So, what do you think?FDA Approves a Spray-on Virus to Keep Processed Meats ''Safe''
The FDA has approved a mix of six bacteria-killing viruses designed to be sprayed on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. The viruses, called bacteriophages, kill the Listeria monocytogenes bacterium. This is the first-ever approval of viruses as a food additive.
Listeria monocytogenes can cause a serious infection called listeriosis. About 2,500 people in the United States become seriously ill with listeriosis each year, and 500 die.
Lunch meats are particularly vulnerable to Listeria because they are generally not cooked or reheated after purchase.
Consumers will not be informed as to whether their meat and poultry products have been treated with the spray. Intralytix, the company that produces the virus spray, also plans to seek FDA approval for another bacteriophage product, this one designed to kill E. coli bacteria.
Yahoo News August 19, 2006
Spray-on Virus to Keep Processed Meats ''Safe''
#1
Posted 08 September 2006 - 08:23 AM
#2
Posted 08 September 2006 - 03:38 PM
#3
Posted 13 September 2006 - 03:55 AM
thanks for the update
good to know
#4
Posted 13 September 2006 - 07:54 AM
One thing that bothers me about this story is that consumers will not be notified as to whether the food they buy has been treated. We cannot make an informed choice if we're not provided this information.
#5
Posted 13 September 2006 - 02:19 PM
that's the only thing that bugs me....thats like "you will not be informed that there are nuts in this product"... i don't agree with not knowing what's in my food...Consumers will not be informed as to whether their meat and poultry products have been treated with the spray
#6
Posted 13 September 2006 - 05:33 PM
But things like bacteriophages are a great new way that is harmless to us and largely harmless to our environment which is alot better than stuff used now because its not just killing bugs on meat there is alot of applications in food production and medicine.
#7
Posted 13 September 2006 - 06:03 PM
#8
Posted 13 September 2006 - 08:00 PM
Man, what will they come out with next?!
They already have ... or did!
Are you aware that the lovely red colour of the meat you buy is either a red dye or (mostly in the supermarkets) means it has been gassed with carbon monoxide. It appears that we, the public, have a preference for red fresh looking meat rather than its real browny colour.
#9
Posted 14 September 2006 - 06:21 AM
i agree that they're great and will probably help alot and SHOULD be 100% safe (or close to it) but...not telling me you're putting it in my food? that's where i get annoyed...i feel the same way about hte antibiotics and steroids....those should be listed somewhere as wellBut things like bacteriophages are a great new way that is harmless to us and largely harmless to our environment which is alot better than stuff used now because its not just killing bugs on meat there is alot of applications in food production and medicine.
#10
Posted 14 September 2006 - 07:59 PM
#11
Posted 15 September 2006 - 05:55 AM
#12
Posted 15 September 2006 - 06:23 AM
i'm not neccessarily talking about on the box...but there should be a website that lists the stuff...like the package could have the product name of whatever the virus is called or simply "bacteriophage agent"...then you go to that company's website (or the FDA website) to find out exactly what's in the agent so that i can form an EDUCATED opinion on whether or not i'd like to eat the productYeah you would also probably run out of space on the boxes
#13
Posted 15 September 2006 - 10:54 AM
#14
Posted 15 September 2006 - 11:12 AM
#15
Posted 16 September 2006 - 12:45 AM
So what are you having for dinner tonight? Red meat, chicken, ...?PRESS RELEASE April 5, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arsenic Widespread in Chicken, Testing Finds
Avoidable arsenic commonly added to chicken feed; Arsenic-free chicken available.
Minneapolis - Brand name chicken products sold in American supermarkets and fast food restaurants are widely contaminated with arsenic, according to independent test results released today by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).
Testing of 155 samples from uncooked supermarket chicken products found 55 percent carried detectable arsenic. Arsenic was more than twice as prevalent in conventional brands of supermarket chicken as in certified organic and other "premium" brands. All 90 fast food chicken products tested by IATP also contained detectable arsenic. The full report can be read at: www.iatp.org.
Arsenic in chicken meat appears closely linked to the decades-old practice of intentionally and routinely putting arsenic into chicken feed. At least 70 percent of U.S. broiler chickens have been fed arsenic, according to estimates.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture fails to test for arsenic in the chicken breasts or thighs that Americans mostly eat, and does not make public results of its testing of individual brands.
Arsenic causes cancer and contributes to other diseases including heart disease, diabetes and declines in intellectual function. While none of the chicken products tested had arsenic levels above federal standards much has changed since those standards were set. For one thing, Americans eat at least two and a half times more chicken than they did 40 years ago. Additionally, the latest science reports that some forms of arsenic are more toxic than previously thought, and cumulative human exposures to arsenic, including in chicken meat, are likely higher than previously thought.
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