A Boston.com site discusses a recent effort to make raw milk more available.
Bad idea. Its not that raw milk sanitation cannot be improved but to make it perfectly safe is probably not possible without pasteurization.
See Why to Pasteurize
Farm to Fork
Creating a Monster Agency
By Roy Costa on
Posted in Farm to Fork
I do not agree that one food safety agency is better. Such a behemoth will be bound by a morass of red tape. The agencies have evolved over the last 100 years, They have their own culture and hierarchy. The turbulence caused by any drastic change will hurt the public health mission of all the…
Audit Creep
By Roy Costa on
Posted in Farm to Fork
Beth Bland of the Goegia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association makes some interesting points in her comments to the FDA. See:
http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480b1eb50
The association voices the opinion of many that third party audit schemes have taken a life of their own and now constitute a greater burden for the primary producer than is necessary to ensure food safety.
In Florida Health Inspectors Just Walk Around Kitchens
By Roy Costa on
Posted in Farm to Fork
So now we have an idea what eliminating health inspections is all about in Florida. The republican congressman from Florida who chairs the House Health Care Appropriations Committee (vice chair), a Mr. Frishe, says he has gone through a kitchen before and thus is a qualified health inspector.
Further, Frishe sees no reason DCF and AHCA workers can’t inspect…
Political Pressure on Public Health Agencies
By Roy Costa on
Posted in Farm to Fork
Please see the article from Bites, below, thanks again to Doug Powell at Kansas State.
Where are our US public health scientists when food safety/public health regulatory agencies get in a corner? They just do not show up on the scene to take a stand against the political pressure from industry. The US public health…
Pig to Human H1N1
By Roy Costa on
Posted in Farm to Fork
There has been speculation about the transmission of the swine flu virus, better known as H1N1 virus, from pigs to humans during animal raising or processing and the feeling now is NO according to WHO. USDA has not issued any kind of advisory about this potential when working with pigs and this novel strain is unlikely to be transmitted this way.
…
Anonymous Sanitation Complaint
By Roy Costa on
Posted in Farm to Fork
I referred this “anonymous sanitation complainant” to the proper authorities in the jurisdiction in question. This message brings up some very interesting points:
1. Working conditions and health of employees and the duty of the employer
2. Attitudes about cleanliness
3. Motivation
4. Self esteem
5. Communications
6. Duty to the public
7. Duty to…
Produce Is Ripe for Regulation
By Roy Costa on
Posted in Farm to Fork
With experience in so many key areas, environmental health professionals will undoubtedly make a valuable contribution to on-farm-food-safety through regulation. Public health regulation will enhance what the produce industry is doing now, improve its food safety record, and restore consumer confidence in a healthful and safe produce supply.…
Continue Reading Produce Is Ripe for Regulation
Who Owns Food Safety?
By Roy Costa on
Posted in Farm to Fork
Who Owns Public Health Protection?
In an ideal world, the government would have the capacity, resources and determination to ensure public health and safety and government would essentially own food safety as one of its key initiatives, controlling the food industry through laws administered by public health agents of the government. This is the way…