Many egg producers still not complying with food-sanitation rules

Many egg producers still not complying with food-sanitation rules
By Mattea Kramer, Saturday, October 1, 8:51 AM

Two-tenths of a penny per dozen. That’s what it costs Pennsylvania farmers to make eggs safer. By disinfecting henhouses, trapping rodents and testing regularly for harmful bacteria, the state’s egg farmers have cut the presence of salmonella by more than half.

But egg producers in much of the rest of the country haven’t followed suit. Last summer, two large Iowa producers recalled 500 million salmonella-tainted eggs — the largest egg recall in history. More than 1,900 people nationwide grew sick, causing alarm for consumers.

Millions of Americans suffer from foodborne illness each year. Michael Batz, head of food safety programs at the University of Florida’s Emerging Pathogens Institute, calculates the cost of salmonella-contaminated eggs at $370 million a year. Salmonellosis is an infection that causes diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Batz factors in missed work, medical bills, victims’ assessments of how their illness harmed them (called “quality-adjusted life”) and premature deaths.

The non-monetary loss is also substantial. An estimated 115,000 people suffer this type of food poisoning each year, resulting in 42 fatalities, according to his estimates.

Safeway recalls ground beef sold in nine states – MarketWatch

 

Eat me and you'll blow chunks!
Eat me and you'll blow chunks!
By Jim Jelter, MarketWatch

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Safeway Inc. announced Thursday a major, nine-state recall of salmonella-tainted ground beef sold between June 6 and July 14.

Safeway (SWY) , the giant grocery store chain based in Pleasanton, Calif., said the recall involved 825,769 pounds, or nearly 43 tons, of meat that the company said "may be linked to an outbreak of Salmonellosis."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the meat was processed at a Beef Packers Inc. meat-packing plant in Fresno, Calif., and sold in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

Beef Packers is a subsidiary of privately-held Cargill, one of the world’s biggest food producers and marketers, with sales last year of $120 billion.

Safeway recalls ground beef sold in nine states – MarketWatch