http://www.bramptonguardian.com/community-story/4192315-filth-excrement-found-in-imported-spice-fda-says/
About Me
- Food Safety
- We are Hannah and Ashley, Social Studies Methods students studying the topic of food safety or more specifically meat production. We became interested in the topic when discussing the different current event topics that are found in the news. As consumers of many meat based products, we wanted to uncover the details of meat production and the food safety related to it.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Contaminated Spices
So considering this is a food safety blog, I happened to come across something in the news that I believe people should not only be aware of but be concerned about. Our imported spices have been reported by the USDA as contaminated. Some of the things that have been found in the spices are enough to make anyone sick yet the some believe that this is not a problem because spices are eaten in such a small quantity that most will not get sick.
http://www.bramptonguardian.com/community-story/4192315-filth-excrement-found-in-imported-spice-fda-says/
http://www.bramptonguardian.com/community-story/4192315-filth-excrement-found-in-imported-spice-fda-says/
Monday, October 28, 2013
Hannah's Interview
Hannah's Interview and Reflection
Name of person interview: Nicholas, my fiance, Boston electrician
Interview:
Q: Is food safety, meat production in particular, a current event topic that you find important?
Absolutely, because meat is apart of almost every meal I think it is something that is very important. Without proper food safety for the production of our meat people could get really sick. Bad meat could be a serious health problem without proper inspection of the meat to be sure that it is ready for consumption.
Q: Do you think that others in our community would think that this is an important problem?
Yes, well they should. This kind of problem is something that people should be worried about because it involve the safety of their health as well as their family's health. I think if people knew more about food safety and meat production they would be a little more cautious of what they were eating.
Q: What policy, if any, does the government now have to deal with this problem?
I' am not sure of any besides the USDA, but I believe that they just sign bills and regulate the laws regarding the meat.
Q: Since I have informed you of the new nationwide policy that the USDA is trying to pass for poultry inspection, do you believe that there are any advantages to this policy?
I don't see how there could be any. The chicken isn't going to get inspected because the factory workers are not going to care. More chemicals just means that they are treating the bad meat that gets missed because the lines speed up.
Q: What are the disadvantages?
I think I said most of them. But the factory workers do not care to add on an extra job to their work day, so who is to say that they are even going to be doing what the USDA says that they have to. I think that more people are going to get sick and we will just see the news flashing with health risks from bad meat.
Q: Do you believe there is any way they could improve this policy before they try to pass this new policy?
There is no way to improve that policy besides not even trying to pass it. There is just going to be more bad meat in the grocery story which means our population is going to get sick. The factories, and apparently the USDA, don't care about the health of the community they just care about production and how much money they can make.
Reflection:
After conducting my interview, it only convinced me more that this kind of new policy that the USDA is trying to create is something that will affect our entire nation. One thing that I really learned from my interview is that most people have no idea about new policies that are being created because they are never really announced to the public. Although Nicholas said that he believed that food safety, more importantly meat production, is something that he believes is important and that the community should be informed as well as find this topic important. Yet, when I asked about policies put in place regarding this issue, he had not idea. In order to find this kind of information you have to do some digging on the internet, which people in today's society just do not have time for. I believe that I learned that the problem with food safety and the production of meat is that no one really knows about it, or cares enough to dig for information about the food that they consume on a daily basis. I believe that my interviewee is correct, there is no good way to improve that kind of policy other than keeping the one that is already in place. The only thing that will come from a new policy such as this one is loss of jobs and an increase in health risks. If a policy like this could affect everyone that consumes meat, shouldn't the community be more informed?
Name of person interview: Nicholas, my fiance, Boston electrician
Q: Is food safety, meat production in particular, a current event topic that you find important?
Absolutely, because meat is apart of almost every meal I think it is something that is very important. Without proper food safety for the production of our meat people could get really sick. Bad meat could be a serious health problem without proper inspection of the meat to be sure that it is ready for consumption.
Q: Do you think that others in our community would think that this is an important problem?
Yes, well they should. This kind of problem is something that people should be worried about because it involve the safety of their health as well as their family's health. I think if people knew more about food safety and meat production they would be a little more cautious of what they were eating.
Q: What policy, if any, does the government now have to deal with this problem?
I' am not sure of any besides the USDA, but I believe that they just sign bills and regulate the laws regarding the meat.
Q: Since I have informed you of the new nationwide policy that the USDA is trying to pass for poultry inspection, do you believe that there are any advantages to this policy?
I don't see how there could be any. The chicken isn't going to get inspected because the factory workers are not going to care. More chemicals just means that they are treating the bad meat that gets missed because the lines speed up.
Q: What are the disadvantages?
I think I said most of them. But the factory workers do not care to add on an extra job to their work day, so who is to say that they are even going to be doing what the USDA says that they have to. I think that more people are going to get sick and we will just see the news flashing with health risks from bad meat.
Q: Do you believe there is any way they could improve this policy before they try to pass this new policy?
There is no way to improve that policy besides not even trying to pass it. There is just going to be more bad meat in the grocery story which means our population is going to get sick. The factories, and apparently the USDA, don't care about the health of the community they just care about production and how much money they can make.
Reflection:
After conducting my interview, it only convinced me more that this kind of new policy that the USDA is trying to create is something that will affect our entire nation. One thing that I really learned from my interview is that most people have no idea about new policies that are being created because they are never really announced to the public. Although Nicholas said that he believed that food safety, more importantly meat production, is something that he believes is important and that the community should be informed as well as find this topic important. Yet, when I asked about policies put in place regarding this issue, he had not idea. In order to find this kind of information you have to do some digging on the internet, which people in today's society just do not have time for. I believe that I learned that the problem with food safety and the production of meat is that no one really knows about it, or cares enough to dig for information about the food that they consume on a daily basis. I believe that my interviewee is correct, there is no good way to improve that kind of policy other than keeping the one that is already in place. The only thing that will come from a new policy such as this one is loss of jobs and an increase in health risks. If a policy like this could affect everyone that consumes meat, shouldn't the community be more informed?
