Don't eat the eggs!

Just when you thought it was safe to eat an omelet again, another egg recall is announced.

Cal-Maine Foods Inc., the nation’s biggest egg seller and distributor, has announced the recall of 288,000 eggs purchased from Ohio Fresh Eggs in Croton, Ohio.

While evidence of salmonella has been found at this farm, there have been no reports of illnesses from the eggs, which were distributed to food wholesalers and retailers in Arkansas, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. Continue reading »

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Is anything safe to eat or drink these days? Just weeks after a massive egg recall, the Food and Drug Administration has announced that Midland Farms is voluntarily recalling 8,000 gallons of milk due to the potential of improper pasteurization.

Inspectors found failed pasteurization equipment at the Midlands Farm plant near Albany on Sept. 7, according to AP.

Proper pasteurization heats milk in order to effectively eliminate all pathogenic bacteria, such as Listeria and Salmonella.

Check your refrigerator and see if you have any of the recalled products. Continue reading »

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Ever since I watched the film, Food, Inc., I’ve had a different relationship with meat. I’m definitely still a carnivore–I grew up with a dad who hunts and a basement freezer routinely stocked with venison, rabbit, etc.–and meat itself is still appealing. But I can’t shake the images of meat processing, and it has affected how I order, buy, and cook.

Last night, for example, I ordered a hamburger–the menu made a clear statement of the cows being hormone-free and grass-fed (I wish that were more common in restaurants). But I still ordered it well done. In the process of making ground beef, the surface area of a piece of meat (where bacteria are most likely to live) is cut and jumbled in. In other words, the inside of a burger is just as dangerous as the outside. I order steak medium rare, but I insist on burgers fully-cooked all the way through.

With so many cases of dangerous pathogens like E. coli and salmonella spreading through eggs, spinach, lettuce and more, many people are modifying what they buy and how they cook. The New York Times has put together a list of tips for shopping and cooking that help with food safety, without breaking the bank.

For example, buy pasteurized eggs if you’re going to make cookies (batter-licking included), or a Caesar salad dressing, and regular old eggs for hard boiling or scrambling (pasteurized ones can cost almost double). Continue reading »

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Reminder:  The massive egg recall is still going on.  ABC News has the egg recall list to help consumers stay informed.  And just in case you’re curious (or ate a few of the recall eggs), CBS news has info on salmonella symptoms.

So … maybe I’ll just home school my kids from sixth grade on.  At least, that sounds better than exposing my kids to the latest teen trend:  Lists. — Momma Said

Goodbye H1N1, hello pertussis.  Official report new outbreaks in New York, South Carolina, and Michigan now, and say the rise can’t be explained by non-vaccinating parents alone.  If you’re pregnant, have an 8 to 12 year old, or providing care to an infant, talk to your doctor about booster shots. — Well

Continue reading »

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According to the Associated Press, (and reported in the Huffington Post) the state of Minnesota is reporting seven cases of Salmonella linked to an egg recall. Salmonella can be serious stuff, especially in infants. It can lead to diarrhea, dehrydration and possibly hospitilization; in infants, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, the infection can spread to the blood stream and, if untreated with antibiotics, eventually cause death.

Salmonella in eggs has always been a risk, but in the past, we’ve been instructed to look for cracked eggs. The newer strain of Salmonella affects the whole egg in the shell; it comes from an infected hen and there’s no way to spot it from the outside. You can (and should) check your fridge for recalled eggs, but a visit to the CDC site concerning Salmonella may finally convince you (ok, me) to stop letting the kids eat the raw cookie dough. Continue reading »

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The average baby’s diet includes many things that are not on the menu. After all, they spend lots of time at ground level where they come across interesting things that must be investigated by mouth.  Dirt.  Bits of paper.  Dog food.  And while it is unlikely that a little soil from the garden or a bit of magazine will do much harm, that kibble in the dog’s bowl just might. Continue reading »

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Despite the fact that selling small turtles as pets was banned in the U.S. in 1975, people are still getting them.  And kids are still getting very sick from them.

The sale of small turtles was banned because they can carry salmonella in their feces, which can easily spread to people when the turtles are handled. The ban applies to turtles smaller than 4 inches in diameter because experts believe that kids are more likely to put those in their mouths than larger turtles.  However, any infected turtle can spread the salmonella strain to other turtles during shipping, resulting in widespread contamination.  That, say experts, is the likely explanation for a recent outbreak of turtle-related salmonella cases. Continue reading »

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