" I heard it through the AgLine"

May 7, 2010

 

 

·        E. coli forces lettuce recall in three states

·        Salmonella detection in hours, not days

·        Organic farming limited benefit to wildlife

·        Pre-packed veggies fetch 5 times the price

·        EU subsidies go to accordion players and …

 

 

E. coli forces lettuce recall in three states

 

(AP via Yahoo! News) WASHINGTON – A food company is recalling lettuce sold in 23 states and the District of Columbia because of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 19 people, three of them with life-threatening symptoms.

 

The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that 12 people had been hospitalized and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was looking at 10 other cases probably linked to the outbreak.

 

Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio, said it was recalling romaine lettuce sold under the Freshway and Imperial Sysco brands because of a possible link to the E. coli outbreak.

 

College students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Ohio State in Columbus and Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y., are among those affected, according to local health departments in those states.

 

The FDA is focusing its investigation on lettuce grown in Arizona as a possible source for the outbreak, according to two people who have been briefed by the agency. Donna Rosenbaum, director of the food safety advocacy group Safe Tables Our Priority and one of those briefed, said the agency held a phone call with public health advocates Thursday.

 

Rosenbaum and other public health advocates have long been pushing for stronger food safety laws. The House passed a bill last year that would give the agency much more authority to police food production, but the Senate has not acted on it.

 

The New York state Public Health Laboratory in Albany discovered the contamination in a bag of Freshway Foods shredded romaine lettuce on Wednesday after local authorities had been investigating the outbreak for several weeks. The bag of lettuce came from a processing facility that was also linked to the illnesses, the FDA said. The agency would not disclose the name of that facility or its location but said an investigation was under way.

 

E. coli infection can cause mild diarrhea or more severe complications, including kidney damage. The three patients with life-threatening symptoms were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause bleeding in the brain or kidneys.

 

It was not immediately clear why students on college campuses were sickened. Freshway Foods said the lettuce was sold to wholesalers, food service outlets, in-store salad bars and delis.

 

Susan Cerniglia, spokeswoman for the public health department in Washtenaw County, where the University of Michigan is located, said it doesn't appear that students who were sickened ate the contaminated food on campus. It is believed they may have been sickened at local restaurants, she said. Most of those sickened lived in Ann Arbor and not on campus.

 

The Erie County, N.Y., health department issued an alert late last month that linked at least one diagnosis of E. coli to a student who ate at a Daemen College dining facility. The alert said twelve students had been sickened after eating at the school and three students were hospitalized.

 

Kevin Montgomery of the Erie health department said Thursday that one case of E. coli was confirmed at Daemen College and another was suspected. All of the students have now recovered, he said.

 

The most common strain of E. coli found in U.S. patients is E. coli O157. The CDC said the strain linked to the lettuce, E. coli 0145, is more difficult to identify and may go unreported.

 

Freshway Foods said in a statement Thursday that the FDA informed the company about the positive test in New York on Wednesday afternoon. The statement said "an extensive FDA investigation" of Freshway Foods' facility in Sidney has not uncovered any contamination at the plant.

 

The recalled lettuce has a "best if used by" date of May 12 or earlier. The recall also affects "grab and go" salads sold at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets and Marsh grocery stores.

 

The lettuce was sold in Alabama, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

 

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Salmonella detection in hours, not days

 

(ScienceDaily.com) – Using technology available through a local company, an Iowa State University researcher is working on a faster method to detect and genetically identify salmonella from contaminated foods.

 

Byron Brehm-Stecher, an assistant professor of food science and human nutrition, wants to replace the current system of salmonella detection with a new approach that can provide DNA sequencing-like results in hours rather than days.

 

Brehm-Stecher's collaborator, Advanced Analytical Technologies, Inc., from Ames, is providing advanced biomedical instruments and reagents for the research.

 

The recent results of the research, funded by the Grow Iowa Values Fund, will be presented at the August meeting of the International Association for Food Protection in Anaheim, Calif.

 

Currently, definitive genetic identification of food-borne pathogens is done using traditional DNA sequencing methods first developed in the 1980s.

 

"If you want (DNA) sequence information now, you first need to run a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on total DNA extracted from a sample of contaminated food," said Brehm-Stecher. "This amplifies DNA from the pathogen you're looking for and will let you know if salmonella is present or not.

 

"However, further details about the pathogen are lacking, like what strain is present. To dig deeper, you need to run a cycle sequencing reaction -- similar to a long PCR reaction -- and send the output from this to a DNA sequencing core facility. Results are available about two days later," said Brehm-Stecher.

 

"This is not fast enough to keep up with the pace of today's food production and distribution networks. We are able to get foods from the farm to the table -- really any table around the globe -- in a remarkably short period of time," he added.

 

Faster detection of specific strains can mean recognizing an outbreak sooner and stopping tainted food from being delivered and consumed. The new method might be helpful for investigative agencies, Brehm-Stecher said.

 

"Especially for the type of investigation where things are still in motion. The food has been shipped and you may not know where it is. It may be in a truck, on a shelf or in some consumer's pantry, so time really is of the essence," he said.

