The CDC associated the source of illness to ground beef distributed by two Michigan retailers. Both, Jouni Meats and Gab Halal Foods, issued recalls of 500 and 550 pounds of ground beef respectively at the end of last week, the USDA reported.

Seven of the confirmed illnesses occurred after people had a raw beef dish called kibbeh at a Michigan restaurant. The afflictions were reported from Dec. 9th, 2012 to Jan. 7th, 2013. Though no casualties have been announced, seven of the afflicted required hospitalization, MSNBC reported Monday.

The CDC tweeted about the dangers of the epidemic and safety measures on Monday morning.

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Molly Carter, a spokeswoman for Gatorade owner PepsiCo Inc., said the company has been considering the move for more than a year, working on a way to take out the ingredient without affecting the flavor of the drink.

A recent petition on Change.org to drop the chemical – which has more than 200,000 supporters – did not inspire the decision, Carter said, though she acknowledged that consumer feedback was the main impetus.

In the petition, posted by Sarah Kavanagh of Hattiesburg, Miss., “BVO” is described as banned in Japan and theEuropean Union.

The effort quotes a Scientific American article suggesting that “BVO could be building up in human tissues” and that studies on mice have shown “reproductive and behavioral problems” linked to large doses of the chemical.

The reformulated Gatorade flavors “will start rolling out in the next few months,” Carter said.

There’s no hard date for the launch because “we’re not recalling Gatorade,” she said. “We don’t think our products are unsafe. We don’t think there are health or safety risks.”

The BVO ingredient was used as a flavor emulsifier, helping to distribute Gatorade’s coloring throughout the bottle, Carter said. Now, the company is swapping in another emulsifier with an intimidating name: sucrose acetate isobutyrate.

The effort quotes a Scientific American article suggesting that “BVO could be building up in human tissues” and that studies on mice have shown “reproductive and behavioral problems” linked to large doses of the chemical.

The reformulated Gatorade flavors “will start rolling out in the next few months,” Carter said.

There’s no hard date for the launch because “we’re not recalling Gatorade,” she said. “We don’t think our products are unsafe. We don’t think there are health or safety risks.”

The BVO ingredient was used as a flavor emulsifier, helping to distribute Gatorade’s coloring throughout the bottle, Carter said. Now, the company is swapping in another emulsifier with an intimidating name: sucrose acetate isobutyrate.

What exactly is Brominated vegetable oil?

Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is vegetable oil that has had atoms of the element bromine bonded to it. Brominated vegetable oil is used to stabilize citrus-flavored soft drinks. Its high density helps the droplets of natural fat-soluble citrus flavors stay suspended in the drink. BVO has been used by the soft drink industry since 1931.^[1][2]

The addition of BVO increases the density of the oil. The amount added is carefully controlled so that the citrus flavor oil has the same density as the water in the drink. As a result, the droplets containing BVO remain suspended in the water rather than separating and floating at the surface.

Is Brominated vegetable oil safe?

It has not been banned yet in the US, but is banned in Japan and parts of Europe.
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Brominated vegetable oil is banned in many countries because of the known side effects of bromine on human beings.
Bromine is a halogen and displaces iodine, which can depress thyroid function, as well as known side effects such as: depression, memory loss, hallucinations, violent tendencies, psychosis, seizures, cerebral atrophy, acute irritability, tremors, ataxia, confusion, loss of peripheral vision, slurred speech, stupor, tendon reflex changes, photophobia due to enlarged pupils, extensor plantar responses, fatigue, lethargy, loss of muscle coordination, and headache.
In animal testing, BVO consumption has caused damage to the heart and kidneys in addition to increasing fat deposits in these organs, as well as testicular damage and stunted growth.

Brominated vegetable oil is patented as a flame retardant and it’s banned in food all over Europe and Japan, but it’s on the ingredient list of about 10 percent of sodas in the U.S. It’s not in Coca-Cola, but is in Mountain Dew, Fanta Orange, and in some flavors of Powerade and Gatorade.

