Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)
Food Safety Partnership (FSP) and
Partnership and Workforce Development Unit (PWDU)
QUARTERLY UPDATE
Volume 5, Issue 2, April 2011
SECTION HEADINGS
Address from the Commissioner of Health…...
1
“Bug of the Quarter” …..…………………......… 3
Training Resources ………….……….………..
5
Web and Written Resources …………………..
6
Rules and Legislation ……………………….…
7
Food and Food Safety Matters …..….……..…
8
Climate Change Corner………………………… 10
Emergency Handbook for Food Managers.....
10
PWDU Staff Contact Information ..................
10
COMMISSIONER of HEALTH:
On Finding (and Using) the Gold
of Public Health
The following is an address made by Dr. Edward
Ehlinger, newly appointed Commissioner of Public
Health, at the Minnesota Cancer Alliance 2011 Cancer
Summit last month. Dr. Ehlinger’s comments refer not
only to the practice of public health but to the difficult
times in which we currently live and work.
“Public health interventions must be built on
Partnerships – interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary,
Multiperspective.”
NOTE from PWDU:
Remember
when April 1
meant silly jokes
and the sight of
the first spring
bulbs sending
shoots through
the last of the
snow?
More and more, melting snow and the coming of spring
remind us of sand bags, the loss of homes and
property, and yet another ‘100 year’ flood.
Two years ago, nine Minnesota counties were affected
by floods; last year it was 20 counties. State officials
say that 40 to 50 counties throughout the state are
likely to have flooding this spring of 2011.
Best wishes to all of you who are fighting the floods
this spring. See MDH flood factsheets at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/emergency/natural
/floods/index.htmlXx
Welcome:
It’s nice to be among folks who are coming together to
find a way to collaboratively work together to address a
major issue. That’s not what’s happening in all parts of
my life.
As the Commissioner of Health looking at what’s going
on in our societal discussions about how to deal with
budget deficits, housing foreclosures, and the rising
needs among vulnerable people, I almost feel like we
are experiencing the reincarnation of Andrew Mellon,
the financier turned philanthropist, who was Secretary
of the Treasury, and whose birthday it is today, when
he said: "Liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate
farmers."
Today he’d probably add, liquidate community
engagement, liquidate public employees, liquidate
public health.
But Melon wasn’t a very good prognosticator since he
also said in 1930: “I see nothing in the present situation
that is either menacing or warrants pessimism . . . .
Deborah
PWDU Quarterly Newsletter
Page 1 of 10
and societal responsibilities. Individuals live
within the context of their physical and social
environment and that environment is a societal
responsibility. The Statewide Health
Improvement Program (SHIP) is a good model of
this.
Commissioner’s Address, continued
I have every confidence that there will be a revival of
activity in the spring and that during this coming year
the country will make steady progress."
Since he was wrong about some pretty important
things, I remain optimistic that the horrible rhetoric that
we are hearing will not turn out to be true.
On a more positive note, I would like to acknowledge
that today is World TB day, recognizing the day in
1882 in which Prussian Physician Heinrich Hermann
Robert Koch discovered the bacillus that causes
TB. He won the Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1905.
Probably as important as his work on tuberculosis are
Koch's Postulates, which say that to establish that an
organism is the cause of a disease, it must be:

found in all cases of the disease examined

prepared and maintained in a pure culture

capable of producing the original infection, even
after several generations in culture

retrievable from an inoculated animal and
cultured again.
Koch’s Postulates have had a huge impact on society.
By using his postulates, Koch's pupils found the
organisms responsible for diphtheria, typhoid,
pneumonia, gonorrhoea, meningitis, leprosy, bubonic
plague, tetanus, and syphilis, among others.
So as I thought about this meeting today, I wondered,
what are our postulates for an effective approach to
public health issues?
“Public health interventions must incorporate the
physical, emotional, spiritual, environmental, and social
determinants of health.”
Here are some postulates for consideration for
evaluating public health interventions

Must be based on sound science not on
ideology.

