Food Safety
HSUS Reports ‘Deplorable’ Conditions at Large PA Egg Farm
The group urges Congress to act on industry-backed egg standards legislation
The animal agriculture industry is facing another round of unflattering headlines. The Humane Society of the United States on Thursday released video and photographs of alleged abuse and insanitary conditions at a large egg farm that supplies the mid-Atlantic region.
HSUS, an animal rights group loathed by the livestock sector, last year struck a historic deal with the egg industry to seek federal legislation for alternative housing for egg-laying hens, and now the group says the latest undercover investigation at Kreider Farms in Pennsylvania should propel Congress to act on the bill.
“The egg industry in the United States now supports legislation to provide legal protection for hundreds of millions of egg laying hens. Kreider Farms is one producer that disagrees,” said Paul Shapiro in the HSUS’ investigation video. “In fact, its standards are even less than the voluntary standards that the industry has right now.”
HSUS is alleging that Kreider Farms not only treats its 7 million birds inhumanely — the released video shows chickens packed in cages (which is how the vast majority of egg laying hens in the United States are kept) and dead birds stuck in caging — but keeps them in filthy conditions, which helps bacteria like Salmonella spread. The investigation found some manure and eggs testes positive for Salmonella.
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FDA Warning Letters: April 10, 2012 Update
From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning letters posted since our April 3, 2012 update:
Lucky Taco, Inc. of Hustisford, WI was warned by the FDA that a December 2011 inspection of the company’s facility revealed significant violations, including that its Java Mint flavored Lucky Cruncher Cookie contained a coffee liquer flavor with color additives not declared on the label and that its Lucky Taco Mexican Fortune Cookie containued milk, an allergen not declared on the label. The FDA also challenged the company’s “low calorie” claims for some of its products.
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Recalls
Heineken Recalls Certain Beers Due to Bottle Defect
Heineken USA is recalling certain Mexican beers because the bottles may be defective, so there is a potential for small particles of glass to separate from the inside lip of the bottle and fall into the beer. The pieces may vary in size and some may not be easily visible, the company said in its recall announcement.
The problem affects certain 12-ounce brown bottles of Carta Blanca and Dos Equis Ambar, as well as “Beers of Mexico” and “Best of Mexico” pack varieties. Indio 12-ounce bottles, which are only in the “Best of Mexico” pack (available only in Texas), are also affected and being recalled.
Dos Equis Lager green bottles and draught; Dos Equis Ambar draught; Tecate; and Carta Blanca 32-ounce bottles are not impacted nor are any other Heineken USA brands.
According to the company’s news release, the number of defective bottles is less than one percent, and the recall is a precautionary measure.
“There have not been any reports of consumer injuries, and while the likelihood of a possible injury to a consumer is very low, the presence of small particles of glass in the bottle could pose a health risk,” the company stated in its recall announcement.
Read Full Article Here
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Allergen Alert
Allergen Alert: Peanuts in Caramel Cob
Kathy Kaye Foods is recalling certain Classic Caramel Cob Junior because it may contain peanuts, an allergen not included on the label.
No adverse reactions have been reported.
Routine sampling and analysis by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets revealed the presence of peanut allergen at 34 parts per million in packages of Classic Caramel Cob Junior with a best-by date of Dec. 23, 2011….
Allergen Alert: Nuts with Soy, Milk
John B. Sanfilippo and Son are recalling Fisher Vanilla Bean Almonds and Fisher Cocoa Mocha Almonds because they contain soy ingredients not declared on the label, and a snack nut blend because it contains soy and milk ingredients not listed on the label.
There have been no reports of adverse reactions.
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Articles of Interest
The Rise to Fame of ‘Pink Slime’
In the news since 2008, why no LFTB backlash until now?
Last week, Iowa’s Gov. Terry Branstad and U.S. Rep. Steve King called for a congressional hearing on the media coverage that fueled a public backlash against ‘pink slime,’ Beef Products Inc.’ s Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB). Among other things, King accused journalists and activists of perpetrating a “smear campaign” against BPI and suggested they should go under oath to explain why they “could not base their allegations on facts.”
Coming from top-tier lawmakers, the demands for a hearing were a testament to the significant influence of media and social networking on the national perception of LFTB. Since the backlash ignited last month, concerned parents and grossed-out burger lovers have spoken out in droves, demanding it be labeled or altogether removed from store shelves and school lunches.
But LFTB isn’t new. It’s been marketed since 2001, when the Food and Drug Administration OK’d the ammonia treatment process, and it had been in McDonald’s hamburgers and on school lunch trays since at least 2004. The Washington Post wrote about it in 2008, the documentary Food, Inc. showed BPI’s process on camera, and a 2009 story discussing BPI’s product earned journalist Michael Moss and the New York Times a Pulitzer Prize. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver railed against it on primetime television in 2011.
So, after roughly four years in the popular media, what sparked the sudden, forceful public rejection of LFTB?…
Canada’s Food Inspectors Nervous About Federal Budget
Since the Conservative government led by Stephen Harper has been in power in Ottawa, the Canadian Food Safety Inspection Agency (CFIA) has seen annual increases in its inspector ranks.
Also there is a yearly scare about food safety jobs that gets pushed along by government unions with speculation about cuts that might occur as Canada goes through its budget process.
This year, Canadians are being told 100 food inspector positions might be cut from the federal government’s budget. Might the scare tactics this year be for real? Â Maybe.
To understand Canada’s budget ritual as it affects food safety, it’s important to know the numbers to begin with. Â As of March 2011, CFIA employed a total of 7,544. Â Its ranks have increased in every year since 1999…..
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