What brominated vegetable oil (BVO) does to soda is, Coca-Cola explains, “prevent the citrus flavoring oils from floating to the surface in beverages.” The fruit flavors that are mixed into a drink would otherwise settle out. What BVO does when it’s acting as a flame retardant is not much different: It slows down the chemical reactions that cause a fire.

Safe For Consumption?
The FDA established safety limits for the substance in the 1970s, but Environmental Health News reports about growing concerns that the limit was informed by reports put out by an industry group containing outdated and, as industry-generated information tends to be, less-than-comprehensive data.

EHN has the details:

After a few extreme soda binges — not too far from what many gamers regularly consume – a few patients have needed medical attention for skin lesions, memory loss and nerve disorders, all symptoms of overexposure to bromine. Other studies suggest that BVO could be building up in human tissues, just like other brominated compounds such as flame retardants. In mouse studies, big doses caused reproductive and behavioral problems.

EHN explains that BVO was pulled from the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list for flavor additives in 1970, “bounced back after studies from an industry group from 1971 to 1974 demonstrated a level of safety,” at which point the Flavor Extract Manufacturers’ Association (which actually exists—not to be confused with the government agency FEMA) “petitioned the FDA to get BVO back in fruit-flavored beverages, this time as a stabilizer, which is its role today.”

Interim Approval — For More Than 30 Years
Today, more than 30 years (and much animal testing, including on pigs and beagles) later, the approval status for BVO is still listed as interim. EHN reports that changing that status would be expensive and quotes FDA spokesman Douglas Karas saying it “is not a public health priority for the agency at this time.”

With BVO banned in so many countries, there are feasible alternatives. And that brings us to the unsurprising but disturbing note on which the EHN story ends:

Wim Thielemans, a chemical engineer at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, said since the alternatives are already used in Europe “their performance must be acceptable, if not comparable, to the U.S.-used brominated systems.” That means “the main driver for not replacing them may be cost,” he said.”It is a North American problem,” Vetter added. “In the E.U., BVO will never be permitted.”

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Food Fraud, how much of the food you eat is actually what it says it is and how can you know?

Healthy ingredients added to a list of foods regularly being bulked out with cheap – and sometimes harmful – substitutes by manufacturers
Pomegranate and other fruit juices, white tuna, olive oil, powdered spices and maple syrup all appear in the Food Fraud Database.

Most diners would feel pretty virtuous after a meal of tuna prepared in olive oil, washed down with a glass of pomegranate juice.

But all three supposedly healthy ingredients have appeared on a lists of foods that some manufacturers are regularly bulking out with cheaper – sometimes potentially harmful – fillers and substitutes.

The ‘food fraud’ list was compiled by the respected U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention, which sets quality standards for food and medicines, as it warned consumers that items on supermarket shelves are not always exactly what they seem.

Other fruit juices and jams, maple syrup and powdered spices including saffron and turmeric also appear in the organisation’s database of foods to be wary of.

According to the Food Fraud Database some manufacturers are substituting tuna for cheaper escolar, a fish that has been banned in many countries because of its links to food poisoning.

It also states that many types of pomegranate juice – which has been lauded for its health-boosting properties – that claim to be 100 per cent juice are actually diluted with other juices or sweetened water.

Some olive oils are also diluted with less pricey oils, while spices such as turmeric and chilli powder are often contaminated with ‘fillers’.

The report says foreign manufacturers have been known to add clouding agents to lemon juice and other juices to make them appear freshly-squeezed. It cites a case in Taiwan which saw around 4,000 people fall ill after ingesting products laced with dangerous pthalates – a chemical used in plastics.

Honey and maple syrup: High fructose corn syrup or other sugars might be snuck in to enhance sweetness.

The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention defines food fraud as ‘deliberate substitution, addition, tampering or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients or food packaging, or false or misleading statements made about a product for economic gain’.

Dr Markus Lipp, senior director of food standards at the organisation said foods become fraudulent when a manufacturer is not honest with the U.S. Department of Agriculture or other regulatory bodies about what exactly is going into their products.