 

"Next-generation sequencing tools are available, but these are still too complex and expensive for routine use in the food industry," Brehm-Stecher explained. "New approaches that are able to bridge the gap between the limitations of traditional PCR and next-generation sequencing could enhance food safety efforts by providing both rapid presence/absence testing and detailed genetic characterization of isolates."

 

You don't have to go further than the local newspaper to see the depth of the problem. Recent national outbreaks of salmonella in foods include peanut butter (2007 and 2009), alfalfa sprouts (2009), black pepper and hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) (2010). Adding to the problem is the fact that peanut butter, black pepper and HVP are all base ingredients used in many other food products. Salmonella in these ingredients has led to thousands of product recalls, hundreds of illnesses and several deaths, Brehm-Stecher said.

 

The method being developed at Iowa State University starts with a rapid PCR reaction that amplifies a salmonella-specific gene, generating millions of fluorescently labeled copies of this DNA in about 20 minutes.

 

Next, instead of cycle sequencing, the PCR product is purified for five minutes, SNAP71 (a reagent developed by Advanced Analytical) is added, and the DNA is heated for 10 minutes at 100ºC.

 

This reaction chemically cuts the labeled salmonella DNA at all adenine and guanine sites (A's and G's) in the DNA chain.

 

The result is a complex soup of fluorescently labeled DNA fragments of all sizes. These fragments are then separated in a high-voltage electric field by sieving them through a polymer matrix (a gel) contained in glass capillaries that are 50 microns -- not much thicker than a human hair. This process separates the DNA fragments according to their size, from smallest to largest, and each piece is detected as it passes in front of an intense light source. For a PCR product that's 300 bases long, this separation and detection process takes approximately 90 minutes.

 

Because the SNAP71 reagent cleaves the salmonella DNA only at adenine and guanine, and not at thymine and cytosine sites (T's and C's), the method is not a direct replacement for DNA sequencing. Instead, the process rapidly generates a reproducible pattern of DNA fragments, Brehm-Stecher said.

 

Salmonella strains having slightly different DNA sequences within a given gene will yield different patterns of fragments, allowing discrimination of different strains of salmonella.

 

From "food to finish," the whole process can be accomplished in about two and a half hours.

 

"We're very excited about this approach and about the rapid progress we've made since the project began," said Brehm-Stecher. "The funding for this project has enabled us to work very closely with Advanced Analytical and accelerate application of their instruments to solving important food safety problems."

 

The team at Iowa State University includes post doctoral researcher Hyun Jung Kim and master's student Brittany Porter. The group is also working with Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

 

The ultimate goal of the project is faster detection and characterization of human pathogens from "farm to fork to physician."

 

Advanced Analytical's instruments are based on technology originally developed at Iowa State University in the lab of Ed Yeung, the Robert Allen Wright Professor and Distinguished Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Lab.

 

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Organic farming limited benefit to wildlife

 

(sciencedaily.com) – Organic farms may be seen as wildlife friendly, but the benefits to birds, bees and butterflies don't compensate for the lower yields produced, according to new research from the University of Leeds.

 

In the most detailed, like-for-like comparisons of organic and conventional farming to date, researchers from Leeds' Faculty of Biological Science found that the benefits to wildlife and increases in biodiversity from organic farming are much lower than previously thought -- averaging just over 12 percent more than conventional farming.

 

The organic farms in the study produced less than half of the yield of their conventional counterparts, so the research -- published online in Ecology Letters -- raises serious questions about how we can use agricultural land to maximise food production and still protect our wildlife.

 

"Over the next forty years, we're going to have to double food production worldwide to keep pace with population increases," says Professor Tim Benton, who led the project. "Our results show that to produce the same amount of food in the UK using organic rather than conventional means, we'd need to use twice the amount of land for agriculture.

 

"As the biodiversity benefits of organic farming are small, then the lower yield may be a luxury we can't afford, particularly in the more productive areas of the UK."

 

Organic farms have come out well in earlier research into biodiversity and wildlife, but as these farms tend to be found in areas with smaller fields, more hedges and woodland, they start with an advantage. The Leeds project, funded under the Rural Economy Land Use programme, aimed to see if organic farming was still as good for wildlife if these landscape effects were taken out of the equation.

 

The research looked at two areas in Central South West England and the North Midlands, taking into account over 30 variables covering climate, topography, socio-economic conditions, land use and soil type. Thirty-two organic and non-organic farms were paired together, some in 'hotspot' regions with many organic farms and others in 'coldspots' with very few, to help identify any cumulative impacts over a wider area. Comparisons were made also between individual fields, with 192 fields sampled in all. The research looked at birds, insects (including butterflies, bees and hoverflies), earthworms and plants.

 

Comparing farm by farm, the researchers found a 55 per cent drop in yield compared to a 12.4 per cent increase in biodiversity. However, comparisons between larger areas found that 'hotspots' with a greater density of organic farming showed a 9.1 per cent increase in biodiversity across the board.

 

"If one field is managed organically without use of herbicides, that can benefit plant species in a field by field comparison, but it won't affect enough of an area to impact on pollinating insects, for example," explains co-researcher on the project, Dr Doreen Gabriel. "However, if you aggregate organic farms together, the benefits can be seen across a wider range of species."

