US salmonella egg scare shows danger of 'mega producers'

AFP - 1 hour 27 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) - – The massive recall in US markets of more than half a billion eggs possibly tainted with salmonella shows the dangers of concentrating the egg industry in just a handful of "mega producers," US food industry critics said.

"Salmonella in eggs was not a problem in the United States until the 1980s when these huge mega producers were born," Fast Food Nation bestseller author Eric Schlosser told CNN.

More than 2,000 people have been infected with salmonella enteriditis bacteria since May, leading to a recent recall of more than half a million fresh eggs, one of the biggest in the industry's history, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.

The recalls concern two chicken egg processors -- Hillandale Farms and Wright County Eggs, both in the midwestern state of Iowa -- and cover several dozen brands across 22 US states, US authorities said.

The source of salmonella in egg-laying chickens could come from contaminated food or fecal matter from infected rodents invading the coops.

Nearly all egg-production in the United States (95 percent) is presently concentrated in the hands of some 200 companies, compared to around 2,500 farms in 1987, according to the United Egg Producers group.

Thirteen companies alone raise more than five million egg-laying chickens each, with five US states accounting for most of the estimated 280 million egg layers in the country: California, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

"There should not be any salmonella in the eggs. Until 20 years ago, there really wasn't any. It's once you've got those mega mega producers putting 150,000 birds in one building that you start to get that kind of diseases," said Schlosser.

"When you cram the birds so closely together it will spread disease from one animal to another," he added.

The salmonella outbreak reached national concern by mid-August, with millions of American wondering if they should now skip their favorite breakfast food.

It brought back the 2009 salmonella outbreak in peanut butter, another favorite US food, which infected thousands of people and killed nine.

Other salmonella recalls in recent years included pistachios, frozen spinach, and milk, feeding criticism that America's food regulation regime is under-staffed and overtaxed.

With the latest salmonella scare, the FDA has renewed its appeals for greater recall and inspection authority. The US Congress has responded by recently passing a law expanding the FDA's recall powers, which up to now were made by companies on a voluntary basis.

The egg recall, said Schlosser, "is partly a breakdown in our regulatory system, but it's also a sign of what companies are willing to do to make money."

The salmonella scare, however, has buoyed proponents of local, small-scale farming.

"Small farmers have the availability to keep their farms clean, (and) make sure there is enough room. The bigger those operations are the more you run into problems," said National Black Farmers Association president John Boyd.

Japan foot-and-mouth outbreak infects top stud bull

AFP - 46 minutes ago

TOKYO (AFP) - – One of Japan's most prized stud bulls has been infected with foot-and-mouth disease, the government said Saturday, as the country's first outbreak in a decade continues to devastate livestock.

The discovery was a blow to the southern prefecture of Miyazaki, which evacuated the region's six top seed bulls, including the affected animal, to a special facility to keep them away from the disease, which has hit more than 100 farms in the area.

The highly contagious virus has brought to a halt all Japanese beef and pork exports for the past month and crippled the premium beef industry in Miyazaki.

The six bulls are the only remaining breeding animals for the highly sought-after "Miyazaki beef", as the foot-and-mouth outbreak which began last month has forced the cull of 49 other seed bulls in the prefecture.

Between them, the six bulls accounted for some 90 percent of artificial breeding in the prefecture, Kyodo News said.

"The affected bull shall be immediately slaughtered," the farm ministry said in a statement.

The other five animals have so far tested negative for the disease, and "will remain under observation," the statement said.

Usually, all bulls and pigs kept with infected animals are culled, but officials have decided to keep the five remaining seed bulls under observation for a week in an effort to preserve the premium Miyazaki beef strain, Kyodo said.

The news came as officials prepared to slaughter some 205,000 animals in Miyazaki -- 50,000 cows and 155,000 pigs -- as the highly contagious disease spreads rapidly in the region.

The six prized stud bulls were removed from their regular farm near the areas hit by the disease and were assigned individual care managers and kept in separate stalls in a bid to stop them contracting the disease.

Japan's famed "Wagyu" beef is sought-after worldwide for its intense marbling with mostly unsaturated fat, and the variety from Miyazaki typically wholesales for up to 320 dollars a kilogram in Japan.

The latest foot-and-mouth outbreak, Japan's first since 2000, was detected on April 20 and spread quickly in Miyazaki, on the southwestern island of Kyushu.

The health threat prompted Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to pledge more than a billion dollars to help farmers who have to slaughter their livestock.

Foot-and-mouth disease affects cloven-hoofed animals, also including sheep, goats and deer. It is rarely transmitted to humans but spreads easily between animals, causing them pain and often killing their young.

Philippine Food

Persian Dessert

Persian Buffet

Meat station

Lamb kibbe

Beef Kufta

Char grilled Chicken on skewers or Shish Tauok

Persian Buffet @ Sheraton Maldives

Some of the offerings at the salad bar

Tzatziki is actually yogurt with strips of onion in it

Tabouleh has the taste of chopped parsely

Fattoush has onions and cucumbers

Baba Ghanous is made of egg plant

Breakfast at Sheraton Maldives

Chapati and Tuna curry