St. Cloud Personal Injury Lawyer - Toxic Substances

Safe Holiday: Making Thanksgiving Safe

Mike Bryant — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:29:00 GMT

With a week to go before the Thanksgiving holiday, it's important that thoughts turn to food safety before it becomes an issue. More than 200,000 Americans get sick each day from what they eat, and turkey dinner with all the trimmings complicates it all.

The following rules should be observed:

Washing your hands often- Hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of food borne illness.
Keep raw food separate from cooked food- Either keep it cold or keep it hot.
Use a food thermometer - Salmonella dies at 165 degrees
Store leftovers in small portions in the fridge- Keep the fridge at 40°F degrees or below to keep bacteria from growing.
Wipe down counters, cutting boards and utensils that have had raw meat on them

The Injuryboard has focusing on food issue, a review of these topics can prevent and help with food problems all year long.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Safe Holiday : Cooking The Turkey

Mike Bryant — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:27:00 GMT

With the turkey dinner just days away, it's important that consideration go into how the turkey is prepared.

The turkey should be thawed completely.
Enough time must be allowed to cook a whole turkey. (A 20-pound turkey needs two to three days to thaw completely when thawed in the refrigerator at a temperature of no more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. A stuffed turkey needs 4 ¼ to 5 ¾ hours to cook completely).
A food thermometer should be used so to ensure that 165-180 degrees Fahrenheit is achieved.

The Injuryboard has focusing on food issues , a review of these topics can prevent and help with food problems all year long.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Popular Food Can Make You Sick

Mike Bryant — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:46:00 GMT

This past week, the Center for Science in the Public Interest released the list of foods that have the most reported food illnesses. Unfortunately, they may be most people's favorites. This may mean a couple of things:

- All foods can make us sick

- That we don't do a very good job of preparing the foods we eat

- That the more mass produced a food product is, there may be more risks in those processes.

They found that since 1990 the top ten list was:

leafy greens were involved in 363 outbreaks and about 13,600 illnesses.
Eggs, involved in 352 outbreaks and 11,163 reported cases of illness.
Tuna, involved in 268 outbreaks and 2,341 reported cases of illness.
Oysters, involved in 132 outbreaks and 3,409 reported cases of illness.
Potatoes, involved in 108 outbreaks and 3,659 reported cases of illness.
Cheese, involved in 83 outbreaks and 2,761 reported cases of illness.
Ice cream, involved in 74 outbreaks and 2,594 reported cases of illness.
Tomatoes, involved in 31 outbreaks and 3,292 reported cases of illness.
Sprouts, involved in 31 outbreaks and 2,022 reported cases of illness.
Berries, involved in 25 outbreaks and 3,397 reported cases of illness.

The problems were mostly caused by norovirus, E. coli, and salmonella bacteria. Unfortunately, Smith DeWaal the CSPI's head of food safety programs, called the list "the tip of the iceberg" when it comes to food-borne illnesses in the U.S. Because, not all outbreaks are reported to public health authorities.

How do you protect yourself? Sarah Klein, lead author of the report recommends "defensive eating," including keeping food cold and cooking it thoroughly, chilling oysters and avoiding them when raw, and avoiding raw eggs or using them in homemade ice cream.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Safe Holiday: Picking Your Turkey

Mike Bryant — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:25:00 GMT

The key to the whole meal is picking the turkey. A recent government study suggests that that isn't a simple task. “Last year USDA released data on turkey contamination that showed 90% of the turkeys tested in 1996 and 1997 were contaminated with Campylobacter and 18% were contaminated with Salmonella,” said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of Food Safety for CSPI. “This year, CSPI hoped to document positive changes in turkey safety due to the new mandatory hazard control systems (called HACCP) now used in most turkey plants. Instead, what we found was shocking.”

Tests conducted by CSPI on 50 turkeys from five cities found:

	A total of 16% of all turkeys tested were contaminated with Campylobacter.
	Fresh turkeys in the sample were significantly more likely than the frozen turkeys to be contaminated.
	Turkeys from Los Angeles were more contaminated than turkeys from Washington, DC, New York, Chicago, and Miami.
	None of the turkeys tested were contaminated with Salmonella.

