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Food Safety Investigation

Mike

Well-known member
FDA Faulted In Safety Lapses
White House Orders Study of Imports

By Renae Merle and Michael Abramowitz
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, July 18, 2007; Page D01

The Food and Drug Administration came under withering criticism by a House panel yesterday for its handling of recent food-safety violations, and the Bush administration later disclosed plans to establish a working group to review the safety of food and other imports.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's oversight and investigations subcommittee, said the FDA's food-safety program is woefully understaffed. "Entry reviewers, investigators and compliance officers simply cannot keep up with the flood of imported food," he said.


Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) said the FDA has far too few people working to ensure the safety of imported food. (By Lauren Victoria Burke -- Associated Press)

Acknowledging the challenge it faces, the FDA said it is working on a plan to improve its system of ensuring food safety. The FDA must change "rapidly and radically" to keep up with the increasing amount of imported food, Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach told the subcommittee.

With concern mounting because of recent incidents involving not only tainted food but also toothpaste, tires and other products from China, a White House official said the administration is forming a panel on import safety to be chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt that will include other Cabinet officers.

Speaking on condition of anonymity because the group has not been announced, the official said the panel will look for deficiencies and gaps in the system for inspecting imported products and report to President Bush within 60 days. The official said the panel is not aimed solely at China.

"We obviously get a large number of imports from China and a large number of complaints -- but there are a large number of other countries, as well," the official said. "The aim is to ensure that the appropriate systems and assets are in place so that the products Americans find on their store shelves are safe and effective. Not just food and drugs -- also products."

The FDA inspects less than 1 percent of the imported food it is responsible for monitoring -- including seafood, fruits and vegetables -- and only a small fraction of those inspections include taking samples of products for testing, subcommittee investigators found. In San Francisco, FDA employees who review hundreds of shipments a day have an average of 30 seconds to decide whether each needs further investigation, according to subcommittee investigators.

Last month, the FDA began requiring Chinese importers of five types of seafood, including catfish, to show that their products had been tested for banned antibiotics. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, about 13 percent of the average American's diet is imported food, and imports of FDA-regulated food have more than doubled since 2000, to 9 million shipments in 2006. That includes a 350 percent increase in the value of U.S. imports of Chinese agricultural and seafood products, from $880 million in 1996 to $4 billion in 2006.

The subcommittee directed most of its criticism at an FDA proposal to close seven of its 13 laboratories, including one that specializes in detecting radiological elements in food. The closings would exacerbate problems in the FDA's food-safety programs and have not been properly explained, subcommittee members said. The FDA relies on private laboratories to test suspicious imports but has no system to certify or regulate them.

"I don't think you're going to save anything with these closures. It is about consolidation of power," said David W. Nelson, the subcommittee's senior investigator.

The reorganization plan, including the lab closings, would help the agency modernize and streamline itself, von Eschenbach said. "I want to make it very clear this is intended for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to bring FDA's laboratory infrastructure into the 21st century," he said.

Stupak said the FDA paid $9.5 million in bonuses last year, almost as much as the extra $10 million the agency was given for food-safety programs. "The money that should be going into food safety is going to bonuses in another part of FDA," Stupak said. "What is another $10 million going to do if they're going to give it away anyway?"

Von Eschenbach defended the bonuses, saying most of them helped the FDA keep critical employees. But, he said, the agency has established a committee to look at the bonus system. Last year's bonuses totaled less than the $13 million handed out in 2005 but were up from $3 million in 2002, according to figures provided by the subcommittee.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
August 31, 2007

The dark side of popcorn

Source of Article: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2007/08/the-dark-side-o.html

Microwave popcorn producer Pop Weaver is removing the controversial chemical flavoring diacteyl, which is used to add buttery taste, reports Andrew Schneider of the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

Studies have linked "exposure to the synthetic butter to the sometimes fatal destruction of the lungs of hundreds of workers in food production and flavoring factories," Schneider wrote.

