Football fans may want to rethink that visit to the concession stand during the Indianapolis Colts' big Sunday game against the New England Patriots.
Marion County health inspectors cited the food contractor, Centerplate, at Lucas Oil stadium for food safety violations -- including mice feces in storage rooms, kitchens and an oven. Inspectors also found actual mice (not just evidence of them) in the kitchen area, both dead and alive.
The Marion County Health Department issued 42 citations and $3,900 in fines in all against the Stamford, Conn.-based food service company.
Frank Bruni's "Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater" tells how he went from adult bulimic to New York Times food critic.
Restaurants: Bastille Cafe & Bar in Ballard is on its way to prime French fare, Greenwood's Aloha Ramen dishes "satisfyingly chewy" noodles and Lola sizzles with Mediterranean meals.
Once frequented by steelworkers' wives, one can still time-travel to the 1930s at the South Side's Schwartz Market for everything from kimchi to organic produce.
Churchview Farm, once an oversized garden, is now a community-supported "farmette" serving 17 families, with 60 on the waiting list for next year.
Drinking in celebration of the kids heading back to school with a "wheels up" party, and a menu that works for that or a nice Labor Day shindig.
A contest will help two home cooks and professional food writers create a cookbook full of their online food community's best recipes.
In the aftermath of the E. coli/cookie-dough issue, food safety becomes a high priority in the White House.
Every once in a while it's good to have a refresher course in kitchen safety. The FDA's 1996 flick "Dirty Little Secrets" does just that with a dramatic announcer, toilet paper in the fridge and a copy of "The Silver Palate Cookbook." Did they miss anything? Weigh in.
As Obama and McCain relentlessly feint and parry towards Tuesday, has any word been volleyed more often than "taxes"? Whether your taxes are, not to mention will be, lowered, raised, leveraged, undercut, overspent, distributed, re-distributed, undistributed or even, perhaps, unpaid, it's important to remember the basic fact that taxes fund government. This includes departments, agencies, entities and initiatives concerning food, from growing it to cooking it to eating it. With election day finally ascendant, isn't it time to check in on some of the entities supported by public funds, to see what we're paying for?
See ultra-close-ups of houseflies crawling on baguettes, their iridescent bodies shining nauseatingly in the light; a little girl shrieking at a turd floating by her inner tube in a public pool; greasy barbecued rat leg. It's so hilariously gross, in fact, I'd think it was a joke, but it's produced by Kansas State University.
It doesn't really bother me - I've eaten plenty of dodgy things and my three bouts of food poisoning have all been from completely innocuous-seeming sources (green beans; college cafeteria corn dogs) so I've figured there's no use worrying too much. But there's nothing like a good gross-out on a boring afternoon. And maybe it'll make you remember to wash your hands better before you start chopping that next tomato!
Gourmet Boutique has issued a recall of 286,000 lbs of deli luncheon meat for possible contamination by listeria. The meats were used in sandwich wraps and other ready-to-eat products. The USDA has classified this recall as Class I, "reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death," or what I would call "pretty damn serious."
The list of potentially affected wraps and other ready-to-eat products from the company are listed here.
Hmm, "risky eating behaviors", that sounds pretty dangerous. That is what I thought when I happened on this article. Some researchers have studied the link between food safety awareness and actual eating habits. The study was aimed at college age adults, but perhaps it can be applied to everyone. It turns out that I, and quite possibly many other people, have eating habits that are "risky".
Apparently, eating things like raw cookie dough, cooked eggs with runny yolks, and sushi (with raw fish), not to mention steak tartare, are all risky foods. Any food that has not been thoroughly cooked or leaves any room for bacteria to hide is risky. In the study there was a "weak" link between higher food safety knowledge and safer eating habits.
The only problem I see is that some foods are supposed to be under or un-cooked. I can see where the food safety advocates are coming from, but, really, a well done steak is ruined (in my opinion), and I was practically raised on chocolate chip cookie dough. Perhaps we all should try to be aware of the risks and take all the precautions, but go ahead and eat our sushi raw. Does anyone have another take on this? Is there some additional information that you'd like to share?
Costco has issued a voluntary recall on 10,368 pounds of frozen Red Curry Chicken & Jasmine Rice from Discover Cuisine. The frozen food packages are suspected to be contaminated with Listeria. According to Costco, "Each package bears the Canadian establishment number 'Est. 302' inside the Canadian Food Inspection Agency mark of inspection as well as a 'Best By' date of '12 18 08.' The item number '2880' also appears by the UPC code on the package."