Ultimate measure of success is the improvement
of the health of a population – individual health is
certainly important but the health of the entire
population is the ultimate public health measure.

Must have community engagement and
ownership.

Must be built on partnerships – interdisciplinary,
multidisciplinary, multiperspective. Must
recognize individual rights and responsibilities
PWDU Quarterly Newsletter

Must incorporate the physical, emotional,
spiritual, environmental, and social determinants
of health.

Must include the entire range of interventions:
disease prevention, health protection, health
promotion, early identification, effective
treatment, and rehabilitation services. We can’t
have silos of interventions. They need to be
integrated. We need the incorporation of
medicine and public health.

Must have both a short-term and long-term
perspective.

Must be socially responsible. We must be good
stewards of resources and try to get the
maximum benefit from those resources.

Must be socially just – everyone should get their
basic needs met and no one should benefit at
the expense of someone else.
I’m thinking about those postulates as I lead MDH and
as I work on health reform. I especially think of those in
health reform because that is a public health
opportunity that doesn’t come around very often.
I now challenge you to think about those postulates in
your work on cancer. You may think that improving the
health of the public will require lots of new ideas and
new knowledge. The cancer plan released today
recognizes that the answers to most of our questions
about how to improve the health of the public are
already known. We just have to recognize them and
implement them. It just takes some insight and
imagination. Robert Koch recognized this when he
said:
“If my efforts have led to greater success than usual,
this is due, I believe, to the fact that during my
wanderings in the field of medicine, I have strayed onto
paths where the gold was still lying by the wayside. It
takes a little luck to be able to distinguish gold from
dross, but that is all.”
The gold of public health is all
around you. You’ve just have to
recognize the gold and then go
and use it.
Page 2 of 10
What are the symptoms of listeriosis?
BUG of THE QUARTER
Listeria monocytogenes and Listeriosis
The bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes, causes the
illness listeriosis. Though there are many fewer cases
of listeriosis than of other foodborne illnesses, Listeria
is the most virulent of the foodborne pathogens, with
an overall mortality rate of about 20 percent, compared
to less than one percent for Salmonella.
Selected Pathogens
Illnesses (est.)
Deaths (est.)
Norovirus
5,461,731
149
Salmonella
1,027,561
378
C. perfringens
965,958
26
Campylobacter
845,024
76
T. gondii
86,686
327
E. Coli O157
63,176
20
1,591
255
Listeria
Who can get listeriosis?
Listeriosis primarily affects people with a suppressed
immune response. CDC tells us that those at increased
risk of serious illness include the following high-risk
categories:

The fetuses and newborns of pregnant women
(both perinatal and neonatal infections occur);

People with immune systems weakened by
corticosteroids, anticancer drugs, graft
suppression therapy, or AIDS (people with AIDS
are 300 times more likely to become ill with
listeriosis than people with normal immune
systems);

People with diabetes, cirrhosis, asthma,
ulcerative colitis, or kidney disease; and

