Food Irradiation Update is published by the Minnesota Beef Council

Quotable Quotes:
The researchers concluded that producers and distributors of ground beef products should not rely on consumers to cook out harmful bacteria. Instead, Dr. Christine Bruhn recommended taking additional food safety steps, such as irradiation, before distributing the product. "Consumer education is not sufficient. Take the extra step. It protects the public, and it protects you."
Christine Bruhn, PhD, M.D; University of California, Davis

The CDC reported that the government has met the National Health Objectives of one case per 100,000 for reducing illnesses from E. coli O157:H7. The CDC found that the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in 2009 was 0.99 cases per 100,000. This is good news; however it must be greeted with caution. The government has previously met the National Health Objectives for E coli O157:H7 in 2004, only to see the incidence increase and remain elevated for four years.
Centers for Disease Control Press Release

In This Update:
GAO blasts FDA's handling of irradiation petitions
GAO report criticizes FDA's lack of transparency on proposed food safety method
Government Failed to Meet Goal for Reducing Listeria for Fifth Year in a Row
Consumers prone to safety hazards when cooking ground beef
Texas firm recalls ready-to-eat beef product due to possible Salmonella contamination
Irradiated Honey: A Key Tool for Topical Wound Care
FDA targets processing of spices in bid to make supply safer

Important Food Safety Links:

Kansas State University

Marler Blog

Food Irradiation Processors Alliance (FIPA)

A new report from the Government Accountability Office is sharply critical of the Food and Drug Administration's handling of six industry petitions that seek approval of the use of irradiation to prevent foodborne illness. The GAO reported that the FDA had not met statutory or regulatory requirements for acting on the petitions. Three of the six petitions have been pending for nearly 10 years. Meanwhile, in the United States, 20-25% of the population – the very young, those more than 60 years old, and the immune compromised – fall into the high-risk category for foodborne illnesses, GAO official Lisa Shames, wrote in a letter to Congressional committees. Read more here.....
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New From the GAO

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was recently scolded for its record-keeping and lack of transparency on irradiation petitions, a request by a manufacturer to use radiation to food products to eliminate germs, in a report by the Government Accountability Office.

The report was conducted in response to a Congressional request for information on food irradiation. Food irradiation is a hotly debated food safety method that can eliminate dangerous bacteria and parasites, such as E. coli and Salmonella, from food by treating it with ionizing radiation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, numerous studies have deemed the radiation procedure as safe if done properly. However, the procedure still draws criticism and skepticism from consumers, causing most manufacturers to avoid its use. Read more here.....

Government Failed to Meet Goal for Reducing Listeria for Fifth Year in a Row
The report on the incidence of foodborne illness in the United States during 2009, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention April 15th, reveals that the federal government has made some progress in reducing illnesses from E. coli O157:H7, but that progress remains stalled on reducing illnesses from other pathogens.

The CDC reported that the government has met the National Health Objectives of one case per 100,000 for reducing illnesses from E. coli O157:H7. The CDC found that the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in 2009 was 0.99 cases per 100,000. This is good news; however it must be greeted with caution. The government has previously met the National Health Objectives for E coli O157:H7 in 2004, only to see the incidence increase and remain elevated for four years. CFA hopes that the government and the industry will be appropriately modest about this news until this type of performance can be achieved year after year. It will take sustained and dedicated effort in order to maintain this recent success.

Unfortunately, for illnesses from Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria, the song remains the same. Salmonella infections declined slightly to 15.19 cases per 100,000, but are still over twice the National Health Objective of 6.8 cases per 100,000. The incidence of Campylobacter has remained nearly the same since 2002 and in fact increased slightly this year to 13.02 cases per 100,000. There has been no meaningful change for illnesses from these two pathogens when compared with the previous three year period.

Salmonella and Campylobacter illnesses are frequently associated with consumption of raw or undercooked poultry. In order to reduce the contamination of poultry during processing, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service has developed new baseline studies and new performance standards for reducing Salmonella and Campylobacter. These standards could help reduce the level of contamination of poultry that reaches consumers, but USDA has inexplicably delayed their release for over a year. These standards should be released and implemented immediately.

For the fifth year in a row, the government has failed to meet the 2005 National Health Objective for reducing Listeria-related illnesses. This pathogen, which is responsible for the highest percentage of hospitalizations and deaths among the pathogens covered, is associated with ready-to-eat meat and poultry products and unpasteurized cheeses. If contracted by a pregnant woman, Listeria usually results in a miscarriage or stillbirth.

In May 2000 after the notorious BallPark Franks Listeria outbreak, President Clinton declared that Listeria needed special attention and set the goal of reducing the rate of illnesses to 0.25 per hundred thousand by 2005. The government has failed to meet that goal for five years now. And, according to CDC data, the incidence rate for 2009 of 0.34 cases per 100,000 is at its highest rate since 1999.
With one year left, the nation is well short of meeting its goals for improved health and disease reduction published in the government's primary health plan, Healthy People 2010. As a result, consumers remain at serious risk of foodborne illness or death from contaminated food. The Obama Administration and Congress must provide the Food and Drug Administration and the Food Safety and Inspection Service with the legal power and financial resources necessary to keep pathogens out of our food. By Chris Waldrop

Consumers preparing ground beef in the comfort of their own kitchen often do not cook hamburgers thoroughly and are prone to cross contaminating, according to an observational study presented at the Annual Meat Conference.

Christine Bruhn, director of the Center for Consumer Research at the University of California, Davis, videotaped 200 volunteers in their homes preparing burgers and salad. She observed their methods of defrosting the meat — frozen, preformed burgers — their refrigerators' temperature, whether or not they put themselves at risk for cross-contamination and how they determined whether the meat was done. Read more here......

WASHINGTON -- Ruiz Foods, Inc., a Denison, Texas establishment, is recalling approximately 115,700 pounds of a ready-to-eat (RTE) beef product that may be contaminated with Salmonella. The packages of beef product contain as an ingredient the specific Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP), which was previously recalled, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
Due to potential Salmonella contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a recall of the HVP product on March 4, 2010. A recall of the beef product was warranted because the HVP ingredient was added after Salmonella prevention steps were applied. Read more here.......

WASHINGTON -- Windsor Foods, a firm with operations in Lampasas, Texas, and Oakland, Miss., is recalling approximately 1.7 million pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) beef taquito and chicken quesadilla products that may be contaminated with Salmonella. The packages of beef taquito and chicken quesadilla products contain as an ingredient the specific Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP), which was previously recalled, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced March 10th.

Safe Food with Irradiation from Virginia Extension Educator Stephanie Diehl

The New Hope Association for Family Education conducted a meeting at the Augusta County Virginia Extension Office. During the group's February meeting, Extension Agent Stephanie Diehl presented "Safe Food with Irradiation." Diehl distributed fliers about the safety and effectiveness of food irradiation and answered members questions.