Clipmarks | Food safety Clips

Consumer Reports finds BPA in most canned foods

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:41:49 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
clipper's remarks: More:

…our findings are notable because they indicate the extent of potential exposure: Consumers eating just one serving of the canned vegetable soup we tested would get about double what the FDA now considers typical average dietary daily exposure…

A 165-pound adult eating one serving of canned green beans from our sample, which averaged 123.5 ppb, could ingest about 0.2 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day, about 80 times higher than our experts' recommended daily upper limit. And children eating multiple servings per day of canned foods with BPA levels comparable to the ones we found in some tested products could get a dose of BPA approaching levels that have caused adverse effects in several animal studies… Drinking three servings per day of canned apple juice with BPA levels comparable to the levels found in our samples could result in a dose of BPA that is more than our experts' daily upper limit.
Clip Source: www.consumerreports.org
The chemical Bisphenol A, which has been used for years in clear plastic bottles and food-can liners, has been restricted in Canada and some U.S. states and municipalities because of potential health effects.
Now Consumer Reports' latest tests of canned foods, including soups, juice, tuna, and green beans, have found that almost all of the 19 name-brand foods we tested contain some BPA. The canned organic foods we tested did not always have lower BPA levels than nonorganic brands of similar foods analyzed. We even found the chemical in some products in cans that were labeled "BPA-free."
Federal guidelines currently put the daily upper limit of safe exposure at 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight. But that level is based on experiments done in the 1980s rather than hundreds of more recent animal and laboratory studies indicating serious health risks could result from much lower doses of BPA.

Tags: food, food-safety, chemicals, bpa, consumer-reports

7 Safety Protection Ways against Swine Flu

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:55:53 GMT

clipped by: AScomputer
clipper's remarks: How do I protect myself Against Swine Flu?

Clip Source: www.egodevelopment.com

7 Safety Protection Ways against Swine Flu

Swine flu, also known as 2009 H1N1 type A influenza, is a human malady. People get the malady from other people, not from pigs.

The disease initially was nicknamed swine flu because the virus that causes the disease came to humans from pigs. The virus contains genes from swine, bird, and human flu viruses. Scientists are still in dispute about what the virus should be called, but most people know it as the H1N1 swine flu virus.

How do I protect myself Against Swine Flu?

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water,

Use Masks.

Stay away from sick people.

Avoid touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

Eat healthy food,

Get Swine Flu Vaccine.

Use the Wein Air Supply Personal Air Purifie

Tags: swine flu, flu

A New Angle on Pet Food RFecalls

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:12:19 GMT

clipped by: Solara
clipper's remarks: This early warning system sounds like an excellent idea.

Clip Source: 4petsonline.com

Pet Food Recalls – First Alert Planned

A concerned pet owner and pet website owner, Susan Thixton have collaborated on a project requesting all pet owners to contact their pet food companies and ask them to develop an email and voice mail notification system for pet owners/purchasers of their products (Pet Food Recall First Alert Program).

A Paragraph From Susan’s Thixton’s site:

“A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a very concerned pet owner. Her own dogs had suffered from a silent recall in the past; the recent increase in silent recalls was becoming alarming. Her idea was to develop a method for pet food companies to alert customers if they experienced a product recall. Her hope was that every pet food company would choose integrity over secrecy. Her hope, as well, was for us – pet parents – to push the changes through. ”

Read much more Susan’s site and see how you can get involved in this letter writing campaign. It is for the safety of our pets!

Tags: pet food, pet food recall, pet nutrition, pet website, pet blog, 4petsonline, helping pets, pet welfare, pet problems, feeding pets

Melissa and Doug Toys - Best Kids Educational Toys Out

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:43:43 GMT

clipped by: RebeccaMontana
clipper's remarks: find out more about Melissa and Doug toys, they are high quality and meet US Toy safety standards.

Clip Source: kidseducationaltoys.net

Melissa and Doug Toys Top Educational Toys

Twenty years of business has not dimmed the wonderful business superiority of Melissa and Doug Toys. If you are looking for wooden puzzles or toys for your child then Melissa and Doug have what you are looking for. ALL of their toys either meet or exceed the US governments standards for safety in toys.

Melissa & Doug Cutting Food Box
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $11.75
Average Rating:

Tags: kids educational toys, melissa and doug toys, wooden puzzles

Important information about food and the sorage of it

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:32:15 GMT

clipped by: Uniec
clipper's remarks: A lot of everyday questions looked into

Clip Source: www.stilltasty.com

Can You Safely Drink Milk After the Sell-By Date?

Is it OK to Put Hot Food Directly Into the Fridge?

Are Eggs Still Safe After the Expiration Date?

