The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Manda Packing Co. recalls 468,000 pounds of cooked meat, poultry, and deli products due to possible bacterial contamination

Manda Packing Co. is expanding its recall to include about 468,000 pounds of roast beef, ham, turkey breast, tasso pork, ham shanks, hog head cheese, corned beef, and pastrami due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Friday.

The recall involves products from the company’s Baker, La., facility with sell dates between May 13 and July 2, 2013. Click here for a list of the products, the “sell by” dates, and the establishment number inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The products may have been sliced at retail delis, and if so won’t have this packaging information.

The products were shipped for further distribution, for sale to stores, and for sale to delis in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

If consumers purchased one of the recalled products, they can return it to the place it was purchased for a full refund.

The FSIS was alerted to the problem by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, who collected a sample of cooked roast beef at a retail store on April 5, 2013, which later was found to be positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

The recall is being expanded because more samples from additional production dates have tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

The FSIS and the company have received no reports of illnesses associated with eating these products.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Most kids’ meals at chain restaurants offer poor nutrition, as fried chicken fingers, burgers, fries, and soda reign

Nearly all of the meals offered to kids at America's top chain restaurants are of poor nutritional quality.

Fried chicken fingers, burgers, French fries, and sugar drinks continue to dominate the kids' meal offerings, according to a report to by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The report found 97 percent of the nearly 3,500 meal possibilities didn’t meet the center's nutrition criteria for four- to eight-year-olds.

In addition, the center said 91 percent of kids' meals at America's major chains don’t meet the nutritional standards of the National Restaurant Association’s Kids LiveWell program.

 "One out of every three American children is overweight or obese, but it's as if the chain restaurant industry didn't get the memo," Margo G. Wootan, nutrition policy director for the center, said. "Most chains seem stuck in a time warp, serving up the same old meals based on chicken nuggets, burgers, macaroni and cheese, fries, and soda."

One chain with improvements is Subway, according to the report.

All eight of Subway restaurants' Fresh Fit for Kids meal combinations met the center’s nutrition criteria. Subway is the only restaurant chain that doesn’t offer sugar drinks as an option with its kids' meals, instead including low-fat milk or bottled water along with apple slices with all of its kid-sized subs.

To meet the center's nutrition criteria, kids' meals must not exceed: (1) 430 calories, (2) more than 35 percent of calories from fat, or (3) more than 10 percent of calories from saturated plus trans fat.

Meals that meet the center’s criteria can’t have more than 35 percent added sugars by weight or more than 770 milligrams of sodium. The criteria require meals to make a positive nutritional contribution either by providing at least half a serving of fruit or vegetable, including an item that is 51 percent or more whole grain, or including specified levels of vitamins or fiber.

The center’s criteria exclude sugar drinks in favor of water, juice, or low-fat milk. The association's standards are similar, though they allow more calories.

Some of the least healthy kids' meals available at chain restaurants include:

• Applebee's Grilled Cheese on Sourdough with Fries and 2 Percent Chocolate Milk.

•  Denny's Jr. Cheeseburger and French Fries.

• Dairy Queen's Chicken Strips, Kids' Fries, Sauce, Arctic Rush (a Slushee-type frozen drink), and Dilly Bar.

At 19 chains, none of the possible combination of the items offered for children met the center's nutrition standards. At nine of the 19 chains, including McDonald's, Popeye's, Chipotle, and Hardee's, no meals met the associations Kids LiveWell standards.

At Wendy's, only 5 percent of 40 possible kids' meals met the center’s standards – most items were too high either in sodium or saturated fat; at Burger King, only 20 percent of the 15 possible kids' meals met the center’s criteria. At both of those chains, the same low percentages of possible meal combinations met the association's Kids LiveWell standards.

The center’s last review of the nutritional quality of kids' meals at chain restaurants was in 2008. Overall, chains have made little progress since then.

The center’s report recommends that companies:

• Participate in the association's Kids LiveWell program, and reformulate their kids' meals to meet those standards.  

• Offer more fruit and vegetable options, and make those, rather than French fries, the default sides.

• Offer more whole grains and remove soda or other sugar drinks from kids' menus.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Food, midlife challenges, income tax lessons, and rejuvenation are the topics for this week’s Best of Boomer Blogs

John Agno of So Baby Boomer is this week’s host for the Best of Boomer Blogs #303.

