Just a quick update on the salmonella outbreak in eggs. Here’s some excerpts from a New York Times article:
Inspection reports released by the Food and Drug Administration described — often in nose-pinching detail — possible ways that salmonella could have been spread undetected through the vast complexes of two companies. Barns infested with flies, maggots and scurrying rodents, and overflowing manure pits were among the widespread food safety problems that federal inspectors found at a group of Iowa egg farms at the heart of a nationwide recall and salmonella outbreak.
The recall, which began Aug. 13, involves more than half a billion eggs from the Iowa operations of two leading egg producers, Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. About 1,500 reported cases of Salmonella enteritidis have been linked to tainted eggs since the spring — the largest known outbreak associated with that strain of salmonella.
It was difficult to gauge from the report how extensive the problems were. Both companies operate vast facilities housing seven million hens.
The report on Wright County Egg also described pits beneath laying houses where chicken manure was piled four to eight feet high. It also described hens that had escaped from laying cages tracking through the manure.
Officials last week said that they were taking a close look at a feed mill operated by Wright County Egg, after tests found salmonella in bone meal, a feed ingredient, and in feed given to young birds, known as pullets. On Monday, officials said for the first time that they had also found salmonella at a Hillandale facility. The bacteria was found in water that had been used to wash eggs.
Wright County Egg is owned by Jack DeCoster, who has a long history of environmental, labor and immigration violations at egg operations in Maine, Iowa and elsewhere.
Both companies have stopped selling shell eggs to consumers from their Iowa facilities and instead are sending all their eggs to breaking plants where they are pasteurized, which kills the bacteria. The eggs would then most likely be sold in liquid form, possibly to food manufacturers.
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The website Animal Visuals has created a graphic regarding the salmonella outbreak. Here is a small section of it:
You can see the full image here.
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Breakfast: Toast with cashew butter. I didn’t especially like the cashew butter – it’s too sticky and doesn’t have as much flavor as peanut butter.
Lunch: Vegetarian chili and a salad from The Garden Spot
Dinner: Taco salad
3 comments
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eva says:
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 11:58 am (UTC -5)
Like the liquid form is going to be any safer.
It’s rather sad and frustrating how the food industry is in collusion with our government. That instead of telling the American public the truth about how widespread these “violations” are, they are trying to make it out like it’s *only* these two rogue farms, they’re the bad eggs (pun intended), and that these are isolated incidents, much like they did with the factory farm in Chino, California and all the food contamination outbreaks in recent years – all in the name of profit and at the expense of people’s health and human lives.
Enough is enough. How much worse does it have to get before we wake up to the fact that the entire food industry needs an overhaul in their modus operandi and that these government agencies in charge of policing them and making sure the public is safe are a big joke?
eva´s last blog ..Kind Foods
Kasey says:
Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 9:37 am (UTC -5)
The thing that really gets me about the NYT article is the picture of the factory “farm.” The use of the word “farm” is so clearly meant to mislead. There is no farming involved. These are just factories, where living creatures are used as the machines.
Kasey´s last blog ..Sad saga of stealing
ETB says:
Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 11:36 am (UTC -5)
Cool new buttons…