FDA Recalls Romaine Lettuce

Thanks Monsanto for using e coli to genetically modify corn thus introducing it to the food system, Michael Taylor (FDA) for making sure Monsanto’s GM corn made it into the food system without being tested and Tom Vilsack (USDA) for flying around on a Monsanto jet for 30 years convincing us there was nothing wrong with GM corn when you knew it wasn’t safe.  Ooh, and a special thank you to President Barrack Obama for turning the nation’s food safety over to these guys in exchange for campaign contributions.

FDA News Release

For Immediate Release: May 6, 2010
Media Inquiries: Michael Herndon 301-796-4673, Michael.Herndon@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Supports Freshway Foods Voluntary Recall of Lettuce

Freshway Foods¹ of Sidney, Ohio, announced today a voluntary recall of certain romaine lettuce products because of the possible connection between the recalled romaine lettuce and an outbreak of foodborne disease. FDA supports this action by Freshway Foods. The outbreak, which is still under investigation, involves cases in Michigan, Ohio, and New York of illnesses due to infection with E. coli O145, a harmful bacteria.

On May 5, 2010, the New York state Public Health Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, in Albany reported finding E. coli O145 in an unopened bag of Freshway Foods shredded romaine lettuce being recalled.

A Freshway Foods press release says the recalled shredded romaine lettuce was sold to wholesalers, food service outlets, and some in-store salad bars and delis in the following areas: Alabama, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Symptoms of infection with harmful E. coli may range from none to mild diarrhea to severe complications. The acute symptoms include severe abdominal cramps and diarrhea, which may be bloody. Patients may progress to serious complications, such as kidney damage. FDA and CDC encourage anyone with the symptoms listed to contact his or her health care provider immediately.
The recalled shredded romaine lettuce has a “best if used by” date of May 12 or earlier. The Freshway Foods press release advises restaurants, distributors, and retailers to throw out or refrain from using shredded romaine lettuce from Freshway Foods with these “use by” dates. Additionally, Freshway Foods is advising consumers not to eat “grab and go” salads sold in-store salad bars and delis at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets, and Marsh stores.

Shredded romaine lettuce from Freshway Foods with “use by” dates after May 12 are not involved in this voluntary recall. Romaine lettuce and other types of lettuce and leafy greens from other producers are also not affected by this recall.

Multiple lines of evidence have implicated shredded romaine lettuce from one processing facility as a source of infections in a multistate outbreak to which this recall may be related.

To date, 19 confirmed cases of E. coli O145 illnesses have been reported from Michigan, Ohio, and New York. These illnesses include 12 individuals who have been hospitalized, and three with a potentially life threatening complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS is a serious condition in which the body’s blood-clotting mechanisms are altered, causing blocked circulation or bleeding in the brain or kidneys.

The evidence includes preliminary results of product traceback investigations that indicate:

• The shredded romaine lettuce consumed by ill persons in three states originated from one processing facility
• preliminary results of a case-control study in one state that found a statistically significant association between E. coli O145 infection
• and ingestion of lettuce from the same processing facility; and recovery of E. coli O145 from an unopened package of shredded romaine lettuce from the same processing facility that was obtained from a food service entity associated with the outbreak.

For more information on the outbreak of foodborne illness to which this recall may be related, please see http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/ ². The FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state public health officials in Michigan, New York, and Ohio continue to investigate that outbreak and will provide updates as more information is available.

For more information on foodborne illness: http://www.foodsafety.gov.

Head USDA Scientist Questions Organic Safety?

Roger Beachy, as director of the USDA’s newly formed National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), is the lead researcher for the USDA.  He was appointed to his post by President Obama in October 2009.  Before taking this position he was the founding president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri where he’d worked since 1998.  From 1991 to 1998 Beachy was the department head of the Division of Plant Biology at The Scripps Research Institute.  From 1978 to 1991 he was a biology professor at Washington University in St. Louis.  Sounds like a qualified scientist right?


While at Washington University, Beachy worked on the Monsanto sponsored project that resulted in the first genetically modified food crop.  On the project tomatoes were modified for resistance to disease by adding genes from flounder.  The world’s first Frankenfood.

Beachy’s notoriety lead to his position at The Scripps Research Institute where he again worked on formulating plant genetics so they would be resistant to disease.    Scripps has worked hand-in-hand with Monsanto for years.  The Dansford Plant Science Center is funded by Monsanto and it’s mission is to, “improve the human condition through plant science.”  In other words it is charged with developing more GM produce.

What does this tell us about Roger Beachy?  That from 1978 until being appointed to the USDA in 2009, Beachy was an employee of Monsanto, the company responsible for introducing e coli into our food system.  Thirty-one years as an employee of a company that he is now responsible for making policy over.  Another trip through the Monsanto revolving door.

Just how dangerous are Beachy’s genetically modified Frankenfoods?  The US government has set up a web site (foodsafety.gov) to educate Americans about food borne microbials.  The site also tracks food illness outbreaks and recalls, most of which are the result of genetically tampering with food.  Among the recent outbreaks traced back to GM foods are the spinach e coli contamination in 2006, 2009’s Salmonellosis in peanut butter scare and just this week a massive recall of products containing hydrolyzed vegetable protein.