The boomer blog roundup is a collection of like-minded blogs cooperating to share their best stories of interest to the Baby Boomer Generation.

As April showers hit many parts of the country, baby boomer consumers are writing about food dyes in Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, midlife challenges for women, how trauma affects us, income tax lessons, and why taking the easy path may give people a chance to rejuvenate so they can be ready for the next challenge.

In addition to my blog, other members of the Best of Boomer Blogs are: The Midlife Crisis Queen, Sightings Over 60, Arabian Tales and Other Amazing Adventures, So Baby Boomer, Blue Blinds Media, and Tao Flashes.

Be sure to check back next week to see what baby boomer bloggers are thinking and writing about.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Rich Products expands recall to all products made at its Waycross, Ga. plant

Rich Products Corp., which recalled some of its Farm Rich and Market Day products last week, is expanding its recall to include all products produced at its Waycross, Ga., plant with “Best By” dates ranging from January 1, 2013 to September 29, 2014 due to possible contamination with Escherichia coli O121 bacteria.

The expanded recall is in addition to products recalled on March 28.

For a list of the products involved in the expanded recall, click here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 24 cases of E. coli 0121 in 15 states

Symptoms of the illness include mild to severe diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Blood is often seen in the stool. Usually little or no fever is present.

Although most healthy adults can recover completely within five to 10 days, some individuals can develop a complication called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, which can cause the kidneys to fail. HUS is most likely to occur in young children and the elderly. The condition could lead to serious kidney damage and death.

Rich Products said it’s unaware of any illnesses associated with the products included in the expanded recall, but due to its safety commitment to its customers, it took the action.

Consumers should check their freezers for recalled Farm Rich brand frozen food products. They shouldn’t eat the recalled frozen food products and should dispose of any remaining products, the CDC advises.

Consumers with questions about the recall should contact the company's consumer line at 888-220-5955 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST Monday through Friday or visit the company website at www.farmrich.com.

Farm Rich said on its website it will provide consumers with a refund or replacement.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Think nutritious, organic, locally grown food on World Health Day

Today is World Health Day

Its focus is on high blood pressure, one of the many chronic diseases that is increasingly common around the world.

One-third of adults worldwide have high blood pressure, and one in 10 adults worldwide have diabetes, reports the World Health Organization.

In the United States, high blood pressure affects 31 percent of American adults. However, the highest levels of hypertension now occur in many African countries, where more than 40 percent of adults are affected. Poor diets are among the most significant causes of high blood pressure.

The Food Tank: The Food Think Tank offers these strategies for creating healthier food and agriculture systems:

1. Eat more vegetables and fruits.

Less than one in three Americans meets the minimum goal of eating two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables each day, as recommended by the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

2. Strengthen soil with intercropping, agroforestry, and cover crops.

Many essential nutrients come from the soil, making soil health critical to producing nutritious food. Intercropping with legumes, including alfalfa or peas, helps return nitrogen to the soil and support healthy plant growth. Using cover crops, which can be ploughed into fields after harvest and return nutrients to the soil, is another strategy that helps increase the amount of nutrients in food. Planting trees on farms – or agroforestry – can also help keep nutrients and water in the soil.

3. Know your nutrients.

Many don’t know that kale, sesame seeds, dried figs, salmon, and broccoli are excellent sources of calcium. Dark green, leafy vegetables are also rich in vitamin K, which is similar to vitamin D in the way it helps the human body make the most of the calcium in food. The Harvard School of Public Health website features a section called The Nutrition Source, which offers a list of topics on nutrients in foods and the benefits of different products, such as fish oil.

4. Support family farmers.

Small and medium scale family farms are more likely than big farms to produce nutrient rich crops, using practices that help keep nutrients in the soil. Family farmers also produce more nutrient dense foods, including fruits and vegetables.

5. Choose whole grains.

Whole grains are increasingly popular, but they still make up less than the recommended half of total grain use in the U.S. Whole grains are also valuable, low-cost sources of protein and fiber, and can help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, type-2 diabetes, and other diseases.

