Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer - Food Recall

Nation's Food Safety System Set for New Rules

Jamie Sheller — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:09:05 GMT

Both the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration are taking steps to improve the safety of our food. The Department of Agriculture is set to conduct regular tests of "bench trim," the meat trimmings added to other meat to make ground beef, in order to prevent E. coli contamination of beef sold to consumers. The FDA is seeking more extensive "mandatory standards for growing, harvesting and processing fruits and vegetables." The House of Representatives already passed legislation strengthening the FDA's food safety oversight powers. Similar legislation is scheduled for Senate consideration in the fall.

Most meat used in ground beef has been tested for E. coli, but inspectors had not been testing the bench trim. Recently, there have been several outbreaks of a virulent strain of E. coli, leading to recalls of tainted ground beef. This particular E. coli strain, O157:H7, can cause fatal illness, and it may survive cooking. According to the American Meat Institute, the industry supports additional government testing of meat.

There have also been several cases of illnesses from tainted produce, primarily tomatoes, leafy greens and melons. The FDA recently issued voluntary guidelines to improve the safety of these crops. Eventually these guidelines will lead to mandatory regulations for handling produce. Enforceable standards and requirements should be complete in two years.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jamie Sheller

Recall of Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough Products

Jamie Sheller — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:14:50 GMT

Recently, Nestle USA voluntarily recalled its Toll House packaged raw cookie dough products, due to concerns about E. coli. E. coli can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea, and kidney failure. It can be deadly. The Centers for Disease Control have found a "strong association" between the cookie dough and the E. coli sickness suffered by 65 people who have tested positive for the bacterium since March. The identified sick people live in 29 states, and while some of them have been hospitalized with their illness, none have died.

The FDA advised consumers to discard any Toll House cookie dough products that they have, and requested that restaurants, retailers and food service providers not sell any of the refrigerated cookie dough products. According to the FDA, consumers should not try to cook the Toll House cookie dough products, because even though the cooked cookies may be safe to eat, the E. coli could be spread by the consumer's hands. The recall affects about 300,000 cases of cookie dough, including refrigerated cookie bar dough, cookie dough tubes, and cookie dough tubs. However, Toll House ice cream containing raw cookie dough is not affected by the recall. Nestle USA has said that it is temporarily halting production of the cookie dough products, while its Ohio factory is investigated by the FDA.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jamie Sheller

President of Peanut Corporation of America Refuses To Testify

Jamie Sheller — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:40:58 GMT

A Congressional subcommittee recently held a hearing on its investigation into the salmonella outbreak linked to a U.S. peanut processing company. Salmonella found in peanut products that sickened over 500 people and caused the deaths of 8 people, was traced back to the Blakely, GA plant of the Peanut Corporation of America. The outbreak led to one of the largest food recalls in U.S. history. Stewart Parnell, president of Peanut Corporation of America, and Sammy Lightsey, manager of its Georgia plant, were subpoenaed to testify before Congress. However, at the hearing they both refused to testify, citing their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. According to Congressional investigators, Peanut Corporation of America shipped peanut products without waiting for salmonella test results to come back. There is also a federal investigation into whether the company deliberately shipped contaminated products. In addition to the Blakely, GA plant, Peanut Corporation of America recently closed its plant in Plainview, TX, after salmonella contamination was found there.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jamie Sheller