Escherichia coli

Almost a year to the day of an illness outbreak associated with bagged spinach and two years to the day of one associated with bagged lettuce, a division of Dole Food Company last week issued an international recall of one of its brands of bagged salad after a sample taken from a store in Canada tested positive for E. coli.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is one of many species of bacteria living in the lower intestines of mammals, known as gut flora. When located in the large intestine, it assists with waste processing, vitamin K production, and food absorption. They were discovered in 1885 by Theodor Escherich, a German pediatrician and bacteriologist.

The E. coli strain O157:H7 is one of hundreds of strains of the bacterium that causes illness in humans. Most people had never heard of E. coli O157:H7 until the Jack in the Box incident of 1993. However, this strain was first recognized as a foodborne pathogen in 1982 during an investigation into an outbreak of unusual gastrointestinal illness associated with consumption of hamburgers from a fast food chain restaurant. A little known fact is that the "fast food chain restaurant" was McDonald's and the location was…White City, Oregon.

This week, a look at Escherichia coli.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (US essayist & poet, 1803 - 1882)

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Escherichia coli

Why Leaves Fall

Daylight hours have been shortening in length since the Summer Solstice in June; the Autumnal Equinox is the point where nights reach the same length as days. After this point, the Sun will shine lower and lower on the horizon until the Winter Solstice in about three months' time. The tilting poles give us the seasons; more hours of sunlight in the summer and long cold nights in the winter.

In a few days we'll celebrate the Autumnal Equinox, also known as the Fall Equinox, Alban Elfed, Cornucopia, Feast of Avilon, Festival of Dionysus, Harvest Home, Harvest Tide, Mabon, Night of the Hunter, Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Witch's Thanksgiving, and the first day of autumn.

Regardless of the name, it signals the end of the summer months and the beginning of fall(ing leaves).

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand." - Frank Herbert (US science fiction novelist, 1920 - 1986)

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Why Leaves Fall

Listeria

What is Listeria monocytogenes and listeriosis?

Listeria monocytogenes is a kind of bacteria often found in soil and water, which can cause serious illness. Illness from eating foods with Listeria monocytogenes is called listeriosis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), less than 2,000 people in the United States report serious illness from listeriosis each year. Of those reporting, approximately 25% die as a result of the illness.

This week, a look at Listeria.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Any road is bound to arrive somewhere if you follow it far enough." - Patricia Wentworth (pen name Dora Amy Elles Turnbull, British author, 1878 - 1961)

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Listeria

HACCP

The application of a structured Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system to food production was pioneered by the Pillsbury Company with the cooperation and participation of the Natick Laboratories of the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force Space Laboratory Project Group and a fledgling government agency called the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA). Application of the system in the early 1960's created food for the United State's space program that approached 100% assurance against contamination by bacterial and viral pathogens, toxins, and chemical or physical hazards that could cause illness or injury to astronauts. HACCP replaced end-product testing to provide food safety assurance and provided a preventive system for producing safe food that had universal application.

Simply stated, HACCP is a logical – and thorough – system designed to identify hazards and/or critical situations, and to produce a structured plan to control these situations. HACCP bases the food-safety program on sound scientific data: to increase training and awareness of employees at all levels, and to focus on prevention and control of food safety problems at highly specific (and controllable) points in the process chain.

This week, a brief overview of HACCP. In the future, we'll look more in depth at the Five Preliminary Tasks and the Seven Principles of HACCP.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint on it you can." - Danny Kaye (US actor & singer, 1913 - 1987)

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HACCP

Sustainable Agriculture

Since the end of World War II, dramatic changes have occurred in agriculture. Food and fiber productivity soared due to new technologies, mechanization, increased chemical use, specialization and government policies that favored maximizing production, resulting in fewer farmers with reduced labor demands producing the majority of the food and fiber in the U.S.

These changes resulted in many positive effects and reduced many risks in farming, but there have also been significant costs: topsoil depletion, groundwater contamination, the decline of family farms, increasing costs of production, and the disintegration of economic and social conditions in rural communities.

Sustainable agriculture is garnering increasing support and acceptance within mainstream agriculture. Not only does sustainable agriculture address many environmental and social concerns, but it offers innovative and economically viable opportunities for growers, laborers, consumers, policymakers and many others in the entire food system.

This week, a look at sustainable agriculture.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind." - E. B. White (US author & humorist, 1899 - 1985)

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Sustainable Agriculture

Best Ways to Clean Kitchen Sponges

I was recently reminded that the ever trustworthy kitchen accessory, the sponge, is often neglected when it comes to its own cleaning. Sponges are convenient and reusable, but they can carry a big problem. If they're used all day, all over the kitchen, they can pick up a lot of bacteria and viruses along with the spills and splatters.

This week we'll look at various ways to clean your sponge, including something in nearly every kitchen that can clean sponges, as well as sterilize them.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Time cools, time clarifies; no mood can be maintained quite unaltered through the course of hours. " - Mark Twain (US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit, 1835 - 1910)

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Best Ways to Clean Kitchen Sponges

Virus or Bacteria?

Two types of germs cause most infections in the United States - viruses and bacteria. They are frequently portrayed as harbingers of disease and death. The news is always reporting about some bacteria or virus such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cholera, the West Nile virus, or E. coli causing illnesses around the world. Throughout modern and ancient times alike, these unseen organisms have caused the deaths of millions of people.

Most bacteria are harmless, and without them, life on Earth could not exist. They are essential components of the global ecosystem as decomposers. Viruses, on the other hand, are mostly harmful. They exist only to invade cells and reproduce themselves, usually destroying the host cell in the process.

This week we'll look at the differences between viruses and bacteria.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anais Nin (US French-born author & diarist, 1903 - 1977)

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Virus or Bacteria