 

The research also threw up some unforeseen negative impacts. Conventional farms in 'hotspots' tended to use higher levels of herbicides than those in 'coldspots' to counteract the seeds coming across from their more weed-tolerant neighbours. And numbers of small farmland birds were actually lower on organic farms, as these tend to attract birds such as magpies and jays, which prey on smaller birds.

 

"Organic methods may be a useful part of the land management mix for the less productive parts of the UK, particularly if policies can encourage farmers to coordinate activities to maximise the benefit to wildlife across a larger area," says Professor Benton.

 

"However, given the lower yield and the limited biodiversity benefit of organic farming, it isn't sustainable to promote it as the best or only method of agriculture. To meet future demands of food production, we will need to keep farming our most productive areas in the most intensive way we can -- and potentially offset that by managing some of our remaining land exclusively as wildlife reserves."

 

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Pre-packed veggies fetch 5 times the price

 

(AUSVEG.com.au) – Pre-packed salads, tomatoes and mushrooms sell at up to five times the price per kilogram (kg) of other fresh vegetables, the Australian vegetable industry’s inaugural quarterly report has found.

 

As an example of the higher retail price that certain --value added -- vegetables have achieved, the selling price for mushrooms is around $20 per kg compared to $3.50 per kg for the fresh vegetables category overall.

 

AUSVEG Communications Manager Hugh Tobin said that the price difference was a result of value-adding achieved by varying portion sizes, promoting extra varieties and additional pre-preparation options. Mr Tobin said that the vegetable industry quarterly report was an important resource for vegetable growers that would provide useful learning opportunities about ways to offer additional value and options to consumers.

 

“The price difference indicates that certain vegetable products like mushrooms, tomatoes and pre-packed salads have attracted significantly higher retail value by offering extra value to consumers through variable portion sizes and packaging options,” Mr Tobin said.

 

“Understanding the vegetable market and the drivers behind consumer behaviour are important factors for vegetable growers in making business decisions about new product development options and value adding,” Mr Tobin said.

 

The report, entitled VEGINSIGHTS: The Market Q4 2009, revealed that the average price per kg of tomatoes, loose leaf and pre-packed salads and mushrooms was dramatically higher than that of other fresh vegetable commodities.

 

Commodities that did fetched up to $25 per kg more the report reveals. Mushrooms offered consumers 12 different products, with portion size and pre-preparation options a major selling point, while pre-packed salads provided consumers with a range of extra varieties to purchase, including up to 16 different salad products.

 

“Veginsights provides evidence that those vegetable commodities which do add real value for consumers receive a significantly higher return in terms of retail value,” Mr Tobin said.

 

“This is an opportunity for growers to get an overall picture of the market and to better understand the volumes and value of the different distribution channels.”

The quarterly report was produced by freshlogic – a market analysis and consulting firm specialising in agribusiness – as part of the Vegetable Industry Development Program (VIDP).

 

For more information or to obtain a copy of the report please contact AUSVEG. The VIDP is funded by the National Vegetable Levy through Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) with matched funds from the Australian Government.

 

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EU subsidies go to accordion players and

 

(telegraph.co.uk) – European Union farm subsidies were paid out last year to Swedish accordion musicians, Danish snooker players, Dutch ice skaters and an Estonian society for old school classmates, official figures show.

 

Unusual payments included almost £600,000 paid to the daughter of the Bulgarian minister responsible for administering EU farm subsidies.

 

As well as the £51,000 paid to a Swedish accordion club was £27,000 handed out to Danish billiard players, payments were made of £139,000 to ice skaters and £303,000 to footballers in the Netherlands.

 

In what may involve cases of people who died after qualifying for aid, payments were made to two 100-year-old Swedes who are now deceased.

 

"It does look odd," admitted a European Commission official.

 

EU officials have expressed concern over payments to Galina Dimitrova Peicheva-Miteva, the 27-year-old daughter of Dimitar Peichev, Bulgaria's former deputy agriculture minister who was responsible for handling farming funds until July 2009. Payments of £597,000 to Miss Miteva made her the most subsidised Bulgarian farmer in 2009.

 

"If she's got a load of land, there may be nothing wrong with it. But it's more a problem of potential conflict of interest for her father," said a Commission official.

 

Research carried by Farmsubsidy.org, a group campaigning for reform of how subsidies are paid, has highlighted some surprising recipients of EU cash that is meant to support farmers engaged in agriculture or caring for land.

 

Jack Thurston, the co-founder of Farmsubsidy.org and a former government adviser on farming, explained that the details of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) spending, worth £47 billion a year, followed intensive research.

 

"Some countries have tried to make it difficult for us," he said.

 

"At a time when public budgets are under real pressure, we need to ask whether CAP is providing good value for taxpayers money or is in need of radical reorientation."

 

Mr Thurston criticised the British authorities for failing to publish CAP payment figures by an EU deadline of May 3.

 

"The decision of UK civil servants to withhold the data during the general election campaign is without precedent," he said.

 

According to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs the decision was made in the interests of political candidates who are beneficiaries of CAP funds."

 

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