garbage can.
• At an Asian restaurant located on the Strip in Las Vegas, they found lemons so moldy it was almost impossible to tell what they were.
• That same location had kitchen tongs hanging in the bathroom next to an open toilet.
• An Indian restaurant had ants crawling in their condiments and a bloated can of evaporated milk still in use.
• A cafe’ had expired milk in the fridge and cheese stored in the temperature danger zone.  The owners response?  “Can anybody die from that?”

For the full article (and a video) click here.