The Further Adventures of Germ Girl

When considering those factors that would engender trust with consumers, commercial farming operations are seen as largely out of sync with consumers’ values, according to new research on behalf of the Center for Food Integrity (CFI).

When asked what they think a farmer’s goals are, and what they should be, more than 2000 respondents indicated that they believed family farmers’ priorities were close to what they should be. That is, consumers believe that family farmers rank such priorities as profitability, sustainability, productivity and affordability in close to the same order as consumers think they should.

Commercial farming operations, however, were seen as emphasizing the wrong priorities, putting profitability and productivity higher in the rankings than consumers think they should, and de-emphasizing issues such as humane treatment of farm animals that are important to consumers.

For example, respondents said they believe commercial ag operations rank profitability as the second most-important priority, after producing affordable food, among eight priorities to choose from.

Consumers, meanwhile, believe profitability should be ranked seventh among eight priorities. Humane treatment of farm animals, though, is seen near the bottom of commercial ag farmers’ priorities, while consumers think it should be ranked at least fourth among eight priorities.

These are “pretty significant gaps,” said CFI CEO Charlie Arnot, presenting these and other findings of the annual survey of Consumer Trust in the Food System at the Food System Summit in Chicago. The disconnects feed an overall distrust of commercial ag operations, he noted.

“Gaining [consumers’] trust by demonstrating shared values is way more important than demonstrating how competent you are,” Arnot told attendees. Transparency is key: “You must bring consumers in and get them to believe you.”

CDC is collaborating with public health and agriculture officials in New York and other states and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to Turkish pine nuts purchased from bulk bins at Wegmans grocery stores. Representatives from Wegmans are cooperating with public health officials. Public health investigators are using DNA “fingerprints” of Salmonella bacteria obtained through diagnostic testing with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, or PFGE, to identify cases of illness that may be part of this outbreak. They are using data from PulseNet, the national subtyping network made up of state and local public health laboratories and federal food regulatory laboratories that performs molecular surveillance of foodborne infections. A total of 42 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis have been reported from 6 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state with the outbreak strain is as follows: Arizona (1), Maryland (1), New Jersey (2), New York (26), Pennsylvania (8), and Virginia (4). Among 42 persons for whom information is available, illnesses began on or after August 20, 2011. Ill persons range in age from <1 to 94 years, and the median age is 43 years old. Fifty-seven percent of patients are female. Two patients were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Summary: Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) is investigating a human case of novel influenza virus of swine origin. Federal CDC confirmed the novel strain in a child from Cumberland County earlier this week. A primary care provider evaluated the child, and provided treatment. The child was not hospitalized, and is recovering from the illness. Maine CDC has not identified any additional human cases. A joint investigation with the Maine Department of Agriculture and federal CDC is ongoing.

Background: Influenza viruses are commonly found in humans, swine, birds, and other animals. The type of influenza identified in the Maine case is similar to previous, rare human infections with swine- origin H3N2 viruses, that also contains a genetic component of the pandemic H1N1 virus. This virus is genetically similar to four previous cases identified in the United States this year, three in Pennsylvania and one in Indiana, all of which had exposure to swine.

This child became ill in early October 2011 with symptoms similar to seasonal influenza including fever, cough, headache, sore throat and myalgia. Prior to illness, the child had exposure to swine including time spent in a closed setting at an agricultural fair. Maine CDC and the Department of Agriculture are currently investigating exposures. Presently this is an isolated event and Maine CDC has not confirmed any person to person transmission…

(Gah. - m.)

Norovirus Infectivity in Humans and Persistence in Water

Scot R. Seitz,1† Juan S. Leon,1† Kellogg J. Schwab,2 G. Marshall Lyon,3 Melissa Dowd,1‡ Marisa McDaniels,1§ Gwen Abdulhafid,3 Marina L. Fernandez,1 Lisa C. Lindesmith,4 Ralph S. Baric,4 and Christine L. Moe1*

China vaccinated 4.5 million children and young adults over the last five weeks in the western region of Xinjiang in a fight against polio after the disease paralyzed 17 people and killed one of them, the World Health Organization said.

Polio has broken out in China for the first time since 1999 and scientists say the strain originated from Pakistan. The outbreak marked the latest setback to a global campaign to eradicate polio, now endemic in only four countries — Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Nigeria.

“Even if they don’t come down with any symptoms (carriers), by giving them polio vaccine we make that person less infectious,” said Oliver Rosenbauer, WHO spokesman for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in Geneva.

All 17 polio cases occurred in Hotan prefecture in the province of Xinjiang and the patients fell ill between early July and mid-September. The Geneva-based WHO assumes that for every case it finds, there would be 199 others infected with the virus without displaying symptoms, he added.

In large vaccination drives that started in early September, health workers have since vaccinated 4.5 million people with three doses each of the polio vaccine, the WHO said…

Today’s Highlights, October 18, 2011

As of 9am EDT on October 17, 2011, a total of 123 persons infected with any of the four outbreak-associated strains of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported to CDC from 26 states.

Pennsylvania has reported their first case since the last CDC update.

Twenty-five deaths have been reported.

In addition, one woman pregnant at the time of illness had a miscarriage.

CDC recommends that consumers not eat whole or pre-cut Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupe from Jensen Farms. This is especially important for older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women. Even if some of the cantaloupe has been eaten without becoming ill, dispose of the rest of the cantaloupe immediately. Listeria bacteria can grow in the cantaloupe at room and refrigerator temperatures.

Cantaloupes that are known to NOT have come from Jensen Farms are safe to eat. If consumers are uncertain about the source of a cantaloupe for purchase, they should ask the grocery store. A cantaloupe purchased from an unknown source should be discarded: “when in doubt, throw it out.”…

“The government-owned General Motors may soon be partnering with Hollywood to encourage speeding, drunk driving, and general mayhem. Insiders tell Vulture that the world’s second-largest carmaker is in discussions about backing an update of The Cannonball Run in a deal that would be much larger than your average product placement. With this deal, a new Run could double as a big, two-hour demonstration of GM’s new cars…”

 A meal of contaminated beef did, in fact, cause five Mexican soccer players to test positive for clenbuterol before the Gold Cup, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) decided this week, dropping its appeal of an earlier decision by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The players will not face sanctions, The Associated Press reported. WADA even praised the research that FIFA had done, gathering the evidence in conjunction with the government of Mexico. “The studies conducted by FIFA showed the correctness of the footballers’ claim that the positive samples were the result of meat they had ingested at a training camp ahead of the tournament,” the AP quotes FIFA as saying. Mexico won the Gold Cup in June, beating the U.S., despite the absence of the five players in question. Mexico’s government, meanwhile, has reportedly agreed to address the issue of livestock receiving steroids, which is illegal in that country…