Chrysler Says God Made a Farmer. We’d Like to Add That He Also Made a Veterinarian

Many thoughts come to mind when reflecting on this year’s Super Bowl: a win by the Ravens, a major lighting malfunction, a stellar performance by Beyoncé, and an ad by Chrysler: “So God Made a Farmer.” If you were grabbing another beer and a plate of chili nachos when this 2-minute ad aired, take a look at it here:

The ad is compelling because, unlike a lot of jobs in America, farmers must be willing to work at nature’s beck and call. The work is strenuous—seeds must be planted, crops must be sowed, cows must be milked, eggs must be gathered, livestock must be tended to, and all goods must be safely prepared and taken to market for human consumption.

Right alongside farmers to help care for livestock and ensure that all food animal products—including meat, poultry and eggs—are safe to eat are the nation’s veterinarians. At AVMA, we could go into detail about the many hard-working veterinarians who make farm calls to help farmers care for their livestock, or who work on farms to ensure that food animals do not contract or spread diseases, or who work in production facilities to inspect food products to ensure they are safe to eat before ending up on grocery store shelves, but there would be too many stories to tell.

We would, however, along with 250 national and state farm organizations, like to applaud Chrysler for bringing attention to the many hard-working individuals—farmers and veterinarians alike—in America’s agriculture industry who make it possible for us to reap the benefits of having such a great agricultural system in place. In a letter to Chrysler Group’s Chairman and Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne last week, AVMA and the other organizations, write:

“America’s farmers and ranchers are the most professional and productive in the world. Being the best at what we do benefits us all. No other nation can compete with our ability to produce the highest quality, safest, most abundant and affordable meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, crops, fruits, tree nuts, and vegetables in the world.
We sincerely thank you for recognizing us; we thank you even more for reminding the rest of the country—and a big part of the world—how vital our daily contribution is to their quality of life.”

So, while Chrysler says that “God made a farmer,” we at AVMA would like to add that God also made a veterinarian.

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Will Food Safety Be Compromised In the Looming, Across-the-Board Federal Spending Cuts?

When you go to the grocery store, you expect that the meat, poultry and egg products you are buying are safe to eat. But what will happen if the federal programs that verify the safety of these food products are reduced in the U.S. government’s across-the-board spending cuts, known as sequestration, which could take effect March 1?

A White House memo late last week said that the cuts to the federal government’s food safety inspection programs would be damaging for public health, and could put American families “at risk.”

“The public could suffer more foodborne illness, such as the recent salmonella in peanut butter outbreak and the E. coli illnesses linked to organic spinach, as well as cost the food and agriculture sector millions of dollars in lost production volume,” the memo read.

Continue reading »

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FDA Reorganizes Center for Veterinary Medicine, Combines With Food Safety Office

In a move to better integrate two offices that deal with managing food safety programs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late January announced that it has combined the Center for Veterinary Medicine and the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition into the Office of Foods and Veterinary Medicine (OFVM).

According to the Federal Register notice posted Jan. 29, the newly established office will be tasked with implementing the new, risk-based mandates in the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act, and with developing an integrated, systematic approach to effectively prioritizing risks in food safety and allocating resources to mitigate those risks.

For more information, see AVMA’s blog post.

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Butterflies In Your Stomach This Valentine’s? Or, Is That the Norovirus?

Just imagine—it’s Valentine’s Day and you and your special someone are about to enjoy a nice dinner together. There’s a little music playing, soft candlelight, and you even have butterflies in your stomach….or at least, that is what you think they are until you start feeling nauseated. Well, before you panic thinking that you are repulsed by your significant other, we’re here to tell you that you may have what is going around—a new strain of the norovirus.

The norovirus, sometimes referred to as the “stomach virus,” is an inflammation of the stomach and intestinal lining, which results in severe vomiting and diarrhea in those who catch it. It is common in the winter months and can spread easily in close quarters—such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools and cruise ships—through direct contact with infected people, consuming contaminated food or drinks, and by touching contaminated surfaces or objects and then touching your mouth or other food items.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the new strain of the virus—called the Sydney strain, due to its origins in Sydney, Australia last year—is sweeping the globe this season. Last week, CBS News reported that the new virus had caused 140 outbreaks in the United States since September 2012:

“The new strain spread rapidly across the United States from September to December 2012,” Dr. Aron Hall an epidemiologist at the CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases, said in a statement. “The proportion of reported outbreaks caused by this strain increased dramatically from 19 percent in September to 58 percent in December.”