In addition to Pop Weaver and six other private brands, the Indiana-based company also sells "Trail's End" popcorn for the Boy Scouts of America. But while Pop Weaver has removed it, it's still in the microwave popcorn brands Orville Redenbacher and Act II.

"Despite the worker safety findings -- and despite scores of jury decisions and settlements awarding millions of dollars to workers who sued after having their lungs destroyed by exposure to diacetyl -- neither the Food and Drug Administration nor the Consumer Product Safety Commission have investigated," wrote Schneider. "The FDA years ago declared the chemical safe for consumption. Labels on almost all products containing it call it a flavoring and only rarely do the labels mention diacetyl.

"The only government investigators to examine whether consumers are at risk -- whether diacetyl is released when consumers pop corn in their home microwaves, and if so, how much -- is the Environmental Protection Agency," Schneider wrote. "But to the frustration of many public health workers, the findings of the EPA's study -- which began in 2003 and was completed last year -- have been released only to the popcorn industry."

Some studies have shown that diacetyl is released when freshly popped bags of corn were opened. Diacetyl is also in potato chips, baked goods and candies, frozen food, artificial butter, cooking oils and sprays, beer, dog food and others.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
"Diacetyl is a dangerous chemical, declared safe, for the most part, by the POPCORN flavoring industry."

The importance of the EPA's findings is increased because no one outside the industry is examining what consumers and workers who pop corn in theaters, discount stores, school gyms and fairgrounds are being exposed to.

Through 2003 and 2004 there was heavy news coverage of federal occupational health specialists investigating the cases of hundreds of workers sickened at six Midwest popcorn plants. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which investigates worker health issues, had determined that it was exposure to the vapors from heated butter flavoring that was debilitating the workers. The most likely culprit, the health detectives concluded, was the diacetyl in the flavoring. All of the workers who were diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans or other serious lung injuries worked with the flavoring.

In the midst of this, Jacky Rosati, an investigator from the EPA's National Risk Management Laboratory in Research Triangle Park, N.C., said she would try to determine how much diacetyl consumers might be exposed to when they popped corn at home.

Rosati and her team, all scientists with the EPA's Indoor Environmental Management Branch, collected multiple bags of 50 of the most popular brands of microwave popcorn.

The corn was popped in a specially constructed box containing an old microwave and air collection filters. Measurements were taken of the type and concentrations of the chemicals detected in the vapor or steam released when the bags are opened.

"We said let's look at what goes into the bag, popcorn, chemical ingredients, materials that coat the bag, and then let's determine what gets released into the indoor air when you pop it," said Bill Farland, then the EPA's deputy assistant administrator for science, research and development.

The final corn was popped and the data collected in the fall of 2005 and Rosati's report was sent to EPA scientists for review.

Meanwhile, more cases of the lung disease were being reported to the NIOSH. More workers are fighting to get onto lung transplant lists, which is their only hope for survival. The manager and the owner of a Detroit company that manufactures popcorn carts were diagnosed. The death of a man who was Montana's largest popcorn supplier was attributed to the popcorn flavoring he used. The NIOSH found that his daughter and son-in-law who took over the family business were also sickened, this time from the butter-flavored oil they used.

Back at the EPA, Rosati was waiting for industry -- three popcorn companies and the flavoring trade association -- to complete its review.

"This is not the way that our government agencies should be protecting the public's interest," said George Washington's Michaels. "With this arm-in-arm relationship between government scientists and the industry using diacetyl, how can the public feel that they are learning the truth about this chemical which is in thousands of products?"

It had to be done with industry's help, said Farland, who has since retired. He said he doubted that the EPA would have authorized the study if Rosati had proposed to do it without industry involvement.

"The only thing that industry got to look for is confidential business information," said Jennifer Wood, the EPA's press secretary. "They could make no changes to the findings."

