How Food Recalls Work – A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Distribution Technology

Today I would like to cross post from Software Advice-Distribution a great analysis on the recent egg recall and the debate on food tracking. I tend to be weary of the food tracking and traceability efforts. While they are well-intentioned, it only leads to more hoops for local and small producers to jump through in order to participate in the food system. My personal traceability is going out to the hen house at Tierra Miguel Farm and checking on the ladies. In other words, if you know your farmer, there less chance for the market failure of imperfect information. Stick to the farmers market. I like the efforts of The Food Hub in Oregon as well.

Thanks to Stephen Jannise for contacting me about his work. It was nice to see that he is a UT alum. Hook 'em horns!

National and International Melamine Developments

Nationally:

Walgreens is recalling 173 teddy bears with chocolate bars sold in stores since late September 2008. Analysis by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that certain samples of the chocolate provided with the teddy bears were contaminated with melamine. Customers who purchased any of the 173 teddy bears should return them immediately to the Walgreens stores where they were purchased for a full refund. Walgreens already has instructed stores to stop selling the product, which is specifically described as an approximately 9-inch high Dressy Teddy Bear with 4-oz. Chocolate Bar.


Internationally:

The World Health Organization has release tolerable upper limit of 0.2 milligrams of melamine per kilogram of body weight per day. A meeting of food safety experts held by WHO in Ottawa, Canada, made the decision Friday noting that there is no good reason to have any melamine in food products at all.

According to the Associative Press:

Jorgen Schlundt, WHO's director for food safety, said that threshold is lower than the European Union's limitation of 0.5 milligrams. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which originally set its limit at 0.63 milligrams, later reduced its tolerable daily intake to 0.063 milligrams.

WHO's guidance is used by governments to set their minimum food safety standards.

Melamine, a nitrogen-rich chemical used in the production of plastics, was first discovered to be a major problem when it appeared in Chinese infant formula in September. Since then traces have been found in milk products around the world.

Last month the FDA said tests found traces of melamine in the infant formula of one major U.S. manufacturer and cyanuric acid, a related chemical, in the formula of a second major maker.

Schlundt stressed that the threshold the WHO has set — which stipulates that a 50 kilogram (110-pound) person could tolerate 10 milligrams of melamine per day — is not a "safe" level for melamine, but merely the amount a human being can consume without higher health risk.

Melamine is used in some food packaging and can rub off into packaged food products. It also is part of a cleaning solution used on some food processing equipment.

USDA expands its Recall of Beef

Food safety is becoming a national crisis. I think the strong media attention to these issue only reinforces the necessity for people to take on the role of knowing where their food comes from. Relying on government just doesn't cut it. It is just like the tomatoes. How many pounds if tomatoes were tossed because of that saga? Now BEEF being flushed down the drain...contaminating our water a second time. This country has got to curb its beef addiction and fast. Especially when 7 pounds of grain produces 1 pound of beef. Good grief.

Wall Street Journal
USDA Expands Its Recall of Beef
Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Agriculture Department expanded a beef recall after USDA investigators determined that Nebraska Beef Ltd.'s practices on June 24 couldn't have effectively controlled E. coli bacteria.

USDA investigators decided that 160,000 pounds of meat should be added to the Aug. 8 recall after examining the June 24 records for the Omaha plant. Most of the meat produced that day was included in the recall announcement, but the company omitted some meat produced later in the day after it switched to a different product. About 1.36 million pounds of beef is now included in the recall

E. Coli and Ground Beef Recall, Again

Maybe the importance of food saftey is gaining ground. Once again, the USDA has announced a recall by Kroger, an Ohio based retailer, on their ground beef due to E. Coli.
From USDA:
"The products subject to recall include all varieties and weights of ground beef products bearing a Kroger label sold between May 21 and June 8 at Michigan and Columbus and Toledo, Ohio Kroger retail establishments. These ground beef products also include a sell-by date between "05/21/08" and "06/08/08."

32 are already sick. And its a Class I recall:
USDA Recall Classifications

Class I This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.
Class II This is a health hazard situation where there is a remote probability of adverse health consequences from the use of the product.
Class III This is a situation where the use of the product will not cause adverse health consequences


Beef...it's not what's for dinner...at least in Ohio and Michigan.