He told the New York Daily News that the database was compiled to try and ‘promote informed decision making’ among consumers, adding: ‘In general, the U.S. food supply is very safe’.

The content of supermarket beefburgers was last week at the centre of a scandal that erupted when horse meat was discovered in frozen patties being sold at Tesco.

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Salmonella fear-Nestle Chocolate Drink Mix recalled.

Nestle’s Nesquik: a chocolate powder that, combined with milk, becomes a sweet drink for kids.
Nestle USA announced that it’s voluntarily recalling the chocolate powder due to salmonella concerns. Nestle made the decision after Omya Inc., a supplier of the Nesquik ingredient calcium carbonate, told Nestle of a potential salmonella contamination, reports CBS News. The potentially tainted batches were produced last month and sold nationwide. The recall is limited to 10.9, 21.8, and 40.7-ounce canisters; consumers should examine these for October 2014 expiration dates. Salmonella is bacteria that may cause diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps, but so far, no Nesquik-related illnesses have been reported. The Los Angeles Times shares Nestle’s statement on the recall: “We apologize to our consumers and sincerely regret any inconvenience created by this incident.”

Nestle USA is recalling some of its Nesquik chocolate powder because of a possible salmonella risk.

The food maker said Thursday that the Nesquik involved was in 10.9-, 21.8- and 40.7-ounce canisters produced in early October and sold at retailers across the country.

Nestle says it is issuing the recall after its ingredient supplier, Omaya Inc., decided to recall some of the calcium carbonate used in the product due to possible Salmonella contamination. The company says there are no reported illnesses associated with the product.

Salmonella can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. It can be life-threatening in infants, the elderly, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems.

The affected products have a “Best if sold by” date of October 2014.The recall includes the following products and unit production codes, which are located on the bottom of the canister.

-40.7 ounce powder with UPC 0 28000 68230 9 2282574810 2282574820

-21.8 ounce powder with UPC 0 28000 68090 9 2278574810 2278574820 2279574810 2279574820 2284574820 2284574830 2285574810 2285574820 2287574820 2289574810 2289574820

-10.9 ounce powder with UPC 0 28000 67990 3 2278574810

No other varieties of Nesquik powder are in the recall.

Nestle said that consumers who bought the affected Nesquik products should not use it and can return it for a refund or contact Nestle Consumer Services at(800) 628-7679.

Salmonella recalls are not uncommon in the food industry. Most recently a salmonella outbreak at the country’s largest organic peanut processing plant lead to a major recall of peanut butter and other nut products over the past two months.

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Peanut Recall Salmonella fears for massive recall.
The recall of products containing peanut butter and other nut butters sold by many retailers under many labels has more than doubled to 240 products, with the FDA reporting a “fast-moving outbreak” of salmonella-induced sickness in 19 states

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This is according to the Food and Drug Administration.

What exactly is Listeria? Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that is pathogenic –- meaning that it is infectious to humans, causing the illness listeriosis.  What is listeriosis?

Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. It is an important public health problem in the United States and other countries. Most people who ingest the Listeria bacteria do not develop symptoms, listeriosis affects primarily persons of advanced age, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems.
It is most dangerous to young children, the elderly, people with a weakened immune system and pregnant women. Listeria can cause a high fever, severe headaches, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

What you need to know about Listeria monocytogenes

The recalled popcorn bags were distributed after August 8 and have “best by” dates of February 4, 2013 to March 12, 2013, according to the FDA. Consumers can check specific UPC codes from this list.

Contaminated flavors include aged white cheddar, almond biscotti, American cheese, apple crisp, bacon ranch, black & white drizzle, caramel, caramel roasted peanuts, chocolate peanut butter, cinnamon sugar drizzle, dark fudge chocolate chip drizzle, kettlecorn, salt & pepper and wasabi reserve.

Learn more about food poisoning from CNN Health and Eatocracy.