Despite the Sydney strain emerging as a leading cause of norovirus outbreaks this year in the United States, it is unclear whether it is more dangerous than previous strains of the virus. USA Today reports:

It’s not clear whether this strain is more likely to infect people or make them more ill than previous strains, but according to Aron Hall, an epidemiologist with the CDC’s division of viral diseases, any time a new strain emerges, it has the potential to increase disease “because people haven’t been exposed to it before, so they’re more susceptible.”

On average, the CDC reports than an estimated 21 million illnesses and 800 deaths are attributed to the norovirus annually, and it also contributes to about half of all foodborne illnesses. The foods most likely to spread the virus are: produce (like lettuce or fresh fruits), shellfish, and foods that have been prepared by sick food handlers.

Once a person is infected with the virus, there really isn’t a medicine that will cure it. They will have to ride out the symptoms, which typically last 1-3 days for adults, but children and elderly adults could see symptoms for up to six days. FoodSafety.gov advises people who are infected to drink plenty of fluids and get rest to prevent dehydration. It also advises people with the norovirus to wash their hands frequently and avoid preparing food or drinks for others to minimize the spread of the virus.

To avoid getting the norovirus, people are advised to: frequently wash their hands with soap and water, use protective clothing—like gloves or gowns—when coming in contact with others who are sick, and routinely clean and disinfect all surfaces, clothing and linens that have come in contact with a sick person. They should also clean their produce well and take other steps to ensure that their food does not come in contact with sick people or surfaces that could have become contaminated.

So, the moral of the story this Valentine’s Day is: before you share a pack of Sweethearts with your sweetie, make sure your hands are washed and the butterflies in your stomach are genuine. If you are having symptoms of the norovirus, do your honey a favor and spare him or her the romantic dinner together and go see your doctor right away. True love waits, right?

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What Is It Like to Be a Public Health Veterinarian?

By: Victoria Barq, communications manager, AVMA’s governmental relations division

Did you know that more than 1,100 public health veterinarians are employed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture? These veterinarians are responsible for verifying that animals destined for the country’s food supply stay healthy and do not contract or spread diseases.

Dr. Douglas Fulnechek is a FSIS public health veterinarian assigned to provide veterinary oversight in a chicken processing facility in Springdale, Ark. He is just one of hundreds of FSIS/USDA veterinarians around the country who make it possible for Americans to consume meat, poultry and egg products without worrying about their safety.

Read about his experience as a public health veterinarian in a recent blog post on FSIS’s website.

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New Food Safety Rules Proposed by FDA

Two new food safety rules aimed at preventing foodborne illnesses were proposed last week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The proposed rules are part of the bipartisan FDA Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) and build on the advancements in food safety that were made with the egg safety rule and the increased E. coli testing in beef.

The first proposed rule requires that any manufacturer that sells food products in the United States should develop a plan for preventing their foods from causing foodborne illnesses and for correcting any problems if they arise. This rule is aimed at preventing scenarios such as the ones that occurred with the Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter last year.

In an attempt to prevent scenarios like the 2011 Listeria outbreak from tainted cantaloupes, the second proposed rule calls for enforceable safety standards for production and harvesting produce on farms.

The FSMA and the two proposed rules will shift the focus of food safety from reacting to foodborne illness outbreaks to preventing them. Foodborne illnesses affect one in six Americans each year and the FDA believes that these rules are a step in the right direction to better protect American families from these illnesses.

The proposed rules are available for public comment until May 16, 2013. Each comment MUST be identified with the following designations:

For the Standards for Produce Safety Rule: Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0921 and/or Regulatory Information Number (RIN) 0910-AG35.

For the Preventative Controls for Human Food Rule: Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0920 and/or Regulatory Information Number (RIN) 0910-AG36.

Electronic comments can be made at www.regulations.gov

Written comments can be submitted by mailing them to:

Division of Dockets
Management (HFA-305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061
Rockville, MD 20852

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