The FDA Commissioner Blogs

Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach has been FDA Commissioner since December, 2006. Last Thursday he started a blog: Andy's Take.

He refers to it as a "weekly communication" that will give us his "inside view". I'm hoping.

Update: He doesn't accept comments. That would be a highlight of his blog. However, his boss accepts comments: HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt's Blog.

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Cantaloupe Cleaner

Sherri, you asked:

"Would rubbing a slice of lemon on the peeled melon kill any transferred salmonella?"

He doesn't address your question exactly, but Trevor Suslow at the University of California, Davis, put together a paper this week (posted yesterday, possibly motivated by the Honduran incident) that focuses on the home-cleaning issue:

Salmonella and Cantaloupe: What Can Consumers Really Do? (pdf)

Here's what he said about vinegar:

• White vinegar was better than brown.
  
• It takes quite a lot to be effective, so spraying a mixture of 1 cup white vinegar mixed with one cup tap water over the surface of the melon may be a best choice.
  
• Let set for at least 2 minutes, preferably 10 minutes, and then rinse.

He also addresses the use of cleaners such as a bleach solution (not recommended because of additives), hydrogen peroxide (not recommended because of additives), and commercial vegetable washes (thought to be helpful but not fully vetted). Other soaps and detergents are also not recommended because of non-food-grade additives.

I recall in my reading that organic acids, of the type you mentioned, weren't as effective. I thought they would be. I'll post if I find anything.

His conclusion:

Are These Wash Steps Necessary?
"Unfortunately, we can’t truly answer this most reasonable question."

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Irradiated Spinach ... And Lettuce, Tomatoes, Asparagus ...

I knew it would come to this. From The Des Moines Register:

Irradiated Spinach Passes A Taste Test

Two weeks ago the House of Representatives held a meeting on food safety. Iowa State University professor Dennis Olson attended. He brought with him a cooler. Inside the cooler were samples of irradiated, and non-irradiated, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, and asparagus. He laid the products on a table in front of the committee members. They sampled the spinach.

"No difference," said Bart Stupak, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's oversight subcommittee.

"No difference," agreed Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill. "I think Popeye would approve."

Irradiation kills E. coli, salmonella, and other microorganisms - good and bad.

"When we have widespread use of irradiation of our food supply, it will also be listed as a pillar of public health," said Olson, an expert on irradiation. He compared the technology to pasteurizing milk with heat.

The FDA approved irradiation of meat and poultry in 1999. According to its website, it also allows its use in a few other foods, including fresh fruits, vegetables, and spices. It's now considering whether to approve its wider use in produce. The FDA's director of food additive safety released a statement on March 12th saying the produce irradiation issue was a "high priority."

Irradiated foods are required to be labeled with either the statement "treated with radiation" or "treated by irradiation" and the international symbol for irradiation, the radura (shown above).¹

This isn't the direction I want to see food safety take. But with the ever increasing amount of food being grown and distributed in this country, to feed the ever increasing number of mouths, I see irradiated produce on the horizon - especially when you consider:

"Soil and water testing has shown Salinas Valley is teeming with E. coli."
- Dr. Kevin Reilly, California Department of Health, Should We Irradiate Fruits And Vegetables?

________¹ FDA - Food Irradiation, A Safe Measure
Idea for post: Barry Estabrook's Politics of the Plate. Great photo of a blue tomato there.

Oops! Salmonella Not In Honduran Melons

So says Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, who then publicly ate one.

Honduran President Defends Melons

So far, 50 people in the US have become ill by (it's thought) eating those melons, 14 of whom were hospitalized.

The grower in Honduras who the FDA says is the source of the contaminated cantaloupes, Agropecuaria Montelibana, has continued to sell to Europe and Central America, with no reports of illness.

So, if their melons were fine before they left Honduras, but not fine when consumers ate them, where did the contamination occur? Did it occur within the US? If so, is other produce vulnerable?

