FDA – petit appetit blog

Turkey Warning…

There are a few new food recalls concerning dairy, papayas, cat food and 36 million pounds of ground turkey. There’s been one death and 77 illness of salmonella in 26 states due to the contamination. The FDA is cautioning people not to eat ground turkey and products made with ground turkey. Here’s the whole story…
http://news.yahoo.com/salmonella-found-ground-turkey-cat-food-papayas-dairy-173600802.html

Here’s a chart of the Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures from foodsafety.gov.
Use this chart and a food thermometer to ensure that meat, poultry, seafood,
and other cooked foods reach a safe minimum internal temperature.

Remember, you can’t tell whether meat is safely cooked by looking at it. Any
cooked, uncured red meats – including pork – can be pink, even when the meat has
reached a safe internal temperature.

Why the Rest Time is Important

After you remove meat from a grill, oven, or other heat source, allow it to
rest for the specified amount of time. During the rest time, its temperature
remains constant or continues to rise, which destroys harmful germs.

category	Food	Temperature (°F)	Rest Time
Ground Meat & Meat Mixtures	Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb	160	None
Ground Meat & Meat Mixtures	Turkey, Chicken	165	None
Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb	Steaks, roasts, chops	145	3 minutes
Poultry	Chicken & Turkey, whole	165	None
	Poultry breasts, roasts	165	None
	Poultry thighs, legs, wings	165	None
	Duck & Goose	165	None
	Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird)	165	None
Pork and Ham	Fresh pork	145	3 minutes
	Fresh ham (raw)	145	3 minutes
	Precooked ham (to reheat)	140	None
Eggs & Egg Dishes	Eggs	Cook until yolk and white are firm	None
Eggs & Egg Dishes	Egg dishes	160	None
Leftovers & Casseroles	Leftovers	165	None
Leftovers & Casseroles	Casseroles	165	None
Seafood	Fin Fish	145 or cook until flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.	None
	Shrimp, lobster, and crabs	Cook until flesh is pearly and opaque.	None
	Clams, oysters, and mussels	Cook until shells open during cooking.	None
	Scallops	Cook until flesh is milky white or opaque and firm.	None

Reducing BPA Exposure

The FDA has not banned, but is finally encouraging people to limit their exposure to BPA, found in food and beverage containers. Last week’s San Francisco Chronicle had an informative article about BPA, impending legislature, and ways to reduce your family’s exposure. Read article here.

FDA to Study Food Coloring Additives…Finally!

Where has the FDA been? There have been concerns over food additives, especially coloring for years. Studies in other parts of the world and even banning of certain dyes as far back as the 1950’s (red 32, orange 2, etc). I even wrote a blog in 2007 that cited a NY Times article and study by Britain’s Food Standard Agency, about the link of ADHD to additives.

So finally this week in response to a 2008 letter, an FDA advisory panel will decide whether available data links artificial food dyes and ADHD. The results could lead to new warning labels on many colored foods. The article lists Jello, sugared cereals, and macaroni and cheese (what color would fake food be without coloring? – that’s the real question). But what about a ban? Wouldn’t that be safer for consumers and children? According to an npr.org article, “Food dyes are added simply for their color to make foods fun. They serve no health purpose whatsoever,” says Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. CSPI wants the FDA to ban eight artificial food dyes. Jacobson is particularly concerned with Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6, which make up 90 percent of the food dyes on the market. Their use has gone up fivefold in the past 50 years. “That’s a good indication of how much junk food we’re consuming,” he says.

According to this week’s CBS news article, the government previously ruled that there is no proven relationship between food dyes and hyperactivity in most children. And the panel is unlikely to ban the petroleum-based dyes in question, such as Yellow 5, Red 40 and six others. But consumer advocates and a growing body of scientists say evidence is mounting that processed foods – including those with artificial dyes – may play a role in the inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity that characterize attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

I guess we’ll just have to cross our fingers and wait and see what the panel says. However, no matter what they decide, I’ll continue to read labels and limit additivesand colorings whenever possible…and make my own macaroni and cheese (real, please!)