Meanwhile, as the study was being offered to various journals, the tally of injured workers increased and became more varied. They came from a candy factory in Chicago, from a Tennessee potato chip company, and one, then three, and now more than 20 from six different California companies that made and sold flavorings with diacetyl. Their physicians say a couple will die because they won't survive the wait for a transplant. Back in Washington, the EPA says that a journal, which it declined to identify, will publish Rosati's study "this fall."

Ultimately, all Rosati can report is the amount of diacetyl and other chemicals released when the bag is opened. The study wasn't designed to provide any health-related answers, Gray acknowledged.

Without more knowledge about the toxicity of diacetyl no one can extrapolate the hazard of what is released when the popcorn is opened, or from any of the other diacetyl-containing products used in the home. This is because no one knows specifically what amount of diacetyl will harm humans. That's likely to remain the case unless the industry decides to share its knowledge or the FDA reverses course and decides testing is needed after all.


SECRET INGREDIENTS: A CONTINUING EXAMINATION OF THE SAFETY OF OUR FOOD


WHAT IS DIACETYL?

A naturally occurring substance found in many dairy products and some wine. It was first produced synthetically in Europe and is added to thousands of foods throughout the world to increase or enrich butter flavoring.



WHAT PRODUCTS CONTAIN DIACETYL?

Microwave popcorn, potato chips, baked goods and candies, frozen food, artificial butter, cooking oils and sprays, beer, dog food and others.



HOW DIACETYL HARMS PEOPLE

Worker hazards: In manufacturing plants, it's been linked to bronchiolitis obliterans -- irreversible obstructive lung diseases -- for which lung transplants are often the only way to survive.
Lawsuits against diacetyl manufacturers by hundreds of workers in popcorn, flavoring and other food plants claiming injury from breathing diacetyl have led to jury awards and settlements of more than $20 million.

Consumer hazards: The Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have declined to study the impact on consumers. The Environmental Protection Agency has looked at the vapors from heated diacetyl as an air pollutant but has not released the results to the public or to public health professionals.

Pending action: Congress ordered the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop and enforce standards for worker exposure to diacetyl. In California, legislation has been drafted that would ban the use of diacetyl by 2010. Rep. Rosa Delauro, D-Conn., has asked the FDA to ban diacetyl until it can be thoroughly studied.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
Chemical culprit identified in 'popcorn worker's lung'

By Ahmed ElAmin
butter flavoring

CDC calls for action in popcorn flavor lung disease cases

9/3/2007 - New research from the Netherlands has pinpointed the chemical culprit in bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), or "popcorn worker's lung".

The study further implicates diacetyl, a key component of butter flavoring, in the spate of BOS cases at popcorn manufacturing plants and could add fuel to calls for manufacturers to take preventative action in their plants or ban its use.

The new research examined a population of workers at an unnamed chemical plant that produced diacetyl and found a cluster of previously undiagnosed BOS cases said Frits van Rooy, lead author of the study.

"This supports the conclusion that an agent in the diacetyl production process has caused BOS," said Rooy, a scientist at the Universiteit Utrecht's department of environmental epidemiology.

Diacetyl is an artificial butter flavoring used in microwavable popcorn, pastries, frozen foods and candies, and has previously been linked to lung disease in employees of popcorn plants.
Research suggests that during processing the flavoring could be hazardous when heated and inhaled over a long period.


By investigating the BOS status of former workers of the diacetyl plant, researchers hoped to determine whether there was a link between diacetyl exposure and the development of BOS.

Diacetyl was identified early on as a marker for exposure among popcorn workers. Its specific role, if any, however, in the development of BOS was not known.

No cases of BOS had previously been identified outside of North America or in chemical production plants related to flavoring.

Van Rooy and colleagues traced 196 former workers who were still living and who had been employed at the diacetyl production plant between 1960 and 2003, when the plant closed.

They identified 175 who consented to complete exposure and respiratory health questionnaires and undergo lung function tests and clinical assessments. Of the 102 process workers considered to be at the highest risk for exposure, researchers positively identified three cases of BOS, and later, a fourth, in a worker who had initially declined to participate in the research.

