Porca Food

As Memorial Day festivities, known for delicious meals and barbecues, draw to a close, there is bound to be an abundance of leftovers. If proper food storage practices are not followed, these leftovers can quickly become a breeding ground for bacteria and food poisoning.

To ensure the safety of your leftover food, it is crucial to adhere to the following guidelines:

1. The Two-Hour Rule: All perishable items should be refrigerated within two hours of being taken out of the oven or refrigerator. However, if you are outdoors and the temperature reaches 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, the limit decreases to one hour. After one or two hours, perishable food enters the Danger Zone, which is between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. In this temperature range, bacteria can multiply rapidly, posing a risk to food safety. If any foods have been left out for more than two hours, it is advised

Dave’s Sushi, the restaurant that was ordered to close on April 20, because of an outbreak investigation, has had its closure order rescinded. The Gallatin City County Health Department announced that food samples collected from the establishment, including salmon and morel mushrooms, have all tested negative for pathogens and toxins.

The investigation into the outbreak, which affected 50 individuals and resulted in three severe outcomes and two deaths, is still ongoing. The collaborative effort between the Gallatin City County Health Department, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) aims to identify the specific source of the outbreak. However, pinpointing a particular pathogen or toxin as the cause has proved challenging.

Preliminary findings from an epidemiological study conducted by the health department, CDC, and DPHHS suggest that the morel mushrooms served at Dave’s … Read more

Five people are sick in France, two seriously, and one in Belgium after drinking a brand of raw fermented milk.

In France, four children and one adult have been infected by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O26:H11. They fell ill between the end of March and the beginning of April this year.

Santé publique France has been investigating two cases of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) in the Hauts-de-France and Île-de France regions. The latter was in the context of a family outbreak. The suspected food was fermented raw milk. HUS is a severe complication associated with E. coli infections that causes kidney failure.

“The sequencing of the strains isolated within these outbreaks confirmed the same genomic profile. Food investigations made it possible to identify, for the case in Hauts-de-France, the place of purchase and to sample milk on sale at the time of the inspections. It was fermented raw milk … Read more

Consumer Reports and the Environmental Working Group are halfway home in their strategy to ban harmful chemicals in food. They’ve focused on California where a slow but steady approach has landed a favorable 54-11 Assembly vote for AB 418 banning five harmful chemicals from candy, cereals, and other processed food.

Now the bill will be heard and voted on by the California Senate. If it becomes law in California, the ban will put pressure on other states and the federal Food and Drug Administration to react. FDA has had similar requests pending for many years.

As passed by the California Assembly, the bill would end the use of brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, Red Dye No. 3, and titanium dioxide in popular food products sold in the state. The chemicals are linked to serious health problems, such as a higher risk of cancer, nervous system damage, and hyperactivity.

The … Read more

When does 3 follow 12? That’s when the Supreme Court’s decision on California’s Proposition 12 also freed the logjam on Massachusetts Question 3.

The Supreme Court last week handed down a 5-to-4 decision favoring California’s Prop 12. The majority found the voter-approved initiative does not violate the U.S. Constitution, and California can decide what meat can be sold in its state.

Massachusetts Question 3, which imposes housing requirements much like California Prop 12 on the port industry, was put on hold pending the Supreme Court’s ruling. It was initially set to go into effect last summer.

Nearly all pork products produced in the United States fail to meet the Massachusetts housing standard, according to the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC)

The Supreme Court decision means Question 3 comes off the shelf.

Known as the Act to Prevent Cruelty in Farm Animals, Question 3 was approved by almost 78 percent of … Read more