Other resources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Food and Drug Administration’s Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts
FDA Food Safety
FoodSafety.gov
United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety Education
IsItDoneYet.gov

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No illnesses have been reported, but listeria was found on equipment used to produce apple products by Missa Bay LLC, owned by Ready Pac Foods Inc. of Swedesboro, N.J.

Packaged apple slices distributed to McDonald’s and Burger King in some states are included in the recall, as are some packaged fruit, veggies, salads and sandwiches containing apples distributed to Wawa convenience store and Wegman’s grocery chains, as well as various apple and fruit snacks with “Ready Pac” labels and apple salad kits with a “Safeway Farms” label.

The recalled snacks have use-by dates of July 8 through Aug. 20, the company said. People should check their refrigerators for products with those use-by dates, the company said, and it asked retailers to check store shelves and inventories to make sure none of the packages are there.

Missa Bay announced the voluntary recall on Friday, saying a total of 293,488 cases and 296,224 individual units went to 36 states and the District of Columbia. People who may have purchased the recalled products are asked to record use-by dates and UPC codes and contact Ready Pac at 800-800-7822. More information on the more than two dozen products recalled and the states involved is available on the company’s website at WWW.READYPAC.COM .

Listeria is a bacteria that causes food poisoning and is especially dangerous to pregnant women. While a pregnant woman may experience mild, flu-like symptoms, the illness caused by listeria can lead to miscarriage, premature delivery or life-threatening infection in newborns.

Symptoms in people besides pregnant women can include fever and muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.

An outbreak of listeria in cantaloupes last year was linked to 30 deaths and one report of a pregnant woman who had a miscarriage while she was sick.

What is listeria? What will happen to me if I eat something contaminated with listeria?

Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. It is an important public health problem in the United States and other countries. Most people who ingest the Listeria bacteria do not develop symptoms, listeriosis affects primarily persons of advanced age, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems.
It is most dangerous to young children, the elderly, people with a weakened immune system and pregnant women. Listeria can cause a high fever, severe headaches, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

What you need to know about Listeria monocytogenes

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The 39 outbreaks from imported foods reported between 2005 and 2010 represent a small fraction of total cases of food-borne illnesses such as salmonella or E. coli, according to the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented Wednesday. But the rise in imported-food outbreaks—mostly from fish and spices—highlights gaps in the food-safety system that a sweeping new law is intended to address.

CDC researchers found 6.5 outbreaks from foreign foods and imported foods a year, on average, between 2005 and 2010—more than double the average of 2.7 outbreaks annually between 1998 and 2004.

Of the 39 outbreaks from imported foods between 2005 and 2010, nearly half—17—occurred in 2009 and 2010.

The foods, including fish, oysters, cheese, sprouts and seven other types of products, were shipped and imported from 15 countries. Nearly 45% of those imported foods originated from Asia. Most people were sickened with salmonella or histamine fish poisoning, a bacterial disease contracted from eating spoiled dark-flesh fish that causes rashes, diarrhea, sweating, headaches and vomiting. The outbreaks led to 2,348 cases of illness, the CDC said.

From Web MD- March 14, 2012 — Foodborne disease from imported foods is on the rise, with more foods from more countries causing more outbreaks, the CDC says.

The most common culprits are fish and spices, particularly peppers, the CDC’s Hannah Gould, PhD, said in a report to this week’s International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta.

“We saw an increased number of outbreaks due to imported foods during recent years, and more types of foods from more countries causing outbreaks,” Gould said in a news release.

Gould’s team analyzed foodborne disease data from 2005 to 2010. Over those five years, imported foods caused 39 outbreaks and 2,348 reported illnesses.

About half those outbreaks came in the most recent two years.

“It’s too early to say if the recent numbers represent a trend, but CDC officials are analyzing information from 2011 and will continue to monitor for these outbreaks in the future,” Gould said.

Fish were behind 17 of the outbreaks. Spices were the source of six outbreaks, five of which were traced to fresh or dried peppers.

Almost half of the foods causing outbreaks — 45% — came from Asia.