Elderly people.
Infected pregnant women
may experience a mild,
influenza-like illness.
However infections in
pregnancy can lean to
miscarriage, stillbirth,
premature delivery or
infection of the newborn. Other healthy adults and
children are occasionally infected with Listeria but
usually have no symptoms. One listerosis outbreak in
Switzerland, attributed to soft cheese, had a number of
healthy, young victims, suggesting that healthy people
can develop the disease, if the dose is very high.
PWDU Quarterly Newsletter
Common symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle
aches, nausea, and diarrhea. If the infection spreads to
the nervous system, other symptoms may develop,
including headache, stiff neck, confusion or changes in
alertness, loss of balance, and convulsions. Bacterial
meningitis is one complication of a Listeria infection.
The incubation period for Listeria ranges from three to
70 days and averages 21 days. Newborns may present
clinically with early-onset (less than seven days after
birth) or late-onset forms of infection (7 or more days
after birth).
How is Listeria spread?
Listeria is found in soil and water. Humans can be
exposed by eating raw vegetables that have been
contaminated in the soil or by contaminated manure
that has been used as fertilizer.
Some wild and domesticated animals can carry the
bacterium without appearing ill. This can lead to
contamination of meats and dairy products. Listeria
has also been found in processed foods that are
contaminated after processing, such as soft cheeses,
hot dogs and deli meats. Raw milk or foods made from
unpasteurized milk may also contain Listeria.
Unborn babies can contract a Listeria infection from
the mother via the placenta; however, breast-feeding is
not considered a potential cause of infection.
Persistence of the Bacteria
In the Cornell Daily Sun on February 2, 2011, Cornell
Professor Martin Wiedmann said about Listeria, “It has
an uncanny ability to survive very, very well. In one
case, we found a strain that had survived in a
processing plant for 12 years. … Listeria thrive because
there is almost no competition for food. They can
invade human cells and even relocate from one cell to
the next; avoiding the antibodies the human body
produces.”
How can people reduce the risk of infection?
CDC provides the following recommendations for all
people to avoid infection with Listeria and other
pathogens:

Thoroughly cook raw food from animal sources,
such as beef, pork, or poultry.

Wash raw vegetables thoroughly before eating.

Keep uncooked meats separate from vegetables
and from cooked foods and ready-to-eat foods.

Avoid unpasteurized (raw) milk or foods made
from unpasteurized milk.
Page 3 of 10
BUG of THE QUARTER, continued

Wash hands, knives, and cutting boards after
handling uncooked foods.

Consume perishable and ready-to-eat foods as
soon as possible.
Recommendations for persons at high risk, in
addition to the recommendations listed above:
Listeria Resources
Minnesota Department of Health
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/liste
riosis/index.html
Centers for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/pulsenet/pathogens_pages/listeria
_monocytogenes.htm
Federal Food and Drug Administration

Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, or deli
meats, unless they are reheated until steaming
hot.
http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/foodborneillness/f
oodborneillnessfoodbornepathogensnaturaltoxins/badb
ugbook/ucm070064.htm

Avoid getting fluid from hot dog packages on
other foods, utensils, and food preparation
surfaces, and wash hands after handling hot
dogs, luncheon meats, and deli meats.
Marler Clark Parent Food Safety Guide for Listeria

Do not eat soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, and
Camembert, blue-veined cheeses, or Mexicanstyle cheeses such as queso blanco, queso
fresco, and Panela, unless they have labels that
clearly state they are made from pasteurized
milk.

Do not eat refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads.
Canned or shelf-stable pâtés and meat spreads
may be eaten.

Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood, unless
it is contained in a cooked dish, such as a
casserole. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such
as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna or
mackerel, is most often labeled as “nova-style,”
“lox,” “kippered,” “smoked,” or “jerky.” These
products are found in the refrigerator section or
sold at deli counters of grocery stores and
delicatessens. Canned or shelf-stable smoked
seafood may be eaten.
IListeria-Related Recalls, January - March 2011
Smoked Salmon; Herring
Gluten free mac and no cheese
Gluten free French bread pizza
Deli Subs; Crustless PB&J sandwiches
64,000 pounds of chicken and pork
Angus beef patties; Wieners and sausages
Mixed salad greens; Celery; Potato salad
Raw and cooked broccoli products
Cave-aged, washed-rind cheese; String cheese
PWDU Quarterly Newsletter
http://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/food-poisoninginformation/marler-clark-parent-food-safety-guide-forlisteria/
Listeria in Minnesota
Reports of Listeria Infection, Hospitalizations and
Deaths, Minnesota, 2005 to 2009
Year
Cases
Hosp.
Deaths
Median
Age
(Range)
2009
3
3
0
80 (0-85)
2008
7
7
1
68 (25-85)
2007
6
6
2
78 (68-95)
2006
7
5
1
63 (53-81)
2005
15
15
2
67 (0-90)
38
36 (95.7 %)
6(16.7%)
In the period 2005 through 2009, the median annual
number of cases of listeriosis reported to the
Minnesota Department of Health was seven.
In this five year period, only two of 38 reported cases
were associated with a recognized outbreak of
foodborne illness. The remaining 36 cases were
sporadic and could not be linked to an outbreak.
The recognized outbreak occurred in 2006 when two
cases of febrile gastroenteritis caused by L.
monocytogenes were associated with eating at a
restaurant in Dakota County. Both cases reported
eating chicken taco salad. A specific ingredient was not
implicated. Although environmental samples at the
restaurant tested negative for Listeria, numerous
critical food-handling violations were noted at the
restaurant which likely contributed to the outbreak.
Page 4 of 10
TRAINING RESOURCES, MINNESOTA
Training Events Calendar
The calendar of Food Safety Partnership, MDA, MDH
and MEHA events is posted online at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/food/pwdu/fsp/201
1calendar.pdf, and is regularly updated both there and
in this newsletter.
2011 Training Events Calendar
Date
Org.
Topics (Contacts)
Apr 5
9-12
FSP+
Sushi training
([email protected]
s)
Certified Food Managers
Workshop
Apr 13
8:30-4pm
MDH
May 4-6
MEHA
(http://www.mehaonline.org/ev
ents.htm)
Jun 8
9:30-1pm
FSP
Epidemiology report, local
foods in schools, resale of meat
products
Aug
10 -12
FSP+
TBA
Sep
MEHA/
NEHA
TBA
Oct 5
9:30-1pm
FSP
TBA
([email protected])
Jul
The most recent Food Safety Partnership (FSP)
video-conference was held on Wednesday, February
2, 2011. The archive can be viewed at:
mms://stream2.video.state.mn.us/MDH/FoodSafety02021
1.wmv
To suggest a future FSP topic, contact Deborah Durkin
(651-201-4509, [email protected]). For CEUs,
contact Maggie Edwards (651-201-4506,
[email protected]).
Future 2011 FSP meetings will be held on June 8 and
October 5, 2011. See past FSP presentations at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/food/pwdu/fsp/
FSP-Plus Short Sessions
The next FSP-Plus training
will be held on Tuesday,
April 5 from 9:00 a.m. to
12:00 noon. FDA, MDH and
MDA staff will provide
training on sushi-related
foods. The training will be
web-streamed and available
at the usual FSP videoconference sites.
Additional FSP-Plus sessions
will be held in August and
December 2011. For more information, or to suggest
training topics, contact Michelle Messer (651-201-3657,
[email protected]).
University of Minnesota Summer Institute
Nov
Dec
10 -12
Food Safety Partnership Video-Conferences
FSP+
TBA
MEHA Spring Conference; Facebook
The Minnesota Environmental
Health Association (MEHA) Spring
Conference will be held May 4 to
6, 2011 at Rutger’s Bay Lodge in
Deerwood, MN.
For more information, see:
2011 Public Health Institute, May 23-June 10
The 2011 Public Health Institute offers opportunities for
students to take classes in Public Health Practice,
Environmental Health, Food Protection, Global Health,
Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Public Health
Leadership & Management, Public Health
Preparedness, Research Methods and Women & Child
Health and Nutrition.
Note that MEHA has a new Facebook page. Members
who belong to Facebook can communicate with each
other at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Minnesota-
Summer Public Health Institute courses range from
one day to three weeks. Courses are designed for
people who practice or are studying public health or
related fields.
Environmental-Health-Association/160272054003203
For more information, see:
http://www.mehaonline.org/springconference.htm
http://www.sph.umn.edu/ce/institute/
PWDU Quarterly Newsletter
Page 5 of 10
TRAINING RESOURCES, NATION-WIDE
International Food Protection Training
Institute (IFPTI)
Upcoming (Free) Courses at IFPTI

April 20, Importation & Transportation of Food

May 2-6, Food Inspection Techniques &
Evidence Development

May 11-13, Instructor Development Workshop

August, FD150 - Food GMPs

August, Instructor Development Workshop

September, Food Inspection Techniques &
Evidence Development
IFPTI reimburses all program-related travel expenses
including airfare, hotel and meals for course attendees.
More information is available at: http://www.ifpti.org.
National Network of Public Health Training
Centers Free Online Training
The following Environmental Public Health courses are
among those available from the National Network of
Public Health Training Centers.