"This is the first study where cases of BOS were found in a chemical plant producing diacetyl," wrote van Rooy.

While the researchers said they were unable to rule out contributions of other chemicals to the development of BOS, the study significantly narrows the field of suspects to diacetyl and the components and byproducts of its manufacturing process.

"The spectrum of exposures is much smaller in this production plant compared with the popcorn processing plants where a wide range of chemicals was identified," the researchers wrote. "This population-based survey establishes the presence of BOS, or popcorn worker's lung, in chemical workers manufacturing a flavoring ingredient with exposures to diacetyl, acetoin and acetyldehyde. Any or all of these exposures may contribute to the risk of this emerging occupational disease."

The novel finding of four cases of BOS in workers at the diacetyl plant has important implications for practicing physicians and public health officials.

"None of the four cases had been recognized as bronchiolitis obliterans or as occupationally related," wrote Kathleen Kreiss, a medical doctor who wrote an accompanying editorial to the research paper. "To identify flavoring-related bronchiolitis obliterans, physicians need to consider the diagnosis."

She also believes that "the collective evidence for diacetyl causing a respiratory hazard supports action to minimise exposure to diacetyl, even if contributions by other flavoring chemicals exist."

In the US there are currently no enforceable Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) standards requiring exposures to be controlled.

And while unions push for the regulatory loophole to be addressed, employees in popcorn plants continue to be diagnosed with BOS, while flavor manufacturers continue to fork out settlement charges in cases brought against them.

The research was reported in the first issue for September of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, which is published by the American Thoracic Society.

BOS leads to inflammation and obstruction of the lungs through rapid thickening or scarring of the small airways. The disease is irreversible, progressive and can cause death.

There is no cure for BOS. The only treatment is a lung transplant.

Most chemicals used in flavorings have not been tested for respiratory toxicity via the inhalation route, and occupational exposure limits have been established for only a relatively small number of these chemicals.

Flavorings are composed of various natural and manmade substances. They may consist of a single substance, but more often they are complex mixtures of several substances.

The safety of chemicals is usually established for humans consuming small amounts in food, not for food industry workers inhaling them.

Production workers employed by flavoring manufacturers, or those who use flavorings in the production process, often handle a large number of chemicals, many of which can be highly irritating to breathe in high concentrations.

About 150 former popcorn plant workers have filed suits against companies supplying or making the butter flavorings involved. The industry has paid out about $100 million in jury awards and settlements. About 30 suits are still pending according to an Associated Press report.

Butter flavoring oils in the US market - tipped to hit $4.4 billion (€3.4bn) by 2007 - are used in biscuit and confectionery manufacturing as well as margarines and soft spreads.

Last year the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the United Food and Commercial Workers petitioned the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration to promulgate an emergency temporary standard to protect workers from the deleterious health effects of inhaling diacetyl vapours.

In 2007, California legislator Sally Lieber introduced a bill to ban diacetyl in the workplace by 2010.


In the EU mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides are generally permitted for use in foodstuffs.

Mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides are used as dough conditioners for all baked products, particularly yeast-leavened products, white bread and rusks, and in ready-mixed flours.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
Toxic Popcorn Chemical Makes Thousands Ill, Yet FDA and Other Agencies Ignore Risk
Date Published: Wednesday, September 5th, 2007

Toxic popcorn sounds like a misnomer. Low in calories and high in fiber, popcorn is often seen as a healthy alternative to other snack foods. But a toxic chemical called diacetyl that is used to give microwave popcorn a buttery flavor has been linked to a debilitating lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans – otherwise known as “Popcorn Workers Lung.” Now, one of the largest microwave popcorn makers in the country has decided to discontinue use of diacytle. But despite findings that tie diacytle exposure to the dangerous lung disorder, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) insists that the chemical is safe for consumers. And most other microwave popcorn makers continue to include diacytle in their product – even though they don’t always list the chemical on ingredient labels.

Bronchiolitis obliterans is a form of fixed lung disease that makes it difficult for air to flow out of the lungs. The irreversible condition is rare, but disproportionately affects workers in the flavors industry – one reason why it has become known as Popcorn Workers Lung. Between 2003 and 2004, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health investigated the cases of hundreds of workers at six Midwestern popcorn plants who had developed the debilitating disease. The investigation concluded that exposure to diacetyl was probably behind these illnesses. And recently, a new European study suggested that workers exposed to diacetyl have a much higher risk of developing the condition.


Concerns over diacetyl were enough to cause Pop Weaver, one of the largest microwave popcorn makers in the country, to take it out of its popcorns. Pop Weaver’s decision is probably going to be good for its bottom line. In the past several years, workers in the flavor industry have won millions in lawsuits and settlements from snack makers after developing Popcorn Workers Lung. But despite the connection to diacetyl and lung disease, both the FDA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have refused to investigate the chemical’s safety issues. Years ago, the FDA declared diacetyl safe for consumers, and it has not looked at the chemical since that time.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has studied diacetyl. In 2003, the EPA began an investigation to see if any diacetyl was released when microwave popcorn was popped. That study was completed last year, but so far, the EPA only released the results to the popcorn industry. Though the study is secret, Pop Weaver has acknowledge that the EPA’s findings where partly responsible for its decision to quit using diacetyl. Other companies, including ConAgra Foods, the maker of Orville Redenbacher popcorn, continue to use diacetyl in their popcorns.

Many consumer groups have criticized the EPA’s decision to allow the popcorn industry to view its study results before making them public. The EPA defends its decision, claiming that the move is necessary to protect manufacturer’s trade secrets. That, the EPA says, is the only way to insure that food processors will participate in such studies.

Meanwhile, as the EPA keeps its popcorn study secret, and FDA turns a blind eye to health risks associated with diacetyl, thousands of workers in the flavorings industry continue to face health problems due to their exposure. There is no treatment for Popcorn Workers Lung, save for a lung transplant. But it appears that many more people will have to become sick before the government agencies meant to protect them bother to take any action.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
Popcorn brands ban diacytel

By Charlotte Eyre

Source of Article: http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/news/ng.asp?n=79523-pop-weaver-conagra-diacetyl-bronchiolitis-obliterans-syndrome

06/09/2007 - Two of the largest US popcorn makers have removed diacetyl from their brands, as doctors report that the chemical may now cause a fatal lung disease in consumers as well as factory workers.

Both Pop Weaver and ConAgra this week announced that they will remove diacetyl from popcorn flavoring, following reports linking it with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), an incurable disease that causes thickening and scarring of the lungs.


Reports of diacetyl's harmful effects are growing almost by the hour, and more and more BOS sufferers are surfacing, presenting companies with a possible legal nightmare that could cost them millions of dollars in compensation.

Cathy Yingling, Pop Weaver's spokesperson, told FoodProductionDaily-USA.com that plant workers had not shown any symptoms of BOS, but that the company had removed the chemical from its butter flavoring as a preventative measure.

"We made the decision to remove diacetyl from our products because we recognized that it was a growing concern," she said.

From now on the company will use another formulation for popcorn flavoring, "that maintains the buttery flavor," Yingling explained, although she would not specify the exact formulation.

ConAgra Foods similarly announced that it will reformulate the recipes for its Orville Redenbacher and Act II popcorn brands, over concerns for "worker safety".

"We don't know how soon we will be able to replace diacetyl with a different butter flavoring, but the change will be made sometime over the next year," said spokesperson Stephanie Childs.

More and more companies are now being spurred into action, especially after one report has linked popcorn and BOS outside of a factory environment.

A US doctor reported Tuesday that a BOS case has now been found in a consumer who developed the disease after microwaving popcorn several times a day for years.

Dr Cecile Rose, a pulmonary specialist at Denver's National Jewish Medical and Research Center, wrote to federal agencies warning that the case may prove that diacetyl is dangerous to health even when it is not used in industrial quantities.

In response, the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) issued a statement yesterday recommending that its members reduce the amount of diacetyl used in product formulation.

"This new information suggests a possible association between inhaling the fumes from the preparation of several bags of heavily butter-flavored microwave popcorn each day when the butter flavor contains diacetyl and the development of the patient's severe respiratory illness," the statement said.

According to the Associated Press, the US Environmental Protection Agency will soon publish the first government study looking at what fumes are produced by microwaving popcorn at home.

Industry fears were initially raised after researcher from the Netherlands linked the industrial use of Diacetyl, often used in flavorings for snacks, sweets and frozen foods, with the debilitating lung disease.

The team, from the Universiteit Utrecht's department of environmental epidemiology examined a population of workers at an unnamed chemical plant that produced diacetyl, and found a cluster of previously undiagnosed BOS cases

They then traced 196 former workers who were still living and who had been employed at the diacetyl production plant between 1960 and 2003, when the plant closed.

They identified 175 who consented to complete exposure and respiratory health questionnaires and undergo lung function tests and clinical assessments. Of the 102 process workers considered to be at the highest risk for exposure, researchers positively identified three cases of BOS, and later, a fourth, in a worker who had initially declined to participate in the research.

"This is the first study where cases of BOS were found in a chemical plant producing diacetyl," wrote Fritz van Rooy, who led the team

While the researchers said they were unable to rule out contributions of other chemicals to the development of BOS, the study significantly narrows the field of suspects to diacetyl and the components and byproducts of its manufacturing process.

Once inhaled, BOS leads to inflammation and obstruction of the lungs through rapid thickening or scarring of the small airways. The disease is irreversible, progressive and can cause death, with the only possible treatment available being a lung transplant.

California is now considering a bill to forbid the use of diacetyl in the state's food industry by 2010, while Connecticut senator Rosa Delauro has asked the Food and Drug Administration to ban the chemical across the US until its effects can be properly examined.

The European Food Safety Authority is currently evaluating diacetyl, a spokesperson said.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
Pesticide blamed for ′health disaster′ in French Caribbean

The French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique face a "health disaster" with soaring cancer and infertility rates because of the massive use of banned pesticides on banana plantations, a top cancer specialist warned Monday.

Martinique and Guadeloupe are currently facing "an extremely serious crisis linked to the massive use of pesticides for a great many years," Professor Dominique Belpomme said in a report obtained by AFP Monday.

On Tuesday Belpomme is to submit his findings to the French National Assembly, highlighting the dangers posed by the long-term use of chlordecone, also known as kepone, on banana crops. Chlordecone, which kills weevils, was banned in France's Caribbean territories in 1993, but it was used illegally -- often sprayed by aeroplanes -- up to 2002.

"The situation is extremely serious. The tests we carried out on pesticides show there is a health disaster in the Caribbean. The word is not too strong. Martinique and Guadeloupe have literally been poisoned," Belpomme told the capital's Le Parisien newspaper. "The poisoning affects both land and water. Chlordecone establishes itself in the clay and stays there for up to a century. As a result the food chain is contaminated, and especially water. In Martinique most water sources are polluted," he said.

According to the cancer specialist, the impact on health will be "more serious than the tainted blood" scandal -- in which some 4,000 French people were infected with blood contaminated with the HIV virus in the 1980s. "The rate of prostate cancer is major. The French Caribbean is second in the world ranking. Extrapolations show that nearly one male in two will be a risk of developing prostate cancer," he said.

"In addition the rate of congenital malformation is increasing in the islands. And women are having fewer children than 15 years ago. The standard theory is that this is because of the pill, but I think it is linked to pesticides," he said. Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier said the situation was "very serious" and promised to "treat the question of chlordecone with the greatest openness."
 

PORKER

Well-known member
US. DDGS dangerous source of mycotoxins
// 27 sep 2007
A survey carried out by Biomin, showed that all tested samples of DDGS( dryed Distillers Grain) were contaminated with at least one mycotoxin.

To understand to what extend the DDGS inclusion in animal diets is safe and to provide customers insights in the occurrence of mycotoxins in DDGS samples worldwide, Biomin initiated and carried out a study with 103 samples mainly received from the United States (67%) and Asia.

Samples were tested for major mycotoxins of interest to animal husbandry – aflatoxin B1, zearalenone (ZON), deoxynivalenol (DON or vomitoxin), T-2 toxin and fumonisins (FUM).

All tests have been conducted by Quantas Analytics Austria, and Romer Labs Singapore.

The analyses were performed using standard procedures. Aflatoxins, ZON and total FUM were analyzed by HPLC (High Pressure Liquid Chromatography) whereas DON values were obtained by TLC (Thin Layer Chromatography).

For the purpose of data analysis, non-detect levels were based on the quantification limits of the test method for each toxin: Aflatoxin B1 <0. 5 µg/kg; ZON <10 µg/kg; DON <150 µg/kg; T-2.

Almost all samples infected
99% of DDGS samples were contaminated with at least one mycotoxin. 92% (ZON), 64% (DON), 87% (FUN) and 26% (T-2) of the samples were contaminated with these "field mycotoxins" produced mainly by Fusarium sp.

The average contamination levels found in the DDGS samples which tested positive for these mycotoxins were 333, 2130, 596 and 113 µg/kg respectively, which can already be considered as high contaminations.

Nevertheless, for the abovementioned mycotoxins, contaminations as high as 8107, 12000, 9042 and 218 µg/kg respectively could be detected.

Aflatoxin B1, produced by Aspergillus sp., was present in 8% of the samples. The average contamination of the positive samples was 24 µg/kg. The highest concentration found for this mycotoxin in the analyzed samples was 89 µg/kg.

The only sample which tested negative for all analyzed mycotoxins was a wheat distiller.

Source concentration
The quality of the resulting by-products such as DDGS, in terms of mycotoxins’ contamination depends in a great extent on the quality of the grains purchased by the ethanol plant.

If damaged grains are the most prevalent raw material, higher mycotoxin contamination levels will be found in the by-product, as these are preferred locations for fungi development and subsequent mycotoxin production.

As seen from the results mentioned, the fermentation process for the production of DDGS does not destroy mycotoxins.


On the contrary, it makes them readily available to be absorbed by animals as the maximum inclusion rates for DDGS range from 5% for nursery pigs’ to 20% in finishing pigs, developing gilts, gestating sows and lactating sows’ diets.

In the case of poultry, these rates go from 10% in broilers’ (starters) to 20% in breeders’ diets.

No carefree use of DDGS
Although DDGS may be seen as a practical solution for animal producers, enabling them to counteract the rising prices of feedstuffs and feed, the widespread carefree use of these products is still far from reality.

DDGS are a dangerous source of mycotoxins which are toxic compounds with hazardous effects to animal health and productivity.

Monitoring the mycotoxin content of DDGS prior to its inclusion in animals’ diets is crucial to avoid the exposure of animals to the negative effects of mycotoxins.


Counteracting mycotoxins’ effects can be later on accomplished by adding mycotoxin deactivating products to the problematic feeds to ensure successful animal production.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
Beef Recall Shows Food Safety System Needs Drastic Overhaul
Posted : Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:41:28 GMT
Author : Consumers Union

Source of Article: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,189174.shtml

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumers Union, nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, is calling for mandatory recall authority for both the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a single food agency to ensure better safety of our nation's food supply.
On Saturday it was announced that 21 million pounds of beef made its way into the marketplace that might be contaminated with the potentially deadly E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria. This is several months' worth of meat production which is supposed to be inspected daily by the USDA.
"The system is broken. Recalls and inspections have failed miserably," said Jean Halloran, CU's Director of Food Policy Initiatives. "Clearly we need a single food agency with the tools, resources and leadership to focus on one clear mission -- food safety," added Halloran.
In August, people began to get sick from the beef in question, yet it took nearly six weeks before the first recall was issued. "Both the FDA and USDA need mandatory recall authority. The safety of our food should not be dependent on voluntary action by companies," added Halloran.
In a national Consumers Union poll in 2004, 97 percent of respondents agreed that the government should have mandatory recall authority for contaminated meat. Mandatory recall authority is lacking for both the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and FDA.
Consumers Union
 

Mike

Well-known member
In August, people began to get sick from the beef in question, yet it took nearly six weeks before the first recall was issued. "Both the FDA and USDA need mandatory recall authority. The safety of our food should not be dependent on voluntary action by companies," added Halloran.

It is awful hard to believe that our Food Safety Agencies do not have the authority to recall tainted food that could be harmful.

This, plus the fact that HACCP lets the foxes watch the henhouses is beyond me.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
460 tons of tainted soybeans returned
By Zhu Zhe (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-29 09:14


The country's top quality watchdog on Friday said it had returned 460 tons of soybeans imported from the United States because they contained live Khapra beetles - an extremely destructive pest of grain products and seeds.

The soybeans, in 21 containers, were seized at Huangpu Port in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, according to a circular from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

"It's the first time that China found such a pest in imported soybeans," the circular said.

The Khapra beetle is considered one of the world's most serious pests to stored grain products, such as wheat, rice, corn and broomcorn, as well as beans and nuts.

Media reports said that the beetle may cause grain damage of up to 30 percent, although 75 percent damage has also been reported. The beetle is mainly spread by trade, because it cannot fly.

The AQSIQ also said in the circular that the US soybeans also contained some other live pests and weeds that could threaten local agriculture.

"According to laws and regulations, we've decided to return the soybeans and suspend the import from The Scoular Company, the supplier," the circular said.

It said the batch of soybeans had received official inspection and quarantine certificates from the United States, so AQSIQ had asked the US side to investigate and improve its export inspection and quarantine processes.

The Scoular Company, according to its website, is a century-old agricultural marketing company with annual sales of US$2 billion.

It is not the first time China has reported problematic soybeans from the US. Late last month, the AQSIQ said that it had recently found "substantial" quality-related problems with imports of US oilseed. It said soybeans shipped from the US often contained harmful weeds, or herbicide residue.

Soybeans, which are mainly crushed for oil and used as animal feed, are the biggest single US farm export to China, according to the American Soybean Association.

Last year, more than 10 million tons of soybeans were exported from the US to China.

Apart from soybeans, the AQSIQ had also reported unsafe food, pacemakers, wooden packaging, and mechanical and electrical machines from the US in the past few months.

Some foreign media said the moves are knee-jerk reactions to the recent American reports on unsafe Chinese products, including seafood, tires and toys. However, the Chinese authorities denied the claim, saying that all the moves are normal practice according to rules and regulations.

CRAP now from US.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
Campbell Soup Voluntarily Recalls Campbell's Chunky Baked Potato With Cheddar & Bacon Bits For Choking Hazard - Update [CPB]

10/4/2007 8:20:03 PM Thursday, soup seller Campbell Soup Co. (CPB) announced that it is voluntarily recalling 72,300 units of 18.8 ounce cans of soup namely "Campbell's Chunky" Baked Potato with Cheddar & Bacon Bits as they might contain pieces of hard plastic that present a choking hazard and may cause injury if swallowed. No other "Campbell's" soup products are affected by Thursday's recall.

The company said that three people who consumed Campbell's Chunky Baked Potato with Cheddar & Bacon Bits have reported minor injuries in and around the mouth.Campbell Soup also sells Prego and Pace sauces; Pepperidge Farm biscuits, cookies and crackers; and Godiva Chocolates.

The company had asked consumers who have purchased the "Campbell's Chunky" Baked Potato with Cheddar & Bacon Bits with the can code JUL 08 2009 07097 not to eat the product. Campbell assured that consumers can return the product to the store where they purchased it and can avail an exchange or full refund.
 
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