Why the increase in foreign foodborne disease? It may not be that the food is any less safe. We’re just importing more of it.

From 1998 to 2007, U.S. food imports grew from $41 billion to $78 billion. About 85% of the seafood Americans eat comes from outside the country. At some times of the year, 60% of U.S. fresh produce is imported.

Gould noted that the CDC numbers underestimate the true impact of imported food outbreaks. That’s because the source of many outbreaks is never discovered, and because not all illnesses get reported.

“We need better — and more — information about what foods are causing outbreaks and where those foods are coming from,” Gould said. “Knowing more about what is making people sick will help focus prevention efforts on those foods that pose a higher risk of causing illness.”

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***What is a fungicide anyway?***Wiki

Fungicides are chemical compounds or biological organisms used to kill or inhibit fungi or fungal spores.^[1] Fungi can cause serious damage in agriculture, resulting in critical losses of yield, quality and profit. Fungicides are used both in agriculture and to fight fungal infections in animals. Chemicals used to control oomycetes, which are not fungi, are also referred to as fungicides as oomycetes use the same mechanisms as fungi to infect plants.^[2]

Fungicides can either be contact, translaminar or systemic. Contact fungicides are not taken up into the plant tissue, & only protect the plant where the spray is deposited; translaminar fungicides redistribute the fungicide from the upper, sprayed leaf surface to the lower, unsprayed surface; systemic fungicides are taken up & redistributed through the xylem vessels to the upper parts of the plant. New leaf growth is protected for a short period.
Most fungicides that can be bought retail are sold in a liquid form. A very common active ingredient is sulfur,^[3] present at 0.08% in weaker concentrates, and as high as 0.5% for more potent fungicides. Fungicides in powdered form are usually around 90% sulfur and are very toxic. They are also found in Coke products, including juices like Simply Orange and Minute Maid Orange juice. The oranges from Brazil were sprayed with fungicides by the farmers. Cola-Cola Co. said Wednesday (1/11/12) it found an unapproved fungicide in orange juice made by Coke and its competitors, and alerted federal regulators that some Brazilian growers had sprayed trees with the substance. The beverage giant, which makes Simply Orange and Minute Maid, would not say which brands had shown the fungicide. Both brands contain juice from Brazil.

****************************

The company said in a statement on Saturday it was conducting additional tests after the Food and Drug Administration announced on Wednesday that it would temporarily halt orange juice imports and remove any juice found to have dangerous amounts of the fungicide carbendazim.

The scare was triggered when soft-drink giant Coca-Cola Co, maker of Minute Maid orange juice, said it had discovered carbendazim in shipments from Brazil and alerted U.S. authorities about a potential industry-wide problem.

Carbendazim is used in Brazil to combat blossom blight and black spot, a type of mold that grows on orange trees.

But in the United States, its use is limited to non-food items such as paints, textiles and ornamental trees, although U.S. authorities allow trace amounts of carbendazim in 31 food types including grains, nuts and some non-citrus fruits.

The FDA said low levels of carbendazim are not dangerous and the agency had no plans for a recall.

“The results we have to date confirm that the levels of fungicide in the imported Brazilian juice we tested are below the levels the agencies said raise safety concerns,” PepsiCo said. “We will continue to test, as we take this matter seriously, and we’re working aggressively to address any concerns.”

Orange juice futures prices hit record highs on the fungicide reports, then declined.

On Friday, U.S. health regulators cleared the way for the first shipments of imported orange juice to enter the country since January 4, when authorities began testing for the fungicide in juice products from Brazil.

The FDA said final tests confirmed that three samples of Canadian orange juice were negative for the fungicide carbendazim. Test results have yet to be announced for 28 import samples from Brazil, Mexico and Canada.

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Reason
Possible Listeria Contamination

Instructions
Do not consume the product. Return To Giant Eagle for a full refund. For questions or concerns please call Giant Eagle Customer Care at 1-800-553-2324 or River Ranch at 1-800-762-7708.

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