Practicing Cross Cultural Communication: Flood.
(1 hour) The course follows the development of a
regional flood evacuation plan that includes a
very large migrant worker community.
http://www.nynj-phtc.org/pages/catalog/cc2-flood/

Introduction to Epidemiolgy. (1 hour) The course
provides an overview of epidemiology, key
terms, and examines the role of epidemiologists
in public health practice. It includes some case
studies and a discussion of how epidemiological
studies are related to public health issues.
http://www.sph.umn.edu/ce/trainings/coursepage.
asp?activityId=8606

Food Safety. (2.5 hours) Food supply and food
safety issues and their potential for adverse
effects on health.
http://www.sph.umn.edu/ce/trainings/coursepage.
asp?activityId=4862

Addressing Environmental Contaminants and
their Effects on Human Health (6 hours)
National Center for Food Protection and
Defense: Social Media Constraints and
Opportunities Webinar
A free webinar – on Friday, April 8, 2011 – from the
University of Minnesota based, National Center for
Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD) will focus on
lessons learned from an NCDFP
project studying social media.
Walk-away points include
incorporating social media into risk
communication best practices, need
for integrating traditional and new
media in crisis response strategies, and the urgency to
leverage stakeholder-generated information (video,
audio, text) into efforts to comply with food safety
messages during a risk or crisis event. To register and
for more information, see:
http://www.ncfpd.umn.edu/index.cfm/about/webinars/
WEB AND WRITTEN RESOURCES
National Association of Local Boards of
Health (NALBOH): Local Board of Health
Environmental Health Primer
The NALBOH Local Board of Health Environmental
Health Primer is not a new document but is still
relevant. Its authors point out that it can be beneficial
to review EH programs, needs and resources
periodically. The Primer can help to focus such a
reassessment. To download the Primer, see:
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/NALBOH/NALBOH_EH_Pri
mer.htm
CDC’s New Noro Guidance for Public Health
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr6003a1.h
tm?s_cid=rr6003a1_e
Updated Norovirus Outbreak Management and
Disease Prevention Guidelines, CDC, March 2011
CDC has just released updated
norovirus outbreak management
and disease prevention
guidelines. The document is
intended as a resource for state
and local health departments during outbreak
investigations. Additional information about norovirus,
including some new pdf fact sheets can be found at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/norovirus.ht
m
https://practice.sph.umich.edu/mphtc/site.php?mo
dule=courses_one_online_course&id=214
PWDU Quarterly Newsletter
Page 6 of 10
One more new resource in our fight
against poop in food…
RULES, LEGISLATION AND
REGULATORY MATTERS
Minnesota Legislature: EHS Related Issues
New Noro Resource for Food Establishments
http://www.fmi.org/docs/supersafemark/Norovirus_Info_
Guide.pdf
SafeMark Best Practices: Norovirus Information
Guide.
Ecolab, The Food Marketing
Institute and SafeMark have
produced a norovirus guide
for food establishments that
could be thought of as a
companion document to the
new CDC Noro Guidelines
(see previous page).
The Guide, “…created to assist the retail food industry
in preparing for and effectively handling the cleaning
and disinfection of a potential norovirus incident
directly associated with vomitus and/or fecal materials,”
includes a case study, information about norovirus
symptoms and transmission, a plan for control, cleanup information, incident management procedures and
tools, a cleaning guide, and other materials.
Free Deli Slicer Sanitation Posters from FDA
FDA has developed a
poster for food
establishment
operators, and a flyer
for food safety
professionals
regarding safe
cleaning and proper
maintenance of deli
slicers in food establishments.
These are the bills that MDH is watching:
House File 637; Senate File 477 - Exemption for
religious buildings, fraternal, sportsman and patriotic
organizations and school concession stands:

Expands the exemption for religious buildings,
fraternal, sportsman and patriotic organizations

Exempts school concession stands
House File 0264; Senate File 0160 - Food
Consumption Act:

Personal responsibility in Food Consumption Act
creates immunity from civil liability; prohibiting
actions against certain persons for weight gain
as a result of consuming certain foods
House File 927; Senate File 927 - Health and Human
Services Omnibus Bill:

Creates a Limited Food Establishment category
and language for a waiver for plumbing and
other requirements
House File 255; Senate File 147 - Raw Milk Sales:

Permits sale of certain food products by farmers
House File 188; Senate File 168 - Smoking
prohibition in public places:

Allows smoking in some bars with certain
conditions
House File 763; Senate File 491 - Swim Ponds:

Removes the sunset date and retains the status
quo of swim ponds
Food Code Revision Information
The next meeting of the Food Code Advisory
Committee will be held on April 26, 2011.
The poster and flyer are available in English and
Spanish at no charge. They can be ordered at:
Minutes of Rulemaking Advisory Committee meetings
can be found on the Rule Revision website at:
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/ResourcesForYou/U
CM222258.pdf.
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/food/code/2009rev
ision/index.htm. Food Code stream and archive
For orders greater than 500, contact Shirley Turpin
at [email protected].
addresses can be obtained by contacting Susan
Peterson ([email protected]).
The documents can also be downloaded at:
For more information about meetings, the rulemaking
process, or the Advisory Committee, contact Food
Code Rule Coordinator, Linda Prail
([email protected] or 651-201-5792.)
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/RetailFoodProtectio
n/IndustryandRegulatoryAssistanceandTrainingResourc
es/ucm240554.htm
PWDU Quarterly Newsletter
Page 7 of 10
FOOD AND FOOD SAFETY NEWS
USDA Proposes Healthier School Lunches
In March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released
their proposed nutritional standards for meals served
through the National School Lunch and School
Breakfast programs.
The new standards would
add more whole grains,
fruits and vegetables, and
fat-free and low-fat milk to
government funded school
meals. Implementation of the new standards would
affect 32 million school lunches and 12 million school
breakfasts every year.
Raw Milk Legislation
Legislation to weaken raw milk restrictions has been
considered in (at least) nine states this year.
These bills include: expansion of current restrictions to
include delivery to consumers; allowing sales of raw
milk products at various retail locations; expansion of
cow-share, goat-share and other animal sharing
programs to include raw product sales; and loosening
or abolishing of licensing, permitting and inspections.
Minnesota law currently allows the
sale of raw milk and cream
"occasionally secured or purchased
for personal use by any consumer
at the place or farm where the milk
is produced." HF255 would allow
direct farm-to-consumer sales and
delivery - by the farmer or their agent - of raw milk
products. Delivery would be allowed at farmers'
markets, farm stands or other locations.
In a press release dated March 24, 2011, the
Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of
Pediatrics (WIAAP) stated sharply that legislation
proposed in Wisconsin would endanger children.
The writers of Raw Milk Facts.com disagree that raw
milk is unsafe. Furthermore, they believe that “immune
milk” can be created by injecting cows with antibodies,
making, “a customized injectable vaccine that is
completely safe and free of side effects …that jump
starts the immune system and protects against
bacteria, viruses, protozoans, fungi and allergens, and
that is backed up by numerous studies attesting to its
safety and efficacy.”
PWDU Quarterly Newsletter
Additional Risks with Salmonella Panama
In March, Del Monte Produce recalled 5,000 cartons of
cantaloupes associated with an outbreak of Salmonella
Panama. The contaminated fruit had been sent to
Costco stores in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
FDA and CDC warned that Salmonella Panama can
cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young
children, the elderly and others with weakened immune
systems. Furthermore, the press release said, “In rare
circumstances, infection with Salmonella Panama can
result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and
producing illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e.,
infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.”