6. Eat out less.

The Natural Resources Defense Council reports that some American restaurants serve portions up to eight times those recommended by the USDA and U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

7. Buy and grow organic.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that organic fruits and vegetables repeatedly had equal or greater nutrient content than the same conventional produce. The Environmental Working Group publishes a Shopper’s Guide assessing which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticides. In 2012, apples, celery, and sweet bell peppers were in the top three; however, onions, sweet corn, and pineapples were among the safest conventional foods to buy.

8. Choose grass-fed meat.

Lean meat can contain many valuable nutrients that support a healthy diet. Grass-fed meat usually has less fat than conventional corn- and grain-fed meat products.

9. Support indigenous, heritage, and heirloom food.

A study from the University of Texas, Austin found that the amount of nutrients in 43 different food crops have significantly decreased since 1950.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Kraft meets with bloggers who want food dyes removed from its macaroni and cheese

These days, I don’t make macaroni and cheese, but I remember looking at the strange color of the cheese mixture when I used to prepare the packaged dish for my family. It just didn’t look like real food to me.

Food blogger Vani Hari and supporters delivered more than 270,000 petition signatures Tuesday to Kraft Foods' headquarters in the Chicago area asking the company to stop using artificial dyes in its macaroni and cheese products sold in the United States.

Hari and blogger Lisa Leake then met with Kraft representatives to discuss removing artificial dyes from their entire line of macaroni and cheese products.

Following the meeting, Hari said she hoped that Kraft would eventually remove the controversial dyes.

“If Kraft really wants to do right by their customers, like they’ve said, they’ll make their American products just as safe as their European ones,” she said.

Hari and Leake became concerned about the Kraft product after discovering that many countries ban the Yellow #5 and Yellow #6 artificial dyes and that the Center for Science in the Public Interest has linked the artificial colors to hyperactivity in children, migraines, and asthma.

The center also said tests on lab animals of dyes, including Yellow #5 and Yellow #6, showed signs of causing cancer.

On the use of the dyes, Kraft said it looks to regulators for guidance.

“The artificial colors allowed in the foods in the U.S., including the Yellow #5 and #6 used in some Kraft Mac & Cheese varieties, are some of the most well-studied ingredients,” Kraft said in a statement on its website. “The Food and Drug Administration has deemed them safe for use in food.”

Kraft also said other experts, including the European Food Safety Authority, have reached a similar conclusion.

However, in Europe, foods that contain Yellow #5, which is derived from petroleum, are required to carry a warning label, and the chemical has been banned in some countries, including Norway and Austria.

“Making ingredient changes isn’t as simple as it would seem,” Kraft said, adding all of the ingredients work together to deliver the distinctive taste, appearance, and texture consumers expect.

Kraft said it sells at least 14 other macaroni and cheese products made either with natural food colors or without added color.

“The safety and quality of our products is our highest priority, and we take consumer concerns very seriously,” Lynne Galia, a Kraft spokesperson, said in a statement. 

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Multistate outbreak of E. coli linked to Farm Rich brand frozen food

Twenty four people infected with the outbreak strain of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O121 have been reported from 15 states.

• 78 percent are 21 years of age or younger.

• 33 percent have been hospitalized. One person developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state public health officials are interviewing those infected to obtain information about foods they might have eaten and other exposures in the week before illness.

The information available indicates that eating Farm Rich brand frozen food products is one likely source of infection for the ill people in this outbreak, the CDC said.

Testing conducted by the New York State Department of Health identified the outbreak strain of STEC O121 in an open package of Farm Rich brand frozen chicken quesadillas from an ill person’s home.

On March 28, Rich Products Corporation recalled about 196,000 pounds of Farm Rich brand frozen chicken quesadillas and several other frozen mini meals and snack items because they might be contaminated with E. coli O121. The recall is nationwide.

Consumers should check their freezers for recalled Farm Rich brand frozen food products. They shouldn’t eat the recalled frozen food products and should dispose of any remaining products, the CDC advises.

Consumers with questions about the recall should contact the company's consumer line at 888-220-5955 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST Monday through Friday or visit the company website at www.farmrich.com.

Farm Rich said on its website it will provide consumers with a refund or replacement.

The 24 infected people live in these states. Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are also currently conducting investigations to determine the source of infections in this outbreak.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

EPA proposes cleaner gas and car standards, aimed at slashing pollution and improving health

It’s troublesome that the auto, oil, and gas industries have been allowed to make products that for so many years have caused millions of illness and deaths from emissions.