This week, Beachy is attending an international conference in Guadalajara, Mexico sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.  When Beachy was asked by Tom Philpott of Grist Magazine, “Would NIFA be funding research for organic ag?”  Beachy’s reply stunned all in attendance.
Beachy arrogantly said, “I’m concerned about the safety of organic food.”  It also sent his his chief counsel, Rachel Goldfarb, scrambling to clean up the mess.  She immediately cut him off saying, “This is just the sort of thing he should not be discussing without approval,” which ended the conversation.

Check out Philpott’s first-hand account of the exchange HERE.

The irony and absurdity of the very scientist who developed the lethal genetic modification of produce calling the safety of organic farming into question is the Mount Everest of hypocrisy.  If you would like to share your displeasure with Mr. Beachy you can contact him via e-mail at rbeachy@nifa.usda.gov, by phone at (202) 720 – 4423, fax to (202) 720 – 8987 or snail mail to:
Roger Beachy
United States Department of Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 2201
Washington, DC 20250.

Don’t Tax Sugar; Stop Taking Bribes!

Dear politicians, stop trying to legislate morality.  You’re not qualified.

Health study after health study tells us that sugary drinks are one of the primary causes of childhood obesity.  There is no refuting this fact.  Recently, one study came out and suggested the only way to stop children from consuming so many sugary beverages is to put a tax on them so their parents can no longer afford them?
Would it work?  Most likely.  Is it right?  Not even close, in fact it is criminal.  For the record I am against virtually all taxes.  I’m tired of having people steal money from me to fund something I have no input over.  Besides, the problem is a lot more complex than “sugary drinks are too cheap.”

First off, the phrase “sugary drinks” is not at all accurate.  If soft drinks were sweetened with actual sugar there likely wouldn’t be an obesity epidemic in this country.  They are sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), a man-made sweetener developed by the chemical company Monsanto.  It is a chemical that is far more dangerous than alcohol or marijuana could ever hope to be.

So why is it legal?  One word: bribery lobbying.  Monsanto and their ilk throw enough money at our government to cure the budget deficit.  Why do they spend so much money on bribery lobbying?  Because they know their products are lethal.  Our politicians know these products are lethal too but they, whether Democrat or Republican, do not care.  Politicians only care about power and money.

From the lowliest mayor in the tiniest town all the way to the top our politicians are crooked.  They would gladly trade the lives of our children for a few extra green backs.  In fact they do it everyday.

So, politicians,  if you want soft drinks to cost more do not tax us for your transgressions.  How about paying the $7.5 billion in this year’s budget set aside for farm subsidies to the farmers they are intended for.  Currently this money only goes to farmers who produce untested genetically modified foods for big multi-national agricultural corporations.  In other words farm subsidies do not go to farmers, they go to Monsanto.
In effect what companies like Monsanto are doing is money laundering.  They take the $7.5 billion the US government gives them out of our paychecks and they hand it right back to individual politicians in the form of campaign contributions or bribes lobbyist gifts.  The politicians pocket that $7.5 billion.

So instead of strapping the American people with yet another tax how about canning the Monsanto moles the President has appointed to run the USDA and FDA (Tom Vilsak, Michael Taylor, Roger Beachy, et al).  Oh and maybe follow legitimate scientists recommendations of banning GM foods like HFCS at least until their effects have been studied.  Do this and soft drink manufacturers will have to go back to sweetening their beverages with actual sugar, while though still not great, it is far better than HFCS.  Not only will the price of soft drinks go up but child obesity go down.

FDA’s Michael Taylor Promotes Himself

On Jan. 13, 2010 Michael Taylor, who was only recently hired as Food Safety Czar by President Obama, has now promoted himself to the new title Deputy Commissioner for Foods. He created this position to head his newly created Office of Foods for the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

According to an FDA press release Taylor’s new mission is, “to develop and implement a prevention based strategy for food safety, plan implementation of new food safety legislation, and ensure that food labels contain clear and accurate information on nutrition.” The web site also goes on to suggest that Taylor is a nationally recognized food safety expert. Of course legitimate nationally recognized food safety experts point out that he is anything but.

As part of Taylor’s credentials the press release cites his previous experience in the FDA and USDA. It also attempts to add authenticity by mentioning that he has served on several National Academy of Sciences expert committees. What it fails to mention is that he has spent most of the past 30 years as a lawyer and lobbyist for the nefarious Monsanto Company. It was Monsanto’s genetically modified corn process that introduced humanity to e coli. And they used your tax dollars to do it.

So while the FDA’s web site tries to convince people that Michael Taylor is the right person to have governing their food safety, the reality is that he is likely just securing more amnesty and tax dollars for Monsanto. That, after all, was the result of the his previous tenures in public service.

The Huffington Post has called Taylor, “The person who may be responsible for more food-related illness and death than anyone in history,” and that tends to be the consensus throughout the food safety world. Only the future knows how many more Americans will have to die before Taylor is done. One thing is for sure, no good will ever come of this.