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Food Safety Intro
We are Hannah and Ashley, Junior Block students who are digging a little deeper into the current event topic of Food Safety, more specifically Meat Production. Food Safety is a process in which food is handled, prepared and stored in order to prevent food borne illness. Food safety in general including meat production includes a number of routines that have to be followed to avoid any potential for severe health hazards.
When it comes to food safety, it is regulated by many different federal, state, and local officials. There are 15 agencies sharing oversight responsibilities in the food
safety system, although the two primary agencies are the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which is responsible for the safety of meat, poultry, and processed egg products, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for virtually all other foods.Regulatory agencies at all levels of government in the United States use
the FDA Food Code to develop or update food safety rules in their
jurisdictions that are consistent with national food regulatory policy. The Food Safety and Inspection Service has the responsibility of
administering and enforcing the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the Egg Products Inspection Act, portions of the Agricultural Marketing Act, the Humane Slaughtering Act, and the regulations that implement these laws. FSIS inspection program workers inspect every animal before
slaughter, and each carcass after slaughter to ensure that the public health
requirements are met. On January 4th, 2011, President Obama signed The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law which enables the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
to better protect public health by strengthening the food safety system.
It allows FDA to focus more on preventing food safety problems, rather
than reacting to problems after they occur.
But here is where things get a little complicated...
The United States Department of Agriculture, also known as the USDA intends to create a new nationwide poultry inspection procedures that will cut the number of government inspectors, turn over a large number of safety inspection duties to the factory workers, expand the use of chemicals and increase line speeds. This will not only put almost one thousand people out of work but could possible create numerous health risks. More information about this topic can be found at The Washington Times.
I' am Hannah and I believe that this new nationwide poultry inspection procedure that could possible be put into use is a very bad idea that could harm the people of the United States. I feel as though this new switch to factory responsibility of food safety is a means to save money by cutting workers and not a means of creating a better food safety inspection process. The increase in line speeds will only cause more problems for this new inspection procedure. If the lines increase speeds it will make it more difficult for the untrained employee eyes to spot any sort of health risk which I believe will create a substantial increase contaminated poultry product. According to the link posted above, "the proposed rules ensure that—at least poultry—will be treated with more chemicals under the new rules. Instead of removing visibly contaminated carcasses from the production line as is currently the practice, the proposed regulations allow contaminated carcasses to remain on the line and treat all carcasses—contaminated or not—with 'automatic bird washers and antimicrobial spraying or drenching equipment'". This statement is what scared me the most about this possible new inspection procedure because the possible health risks of these added chemicals are most likely enormous. If an untrained eye is inspecting meat, and massive amount of chemicals are being placed on unsanitary meat, what does that mean for the health of the human population consuming the meat?
I'm Ashley and I agree with Hannah. Allowing cuts in production workers will created an overall health risk for all Americans that eat these meats. “USDA’s proposal to shift this public health responsibility to company employees is a budget-cutting maneuver that puts consumers at risk.” While cutting employes will save "the government over $90 million over three years", the heath and wellness of American people should not be on the back burner and should be the main concern of the United State Government. I feel that if people become sick because of the lack of inspection done to meat, since money is trying to be saved, can ultimately backfire. More money will have to be spend caring for those people who have gotten sick from less meat regulation.
But here is where things get a little complicated...
The United States Department of Agriculture, also known as the USDA intends to create a new nationwide poultry inspection procedures that will cut the number of government inspectors, turn over a large number of safety inspection duties to the factory workers, expand the use of chemicals and increase line speeds. This will not only put almost one thousand people out of work but could possible create numerous health risks. More information about this topic can be found at The Washington Times.
I' am Hannah and I believe that this new nationwide poultry inspection procedure that could possible be put into use is a very bad idea that could harm the people of the United States. I feel as though this new switch to factory responsibility of food safety is a means to save money by cutting workers and not a means of creating a better food safety inspection process. The increase in line speeds will only cause more problems for this new inspection procedure. If the lines increase speeds it will make it more difficult for the untrained employee eyes to spot any sort of health risk which I believe will create a substantial increase contaminated poultry product. According to the link posted above, "the proposed rules ensure that—at least poultry—will be treated with more chemicals under the new rules. Instead of removing visibly contaminated carcasses from the production line as is currently the practice, the proposed regulations allow contaminated carcasses to remain on the line and treat all carcasses—contaminated or not—with 'automatic bird washers and antimicrobial spraying or drenching equipment'". This statement is what scared me the most about this possible new inspection procedure because the possible health risks of these added chemicals are most likely enormous. If an untrained eye is inspecting meat, and massive amount of chemicals are being placed on unsanitary meat, what does that mean for the health of the human population consuming the meat?
I'm Ashley and I agree with Hannah. Allowing cuts in production workers will created an overall health risk for all Americans that eat these meats. “USDA’s proposal to shift this public health responsibility to company employees is a budget-cutting maneuver that puts consumers at risk.” While cutting employes will save "the government over $90 million over three years", the heath and wellness of American people should not be on the back burner and should be the main concern of the United State Government. I feel that if people become sick because of the lack of inspection done to meat, since money is trying to be saved, can ultimately backfire. More money will have to be spend caring for those people who have gotten sick from less meat regulation.
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