And salad too -- more recalls

Big day for recalls, just before the Fourth of July.  This time it's sprouts, lettuce, and sprouts.  Here are the details:

Banner Mountain Sprouts in California is voluntarily recalling some of its organic products because of possible contamination with salmonella.

Dole Fresh Vegetables is recalling about a thousand bags of bagged greens for possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.   The salads were distributed in six U.S. states (Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia).

Leasa Industries Co., Inc., is recalling alfalfa sprouts because of possible contamination with salmonella.  While the recall notice does not quite specifically say so, this recall seems to be limited to Florida.

So that's two salmonellas and a Listeria all in green leafy things.  I know sprouts are grown in conditions ideal for pathogen growth, but how does the Salmonella get in there in the first place?  Salmonella "are microscopic living creatures that pass from the feces of people or animals to other people or other animals," according to the USDA.  So again, my questoin, how does Salmonella get from the feces to the sprouts in the first place?  This simply should not be happening.

Raw milk and a queso fresco recall

Food Safety News has posted another essay about the dangers of raw milk.  This piece comes from the International Food Information Council Foundation, a body which purports to be objective and unbiased, but which seems to speak for industry.  On the IFIC Blog, Food Insight, for example, are pieces in support of genetic engineering and approved herbicides and pesticides as solutions to weed and pest problems.  See In the Weeds -- – What’s a Minor Annoyance in Your Flower Beds is a Major Headache for Crop Farmers.

So it is no surprise that this was the source of a piece called Raw Milk: Clear Risks, No Benefits.  I do not promote any benefits of raw milk.  I am a vegan and do not use any dairy products myself. Humans do not need dairy products, and most of the world's population gets by just fine without them.  And while I think people should be free to consume whatever they please (and for the most part, this is true), I'm not sure adults should be free to feed children whatever they please.  But articles which deny all validity to the claims of raw milk proponents no longer seem credible to me. 

There are certainly risks. Milk can become contaminated, and it does.  Just this morning I received a notice of a queso fresco recall in New York state due to a positive test for Listeria monocytogenes.  Queso fresco is a soft cheese made from milk and aged not long at all (if at all). It can be made from pasteurized milk, but is often made from raw milk where that is permitted.  I have never tried it.

Food Safety Standards for Canteloupe

From Food Safety News:

California cantaloupes will soon come with the assurance that they meet strict food safety standards, thanks to a mandatory statewide program that includes both announced and unannounced inspections and certification under government oversight.

The plan is for the program to begin this season, which lasts into the fall, but approval of an audit checklist by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is still forthcoming. The goal is to get that done as quickly as possible.

A historic move, this is the state's first mandatory food safety program implemented by a commodity board. . . .

 

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