Expiration Dates: Should You Pay Attention?

The dates on food labels can be confusing. The truth is, they often have nothing to do with food safety. Here's what you really need to know.

3 Ways to Defrost Food Safely

Foods keep safe while they're frozen. But that can change quickly once they start to thaw. Follow these steps to keep your foods safe and tasty.

The Secret to Keeping Fruit Luscious

When it comes to ripening, not all fruits are created equal. Use our handy guidelines to get the maximum flavor and shelf life from your fresh fruit.

How Cold Should Your Refrigerator Be?

Browse Shelf Life Information By Category

Tags: food, good, keep

Diarrhoea kills 1.1m a year: WHO

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:19:41 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: www.northernstar.com.au

DIARRHOEA kills at least three times more people than previously thought, the World Health Organisation said Friday, citing latest data showing that 1.1 million people die yearly from the ailment.

"The burden of disease from diarrhoea ... is significantly higher than was previously considered," said Jorgen Schlundt, who is director of food safety department at the WHO.

Some 1.1 million people who are older than five in Africa and Asia die from the ailment every year, according to new figures from a six-year-long study to be concluded in 2012 on food-borne diseases.

Previous research, which commenced in 2002 and which had been regularly updated, had estimated only 300,000 deaths annually among those older than five world-wide.

Schlundt said the current study showed a sharp difference compared to earlier research as it looks deeper into the problem.

He hoped that the latest data would bring greater awareness to the ailment that is both preventable and treatable.

Tags: health

American Beef Got to be Imported No Matter Which Political Party (Nationalists or DPP) is in Power.

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:47:37 GMT

clipped by: MorningStar-Light
clipper's remarks: http://blog.udn.com/NorthAmerica/3445269
從這些找的到的資料看來，台灣必須在WTO的架構下和美國談判牛肉進口事宜。如果台灣要拒絕特定牛內臟，必須能拿的出科學證據以及研究報告，不然可能被WTO認為設下貿易壁壘。今天美國不來扣關，明天加拿大(另一個危險控制中的國家)也可能來向WTO訴諸仲裁。到時候不是被裁定必須開放牛肉進口，就是台灣必須退出WTO。對於依靠輸出的台灣來說，離開WTO恐怕就是末日的到來。

政府基於對WTO的承諾，不能不開放美國牛肉及內臟進口，但是只要民眾不吃牛內臟或甚至美國牛肉，就沒有商人會進口這些國人有疑慮的產品。網路上有人建議政府每個月公布商人或個人進口美國牛內臟的數量和日期資料，我相信這樣一來沒有人有興趣做這筆生意。

附件 :

1. AIT的Barbara J. Schrage 和台北經濟文化代表處代表袁健生共同簽訂的英文文件。全文名稱是”Protocol of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)-Related Measures for the Importation of Beef and Beef Products for Human Consumption from the Territory of the Authorities Represented by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT)”。 http://food.doh.gov.tw/foodnew/Files/News/TECROAIT.PDF

2. 世界動物健康組織(World Organisation for Animal Health, OIE)的網站。 http://www.oie.int/

3. 日本經濟產業研究所(Research Institute of Economy, Trade & Industry, RIETI)學者山下一仁對日本有關狂牛症檢疫措施的報告”Food Safety and Trade: BSE and Sanitary/Phytosanitary Measures”。http://www.rieti.go.jp/en/papers/contributi

Clip Source: blog.udn.com

政府在WTO架構下沒有選擇必須開放美國牛肉內臟進口

2009/10/28 16:13:02　瀏覽155｜回應1｜推薦5

最近在台灣，美國牛肉及內臟開放進口似乎又成了一個熱門話題，不過好像網路上各部落格有不少錯誤的說法。讓我來收集一下各方面的資料，在這一篇我先收集一些有關貿易的規定，以後有空再來寫美國人吃甚麼不吃甚麼。

在AIT和TECRO簽訂的文件中，詳細的定義了有顯著危險的部分(Specified Risk Materials, SRMs) 以及機器去骨肉品( Advanced Meat Recovery, AMR) Products。基本上台灣開放30個月以下牛的所有可食用部分進口，但是不可以包含SRM，同時AMR不可以包含超過30個月的牛。這樣是否安全，我不是獸醫畜牧方面專才，不過這似乎是國際貿易組織(World Trade Organization, WTO)下屬世界動物健康組織(World Organisation for Animal Health, OIE)的建議。

