Someone emailed me this photo. Seems to sum up my week.
Recall information:Continue Reading Good Egg, Bad Egg and Salmonella Enteritidis
Despite being on Colbert the AMI opposes making non-O157:H7 STECS adulterants
I just could not stay awake late enough to watch Colbert have fun with Pat Boyle the other night. To me it looks like Pat “meat” his match. Interestingly, the President just made a “recess appointment” of the person who will be part of making the adulterant decision:
Elisabeth Hagen, Nominee for Under Secretary for Food Safety, Department of Agriculture
Dr. Elisabeth Hagen is currently the USDA’s Chief Medical Officer, serving as an advisor to USDA mission areas on a wide range of human health issues. Prior to her current post, she was a senior executive in the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), where she played a key role in developing and executing the agency’s scientific and public health agendas. She has been instrumental in building relationships and fostering coordination with food safety and public health partners at the federal, state, and local level. Before joining the federal government in 2006, Hagen taught and practiced medicine in both the private and academic sectors, most recently in Washington, DC. She holds an M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and a B.S. from Saint Joseph’s University. Dr. Hagen completed her specialty medical training at the University of Texas Southwestern and the University of Pennsylvania, and is board certified in infectious disease.
Below the video is the AMI’s position on non-O157’s as adulterants and mine. I would love to hear your comments.
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Better Know a Lobby – American Meat Institute | ||||
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Continue Reading Despite being on Colbert the AMI opposes making non-O157:H7 STECS adulterants
Foodborne Illness Surveillance in the time of HB 2749 and SB 510
In the middle of yet another nationwide recall of food (228,000,000 eggs to be exact) and an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis linked to those eggs that appears to have begun in the Spring and announced in August, I had memory of House Bill 2749 (passed Jul7 2009), Sec., 121 and Senate Bill 501 (to be voted on shortly) Sec., 205. I know, I know, I need to get a life.
Interestingly these Sections have received little attention, but IMHO, have the greatest opportunity to fundamentally change how food is produced in the United States. Overstatement? Perhaps.
Of course, if SB 510 passes, it will need to be reconciled with the language of HB 2749. And, Congress will need to provide adequate funding and the President will need to sign it. Then of course the agencies impacted will need to promulgate Regulations – so, not a quick fix.
Read those sections above for yourself. However, here is my take on them:Continue Reading Foodborne Illness Surveillance in the time of HB 2749 and SB 510
S. 510 – FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Small Farm and Small Business Guide
No Change in Agency for Regulated Foods
Only foods already regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be subject to S. 510. Section 403 maintains the existing firewall between FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture regulated foods and agricultural products.
No Change in Definition of FacilityContinue Reading S. 510 – FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Small Farm and Small Business Guide
S 510 Food Safety Modernization Act – The Paper Trail
Here is Chairman Harkin’s mark-up and section by section summary – this is the version of the bill voted out of the HELP Committee in mid-November and here is the most recently approved version as of last night.
Senator Feinstein has not released a copy of her BPA amendment — however, she is now saying
Online Food Safety Resources
It seems that there are more recalls and outbreaks than ever, touching every community. As time and resources are short, I wanted to make you aware of new and retooled resources on food safety, foodborne illness, and food policy.
Marlerblog: Is my view as a food safety insider and litigator. I use my extensive
ACI Foodborne Illness Litigation Conference
Crack Defense Lawyer, Alan Maxwell, and I will be co-chairing again this conference on “Advanced Strategies for Tackling the Underlying Science and Defending Against Complex Food Contamination Claims.” The two-day conference will be on Wednesday, October 27 to Thursday, October 28, 2010 at the Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States. On the registration
PulseNet Annual Meeting Chicago
I have the privilege to speak before the Annual Meeting of PulseNet in Chicago in a few weeks. As some may know, PulseNet is a national network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The network consists of: state health departments, local health departments
Marler Blog re-launch is a good time to think about why the hell I do it
After nearly 3,000 blog post and over 2,500,000 visitors (most since the Fall of 2006), I decided a redesign of the blog was in order. Although we are still working out a few “bugs,” the look you see here is the near final product. Hopefully, you will find the resources helpful and the commentary, well, at least tolerable.
Which brings me to why do I spend so much time on this blog, Food Safety News and all the other “bug” blogs. I think I summed it up best in Testimony I gave in 2008 before the House Energy and Commerce Committee:
Since 1993, I have had the privilege to represent thousands of Americans – some your constituents. In 2002, during the middle of yet another E. coli outbreak, during the middle of another visit to an ICU to watch a new client struggle for life attached to more tubes than you can imagine, I penned an Op-ed for the Denver Post. Here is part of it:
This summer, scores of Americans, most of them small children or senior citizens, have already or will become deathly ill after eating ground beef boldly labeled “USDA approved.” The now infamous outbreak started with a few sick kids in Colorado and quickly spread coast-to-coast, eventually triggering the recall of 19 million pounds of ground beef tainted with E. coli O157:H7.
Because their parents trusted our government’s food inspections, several kids suffered kidney failure and spent days or weeks hooked up to kidney dialysis machines. For some, the long-term prognosis is grim, with the risk of further kidney failure, dialysis, transplants or worse…. Most of those kids’ parents have hired me to help them get compensation for hundreds of thousands in medical costs and the risks of future kidney failure. This may prompt some readers to consider me a blood-sucking ambulance chaser that exploits other people’s personal tragedies.
If that is the case, here is my plea: Put me out of business. Please.
For this trial lawyer, E. coli has been a far too successful practice – and a heart-breaking one. I am tired of visiting with horribly sick kids who did not have to be sick in the first place. I am outraged with a food industry that allows E. coli and other poisons to reach consumers, and a President, Congress and federal regulatory system that do nothing about it. Stop making kids sick – and I will happily move on.Continue Reading Marler Blog re-launch is a good time to think about why the hell I do it
A Million Pounds of Meat Recalled due to E. coli – but Recalls still down – so far
Whenever there is a food recall Public Radio reporter John Sepulvado is not far behind. I had a chance to talk to him this afternoon after he sent me a tweet.
1 million pounds of beef packaged in Modesto has been recalled due to possible E. coli contamination.
Yet, over the past four years, meat