But the good news is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday it’s proposing standards for cars and gas that will significantly reduce harmful pollution and prevent thousands of premature deaths and illnesses, while also improving the efficiency of the nation’s cars and trucks.

When adopted, the standards will help avoid up to 2,400 premature deaths a year and 23,000 cases of respiratory ailments in children, the EPA said.

The proposal will slash emissions of harmful pollutants that can cause premature death and respiratory illnesses, including reducing smog-forming volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides by 80 percent, establish a 70 percent tighter particulate matter standard, and reduce fuel vapor emissions to near zero, said EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe. 

The proposal will also reduce vehicle emissions of toxic air pollutants, such as benzene and 1,3-butadiene, by up to 40 percent.

The proposed standards support efforts by states to reduce harmful levels of smog and soot, he said.

By 2030, the EPA estimates that the proposed cleaner fuels and cars program will annually prevent up to 2,400 premature deaths, 23,000 cases of respiratory ailments in children, 3,200 hospital admissions and asthma-related emergency room visits, and 1.8 million lost school days, work days, and days when activities would be restricted due to air pollution.

Total health-related benefits in 2030 will be between $8 and $23 billion annually, Perciasepe said. 

The program would also reduce exposure to pollution near roads. More than 50 million people live, work, or go to school close to high-traffic roads, and the average American spends more than one hour traveling on roads each day.

To develop the proposal, the EPA met with representatives from auto, oil, and gas industries as well as environmental, consumer, and public health organizations. Based on feedback and a rulemaking process, EPA’s proposal is estimated to provide up to $7 in health benefits for every dollar spent to meet the standards.

The proposed sulfur standards will cost refineries less than 1 cent per gallon of gasoline on average when the standards are in place, according to the EPA. The proposed vehicle standards will have an average cost of about $130 per vehicle in 2025. The proposal also includes flexibilities for small businesses, including hardship provisions and additional lead time for compliance.

The proposed standards will reduce gasoline sulfur levels by more than 60 percent – down to 10 parts per million in 2017. Reducing sulfur in gas enables vehicle emission control technologies to perform more efficiently.  That means that vehicles built before the proposed standards will run cleaner on the new low-sulfur gas, Perciasepe said.

The proposed standards will work with California’s clean cars and fuels program and enable automakers to sell the same vehicles in all 50 states. The proposal is designed to be carried out over the same timeframe as the next phase of the EPA’s national program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks beginning in model year 2017.

After the proposal is published in the Federal Register, the public can comment on it, and the EPA will hold public hearings.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Prescription drug prices vary widely at pharmacies, report shows

Consumers who don’t shop around for their prescription drugs may be paying significantly more.

Failing to comparison shop could result in overpaying by as much as $100 a month or even more, depending on the drug, Consumer Reports said in the May issue of the magazine.  

Consumer Reports compared drug prices for five top-selling drugs that have recently gone generic, including heart drugs Lipitor and Plavix. It found that Costco offered the lowest retail prices overall and CVS charged the highest. 

While consumers can find low drug prices at Costco, consumers may find a good deal too at their local independent pharmacies, Consumer Reports said.  

Consumer Reports’ secret shoppers called more than 200 pharmacies throughout the nation to get retail prices – what you would pay without insurance – on a month’s supply of five best-selling drugs that have recently become available as generics: 

• Actos, pioglitazone, for diabetes.

• Lexapro, escitalopram, an antidepressant.

• Lipitor, atorvastatin, for high cholesterol.

• Plavix, clopidogrel, a blood thinner.

• Singulair, montelukast, for asthma. 

The result? A difference of $749, or 447 percent, between the highest and lowest priced stores.

Some price comparisons

If you shop around, you could find a month’s supply of generic Lipitor at a cost of $17 at Costco. However, if you purchase it from CVS, you could pay $150. That’s a difference of $133. Rite Aid and Target were also pricey, the Consumer Reports’ shoppers found.

For the antidepressant Lexapro, a month’s supply of the generic version cost $7 at Costco and $126 at CVS. Rite Aid, grocery stores, and Walgreens also charged high prices on average, Consumer Reports found.