眼尖的網友會指出日本限制美國進口的牛肉不能超過20個月大，所以台灣和美國簽訂的約定比日本和美國的寬鬆，這代表政府沒有盡到應該的責任。事實上，日本學者山下一仁在他的一份研究報告中指出每一個國家都可以基於主權，設定適當檢疫標準保護國民健康以及國內農產品安全，但是這可能被認為是蓄意設定的貿易壁壘，因此1994年世界貿易組織達成了全球統一的有關進出口衛生檢疫的協定。簡單的說，一個國家如果沒有科學證據設下一個過高的檢疫標準，就可能被WTO認定設下貿易壁壘。日本的20個月標準和OIE的建議不符，除非日本政府能做到有關進出口衛生檢疫協定的三個條件之一，美國可以向WTO提起仲裁要求。

仁的研究報告中也指出，因為美國目前被世界動物健康組織列為危險控制中(Controlled BSE Risk)的國家，任何接受美國牛肉進口的國家都必須接受各種年齡的牛，包括30個月以上，只要SRM已經移除或是30個月以下的牛隻，更不用說台灣(Chinese Taipei)目前和美國一樣都是危險控制中的國家。換句話說，政府和美國簽訂的約定完全依照WTO及OIE的規定，說喪權辱國是言重了。不管國民黨或民進黨執政，都沒有太多選擇

Kids Safety on Halloween

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:47:33 GMT

clipped by: cliche

Clip Source: www.costumes-cool-ideas.com

Planning ahead can help to make safety part of your family’s Halloween routine.

A good start is to establish a policy with your children that they are not allowed to accept any unwrapped food such as apples or cookies.

Safety precautions should also be taken into consideration when helping your child select their Halloween costume.

Taking a few simple safety measures can help to make sure you family’s memories of Halloween night are joyful and not full of regret.

Tags: halloween safety children trick-or-treat precauti

An Egregious Tragedy Has Taken Place

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:18:30 GMT

clipped by: thinkingblue
clipper's remarks: ... into its clutches.

It didn't happen to my child but it did, to someone who lived in my community. His name was Adam Walsh and he was a year younger than my own. The Walsh's horrible story, could have been mine. I, many times frequented the same place as Adam and his mom and I forever shuddered to think it my child who was cut from the herd and open to attack.

We as a society should warn our children and ourselves that we are but one or two seconds from something so heinous that our lives would never recover. Whenever our children leave the safety of our sight, we should tell them, "Never allow a stranger to talk lies, in order to hurt you. Scream, cry, run and fight if need be, not to be taken by anyone.”

Every child, every young person who falls victim to the savages amongst us, must be a reminder that we live in a jungle of predators but worse, these fiends look like us, so we have to be even more vigilant than jungle prey.

Clip Source: www.thethinkingblue.com

Justice for Somer Thompson

[Video]

This is a story of egregious tragedy, not only for the loved ones involved but for all of us who exist in a social environment, infiltrated by murderous monsters. This horror may not have happened if we all considered our surroundings to be parallel to the darkness of dense jungles where meat eaters lurk behind the thickness of forestry waiting their next gorge. Without envisioning this comparable, life appears orderly and free of danger.

Within the food chain, hunger is the motivator to kill. It's not called murder but it is the same. Something must die in order to satisfy the needs of a predator. When a youngling is cut away from the protection of the herd, a beast of prey will spot, immediately the vulnerability of this life form and direct all its attention towards a capture. What happened to this child is the same. A monster, perhaps not even on its usual hunt, zeroed in on a little girl, alone, away from any protection

and used its cunning to lure her

Tags: crime, murder, somer, children

US Marines facing reality

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:40:41 GMT

clipped by: notareargunner
clipper's remarks: They ought to read this blog, they and their inept and idiotic political masters.
I had a US former Marine Sgt work for me in Namibia. He could not understand that his two year enlistment did nowhere equate to that of a 15 year regular soldier. Very few of the lessons in soldiering can be gained from the library of military literature. They are gained in the field, from those who have experienced all that service has to offer.
The British made an enormous mistake when, after the Falklands, the major slice of experienced senior nco's were forcibly retired. That single instrument allowed second class senior officers to kowtow to their political masters, with disastrous procurement of everything essential from personal weapons to food, through footwear to transport.
When General Jackson and his cronies were feathering their pension pots, the skills and loyalty of the squaddie were evaporating on a maelstrom of political correctness and Health & Safety. I heard not a beep out of th

Clip Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Morale dips for American marines in Afghanistan

In a remote part of Helmand troops are dismayed by the ambivalence of locals and a sense that the Taliban can outlast them

A mile from South Station, an outpost of US marines in Helmand province, the tribal chief was openly hostile. “The Americans threaten our economy and take our land for bases. They promise much and deliver nothing,” he said.

“I’m not much for this war. I’m not sure it’s worth all those lives lost,” said Sergeant Christian Richardson as we walked across corn fields that will soon be ploughed up to plant a spring crop of opium poppy.

Tags: marines, afghanistan

Too much e-coli got you down? Bump FDA!

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:39:54 GMT

clipped by: nedhamson1

Clip Source: secure.consumersunion.org

Pass food safety by the holidays!

A Thanksgiving meal shouldn’t mean worrying about whether the food you’re eating or serving will get you or your family sick. But until Congress passes a strong food safety bill, we’re left wondering just how safe that next forkful really is.

Why is reform so urgent? Because Americans are still getting horribly ill and dying from food most of us would think is safe. A recent study found that the riskiest foods regulated by the FDA include ones on most of our tables – lettuce, eggs, tomatoes and certain kinds of cheese.

Tags: green, ecology, fda, safety

MEAT JIHAD: Muslim Food Plant Employee Charged With Inserting Needles in Meat

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:01:53 GMT

clipped by: Antara

Clip Source: atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com

It gives one a warm, cozy feeling knowing the State department is importing whole Muslim communities into small American communities to work in meat processing plants.

Hey, it's the jihad. You better 'respect' those needles.

It wasn't lost on me that this took place in the town of Guelph, home to the University of Guelph, which refused to accept our $5,000 donation to honor Aqsa Parvez at their arboretum. Needles for the dhimmis!

GUELPH, Ont. -- An Ontario woman charged in connection with a case of tampered food at a store in Guelph, Ont., is a former employee of a Maple Leaf Foods plant in the city, the company said in a statement Friday.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued warnings last week after sewing needles were found in meat products at a supermarket.

UPDATE: I see Spencer blogged this too and added:

Poisoning food with feces is detailed as a tactic in the Al-Qaeda manual found a few years ago by British intelligence

Tags: global jihad, food safety, islam

More BPA news

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:18:37 GMT

clipped by: echeryl

Clip Source: www.foodqualitynews.com

The US Government’s review of bisphenol A (BPA) is waste of money and perhaps even a ploy to delay making a decision on the chemical, a group of 33 scientific experts have said.

The scientists have sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) criticising the decision to review its opinion on the controversial chemical, saying the safety of the substance has been exhaustively studied in more than 900 studies, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported this week.

They criticised an FDA move to spend a further $7m on more studies and cautioned that the research could be meaningless because the government had insisted on using rats that were resistant to BPA at low levels.

"The potential for fiscal waste, we believe, is magnified by our serious concerns that there are significant study design flaws in the (government's) research plans”, the letter added.

troubled that the agency would announce these research plans in light of its decision to release a reassessment of BPA by Nov. 30”

Humidification Systems : Industrial Humidifiers : Smart Fog

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:50:10 GMT

clipped by: smartfog21

Clip Source: www.smartfog.com

For over 30 years, customers have trusted Smart Fog humidification systems and Dry Fog systems to help them lower costs, protect their products, and provide precise, even humidity control for their operations. We've earned our reputation for superb performance and reliability by making equipment which scales well for facilities of all sizes, delivers consistent results, and solves humidity control problems for a wide range of different applications. When looking for a commercial humidifier, industrial humidifiers, choose Smart Fog!

Winery Humidification

Cold Storage Humidifier

Fast return on investment

Lowest energy and water consumption in the market

Award winning support and customer service

Smallest droplet size (4.2 microns) in the market

No wet-spots guaranteed

Precisely control 1% to 99% without wetting in any condition

Simple and quick installation

Tags: humidification systems, industrial humidifiers

THE MILKMAN COMETH!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:22:38 GMT

clipped by: mountainpalm
clipper's remarks:

While Taylor was at the FDA in the early 90’s, he also oversaw the policy regarding Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rbGH/rbST)—injected into cows to increase milk supply.

The milk from injected cows has more pus, more antibiotics, more bovine growth hormone, and most importantly, more insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 is a huge risk factor for common cancers and its high levels in this drugged milk is why so many medical organizations and hospitals have taken stands against rbGH.

Clip Source: www.seedsofdeception.com

The Fox Guarding the Chickens

If GMOs are indeed responsible for massive sickness and death, then the individual who oversaw the FDA policy that facilitated their introduction holds a uniquely infamous role in human history. That person is Michael Taylor. He had been Monsanto’s attorney before becoming policy chief at the FDA. Soon after, he became Monsanto’s Vice President and chief lobbyist.

Michael Taylor became the senior advisor to the commissioner of the FDA. He is now America’s food safety czar. What have we done

In May, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine concluded that animal studies have demonstrated a causal relationship between GM foods and infertility, accelerated aging, dysfunctional insulin regulation, changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system, and immune problems such as asthma, allergies, and inflammation