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Sunday, April 26, 2015
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Food, Nutrition and Wellness:
TEST: Unit 3-Chapter 5 Food Safety and Sanitation
Chapter 6 Kitchen Safety
Friday, 4-17-15
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Food for Life Information:
California, New York Lawmakers Propose Warning Labels for Soda
California is having another run at adding warning labels to sugar-sweetened beverages, and New York is joining in.
Last year, state Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) introduced a billrequiring that any sweetened non-alcoholic beverage (carbonated or non-carbonated) that contains 75 calories or more per 12 fluid ounces be labeled with the words, “Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.”
The bill passed the Senate in June, but stalled in the Assembly Health Committee, falling three votes short of the 10 needed to pass.
In February, Monning reintroduced his legislation in California, and New York Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) introduced a similar bill for his state.
The prevalence of obesity in the U.S. has increased dramatically over the past 30 years. According to Monning’s bill, 60 percent of adults and nearly 40 percent of children in California are overweight or obese.
This week, 34 public health scientists and researchers who have conducted or analyzed scientific evidence on soda-related diseases announced their support of both states’ bills. The group was organized by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA).
“Parents may know that drinking soda is not as healthy as eating broccoli, but they don’t know that sugary drinks, like sports drinks and sweetened teas, may be making their children sick,” said CCPHA Executive Director Harold Goldstein.
CalBev, the California arm of the American Beverage Association, argued against Monning’s bill last year, saying that soft drinks are not “uniquely responsible for weight gain.” They added that labels would not change behaviors or teach people about healthy lifestyles.
When the original bill was brought up for a vote in California’s Assembly Health Committee, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) — who noted that soda manufacturers create important jobs in her district — argued that labeling one type of product but “ignoring others” does not adequately address the problem of diabetes. She called for a holistic approach instead.
Other members echoed Gonzalez’s concern. Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles) said that, while he thought industry had a direct responsibility in terms of public health, he was not convinced that a safety label would change people’s habits.
Another skeptic, Assemblywoman Susan A. Bonilla (D-Concord), questioned labels but expressed her support for a soda tax.
After the labeling bill failed last summer, supporters argued that the debate had generated a lot of education about nutrition and health.
© Food Safety NewsFood Nutrition and Wellness Information:
Officials Suspend License of Idaho Restaurant Linked to Salmonella Outbreak
An Idaho restaurant was reportedly shut down by local health officials on Thursday due to ongoing health code violations and its suspected connection with a recent foodborne illness outbreak.
Pho Tam, a Vietnamese restaurant located at 1098 N. Orchard St. in Boise, has been linked to a recent Salmonella Schwarzengrund outbreak that has sickened at least five people. The source of the bacteria has not yet been identified.
According to a local TV report, inspectors from the Central District Health Department found four health code violations at Pho Tam on Thursday, including two which were repeat violations.
Officials had met with the restaurant owner on Tuesday to work on food safety education involving storage and preparation issues. Their reasons for pulling Pho Tam’s license two days later were not entirely clear, and efforts by Food Safety News to contact health department sources were unsuccessful Thursday night.
The latest inspection report for Pho Tam was not immediately available, although inspection reports from 2011-2014 indicated previous violations related to physical and hand-washing facilities, as well as food contact surfaces, thermometers and food segregation. While some of the previously cited violations were considered “critical,” the restaurant had apparently fixed them since followup inspections days later showed that no violations were found.
Before the shutdown, Pho Tam owner Long-T-Doan told a Boise newspaper that she didn’t know what had happened to cause the outbreak.
“We try to be careful,” she said.
The restaurant’s management now has 15 days to change operations in order to meet local health codes.
The first Salmonella case related to this outbreak was reported in late February and the most recent one was reported this past Thursday, Christine Myron, the department’s public information officer, told Food Safety News for an April 2 story on the outbreak.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people infected with Salmonella bacteria develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps between 12 and 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most individuals recover without treatment.
In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, theSalmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other body sites. In these cases, Salmonella can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.
Salmonella bacteria are commonly found in raw or undercooked foods such as eggs, egg products, meat, meat products, unpasteurized (raw) milk, or other unpasteurized dairy products such as cheese. Thorough cooking and processing will effectively kill Salmonella bacteria.
© Food Safety News
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