Now Hear (But Don't Eat) This

LIST OF THE MONTH: NOW HEAR (BUT DON’T EAT) THIS

On February 12, Onion Crock of Michigan recalled Old Fashion Potato Soup and Minestrone Soup due to undeclared wheat and soy allergens.
On February 14, Summit Import Corp. recalled Oriental Mascot Sweetened Sliced Coconut because of undeclared sulfites.
On February 15, Nutri-Foods recalled unhulled organic sesame seeds in half pound containers because of a “possible health risk.”
On February 18, Pierre’s Ice Cream issued an allergy alert on Homestyle Brand Dutch Chocolate for undeclared peanut butter candies.
On February 22, Lion Pavilion issued an alert on undeclared sulfites in Grassplot Dried Pachyrhizus.
On February 26, Summit Import Corp. issued an alert that fish in its packages of Sum Cheong Lung dried fish hadn’t had their intestines removed, creating a danger of botulism.
On February 28, Walker Food Products Co. recalled its Four Bean Salad because of “possible health risk.”
On February 29, Palo Alto Labs recalled its Aspire 36 and Aspire Lite dietary supplements because of contamination by a male erectile dysfunction drug,
On March 3, Gorton’s Seafood recalled Crispy Battered Fish Fillets (package of six) due to “possible adulteration.”
On March 4, Quaker Oats Co. recalled a “limited number” of Aunt Jemima Pancake and Waffle Mix products because of possible salmonella contamination.
On March 5, New BCN Trading, Inc. issued an allergy alert on undeclared sulfites in Asian Boy Sweet Ginger.
On March 8, the Texas Dept. of State Health Services closed Aransas, Corpus Christi and Copano Bays to shellfish harvesting due to a toxic algae bloom, and warned that “cooking does not destroy the toxin.”
On March 10, Hartz Mountain Corp. recalled Vitamin Care for Cats because of a “possible health risk.”
On March 14, Slade Gordon and Co. recalled Icybay Cooked Langostinos because of a “possible health risk.”
On March 16, Publix issued a recall for assorted flavors of Empanadas due to undeclared milk.
On March 19, the Food for Life Baking Co. recalled 2,241 cases of Spelt Bread because it contained spelt, a known hybrid of wheat.
On March 20, Williams Food, Inc. issued an allergy alert on undeclared milk in Bass Pro Shops Uncle Buck’s Light ‘N Krispy Fish Batter Mixes.
On March 22, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an import allergy regarding entry of cantaloupes from Agropecuaria Montelibano, a Honduran grower and packer, because they appeared to be associated with an outbreak of Salmonella Litchfield.

There were headlines in Vermont about that last one, but anyone who subscribed to the FDA’s email alert list (free) could see that a whole lot goes on behind the scenes that we never hear much about. Personally, from looking at a couple of months of these electronic missives, I’ve tentatively concluded the following:
--Our food is more likely to go kahooey than our pharmaceuticals. There were a few recalls of heparin products during the same time as the above food alerts—it’s a drug that helps keep blood flowing in intravenous hookups—but nothing much.
--Food is more likely to have problems because the food system is so complex. I’d never heard of pachyrhizus (“Pachyrha: a small genus of five or six species of tropical and subtropical plants growing from large, often edible taproots”) or empanadas (“These Latin American pastries, filled with seafood, meat, cheese, vegetables or fruit are wildly popular”) before they appeared in the emails. The FDA folks not only have to know what these comestibles are, they have to know how and where such goods are imported.
--American cuisine is being enriched by immigration, especially from Latin and South America.
--At the same time, it’s perfectly logical and appropriate that there be a localvore counterreaction. The words “possible health risk” make me think “this is worse than it’s been made out to be.”
--The human body, also very complex, is subject to a great diversity of ailments, including some caused by the intestinal immigration of inappropriate foods. Appearances truly deceive: the person to whom you are speaking, while seemingly quite “normal,” may be coping with any number of biochemical aberrations. At least the FDA recognizes that adjustments must be made for these people, too, to have good lives. I’ll say it here and I’ll say it again elsewhere: God have mercy on the chemical cripple, because nobody else will. I remember in my college biochem course, the Nobel prizewinneing professor said that each of us is carrying about eight lethal genes, which helps to account for the high level—perhaps as high as 50 percent, including first-month events—of miscarriages. As I said to my first wife, “I hope the bullets don’t fit the gun.” That was before our miscarriage. I would guess we have another thousand years of debating the nature of personhood before all this gets fully integrated into our lives.
--It just isn’t true that all, or even most, federal employees are “bureaucrats” who sit at desks soaking up tax money to no purpose. If the FDA has problems with politics at the uppermost levels, I don’t think those are coming down to the investigators, who ought to be counted among our best counterterrorism operatives.

Comments

[Alex]

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[Generic Viagra]

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[Generic Viagra]

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[e cigarettes]

I am beginning to really lose all faith and credibility in the FDA. It seems to me that instead of focusing their efforts on protecting the general public they are in-turn being influenced by corporate agenda and special interest. I take everything they say with a grain of salt.

[Donde Invertir]

I look forward to reading more on the topic in the future. Keep up the good work! This blog is going to be great resource. Love reading it...

[E Cig]

Forget about the FDA and what they think. Bad decision makers, that's for sure.

Your girl Mary :)