The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

USDA needs to identify turkey brands linked to deadly, antibiotic-resistant salmonella outbreak, Consumer Reports says

The U.S. Department of Agriculture should identify the brands of turkey that have been linked to a drug-resistant strain of Salmonella that has sickened consumers across the nation, Consumer Reports said Wednesday. The outbreak in raw turkey products has been going on for a year, but neither the turkey industry nor the USDA has released any information about which brands are making people sick. 

“The USDA should immediately make public which turkey producers, suppliers, and brands are involved in this outbreak – especially with Thanksgiving right around the corner,” said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives for Consumer Reports. “This information could save lives and help ensure consumers take the precautions needed to prevent anyone in their home from getting sick.”

The outbreak of the drug-resistant Salmonella strain, known as Salmonella Reading, has been linked to 164 illnesses in 35 states, including one death in California, and about half of those sickened have been hospitalized. The outbreak has been found in live turkeys and many kinds of raw turkey products, and that it “might be widespread in the turkey industry,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has identified the Salmonella strain in samples of raw turkey products collected from 22 slaughterhouses and seven processing plants but hasn’t disclosed these facilities or the names of the companies that operate them.

Raw chicken causes drug-resistant salmonella outbreak in 29 states, sickening 92

Ninety-two people infected with Salmonella Infantis have been reported from 29 states. Twenty-one people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.

An investigation shows that many types of raw chicken products from a variety of sources are contaminated with Salmonella Infantis and are making people sick.

In interviews, sick people reported eating different types and brands of chicken products purchased from many different locations.

Source of widespread antibiotic-resistant Salmonella outbreak unknown

An outbreak of Salmonella from an unknown source has so far infected 92 people in 29 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. This strain, Salmonella Infantis, which can be fatal, is resistant to many antibiotic treatments.

 

Antibiotic resistance, made worse by the routine overuse of antibiotics on industrial farms, makes treating dangerous foodborne disease outbreaks more difficult, according to U.S. PIRG, a consumer advocacy organization.

 

“Antibiotic-resistant diseases are sickening millions of people every year and farms aren't doing enough to solve the problem,” said Tano Toussaint, consumer watchdog associate for U.S. PIRG. “But we also need companies – from burger chains to grocery stores – to stop buying meat raised with routine antibiotic use if we want to stave off a rise in antibiotic-resistant diseases such as this one."

Yes, there will be thousands of more deaths because Brett Kavanaugh is on the Supreme Court

All day Saturday, I was discouraged because the Republican Party got its right-wing judge candidate, Brett Kavanaugh, appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

It looked like the Republicans would get their way, but when allegations of sexual assault were made, then Kavanaugh acted angry and made inappropriate partisan remarks in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, it seemed that at least some of the Republicans would come to their senses.

Kavanaugh angrily scoffed at the idea that more people will die because he’s on the Supreme Court. But the conservative new appointee opposes government regulations, and that’s what protects consumers from harmful chemicals in their food and in the environment.

President Trump’s environmental agenda could lead to 80,000 additional deaths per decade, according to a JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association, article.

Heavy metals found in packaged baby, toddler foods, Consumer Reports says

Nine out of 10 parents with kids under the age of three feed their children packaged food at least occasionally, according to a Consumer Reports survey. So Consumer Reports’ analyzed 50 packaged foods from nine brands, including baby cereals, packaged fruits and vegetables, entrées, and snacks, such as cookies, crackers, and puffs.

The testing focused on arsenic, cadmium, and lead, which can be harmful to the health and development of young children.

Sixty-eight percent of the tested products had “worrisome” levels of at least one heavy metal, and organic foods that Consumer Reports tested were just as likely to contain heavy metals as non-organic.

Other findings include:

No amount of alcohol is safe, global study shows

A new study finds there’s no safe level of drinking alcohol.

The study shows that in 2016, nearly 3 million deaths globally were due to alcohol use, including 12 percent of deaths in males between the ages of 15 and 49. The report was published Thursday in the medical journal The Lancet.

“The health risks associated with alcohol are massive,” said Emmanuela Gakidou, Ph.D., professor of global health at the University of Washington School of Public Health and the senior author of the study. “Our findings are consistent with other recent research, which found clear and convincing correlations between drinking and premature death, cancer, and cardiovascular problems. Zero alcohol consumption minimizes the overall risk of health loss.”

Weed killer found in kids’ cereals and other oat-based foods, environmental group says

Oat cereals, oatmeal, granola, and snack bars have high levels of the weed-killing poison in Monsanto’s Roundup, according to laboratory tests commissioned by the Environmental Working Group. The findings were released shortly after a California jury awarded $289 million to a school groundskeeper who claimed Roundup gave him  lymphoma.

EWG’s tests found glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, in all but two of 45 samples of products made with conventionally grown oats. More than two thirds of the samples had glyphosate levels above what EWG scientists consider protective of children’s health.

Glyphosate has been linked to cancer by California state scientists and the World Health Organization. The California case that ended Friday was the first of thousands of lawsuits against Monsanto. These suits have been brought by farm workers and others who allege that they developed cancer from years of exposure to Roundup.

Appeals court orders EPA to ban pesticide that harms children

A federal appeals court has directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ban the use of the agricultural pesticide chlorpyrifos.

“Today’s decision is a huge win for our children’s health, blocking the Trump administration from allowing continued exposure to this toxic pesticide,” said New York Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood. “The EPA’s most fundamental responsibility is to protect the health and safety of New Yorkers and all Americans — especially our children. Yet the Trump EPA continues to put corporations before people.”

Six attorneys general intervened in the case.

Chlorpyrifos, a widely-used pesticide on food crops — including those consumed by infants, young children, and pregnant women — is shown to negatively impact proper development and functioning of the central nervous system and brain. The court decision directs the EPA to revoke all tolerances and cancel all registrations for chlorpyrifos within 60 days.

The worst chain restaurant meals for 2018

 

The Cheesecake Factory Breakfast Burrito

The Cheesecake Factory’s Breakfast Burrito is the “winner” of the 2018 Xtreme Eating Award for the Worst Way to Start the Day. It’s the nutritional equivalent of seven Sausage McMuffins from McDonald’s. The burrito is one of two Cheesecake Factory items among the awards issued for 2018 by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group.

The Breakfast Burrito is a “warm tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, chicken chorizo, cheese, crispy potatoes, avocado, peppers and onions, over spicy ranchero sauce” that is served with sour cream, salsa, and black beans, according to The Cheesecake Factory. The meal has more than a day’s worth of calories, 2,730; two days’ worth of sodium, 4,630 milligrams; and more than three days’ worth of saturated fat, 73 grams.

“Long gone are the days when a big restaurant meal was an occasional splurge,” said Lindsay Moyer, senior nutritionist for the center. “Americans are eating out more than ever before. So when restaurant chains are serving up 2,000 calories or more on a single plate, it’s easy to see why people continue to struggle with overweight, obesity, and diet-related diseases.”

Raw turkey responsible for Salmonella outbreak in 26 states

Ninety people infected with Salmonella Reading have been reported in 26 states. Forty people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.

Raw turkey products from different sources are contaminated with Salmonella Reading and are making people sick, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. 

In interviews, ill people said they eat different types and brands of turkey products purchased from many different locations. Of 61 people interviewed, 37 or 61 percent reported preparing or eating turkey products that were purchased raw, including ground turkey, turkey pieces, and whole turkey. Two ill people lived in a household where raw turkey pet food was fed to pets. Three of the 61 worked in a facility that raises or processes turkeys, or lived with someone who did.