________Photo of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya eating melon via CNN story.

More On Cleaning Cantaloupe

I'm going to come clean. I use soap. On my melons. I have for years, ever since I learned the rinds harbor nasties. Well, lately I use a commercial Veggie Wash, but still.

I remember working in a hospital kitchen years ago and watching how cantaloupe was prepared for the masses. The particular food service employee whose job it was to present fresh cantaloupe, cubed, had a unique way of handling his melons. He rolled them around whole on his cutting board as he sliced the rind off in pieces. Picture a Samurai. Just about every piece of cantaloupe served to the recumbent folks upstairs came in contact with the rinds of all of those melons.

I'm still wondering why the FDA advises against using anything but water, cool tap water, to clean cantaloupe prior to slicing. (See my post, How To Handle A Melon.) I shared my how-to-clean-cantaloupe question. Here's some feedback.¹ Items in italics are mine.

1. Cutting melons after peeling the rind was found effective in reducing the transfer of Salmonella Poona into the tissue in comparison with cutting of melons and removing the rind later. (My samurai was on the right track.)
   
2. Wet the surface using water with a touch of detergent then drop the melon in 200 ppm chlorine. A Tbsp 6% bleach/quart would be 1:256 or a smidgen less than 200 ppm (50,000/256 = 195.3129 ppm for the anal.) (You gotta love analysis.)
   
3. Treatment with lactic acid or ozone reduced the levels by 2.5 and 2.3 log10 CFU/cm2 respectively on the surface. (Do they sell those at the Acme?)
   
4. When water treatments were used, the presence of Salmonella-positive "next to" and remote sites indicated that bacteria were spread from inoculated site on the rind to uninoculated sites either through the rinse water (40-70 CFU/ml of Salmonella) or scrub brush (400-500 CFU/brush). (Wait a second, so the FDA's advice to "Scrub whole cantaloupes by using a clean produce brush and cool tap water immediately before eating." may in fact spread microorganisms? But ...)
   
5. ... This transfer was eliminated when 200 ppm total chlorine was used. When 200 ppm total chlorine was used, Salmonella could not be detected in the water or on the scrub brush. (This jives with the content in item No. 2. But ...)
   
6. ... There have been quite a few studies looking at the use of chlorine, peroxide, and other products in washing cantaloupe. The results are mixed. Some studies showed chlorine more effective while others peroxide.
   
7. Salmonella can survive for 22 days at 4C (39.2 degrees F) on wounded rind and penetration into tissue was enhanced by co-infection with mould, hence the recommendation to discard the entire melon when only a small area shows visual decay. (A point that contradicts the FDA's "cut-away" advice.)
   
8. Some strains of Salmonella are quite virulent. Plus, there are acid-tolerant strains that survive stomach passage well. (I wondered how effective stomach acid was.)
   
9. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and submerge the cantaloupe for between 30 seconds and a minute. Heat gives you better penetration than any of the chemical sanitizers into the crevices in the surface of the fruit and it also softens the rind and makes the melon easier to peel. (Large pot.)
   
10. From an FDA site: Depending on the strain, "Infective dose - As few as 15-20 cells." (Wow. That's not much.)
    
11. When sanitized or hot water treated whole cantaloupes were re-inoculated with Salmonella, higher counts were recovered than from untreated controls. Don't store cleaned cantaloupes.
    
12. It would be good if we could apply e-beam irradiation to whole melons. Their round shape would not allow it as of now. We are working on getting around this shape issue. (The shape issue. Thank god for the shape issue.)
    
13. Vinegar should work. Have not tested it on produce but have tested it on meats. The only problem would be the smell.
    
14. From the research, there is no question that the growing areas are widely contaminated with salmonella. ... We are faced then with the question of how do we wash and sanitize the melon and I suggest only a few people will ever do it. ... They aren't going to wash and sanitize their melon because I don't think they will believe they need to. In addition, you are not going to get the grocers and processors to wash and sanitize the melon well enough to get the salmonella to a non infectious level because that is a mammoth task. Maybe the best is to tell cooks and consumers they have 6 hours at room temperature after they cut the melon to eat it ... in this way limit growth because there will be salmonella and there will be growth and our only solution is to limit the growth. If the melon is at 45F or less, then maybe we can allow a few days after it is cut because that is the practical low growth temp for Salmonella and E coli. ("There will be salmonella and there will be growth." I don't think I'll be ordering cantaloupe in a restaurant anytime soon.)