“Consumers can improve their odds of avoiding food poisoning by washing their hands frequently, using safe food-handling practices, such as washing preparation counters thoroughly with hot soapy water before and after handling their turkey, and by cooking the turkey to 180°,” concluded DeWaal. For more safety tips check out suggestions for a safe Thanksgiving

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Real Stories Behind Food Poisoning

Mike Bryant — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:43:00 GMT

There is a real person behind every food poisoning. I'm reminded of that every time I sit down and talk to a family who has lost a loved one. So many times, we here at the InjuryBoard write this food alert or that outbreak. I try to write each story with an eye toward future safety and what could have been done differently. The point is to prevent another similar incident from happening again. I've appreciated it when I have been contacted after a post by a reader who thanks me for pointing out the safety consideration. I think it comforts people to know that something is being done to prevent future issues and even maybe to save lives in the future.

Locally the story of Stephanie Smith, 22 year old from Cold Spring, Minnesota who suffered severe cramping and diarrhea, then kidney failure and seizures as a result of eating a tainted hamburger. She was in a medically induced coma for nine weeks and since waking up, has not been able to walk. She was known as a dance instructor who loved to work with children.

The New York Times looked at the story and provided not only a heartbreaking video of her loss, but also tracked the story as to what it was that caused this tragedy to happen. How the burger came from frozen hamburger made by Cargill, which saved 25 percent in production costs by using a mix of trimmings and a mash-like product from slaughterhouses in Nebraska, Texas and Uruguay vs. whole meat .

Low-grade ingredients are cut from areas of the cow that are more likely to have had contact with feces, which carries E. coli. Cargill was relying upon the processing plants. The result is the type of product that can sicken people. But in this case changes a young woman's life forever.

A simple example of why we need to work to make the food we eat safer. Too many people have been hurt. Stephanie Smith was one of those.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Jelly Belly Recalls 49 Flavors Jelly Belly Packages

Mike Bryant — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:22:35 GMT

The first week of November, Jelly Belly Candy Company did a nationwide recall of 7.5-ounce cylinder-style packages of 49 Flavors Jelly Belly jelly beans. The package is incorrectly labeled. The mislabeled packages failed to list peanut butter and peanut flour in the ingredient statement..

Subject to recall are the Jelly Belly 49 Flavors cylinder packages which were shipped to approximately 200 independent stores nationwide from September 29 to October 30, 2009. The cylinders are a clear 7.5-ounce acetate with white label on the bottom of the package with lot codes 090925, 090928, 090929 or 091001. UPC code 071567989398.

Consumers who have a peanut allergy and purchased this product in the last five weeks are urged to return it to Jelly Belly Candy Company, One Jelly Belly Lane, Fairfield, Calif., 94533. Consumers and retailers with questions about the recall should call the Jelly Belly Hotline at 800-522-3267 or to visit the companies website at www.jellybelly.com .

If you suffer from food poisoning, you need to get immediate medical care. If it continues or there are long term affects, you should contact an attorney concerning the problem. Early investigation can include the collection of samples, checking for health alerts, and the proper notifying of those who caused the problem.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Great Website For Information About Our Food

Mike Bryant — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:21:00 GMT

If you spend some time looking around the Injuryboard website, you will find hundreds of articles about various issues with food. The peanut butter salmonella issue was covered from a number of angles. If you look under the toxic substances tab, you will see the many different issues we specifically have looked at from the Minnesota perspective. Usually, there is death or serious illness involved with the stories.

But, today it is great to be looking at a great website that hopefully will help cut down on the need for future stories. Yet another example of what a difference an administration makes with the way the FDA is handled. We are seeing signs of actual action on food from overseas, forcing companies to pay for hurting people, and information that helps the consumer, instead of taking rights away.

The site has email alerts and an RSS feeder, which will make it easier for people to get information. Hopefully, more and more people will find the site and use it for vital health information.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Mars Recalls Dove Caramel Pecan Perfection Ice Cream

Mike Bryant — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:01:00 GMT

The end of October, The U.S. Food Safety and Mars Snackfood US announced a nationwide recall of Dove Caramel Pecan Perfection ice cream because it contains undeclared peanuts. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products. No related illnesses have been reported to date. For consumers who do not suffer from a peanut allergy or sensitivity, this product is safe to eat.

Subject to is recall is lot number (931AB5YN07) that was distributed only in the United States, and specifically to the following states: AL, CO, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, NC, OH, OR, TX, UT, WA and WI. Dove Caramel Pecan Perfection is sold in a brown and gold 15.10 fl. oz. pint container and pictures a ribbon of caramel, pecans and a square of Dove® Brand Chocolate on the front.

Consumers can return the product to the store where they purchased it for a full refund. Questions may may be directed to the company at 800-551-0895

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Breyers Recalls Tubs Of Ice Cream.

Mike Bryant — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:27:52 GMT

The end of October, The U.S. Food Safety and Unilever United States, Inc., of Englewood Cliffs, NJ announced a nationwide recall of tubs of Breyers® ice cream because it was mis-packaged and may contain undeclared wheat. Unilever United States Inc., Breyers' parent company, is recalling an undisclosed number of 1.5 quart tubs of "All Natural Cookies & Cream" ice cream that are carrying labels that say "All Natural Mint Chocolate Chip." The undeclared wheat, produces a health risk for people allergic to such ingredients.

Subject to recall are tubs where the lid describes the product as "Breyers® All Natural Cookies & Cream" ice cream, and the tub portion of the package describes the product as "Breyers® All Natural Mint Chocolate Chip" ice cream. The product inside of the tub is "All Natural Cookies & Cream." The ingredient statement on the tub does not declare wheat, which is an ingredient of the Cookies & Cream product.

Each product was distributed in 1.5-quart (1.41L) paperboard tubs marked with UPC # 077567254245 located on the side of the tub and in combination with "Best If Used By" dates of FEB1711GH, FEB1811GH and FEB1911GH located on the bottom of the tub.

Consumers are urged to discard the product immediately and contact the company at 1-877-270-7402 for a full refund.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Cargill Unit Beef Packers Inc. Recall 800,000 Pounds Of Hamburger

Mike Bryant — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:37:00 GMT

In early August, the United States Department of Agriculture and Beef Packers a Fresno, Calif., establishment, announced the recall of 800,000 pounds of ground beef because of an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. Beef Packers, Inc. is a unit of Minneapolis-based agribusiness giant Cargill Inc and recalled:

60 pound cases of "GRD Beef Sirl Fine 90/10." Each case bears the identifying case code W69012 with Use/Freeze by dates of 06/23/09, 06/26/09, 06/28/09, 06/29/09, 06/30/09, 07/03/09, 07/05/09, 07/06/09, 07/07/09, 07/10/09 and 07/11/09.
60 pound cases of "Grnd Bf Fine Sir 90/10 10/60 H". Each case bears the identifying case code W69064 with Use/Freeze by dates of 06/26/09, 06/29/09, 07/03/09, 07/06/09, 7/10/09 and 07/14/09.
60 pound cases of "Grnd Beef 90/10 Fine 60." Each case bears the identifying case code W69063 with Use/Freeze by dates of 06/23/09, 06/26/09, 06/30/09, 07/03/09, 07/07/09, 07/10/09 and 07/11/09.
80 pound cases of "Grnd Beef Fine 91/09 10#/80." Each case bears the identifying case code W69108 with Use/Freeze by dates of 06/30/09, 07/06/09, 07/08/09 and 07/13/09 .
60 pound cases of "Grnd Beef Fine 93/07 10/60." Each case bears the identifying case code W69363 with Use/Freeze by dates of 06/23/09, 06/26/09, 06/28/09, 06/29/09, 06/30/09, 07/03/09, 07/07/09, 07/10/09 and 07/11/09.
60 pound cases of "Grnd Beef Fine 93/07 10#/60 H." Each case bears the identifying case code W69360 with Use/Freeze by date of 06/26/09, 07/03/09, 07/06/09, 07/10/09 and 07/14/09.
40 pound cases of "GRD BEEF FINE 96/04-10#/40." Each case bears the identifying case code W69602 with Use/Freeze by dates of 06/23/09, 06/30/09, 07/03/09, 07/07/09, 07/10/09 and 07/11/09.

The ground beef products were produced on various dates ranging from June 5, 2009 through June 23, 2009 and bear the establishment number "EST. 31913" printed on the case code labels. The ground beef products were distributed to retail distribution centers in Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah. Because these products were repackaged into consumer-size packages and sold under different retail brand names, consumers should check with their local retailer to determine whether they may have purchased any of the products subject to recall. The product has been sold at Safeway Inc. and Sam's Club. Consumers with questions about the recall should contact the company's Consumer Line at (877) 872-3635

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant