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Peanut Butter and Salmonella Sandwiches, Yum!

FitSugar — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0800

That peanut butter sandwich may be giving you more than just a hefty dose of protein and calories...

It is being reported that you should throw away certain jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter because these spreads were linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened almost 300 people around the country.

Lids of jars produced by ConAgra Foods with a product code beginning "2111" can be returned to the company for a refund.

This is the first reported major case of peanut butter being contaminated with salmonella in the U.S. What's so bad about Salmonella anyway? Salmonella infection is known each year to sicken about 40,000 people in the United States, Salmonellosis (technical term), kills about 600 people annually. Though fortunately no one has died due to this recent outbreak. How do you know if you have it? Symptoms can include diarrhea, fever, dehydration, abdominal pain and vomiting.

Taco Hell

FitSugar — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 09:46:05 -0800

Taco Bell has recently announced that they will be taking out the trans fat, but maybe they should have focused on taking out the E. coli before thinking about the trans fat.

There have been 27 confirmed cases of E. coli in New Jersey, and many more listed as possible infections among people who ate at Taco Bell during the last two weeks of November. In New York (Long Island), there have been at least 25 reported cases of infection. Four new cases have been reported in Pennsylvania. More to come, I'm sure -- It looks like Taco Bell is giving Spinach a run for its money.

In a prepared statement, Taco Bell said:

As a precautionary measure, Taco Bell has thrown out all existing food and is bringing in new food. In addition, the company has completely cleaned and re-sanitized the restaurants, utensils and all cooking equipment.

Fit's Tip: Since the E. coli bacterium can be found in ground beef, it is recommended that you (this includes you, Taco Bell) cook ground beef and hamburger thoroughly. If you're cooking a hamburger patty, the innermost part should read at least 160 degrees. If you don't have a meat thermometer, you can decrease your risk of illness by not eating ground beef patties that are still pink in the middle.

Another Salmonella Outbreak

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:00:00 -0800

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a national salmonella outbreak. This recent outbreak is caused by the strain salmonella Typhimurium, which also caused an outbreak back 2006. As of Sept. 3, at least 388 people have become infected with this strain of salmonella, sending just under 70 people to the hospital to seek treatment. The majority of the cases are focused in California, Ohio, and Minnesota, but the public health departments of 42 states are participating in the ongoing investigation.

The cause of the outbreak is still undetermined, but the best way to avoid the bacteria is to thoroughly cook meat, poultry, and eggs, wash your hands thoroughly and often when cooking, and keep produce and meat separate during food preparation. Most people experience symptoms eight to 48 hours after becoming infected.

I sure do hope none of you will need to change your negative answer on my poll about food poisoning.

Salmonella Update: Mystery Solved?

FitSugar — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:10:00 -0700

We may be once again putting tomatoes on our plates, but the source of the salmonella outbreak has remained a mystery. The FDA just announced that a possible source of the salmonella outbreak – water. They found strains of salmonella in both irrigation water and serrano peppers at a Mexican farm in Nuevo Leon.

Since the tomato industry has lost over $300 million because so much produce had to be thrown out due to the government's warnings, the FDA has been hammered with questions, of course the most pressing one being, "Why did the investigation originally focus on tomatoes?" Officials said in the early part of the investigation, there was definitely a link to tomatoes, and that this red fruit still shouldn't be ruled out entirely. They also said it's possible that the salmonella outbreak was connected to several different kinds of produce. Well that would make sense if irrigation was the culprit.

As for now, two farms in Mexico are still under investigation: The Tamaulipas farm and the Nuevo Leon farm. People are still being advised to avoid raw jalapeño or serrano peppers from Mexico. I don't know about you, but something tells me this issue isn't a closed book. The Mexican government strongly disagrees with the FDA findings. First it was tomatoes, then it was hot peppers, and now the water. What element could possibly be implicated next?

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Yummy Links: From Salmonella to Homemade Ricotta

partysugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:00:33 -0700

The raw tomato Salmonella outbreak has spread to 16 states. - FitSugar
A lovely alternative to classic pasta salad: Thai shiitake mushroom salad. - 28 Cooks
Isn't this gorgeous dress cake perfect for a bridal shower? - Frosted Garden
When baking, don't add too much flour while kneading. - The Kitchn
The best of ballpark food. - The New York Times
Due to the recession, Safeway's baker's dozen will only include 12 items. - Slashfood
Boxed wine isn't that bad. Here are six to try.-Mainstreet
Learn how to make homemade ricotta.-The Wednesday Chef

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Front Page: Birdflu Outbreaks, Zimbabwe, Flying Cell Phones

CitizenSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:00:40 -0700

India and South Korea are both struggling with fresh outbreaks of bird flu. In India, officials have ordered the elimination of about 20,000 birds. The outbreak is based around Bangladesh and has spread to more than half the country. Earlier this year, more than a million birds were slaughtered in the eastern state of West Bengal after an outbreak of bird flu there. In South Korea the second outbreak of the year, at a duck farm, requires the elimination of hundreds of thousands of birds. The H5N1 bird flu virus has killed more than 230 people in South East Asia since late 2003.

Nine days after the Zimbabwe presidential election, a court in Harare is due to rule on the opposition’s demand for an immediate release of the final tally. The governing party has insisted on a recount leading to further delays. A spokesman for the opposition says, “You can’t ask for the remarking of an exam whose result is not known by the student. It shows their mischief and shenanigans in trying to manipulate the poll.” The opposition has declared victory, though independent election monitors question whether he won the majority required to win outright. President Mugabe's party’s decision to push for a runoff and efforts to delay publication of the election outcome, however, makes voters fear that it is playing for time to mount a campaign of violent intimidation.
The European Commission said today they will allow cell phones to be used on planes. Under the new rules, travelers will be able to receive and make calls safely using their own mobile phones while flying all over Europe, according to the EU. The luxury will be to a very few travelers at first over fears of interfering with the aircraft's functioning. The service might cost travelers however, as the airplanes plan to carry the calls on their own network - at higher rates.

Are Inspectors to Blame For the Peanut Salmonella Outbreak?

partysugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:00:38 -0800

While the company behind the peanut salmonella scare has been shut down, many people are still wondering who's really to blame for the ordeal. Was it the president of the Peanut Corporation of America, who knowingly sent contaminated goods to the stores? Or was it the government, who failed to detect that the production plants were in disgusting conditions?

According to a recent article by The New York Times, the guilty party could actually be the private inspectors who check and rate a plant's food safety level. An audit conducted by an inspector last March declared that the gross facility in Georgia had a food safety level of "superior." According to the FDA, however, the same plant had been plagued by salmonella for at least the past nine months. This isn't the first known case where a private inspector failed to properly monitor a food plant, the Times reports:

An examination of the largest food poisoning outbreaks in recent years - in products as varied as spinach, pet food, and a children’s snack, Veggie Booty - show that auditors failed to detect problems at plants whose contaminated products later sickened consumers.

Although I understand that food safety is an incredibly hard thing to oversee, I can't help but feel a little queasy about this news. I hope that after such a widespread contamination, changes are made to correct the system. How do you feel about the ordeal? Who do you blame for the outbreak?

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Track the Swine Flu Outbreak on Google Maps

GeekSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:45:43 -0700

Unless you've been living a tech-free existence for the past week, then you've probably been hearing a lot about the swine influenza A virus. The outbreak has already taken 149 lives in Mexico and more confirmed cases have been reported in other parts of the US. On Twitter, the topic is already receiving over 10,000 Tweets Per Hour as people micro-blog their concerns and questions about the disease. Wondering if the virus is going to become a full pandemic or if it's reaching your neck of the woods?

Lifehacker has revealed that there's a Google Mashup that tracks the flu worldwide. You can access the H1N1 Swine Flu map here and there's a legend to the left for what the color of markers mean.

Salmonella Outbreak: Now in 16 States

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:00:00 -0700

On Friday I told you about the salmonella food-poisoning outbreak reported in nine states (New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, Illinois, and Indiana). Contaminated raw, uncooked tomatoes are thought to be the culprit, and unfortunately more cases of illness have cropped up in seven other states including California, Connecticut, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Investigators believe the tainted tomatoes are also to blame for the most recent recent illnesses. So far a total of 111 people have come down with the same Salmonella "Saintpaul" infection.

Although the source of these rotten tomatoes has yet to be determined, it's believed that you probably don't need to worry about cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, or homegrown tomatoes. The FDA also assures that Roma, red plum, and round red tomatoes from Arkansas, California, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Belgium, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, Netherlands, and Puerto Rico are not associated with this outbreak. I don't know about you, but I'm thinking it may just be easier to avoid raw tomatoes for a while. What do you think?

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Dengue Outbreak, Doctor Shortage Plaguing Brazil

LibertySugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:00:27 -0700

A medical crisis is erupting in South America. A dengue fever outbreak in Brazil has infected 55,000 people, and killed 67 Brazilians so far this year. Half of those killed by the mosquito-borne illness are under 13-years-old. Victims experience harsh symptoms including, high fever, headaches, joint pain, eye pain, nausea, vomiting, and a rash.

Unfortunately there are not enough doctors to tackle the outbreak. Patients must wait at hospitals for as long as 28 hours. People from the rural areas are flooding the municipal hospitals. Eighty new cases are being diagnosed every hour. The Brazilian military intervened, building three field hospitals trying to address the demand. The situation is so drastic that the governor of Rio de Janeiro may ask Cuba to send doctors.

This is a huge humanitarian crisis! The more time it takes for those infected to get treatment, the more likely the infection will become fatal. If you haven't heard about it yet, are you surprised?
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