Some said they thought the problem was best tackled at the source, or further up the distribution line. ("The problem is not to figure out how the consumer can remove virulent pathogens from food products, but how to keep these pathogens out from the beginning.") But what do you do about reinfection further down the line? Also, see Item No. 11 above.

I want to thank the thinkers of these thoughts. I learned a lot!

How do you clean your cantaloupe, if at all?
________¹ Anonymous, out of context, some from scientific studies ... a real mish-mash.
Thanks again to Bill Marler.
Photo of Japanese samurai in armor, circa 1860, from Wikipedia.

How To Handle A Melon

First off, do not eat any cantaloupe imported from a particular farmer in Honduras. The FDA said on Saturday that it may be responsible for the salmonella infection of 50 people in 16 states:

FDA Warns of Salmonella Risk with Cantaloupes from Agropecuaria Montelibano, March 22, 2008

How do you know if the melon on your plate came from this grower? The FDA says to ask store employees, street vendors, wait staff, or others who offered it to you for sale if it originated with Agropecuaria Montelibano. Truly.

Even if your cantaloupe wasn't imported from Honduras, the FDA offers these guidelines for reducing the risk of bacterial infection from cantaloupes - a melon notorious for spreading pathogenic microorganisms given its sticky webbed surface.

• Purchase cantaloupes that are not bruised or damaged. If buying fresh-cut cantaloupe, be sure it is refrigerated or surrounded by ice.
  
• After purchase, refrigerate cantaloupes promptly.
  
• Wash hands with hot, soapy water before and after handling fresh cantaloupes.
  
• Scrub whole cantaloupes by using a clean produce brush and cool tap water immediately before eating. Don't use soap or detergents.
  
• Use clean cutting surfaces and utensils when cutting cantaloupes. Wash cutting boards, countertops, dishes, and utensils with hot water and soap between the preparation of raw meat, poultry, or seafood and the preparation of cantaloupe.
  
• If there happens to be a bruised or damaged area on a cantaloupe, cut away those parts before eating it.
  
• Leftover cut cantaloupe should be discarded if left at room temperature for more than two hours.
  
• Use a cooler with ice or use ice gel packs when transporting or storing cantaloupes outdoors.

Don't use soap or detergents? Why is that? How about those Veggie Washes that have a picture of a cantaloupe on their label? Not a good idea?

How has it become that slicing a melon makes me feel like I'm taking my life into my hands? Was it always this way?

Okay, I'll only use water. Except if I live in Alamosa, Colorado.

Update: See my post, More On Cleaning Cantaloupe, for more on cleaning cantaloupe.
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Salmonella, It's In The Leaves

Sherri (the other one) was commenting about how bacteria "can get drawn into the roots of greens and lettuces." She warns us ... it could be in the leaves!

I vaguely recalled something about that. From a quick search:

Assessment of Contamination Potential of Lettuce by Salmonella enterica Serovar Newport Added to the Plant Growing Medium, Journal of Food protection, July 2007

Here's the abstract:

"The capacity of Salmonella enterica serovar Newport to contaminate Romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Nogal) via the root system was evaluated in 17-, 20-, and 33-day-old plants. Apparent internalization of Salmonella via the root to the above-ground parts was identified in 33- but not 17- or 20-day-old plants and was stimulated by root decapitation. Leaves of lettuce plants with intact and damaged roots harbored Salmonella at 500 ± 120 and 5,130 ± 440 CFU/g of leaf, respectively, at 2 days postinoculation but not 5 days later. These findings are first to suggest that Salmonella Newport can translocate from contaminated roots to the aerial parts of lettuce seedlings and propose that the process is dependent on the developmental stage of the plant."