Generic Plavix, which is prescribed to people with cardiovascular disease, was also available at widely varying prices. For example, on the low end, a month’s supply was available at $12 through Healthwarehouse.com and $15 at Costco, while CVS quoted $180 when Consumer Reports’ secret shoppers asked about prices.

For the market basket of drugs Consumer Reports checked, independent and grocery store pharmacies’ prices varied widely between stores, sometimes offering the cheapest and the most expensive price for the same drug.

How to save

• Request the lowest price. Consumer Reports’ analysis shows that shoppers weren’t always given the best, lowest price. Make sure you ask.

• Go with generics. Generics are copies of brand-name medications whose patents have expired. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that generics contain the same active ingredients in the same strength as the brands they copy. In addition, a generic must be “bioequivalent” to its corresponding brand, meaning that it delivers the same amount of active ingredients into a person’s bloodstream in the same amount of time as the original brand. 

• Leave the city and shop in rural areas. Consumer Reports found that some grocery-store and independent drugstores had higher prices in urban areas than rural areas. For example, Consumer Reports shoppers priced a 30-day supply of generic Actos at a pharmacy in Raleigh, N.C., for $203, while another pharmacy in a rural area of the state sold it for $37. 

• Get a refill for 90 days, not 30 days. Most pharmacies offer discounts on a three-month supply.

• Look for additional discounts. All chain and big-box drugstores now offer discount generic-drug programs, with some selling hundreds of generic drugs for $4 a month or $10 for a three-month supply. Just make sure your drug is on the list. Offers vary and check the fine print.

The report is available where magazines are sold, in libraries, and online at www.ConsumerReports.org. 

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Report describes how Big Soda uses ‘philanthropy’ to gain supporters, silence criticism

The state chapter of the NAACP and the Hispanic Federation unexpectedly joined Big Soda's legal fight against New York City’s Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's proposal to cap soda servings at restaurants at 16 ounces.

Both groups received grants from Coca-Cola, with the national NAACP receiving at least $2.1 million from the soda company since 1986, including $100,000 as recently as December. The Hispanic Federation also lists Coke as a donor.

In addition to courting civil rights or minority groups, the soda industry, over the years, has given money to – and cultivated relationships with – groups representing doctors, dentists, dietitians, anti-hunger advocates, and others.

 A report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, called Selfish Giving, shows that when Big Soda is under siege, as it was in 2009 when defending against a possible national soda tax to pay for health care reform, it can call on its nationwide network of organizations that have received grants to leap to its defense.

The soda industry organized groups to oppose a 2008 soda tax proposal in New York State and two 2012 soda-tax ballot initiatives in the California cities of Richmond and El Monte. All of the tax proposals were defeated.

"Big Soda's giving isn't solely motivated by its love for the arts or its concern for minorities' or anyone else's health," Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the center, said in a statement. "Makers of sugar drinks give to burnish their soiled reputations. They give so they can soften, or even silence, potential criticism. But mainly the industry gives so when provoked it can activate an instant Astroturf army to advance its extreme, anti-health agenda."

The soda industry also is forging financial partnerships with city governments, which can have the effect of silencing municipal leaders' criticism of sugar drinks, according to the report. Last year, Miami Beach, Dayton, Ohio, and Ocean City, Md. all signed deals making Coke the "official soft drink" of those cities.

And while some cities were aggressively proposing taxes or prohibiting sugar drinks in public facilities, the American Beverage Association partnered with the cities of Chicago and San Antonio on a wellness contest centered on another favorite industry theme: personal responsibility over government intervention.

The soda industry's philanthropic focus on African American and Latino organizations is particularly troubling because those communities suffer disproportionately from obesity and soda-related diseases, Jacobson said.

The soda industry's coopting of nonprofit groups is like the tobacco industry's tactics in the 1980s and 1990s, when it enlisted minority groups that received grants to oppose curbs on smoking or tobacco advertising, he said. The New York state chapter of the NAACP, for example, worked with the tobacco industry to oppose separate non-smoking areas in restaurants and other public facilities.

"The industry playbook is clear – make philanthropic donations to divide and conquer the very constituencies these policies would ultimately benefit," said Anthony Iton, M.D., senior vice president of The California Endowment, a health-oriented foundation. "Big Soda has learned well from Big Tobacco. But, as more Americans start to see through their cynical tactics, public opinion will shift to protect children, not profits."

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist