Food Protection Trends - September 2010 - 546

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN FOOD SAFETY
• Buy chicks and young hens only from suppliers who monitor for Salmonella bacteria Establish rodent, pest control, and biosecurity measures to prevent spread of bacteria throughout the farm by people and equipment Conduct testing in the poultry house for Salmonella Enteritidis. If the tests find the bacterium, a representative sample of the eggs must be tested over an eight-week time period (four tests at two-week intervals); if any of the four egg tests is positive, the producer must further process the eggs to destroy the bacteria, or divert the eggs to a non-food use Clean and disinfect poultry houses that have tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis Refrigerate eggs at 45°F during storage and transportation no later than 36 hours after the eggs are laid (this requirement also applies to egg producers whose eggs receive a treatment, such as pasteurization). to inhibit the growth of bacteria that may be in an egg. While these steps limited the growth of bacteria, they did not prevent the initial contamination from occurring. The new rule is part of a coordinated strategy between the FDA and the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The FDA and the FSIS will continue to work closely together to ensure that egg safety measures are consistent, coordinated, and complementary. In addition to the new safety measures being taken by industry, consumers can reduce their risk of foodborne illness by following safe egg handling practices. The FDA reminds consumers to buy eggs that have been refrigerated, make sure eggs in the carton are clean and not cracked and cook eggs and foods containing eggs thoroughly. mixproof valves used on processing equipment and on equipment and lines which hold or convey milk, milk products and other comestibles. These valves cannot be used to separate raw milk and milk products from pasteurized milk, milk products and other comestibles.

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Preventing Lead Poisoning from Municipal Water System

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To ensure compliance, egg producers must maintain a written Salmonella Enteritidis prevention plan and records documenting their compliance. Egg producers covered by this rule must also register with the FDA. The FDA will develop guidance and enforcement plans to help egg producers comply with the rule. During the 1990s, the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture implemented a series of post-egg production safety efforts such as refrigeration requirements designed

3-A SSI Issues Comprehensive Revisions of Two Standards -A Sanitary Standards, Inc. announces the release of two major revisions of key 3-A Sanitary Standards. 3-A Sanitary Standard for NonCoil Batch Pasteurizers (24-03) is the first major revision of this standard in five years. This standard covers the sanitary aspects of noncoil type batch pasteurizers used to pasteurize milk, fluid milk products, or other fluid food products and includes those appurtenances necessary to meet pasteurization requirements. The scope of this standard includes the points where the product enters and exits the non-coil type batch pasteurizer. 3-A Sanitary Standard for Double-Seat Mixproof Valves (85-01) was revised with significant technical changes to maintain consistency with the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO). This standard covers the sanitary aspects of double-seat

DC leaders addressed Congress about questions related to CDC’s work in 2004 to help prevent lead poisoning from the Washington, D.C. municipal water system. The CDC protected the public’s health by working closely with the Washington, D.C. Department of Health, the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Public Health Service and other federal and local agencies to help mitigate the problem and prevent additional lead exposures. In our work we determined the health consequences of lead exposures from the contaminated water, and published our findings in the MMWR, reiterating that that there is no safe level of lead exposure, and that all lead exposures in children should be eliminated. In our urgency to rapidly assess the situation and protect the public’s health, the CDC communicated our scientific results poorly and did not convey our conclusions and recommendations clearly. One of CDC’s core values is to pursue excellence in the science behind public health. Although we believe in this case that our scientific analysis and conclusions were correct, we did not place our findings into the proper perspective. For nearly three decades, CDC has spearheaded an effective

546 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | SEPTEMBER 2010

Food Protection Trends - September 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - September 2010