Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution won an Emmy this past Saturday at the Creative Arts Emmy Ceremony in Hollywood. Oliver, a British celebrity chef turned health activist, has used the success of his show to publicize the launch of his petition to change the menus in public school lunch halls and reign in the obesity epidemic.
Oliver tweeted, “I can’t believe we won the Emmy! Thanks to everyone that signed the petition, 650,000 of you.”
His show defeated the likes of Mythbusters, Dirty Jobs, and Antiques Roadshow to claim the title of Outstanding Reality Program.
His show focused on changing the eating habits in Huntington, West Virginia, which has deemed the most obese city in America by the Federal Government. He centered his fight on the school lunch program and infamously tried to explain to local officials that French fries don’t count as vegetables.
He also showed his 7.5 million viewers what plus-size coffins look like and opened up a community kitchen to continue teaching local families about alternatives to fast food and TV dinners. He made parents and school administrators aware of unhealthy ingredients in the food their children were consuming. The program included extensive coverage at Huntington High School and Central City Elementary School, where most children couldn’t identify a tomato.
Even though his show only consisted of six episodes, it gathered a significant following. He won the prestigious 2010 TED Award earlier this year. TED is a non-profit community of some of the world’s most influential “thinkers and do-ers”. Past award recipients include Bono and Bill Clinton. With the award, he won a $100,000 donation towards his current projects as well as one “wish” that the TED community pledged to help make a reality.
“I wish for the TED community to create a movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again, and bring people together everywhere to fight obesity,” said Oliver. “My hope is that millions more people will learn, as so many have already, that it is a happier, healthier life that is built around eating good food, together with family and friends.” He laid out a number of different steps towards making this a reality. These include mobilizing a theater group to travel around the country and teach children about eating healthy. Part of Oliver’s revolution includes a petition he is circulating around the nation that he hopes will eventually improve the U.S. school lunch system. It has already garnered support from celebrities such as P. Diddy, Wendy Williams, Randy Jackson, Dr. Drew, Heidi Klum, Kate Goslin, Heidi Montag, Ellen DeGeneres, Justin Beiber, Whoopie Goldberg, Larry King, Adam Lambert, and Jennifer Aniston. The petition can be signed here.
Oliver’s website includes details of the petition, his successful school lunch overhaul in England, and his efforts in Huntington. He advocates for healthy home cooking, and a revamped school lunch program.
While promoting fresh home cooking, Oliver also emphasizes the importance of food safety precautions. He has published numerous articles and videos on his website that are designed to teach people about the importance of cooking safely in the home. Some of these include articles on how to safely freeze homemade food, how to prevent cross contamination, and directions on how to prepare meat safely. In an article titled “Chopping Boards” he says, “I can only speak from my own personal experience but I use wooden chopping boards for all my fruit & veg and only ever use a plastic chopping board for meat & fish. The reason for this is the plastic board does not absorb like wood and can be cleaned better.”
Additionally, his website includes healthy sample lunch menus and home cooking guides.Oliver’s supporters hope that the recognition that comes with this Emmy award will only progress his efforts to bring about change to America’s food system and general eating habits.
Seafood importers from Venezuela and Malaysia operating process facilities without proper Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans recently received warning letters from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In a July 27 warning letter released last week, Malaysia’s GroPoint Fisheries was told that “serious deviations” concerning its HACCP plan means FDA must consider its tuna and Mahi Mahi fish products to be “adulterated.”
The seafood importer has HACCP issues to address regarding “receiving at the dock” and “wharf to the processing plant” transport. FDA gives foreign companies 30 business days to respond to warning letters.
Shrimp imported by Sector Nuevo Palmarejo, based in Venezuela with facilities in Miami, was also found to be “adulterated” In an Aug. 2 warning letter, FDA said there were “serious deviations” in the firm’s HACCP plan.
“Accordingly, your shrimp are adulterated, in that they have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health,” the recently released letter said.
Two other Venezuelan imports received Aug. 3 and 5 warning letters about problems with cooked crabmeat in Miami.
Del Mar Corporation and Factoria Del Lago, both based in Venezuela, are involved with Kingmar Seafood Corporation, located in Miami. In an April inspection, FDA found its HACCP plan for cooked crabmeat also had “serious deviations” from the requirements.
FDA wants to be sure that Kingmar is controlling pathogen growth and giving attention to preventing botulism.
“Moreover, we suggest a critical limit associated with measurable residual level of chlorine in the water, to prevent introduction of pathogens; or alternatively that the water undergo an ultraviolet treatment to prevent introduction of pathogens during the cooling, ” FDA said in a warning letter to Del Mar.
In a separate warning letter to Del Mar, FDA expressed similar concerns.
It might exist.
But I have not seen any informed speculation on why President Obama opted to make a controversial “recess” appointment of Dr. Elisabeth Hagen as the new Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
So, join me in some uniformed speculation.
Let’s recap what we do know. Dr. Richard Raymond, the last “Senate confirmed” Under Secretary for Food Safety, made his escape to northern Colorado in October 2008.
Obama became President in January 2009, but did not nominate Hagen until one year and a week later in January 2010. Hagen did not clear the Senate Agriculture Committee until July.
Why it took Obama so long to make the nomination probably won’t be known until somebody in the know quits and writes a book. Ag Committee Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln, D-AR, is trying to get through a tough re-election year, and Dr. Hagen’s confirmation was not much of a priority for her.
Still, Hagen had cleared the committee and was ready for vote on the floor of the Senate. There is nothing about her nomination that is controversial. She is highly qualified. She has never dated a Cuban spy or anything remotely like that.
The fact that recess appointments almost always have some element of controversy about them, and the fact that this one has none is what makes it perplexing. But, I think I know why this happening–eggs.
With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration activating its emergency response center to manage the largest shell egg recall in history, it was not a good time to have no leadership at USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Eggs are one of those food items that illustrate the dichotomy of the federal government’s food safety scheme. FSIS and FDA both are responsible for the safety of eggs.
One Congresswoman explains.
“This urgent nationwide recall is very disturbing, not only because it appears to have been preventable, but it also may have been the result of an inefficient and unresponsive food safety system,” said Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro, D-CT. ”Given the split jurisdiction between FDA and USDA over ensuring the safety of eggs, I fear the investigation and subsequent recall may have been delayed as FDA traced the source of the contamination.
“Because USDA is responsible for egg safety at processing plants, it is troubling that FDA is the lead agency in this investigation even though it has never inspected the Wright County Egg facility. Instead of reinforcing each other’s work, the current food safety system of split jurisdiction appears to have resulted in a disjointed inspection process.
USDA is charged with food safety at the so-called “breaker plants” or egg product processing facilities. FDA is responsible for shell egg safety and egg products shipped from breaker facilities.
And pretty soon, there’s going to be some explaining to do about the mess we are in with eggs. This is not just a mammoth food recall; it is easy to make the case statistically that it’s already made thousands of people sick.
So eggs got Hagen her recess appointment. The egg crisis is the reason for the recess appointment, and can be the reason for the Senate to quickly finish the job by confirming the appointment and then passing a food safety bill.
Without Senate confirmation, a recess appointment cannot continue after the current Congress adjourns. FSIS needs a leader with some staying power.
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced this week that Snow White Food Products of Brooklyn, NY, was recalling alfalfa sprouts for potential Salmonella contamination.
The contamination was discovered by routine sampling and testing by the New York State Food Laboratory.
The sprouts being recalled were distributed in New York State, and were sold packaged in a 3.5 ounce plastic clamshell container. The container is uncoded but has a UPC code of 0-46421-11236-6.
No illnesses have been reported in association with the recalled sprouts.
Snow White Food Products has discontinued the production and sale of its alfalfa sprouts while the company works to determine the source of contamination.
An infectious dose of Salmonella is small, probably from 15 to 20 cells. Typically, non-typhoidal Salmonella produces a self-limiting febrile gastrointestinal illness that is indistinguishable from that caused by other bacterial enteric pathogens. Dehydration is the principal clinical concern. The incubation period–the time between ingestion of Salmonella bacteria and the onset of illness–varies from six to 72 hours.
Salmonella can cause three different kinds of illness: gastroenteritis, typhoid fever, and bacteremia.
Symptoms of Salmonella gastroenteritis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting. In mild cases diarrhea may be non-bloody, occur several times per day, and not be very voluminous; in severe cases it may be frequent, bloody and/or mucoid, and of high volume.
Fever generally occurs in the 100°F to 102°F range. Vomiting is less common than diarrhea. Headaches, muscle pain, and joint pain are often reported as well. Whereas the diarrhea typically lasts 24 to 72 hours, patients often report fatigue and other nonspecific symptoms lasting 7 days or longer.
Consumers who have purchased 3.5 ounce containers of Snow White Food Products alfalfa sprouts are urged to return them to the place of purchase or discard the product. Consumers with questions may contact the company directly at 718-230-5625.
Officials at the Cook County Department of Public Health are investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Newport linked to the Assi Market, an Asian foods market in Niles, Illinois.
There are currently six lab-confirmed cases, five of which required hospitalization. All persons linked to the outbreak have reported eating a pickle purchased from the Assi Market. The pickles were made at the market and were sold in plastic bags in the deli. The batch of pickles was available for purchase July 25 through July 27 with a sell by date of Aug. 24, 2010.
The Illinois Department of Public Health tested a pickle sample obtained from a family linked to the outbreak; the sample tested positive for Salmonella.
“We are asking for anyone who purchased these pickles to contact our agency,” said Stephen A. Martin, Jr., at in a press release. “Salmonella is a serious disease and we want to make sure we’ve spoken with anyone who may have become ill after eating these pickles. In addition, we are interested in conducting additional testing on any remaining pickles from this batch.”
Anyone who has consumed pickles from Assi Market, sold during the suspected window, and is experiencing diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, should contact the Cook County Department of Public Health Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Unit at (708) 492-2150.
A Bowling Green, KY juice maker is having trouble understanding how it can achieve a “5-log reduction in the pertinent microorganisms.”
In an Aug. 13 warning letter to Juice Pac Inc., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the juice processing facility must achieve the 5-log reduction in microorganisms in its juice concentrates.
A “5-log reduction” means lowering the number of microorganisms by 100,000-fold, meaning if a surface has 100,000 pathogenic microbes on it, a 5-log reduction would reduce the number of microorganisms to one.
After undergoing FDA inspection last May 4-6, Juice Pac wrote the agency suggesting steps it might take and asking if those actions would meet the “5-log reduction” standard.
In the warning letter, FDA told Juice Pac Inc. that taking those steps would not meet 5-log reduction. It suggests the juice maker rely on the “FDA Guidance for Industry” publication entitled “Guidance on Bulk Transport of Juice Concentrates and Certain Shelf Stable Juices.”
That means the steps Juice Pac Inc. was planning to take–including documenting that ingredients had received 5-log pathogen reduction, designating receiving juice concentrate ingredients as a critical control point, and documenting that drink base supplied to customers should be subjected to the 5-log reduction–would not meet the standard.
Without performing a 5-log reduction for its drink bases, without a juice Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan, and proper sanitation control records, Juice Pac’s juice concentrates are “adulterated,” according to FDA.
The agency said, “…your juice concentrates are adulterated in that they have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health.”
In the warning letter, FDA does give Juice Pac advice on how it might seek “enforcement discretion” as a single facility.
The warning letter gives Juice Pac 15 working days to get back to FDA’s Cincinnati district office with specific steps it plans to take to address the violations.