This outbreak marks the twelfth documented
cantaloupe-based Salmonella outbreak in the United
States since 1990, with nearly 950 reported illnesses.
Just Saying “No” to FDA
Two stories from Food Safety News illustrate some
apparent holes in the food safety net.
http://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/foodborne-illnessoutbreaks/george-packing-co-refuses-to-namesuppliers-in-e-coli-probe/
In early March, George Packing Company – source of
hazelnuts implicated in a recent E. Coli investigation refused to release a list of its suppliers. The company
based its refusal on the fact that no sampled hazelnuts
had yet been confirmed positive for E. coli O157.
A day or two later, the Minnesota Department of
Agriculture confirmed that the nuts were the source of
a multi-state outbreak.
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/03/korean-ownedstarkist-tuna-says-no-to-fda/
Last November, FDA inspectors
at a StarKist tuna cannery in
American Samoa found "serious
violations" with StarKist's seafood
HACCP plan and its methods for producing low-acid
canned foods. As a result, FDA called multiple StarKist
products “adulterated.”
When FDA requested processing records, StarKist
refused to release them. A spokesperson said, "The
quality and safety of all StarKist products continues to
be our highest priority.”
See MDH Fish Consumption Advice at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/index.html
Page 8 of 10
EHS-Net Study of Ill Food Workers
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/02/hi-im-sick-andim-your-server-tonight/ (reprinted with permission)
'I'm Sick ... And I'll Be Serving You Tonight'
Mary Rothschild, Food Safety News, 2/4/2011
In a study of restaurant food handling
and foodborne illness, about 12
percent of the servers and preparers
interviewed told public health
researchers they had worked while
sick with vomiting and diarrhea.
The busier the restaurant, the more reluctant the
employees were to call in sick, the study found.
Titled "Factors Associated with Food Workers Working
While Experiencing Vomiting or Diarrhea," the study
was a collaborative effort by universities, federal public
health agencies and state and local health
departments that participate in the Environmental
Health Specialists Network. The EHS-Net states are
California, Connecticut, New York, Georgia, Iowa,
Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island and Tennessee.
The study findings were published in the Feb. 3, 2011
edition of the Journal of Food Protection.
About 20 percent of foodborne illness outbreaks
involve pathogens that were transmitted to food by
food handlers, the study notes. And while diarrhea and
vomiting are common symptoms of some foodborne
infections, the study doesn't mention that infected
people are sometimes asymptomatic (or that diarrhea
and vomiting don't always signal foodborne illness).
Efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to
prevent contamination in the food service industry have
included encouraging hand washing, gloves to prevent
bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food, and
excluding ill workers from the workplace.
So the study--one of the first of its kind, the authors
say--sought to explain why people who prepare and
serve food would come to work if they were ill.
Restaurants were chosen at random within certain
areas and interviews were conducted with a kitchen
manager and one to two food workers chosen by the
manager. Of the 486 food workers interviewed, 52
percent were female, 55.5 percent had a high school
degree, and 40 percent were between 21-30 years old.
According to the findings, 58 (11.9 percent) said that
during two or more shifts in the previous year they had
served food while they were sick, and their symptoms
included vomiting and diarrhea.
PWDU Quarterly Newsletter
The factor most associated with whether a food
handler worked while sick was the restaurants'
workload--restaurants that served more than 300
meals on their busiest days were the most likely to
have had sick employees on duty.
Not surprisingly, the lack of a policy requiring workers
to report their illness and the lack of on-call substitutes
were also contributing factors.
Lack of manager experience also played a role. The
study authors speculate that experienced managers
might know their employees better and be better able
to determine the nature of their illnesses and whether
they should work. Whether a manager had food safety
training or certification made no difference.
Male food handlers were more likely to come to work
sick than female food handlers.
Workers who had paid sick leave were approximately
twice less likely to say they had worked while vomiting