It looks like conditions have to be ripe for leaf contamination ... tainted soil, roots attached, longer growing period ... but it's not far-fetched. And I'm guessing organic produce is not immune.

So what if, as Sherri said, Alamosa's salmonella-contaminated water was used to irrigate edible plants? The more you think about it, the more widespread a problem like this becomes.
________
Photo above from Perdue University Entomology Extension.

There was another photo on that page that set off my ewwww factor - the one to the right.

Do You Use Public Water?

The residents of Alamosa City in Colorado do - and it's contaminated with Salmonella.

Here's a news article from this morning's Denver Post:
Alamosa Water Tainted: At least 33 contracted salmonella, and use of bottled water is urged

Here's the Colorado Department of Public Health's News Release:
Bottled Water Advisory Issued for Alamosa Residents

Residents have been advised not to drink the water. Boiling the water is not good enough. There are 33 confirmed cases and 46 suspected cases of Salmonella in the City so far.

This is not a good story. Lettuce you can clean (maybe). But, if it's in the water? Ouch.

Okay, I thought, I could use bottled water for a day or two ... but at least a week! Ouch, again.

Then I read the Colorado Health Department's guidance list:

• At home, use bottled water for cooking, drinking, brushing teeth, making ice, washing dishes and for adding to any food especially for the preparation of baby formula.
  
• Home-style/domestic dish washing machines are adequate for sanitizing if the heat drying cycle is applied.
  
• Bathing and showering in the water should present no problems for healthy individuals. Exercise caution not to ingest water during such activities.
  
• No commercial food preparation should be done unless approved by the local public health agency.
  Consider using prepared food from an alternative approved source.
  
• Use only prepackaged foods that do not require any additional preparation other than heating in its original container.
  
• Frequently wash hands and apply hand sanitizer after washing.
  
• Do not touch food with bare hands. Use disposable gloves.
  
• Use frozen/canned produce.
  
• Purchase packaged potable ice.
  
• Do not use water to wash plates, cups and utensils. Use only single-service utensils, such as paper plates, napkins, cups, plastic spoons, forks and knives.

Use only prepackaged foods - No fresh produce ... for at least a week! Ouch one more time.

One more ouch - Use only disposable utensils, again, for at least a week.

I'm thinking all the inconvenience and added cost is worth avoiding infection, but talk about disruptions. I can't imagine how this would play out in a city with tens of thousands depending on the water supply.
________
A question: Say you worked for the health department and you needed to get the message out to Everyone! Immediately! not to drink the water, that water coming out of their tap right this minute. How would you go about it? What exactly would you do? (I've posed this question to groups before. People are pretty darn creative.)
________Thanks to Marler for the info.
Thanks to Melinda for the embedded Newsweek link suggesting washing produce might not be enough: The Borne Contamination: Is washing produce in tap water enough to make it safe, or should we be doing more?

Spring Break

Lots of things to write about but I think I'm going to take a Spring Break. I've been neglecting my tomatoes.

________Photo: Homegrown

Frozen Bubbles

They became unstuck in time a day later.

"So it goes."
- Billy Pilgrim ¹

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Photo above: Homegrown, from a couple days ago. It's frozen water in the cut-off bottom of an old gallon jug. I use it as a water feeder for birds. They, however, use it as a bathtub. There's one particular female cardinal that sits in it at night (if it's warm enough) for about 5 minutes. The water comes up to her neck. She occasionally flutters her wings.

¹ Protagonist of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five.

Milking The Schedule

An NPR commentator asked a dairy farmer how Daylight Savings Time affects his cows. I thought it wouldn't, because cows live by a biological clock. That was my knee-jerk reaction.

