Eat Pink Pork - What Does it Really Mean?

Pink and juicy is so much more appealing than gray and leathery for serving and enjoying pork chops. After years of food safety rules dictating that pork had to be overcooked to be safe, the rules have changed. This spring, the USDA announced that most meats no longer have to be cooked to 160 degrees.

With the exception of ground beef, which does need to be cooked to that temperature, we can finally enjoy pork chops and other juicy cuts at 145 degrees, if we let them rest 3 minutes. This extra time is beneficial for taste too, because it allows the meat to reabsorb its juices.

Have influential chefs finally convinced regulatory decision makers, that they knew what they were talking about? Whatever the reason, Miss Phage is glad for the reversal. I hope you are, too!
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Three Food Companies Take the Lead on Broad E. coli Testing

First, retail giant Walmart announced in April it will require additional food safety measures from its beef suppliers, including specialized testing for dangerous pathogens like E. coli O157:57 and Salmonella--as well as non-O157 strains of E. coli, strains that are not currently defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as adulterants.

"In light of recent beef recalls, we determined it was prudent to require an additional layer of protection for our customers," said Frank Yiannas, Walmart's vice president for food safety, in a statement yesterday. "As part of our continuous improvement efforts, we go further than many U.S. retailers in requiring leading-edge food safety standards throughout the entire food production chain."

Last month, Costco, one of the nation’s largest food retailers, began requiring its suppliers of bagged produce, including salad greens and mixes, apple slices and baby carrots, to test for a broad range of toxic E. coli.

“We know this is where we have to go and there’s no reason to wait,” said Craig Wilson, the food safety director of Costco. In the last two weeks, he said, most produce suppliers have added a test that can detect the strain from the European outbreak as well.

The company also plans to test all of the ground beef sold at its warehouse stores. Costco operates a large ground beef plant in Tracy, Calif., and Mr. Wilson said the plant recently began evaluating testing procedures to detect the broader range of E. coli in the hamburger it makes and the beef trimmings that go into it. As an added step, the company plans to ask suppliers of the trimmings to do their own testing, starting later this summer, he said.

Last week, Beef Products, Inc., a leading producer of lean beef, announced that it had started testing for the six additional strains of E. coli at one of its five grinding plants. The company, based in South Dakota, said it would start tests in its four other plants as soon as it could get enough test kits from manufacturers, which are just beginning to produce them.  More

Kudos to all three companies for expanding their food safety programs to further protect consumers  and without waiting for federal regulations to decide whether food companies should be required to test for known dangerous foodborne bacteria.
    
    

Katy Perry's Food Poisoning

On Facebook, Friday, July 8:

Food poisoning & severe dehydration has forced Katy to postpone shows in Chicago & St. Paul. They are rescheduled for 8/21 in Chicago & 8/23 in St. Paul. Tickets will be honored at the new dates or refunded at the point of purchase. Katy said, "I apologize to my fans in Chicago & the Twin Cities for not being able to perform this weekend, but I am going to return in a few weeks to give them the very best show ever!"

12,024 like this [really represents fans who are concerned and care about Katy's health]

3, 042 comments [well wishers] 

When one person falls ill from eating contaminated food, many, many more are affected. In Katy's case, it was her fans, her producers, the stage crew, the concert staff, the venue staff, etc. The cost of her illness is escalated beyond the cost of doctors, lab tests and hospital care to the costs of missed performances (work), rescheduled concerts, affected travel, thousands and thousands of ticket holders, their travel plans to get to the concerts, etc. 

Food poisoning can happen to anyone. When it happens to Katy Perry, tens of thousands of people are effected. When it happens to one of us, it might only disrupt the lives of close family, friends, and co-workers. However, multiply each of those smaller instances by the thousands and thousands of cases of foodborne illness that occur annually in the United States, and you can begin to see why it is a problem -- a problem of Katy Perry-like dimensions.

Have you seen the pig in the sauna?

Quirky works, doesn't it? It gets your attention and probably even gets you to tell at least someone about it. The USDA is counting on it with three new ads they've launched for television and radio. The pubic service announcements were created with pro bono help from the Ad Council to help promote safe food handling during this barbecue season.

Does the quirkiness of the message work for you?

Click here to see the ads for Clean, Separate and Cook