and experiencing diarrhea, but the researchers say the
number was not statistically significant.
The authors acknowledge the study's many limitations:
the food workers were not chosen randomly but
selected by managers, information about their illnesses
was self-reported, some of the interviews took place
within the managers' hearing range, and budget
constraints prevented the use of translators, so
everyone interviewed spoke English.
One can't generalize beyond the restaurants in the
study, the authors caution.
But the researchers conclude the obvious--that the
number of food handlers who work when they're sick
would be reduced if establishments encouraged
employees to acknowledge their illness and if there
were no pressures to work while ill.
And the authors suggest that restaurants, especially
busy restaurants, should make it acceptable for ill foodhandling staff to call in sick given the risk and costs of
poisoning customers.
"Investments in such policies may be cost-effective
interventions for restaurants, given restaurants'
substantial financial losses associated with foodborne
illness outbreaks," the authors write. "Given our
finding of an increased likelihood that workers in highvolume restaurants will work while ill, such investments
could be particularly important for high-volume
restaurants."
Most local food-code regulations require ill food
handlers to stay home.
(Karen Everstine was an author of the EHS-Net paper.)
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CLIMATE CHANGE CORNER
LAST WORD:
Get Out Your Hankies: Climate Change
Extends Ragweed Season
Send APC Manuals to New Establishments!
Ziska, LH and Portnoy, JM, in Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, online, 2/22-26/20011
New research suggests that the ragweed season has
gotten longer by more than two weeks in some
northern states and by nearly a month in parts of
Canada.
Study authors hypothesized that if temperatures are
increasing, the ragweed pollen season -- which is
dependent on warm, but not hot weather -- would be
getting shorter in the south and longer in the north.
A review of 15 years of pollen data from 10 locations in
the U.S. and Canada supported that hypothesis. Two
out of three southern locations had ragweed seasons
two to three days shorter in 2009 compared to 1995.
In Midwest and northern locations, the season has
increased by 11 to 16 days; increases of 25 to 27 days
were seen in the two Canadian cities studied.
Co-author, Dr. Jay Portnoy reports that not only has
the total amount of pollen increased, but the pollen is
more potent, so ragweed sufferers will suffer more.
MDH and the City of Minneapolis each have a stock of
the Advanced Practices Center Emergency Handbook
for Food Managers – the material that was presented
at the February 2, 2011 Food Safety Partnership
meeting.
These handbooks and laminated posters – in a three
ring binder – were distributed to state and local
regulatory agencies for distribution to their food
establishments a few years ago.
Any agency that would like to include a copy of the
Handbook with plan review materials for new
establishments, or any industry partner that would like
manuals for their establishments and had not received
one may request copies from either MDH or
Minneapolis.
At the City of Minneapolis, contact Tim Jenkins
([email protected]). At MDH, contact
Maggie Edwards ([email protected]). All
of the APC materials can be found on the MDH
website at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/apc/prof/index.htm
l
PARTNERSHIP AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT UNIT STAFF CONTACTS
April Bogard Supervisor, PWDU
[email protected]
651-201-5076, 612-296-8118
Deborah Durkin, FSP, newsletter, food safety outreach
[email protected]
651-201-4509, 651-295-5392
Maggie Edwards, administrative support
[email protected]
651-201-4506
Nicole Koktavy, EHS-Net coordinator
[email protected]
651-201-4075, 651-387-6461
Lynne Markus, IARC, emergency response, climate change
[email protected]
651-201-4498
Michelle Messer, training, program evaluation, standardization
[email protected]
651 201-3657, 651 775-6238
Michael Nordos, training, program evaluation, standardization
[email protected]
651-201-4511, 651-775-6234
Angie Wheeler, training, program evaluation, standardization
[email protected]
651-201-4843 651-373-7381
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Orville L. Freeman Building
625 North Robert Street
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
PWDU Quarterly Newsletter
http://www.health.state.mn.us/ehs
http://www.health.state.mn.us/foodsafety
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