The farmer said, "It's tough getting them up early!" *
(So, they make the cows live by man's clock.)
"And they don't produce as much."
(...)
"But it's not as bad as in the fall when we gain an hour!"
(Oh, no...)
"The cows get health problems in their udders because their milk builds up!"
(Why don't we just schedule people to work around the cows' cycle?)

________* I'm paraphrasing.
Photo: Dr. Baker milking cow, circa 1900, Texas.

A Meeting of The Minds On Food Safety

Remember the FDA's historic Food Safety Teleconference for bloggers last November? The one where the FDA, in one of their most grassroots outreach moves, drew up a list of bloggers - average consumers talking about food safety - and invited them to listen in and ask questions about changes they were proposing via their new Food Protection Plan?

Well, pursuant to that call, Bill Marler (a food safety activist/attorney) thought it would be a good idea to set up a food safety conference. He envisioned inviting government, industry, science, and consumer representatives to discuss the present state of food safety, and to propose ways to improve it.

His conference came together. And it's about a month away!

The list of speakers is impressive. Here are a few:

Government Reps:

• David Acheson, Assistant FDA Commissioner for Food Safety
  
• Tom Billy, Former head of USDA/FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service)
  
• David Goldman, USDA/FSIS

Industry Reps:

• Grocery Manufacturers Association
  
• Costco Wholesale Corporation
  
• Del Monte Foods

International Attendees:

• Ge Zhirong, Vice Minister AQSIQ (General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine), People's Republic of China
  
• Chris Griffith, Director of Food Research and Consultancy, University of Wales, UK
  
• Deon Mahoney, Food Standards, Australia and New Zealand
  
• Jørgen Schlundt Director, Dept of Food Safety, Zoonoses, and Foodborne Illness, World Health Organization, Switzerland
  
• Canice Nolan, Head of Food Safety, Health, and Consumer Affairs, European Commission Delegation, Washington, DC

Consumer Reps:

• Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)

Media Reps:

• Des Moines Register
  
• Chicago Tribune
  
• New York Times

And several attorneys, including, of course, William D. Marler, Marler Clark LLP PS.

Here's Bill's blog post about the conference:
Who's Minding the Store? - The Current State of Food Safety and How It Can Be Improved - Friday & Saturday, April 11 & 12, 2008

Here's more information on the speakers and panelists from Seattle University's School of Law (the conference's sponsor):
Who’s Minding the Store - The Current State of Food Safety and How It Can Be Improved

And if you're inclined and would like to attend, here's an online registration:
Online Registration: Who's Minding the Store? - April 11 & 12, 2008

Hopefully some basic questions such as ... do voluntary recalls work (neither the FDA nor the USDA have recall authority today), why doesn't the government provide one-stop-shopping for food safety news (Is this all we get?), and how can we use technology to both better inform the public, and better solicit information from them? ... can be answered.

You go, Bill.
________

Fruits and Vegetables - Not On Our Land

Wow. I didn't realize politics played such a suppressing role in getting fruits and vegetables on the table.

Here's a little Op-Ed piece that appeared in the New York Times yesterday. It was written by Jack Hedrin, an organic vegetable farmer from Minnesota:

My Forbidden Fruits (and Vegetables)

Jack was growing his fruits and vegetables on 100 acres. People wanted more of what Jack grew. So, Jack rented 25 acres from neighboring farms. Unfortunately, those 25 acres were from established corn farms (although corn was not being grown on them at the time)... and:

"The [USDA's] commodity farm program effectively forbids farmers who usually grow corn or the other four federally subsidized commodity crops (soybeans, rice, wheat and cotton) from trying fruit and vegetables."

There are big penalties for farmers who break this rule, as Jack found out.

Adding manure to the crap pile:

"National fruit and vegetable growers based in California, Florida and Texas fear competition from regional producers. ... Through their control of Congressional delegations from those states, they have been able to virtually monopolize the country’s fresh produce markets."

With obstacles like this, it doesn't look like organic, locally-grown fruits and vegetables will be seeing a bumper crop anytime soon.
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Photo of Filasky Farm's produce stand from Filasky Farm, NY.