No illnesses have been reported yet, but Listeria can cause headaches, neck stiffness, and spontaneous abortions. Those people with weakened immune systems are most susceptible to infection.
So check your freezers, and if you'd like more information, call this number, provided by Costco: (800) 774-2678.
This Week's Food Safety Terror Alert has gone a depressing shade of blue (which isn't even on the meter) for a voluntary recall by Stonyfield Farm of their 6-ounce cups of Stonyfield Organic Fat Free Blueberry Yogurt based on reports that customers have found plastic or glass fragments in the products.
The affected yogurts have codes printed along the cup bottom that start with the following dates:
Apr 13 08
Apr 14 08
Apr 15 08
April 25 08
Apr 26 08
If you have questions, you are advised to contact Stonyfield Farm Consumer Relations at 1-800-PRO-COWS or email crelations@Stonyfield.com.
Between beef recalls and threats of mad cow disease, the simple action of eating is quickly becoming less of a pleasurable activity and more of a chore, or, in some cases, a big wager.
Think you know your salmonella from your E.Coli? Feeling bored? Test your smarts with National Geographic's food safety quiz. Yes, I know, online quizzes are pretty nerdy, but this one actually provides you with decent information. After you answer each question, the site gives you a brief synopsis of the topic, so you can bulk up on your food safety knowledge for your next dinner party.
Or, even better: when the weather gets warmer and you attend a picnic, turn to your friend as she takes her first bite of chicken salad and bust out with, "Did you know that food borne illnesses are more common in warmer weather?" and watch her spit out her food and glare at you. If nothing else, your new found knowledge will provide you with hours of entertainment.
Let's hope that at whatever Super Bowl party you were yesterday, you didn't go anywhere near the salsa, guacamole, hummus, or anything that has a last name of "Dip." If you did, let's hope that the only other guests with you were your immediate family, or people with who you don't mind sharing...10,000 bacteria.
In a study done at Clemson University, research students found that "three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eater's mouth to the remaining dip."
Let's hope they get it together, since much of the world has to turn to China's land-based fish farms as ocean waters become increasingly depleted by overfishing.
One of my favorite books when I was a kid was "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." In the beginning of the book, the main character Francie is sent to the butcher shop to buy $.10 worth of ground beef for her family's Saturday night dinner. Her mother insists that she have the butcher grind it in front of her instead of buying it off the plate, because you never know what might be in your meat if you buy it pre-ground.
I remember reading that section back in the day and thinking how nice it was that ground meat is so safe and available so that people didn't have to worry about it anymore. I went on thinking that way until Tuesday, when I read this post by the Grocery Guy. Apparently mass market ground beef isn't nearly as safe and clean as we think it is. The Grocery Guy stresses that it is important that you know and trust the people who make your ground beef, which is not always an easy thing in this day and age (especially if you tend to shop at large, chain supermarkets). He says that if you don't know your butcher that you should grind your own (and gives tips on how to go about doing just that). It's an interesting read and will definitely make you think about ground beef more critically (if you are still among the number who eat the stuff. Personally, I have a very hard time resisting a good hamburger).
Patience, everyone. It's almost over.
I know Slashfood is usually about enjoying food, not scaring you off it forever, but this is pretty interesting: Barf Blog, Musing from the International Food Safety Network. 
Hmm, "risky eating behaviors", that sounds pretty dangerous. That is what I thought when I happened on this article. Some researchers have studied the link between food safety awareness and actual eating habits. The study was aimed at college age adults, but perhaps it can be applied to everyone. It turns out that I, and quite possibly many other people, have eating habits that are "risky".
This is a recall of bulk proportions. 
This Week's Food Safety Terror Alert has gone a depressing shade of blue (which isn't even on the meter) for a voluntary recall by Stonyfield Farm of their 6-ounce cups of Stonyfield Organic Fat Free Blueberry Yogurt based on reports that customers have found plastic or glass fragments in the products.
Between beef recalls and threats of mad cow disease, the simple action of eating is quickly becoming less of a pleasurable activity and more of a chore, or, in some cases, a big wager.
Let's hope that at whatever Super Bowl party you were yesterday, you didn't go anywhere near the salsa, guacamole, hummus, or anything that has a last name of "Dip." If you did, let's hope that the only other guests with you were your immediate family, or people with who you don't mind sharing...10,000 bacteria.
"
One of my favorite books when I was a kid was "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." In the beginning of the book, the main character Francie is sent to the butcher shop to buy $.10 worth of ground beef for her family's Saturday night dinner. Her mother insists that she have the butcher grind it in front of her instead of buying it off the plate, because you never know what might be in your meat if you buy it pre-ground. 
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