Salmonella 09 Just over a week into the new year, a new outbreak of salmonella has sickened at least 388 people in 42 states, with about 1/5 of those people sick enough to be hospitalized and one possible death.
Putting our money where our mouths are Tom Philpott has a great new piece on Grist, outlining some great ideas on how an economic stimulus package could be used to improve our local food systems.
Chinese milk media crackdown Last week, police in Beijing detained Zhao Lianha, the father of a 3 year old sickened by melamine-contaminated milk, who had created a web site and organized a press conference on behalf of parents of affected children who feel that the amount of money the Chinese government proposes to pay the families (roughly $29,000 for parents whose children died, $4,000 for children with serious health problems and just under $300 for those less severely affected) is insufficient.
Tangerine farmers vs. beekeepers Some California citrus growers are up in arms about bees in their orchards because cross-pollination can cause the fruit to develop seeds. Area beekeepers, many of whom have absorbed hive losses due to Colony Collapse Disorder, figure their bees need to find food during winter months. Will they come to a compromise or wind up in court?
A very un-vegan GE drug The FDA is getting closer to approving the first genetically modified animal for use in pharmaceuticals. Atryn, an anti-clotting drug, is produced by injecting human DNA into goat cells and breeding female goats who, after giving birth, begin giving milk that contains a human anti-clotting protein.
3 responses so far ↓
1 ROBERT C MAIZE // Jan 11, 2009 at 3:41 am
thearmadillo has noted that Homo Sapiens is the cause a great deal of the problems with mother nature.
We have become an infestation of greed and not with order and the rules of nature and she is fighting back.
We have had 10 years of a lack of direction and
common reason, wisdom by, allowing the raping of the land and oversight of the good stewardship
of the natural order of mother earth.
So we are paying the highest price in not putting
good citizens to work to over see that creative thinking is used and not political reason rule by default.
We all need to take a new look at where we are and put harmony back in our relationship with
rules for all that blesses us to be one with our world around us…..
2 Bill Marler // Jan 12, 2009 at 5:35 am
On Salmonella:
People get Salmonella Typhimurium from eating Peanut Butter, Minnesota points the finger at King Nut, who points the finger at Peanut Corporation of America, so what is next?
Minnesota Department of Health announces late Friday that the have linked thirty illnesses ( and a death) to the consumption of King Nut Peanut Butter (and Parnell’s Pride?). There is nothing on the CDC website or other State Health Department sites naming names – yet. On Saturday King Nut and the FDA jointly release a recall notification, but King Nut blames the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) for its problem. PCA’s lawyers write a press release that tries to deny as much as possible.
So, what is next? Here are a few ideas (not in any particular order) that the companies involved and the government should do Monday morning:
1. Make sure ALL product is promptly recalled;
2. Do not destroy any documents;
3. The companies should pay the medical bills and all related expenses of the innocent victims and their families;
4. The companies should pay the cost of all related Health Department, CDC and FDA investigations;
5. Provide all bacterial and viral testing of all recalled product and any other tested product (before and after recall);
6. Release all inspection reports on the plants by any Governmental Entity or Third-party Auditor;
7. Release all Salmonella safety precautions taken by either King Nut or Peanut Corporation of America – especially after the 2007 Salmonella Peanut Butter Outbreak;
8. Provide the public with the Epidemiological investigation (with names redacted), so it is clear who knew what and when about the likely source of the outbreak; and,
9. Show the public what is being done to prevent the next outbreak.
Taking these steps will go a long way in convincing us that food safety and consumer confidence is of primary importance both to the companies and the government.
3 ROBERT C MAIZE // Feb 6, 2009 at 1:55 am
THE LARGE AND SMALL OF IT ALL IS THAT NO ONE HAS BEEN MINDING THE STORE AS ALL THOUSE THAT DID THE WORK WERE PUT IN LESSOR POSITIONS BY THE LOBBYIST APPOINTEES GETTING THEIR PAY BACK FROM THE BUSHVILLE FOLLIES DANCE OF PR GREED.
LETS PUT ORDER AND COMMEN SENCE BACK TO WORK AGAIN.
OR AS THE SAYING GOES “LETS GET REAL?”.
WHAT YOU SAY IS TRUE THIS NATION BEST PAY ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT FREE TRADE HAS SCREWED THE PEOPLE AND MADE THE CORPORATE RATS RICH BY ALLOWING “HONEY WAGON FARMING” INVADE THIS NATION.
THERE ARE SOME OF THESE LAWS AND RULES IN PLACE NOW.
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