In this new Chew on This podcast, Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer of the AVMA, discusses the link between human and animal health.

Veterinarians play a prominent role in making sure our food supply is healthy and safe to eat by preventing the spread of foodborne illness among our livestock. Doing so not only keeps the animals healthy, but it also reduces the risk of human exposure to foodborne illnesses and, in turn, keeps us healthy as well. Listen to the new podcast here.

As our faithful readers of Keep Our Food Safe know, for the past 28 years, veterinarians and food safety officials have looked to the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) for information on keeping our food supply free of harmful contaminants.  But despite the value of FARAD, the program has long been waging a fight for financial survival.  And now FARAD is facing dual attacks –a misunderstanding of its purpose and a lack of committed funding. Don’t worry though - groups like the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) have been aggressively working to alleviate both problems, responding to public misstatements about FARAD and proactively lobbying Congress for appropriations for the program.

The safety of raw milk has been a hot topic from Wisconsin to Colorado, but why is it so controversial?

Real Raw Milk Facts is a resource for information on raw milk. Here, you can find out the answers to commonly asked questions about raw (unpasteurized, unprocessed) milk, safety concerns, and how risks from raw milk compare with other foods like pasteurized milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, and meat.

E. coli is one of the most notorious bacteria out there, and for good reason. E. coli is behind many food-borne infections. Since this bacteria can be found virtually anywhere, including meat products and fresh produce, it can spread to people.

In the past year, there have been reports of E. coli outbreaks in Ohio, Michigan, New York and Colorado. In response, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has ordered a complete review of the USDA's food safety regulations with new food safety rules expected to be officially proposed this year.

Even though Easter has been over for a couple of weeks, you may still be secretly snacking on delectable holiday remnants. And some of you may also be feeling the post-holiday food blues. Are you wondering if one too many chocolate bunnies are behind that nasty tummy ache?  Afraid those sugar-coated marshmallow chicks have completely rotted out your teeth?

Here’s some news for you: leftover Easter candy isn’t the only thing that can make you sick this time of year. Those pretty bright eggs have the potential to be a major menace if they’re hidden behind throw pillows instead of stored in a refrigerator. That’s right, improper egg handling and storage is a leading cause of Salmonella. While it may be difficult to resist the temptation to chow down on old jelly beans, there are things you can do to make sure all those Easter dishes, especially the ones NOT made out of candy, don’t make you sick.

In 2008, the deaths of 22 people in Canada were linked to an outbreak of listeriosis transmitted through deli meats.

In Life on Listeria Lane, our newest Chew on This podcast, we discuss this foodborne illness and listeria, the bacteria that causes it, with Dr. Christine Hoang, assistant director of the AVMA's Scientific Activities Division.

Listen to Life on Listeria Lane here.

An internal audit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program indicates the agency needs to step it up a bit when it comes to enforcing standards for organic food production and labeling.   

Wait, you mean you can’t just stick a sticker on a package and call it organic?  No way!  Actually, the USDA has some pretty strict standards when it comes to labeling and certifying organic products.  For example, if you pick up a bag of tomatoes from the grocery store and notice a sticker reading “100% Organic,” according to USDA standards, organic farmers need to make sure those tomatoes are grown without using pesticides or fertilizers.  Products with multiple ingredients, like chips or salsa, can carry an organic label too, but only if at least 95% of the ingredients have been raised organically.  This means pesticides and fertilizers are off limits for veggies, and animals must be fed organic diets and raised without the use of antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones.

Egads!  If companies are incorrectly marketing their products as organic, have I been eating unhealthy foods?  Don’t worry, that little green stamp doesn’t guarantee your groceries are free of the viruses and bacteria that cause foodborne illness.  In fact, the USDA assures consumers there isn’t any evidence that organic foods are better for you or safer than those that are conventionally produced.  Your organic apples may be pesticide free, but it still needs to be washed thoroughly before you take a bite.

Since the difference between organic and conventionally produced food lies in the production and not the safety of the product, you would think it’s not the end of the world if enforcing organic standards gets put on the back burner.  But going organic is pretty trendy, and the industry is quickly expanding – rising 14% to 21% each year, and more than $24 BILLION in sales in 2008!  And if I was a consumer paying up to 50% more for organic fruits and veggies, I would definitely want to get what I paid for.  Who wouldn’t?

With the help of a proposed budget increase, the USDA plans on increasing its oversight of the industry and enforcing penalties for companies who are misusing the organic label.  In the mean time, store and handle your food -- organic AND conventionally produced --the right way to minimize the risk of foodborne illnesses. 

A recent report published by the Produce Safety Project estimates that foodborne illnesses costs $152 billion annually in medical expenses and workplace losses. Foodborne illness from contaminated produce is the biggest culprit, costing more than $1,950 for each reported case. And when more than 19 million produce-related foodborne illness cases are reported each year, that adds up to a lot of dough. $39 billion to be exact.

Food safety advocates hope to use this data to motivate Congress to pass the Food Safety Enhancement Act, legislation that will increase the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s authority to make sure our dinners are safe to eat. Last July, the bill passed in the House of Representatives, and step two is the Senate’s seal of approval. The bill has kind of been sitting on the back burner while the Senate debates health care reform, but legislators are hoping to vote on it this spring…fingers crossed.

In the meantime, there are things we can do to not only minimize the spread of bacteria and viruses that can cause foodborne illness, but the costs associated with these illnesses as well. The FDA has some great tips on purchasing, storing and preparing fresh produce to prevent the spread of foodborne illnesses.

When you’re at the store, try to avoid purchasing damaged or bruised products. Fresh cut items, like bagged mixed greens or sliced fruits, should either be surrounded by ice, or in a refrigerated case at the store. Don’t forget to bag fruits and veggie separate from meat, poultry and fish. This can reduce the risk of cross contamination!

Make sure to store you fresh fruits and veggies in temperatures below 40 degrees – especially if you bought them pre-cut or pre-sliced. When you’re ready to eat, cut away any bruised or damaged area, and always remember to thoroughly wash AND dry your food to minimize the number of bacteria and viruses that may be lurking on your lettuce. Sometimes produce is packaged with labels that say “pre-washed.”  It’s not mandatory to wash these items, but an extra rinse couldn’t hurt.

And as always, make sure you use clean utensils and cutting boards when you’re chopping up things like carrots and chicken. The two may taste great in a soup, but it’s never a good idea to use the same cutting boards or utensils when you’re prepping the ingredients.

So keep your fingers crossed and your celery clean. Proper produce handling can not only save lives, but big bucks as well!

For more information and tips on preventing the spread of foodborne illnesses, check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agricutlure’s Food Safety Inspection Service’s Websites!

Questions about food safety legislation?  Be sure to check out this podcast with Dr. Ashley Shelton, of the American Veterinary Medical Association and learn what Congress has been doing to keep our food safe.

In the latest Chew on This podcast, Dr. Ashley Shelton, assistant director of the AVMA's Governmental Relations Division, discusses pending legislation that could affect and, possibly, reshape food safety systems in the U.S.

Decisions made by the U.S. Congress have a major impact on the ways we keep food safe in our country. And with so many food safety concerns over the past few years, Congress has been busy writing and discussing legislation that could affect and, possibly, reshape our food safety systems. Listen to the new podcast now.

Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released results from a 2008 Health and Diet survey indicating that a majority of consumers do, in fact, read food labels because they are beginning to get a better understanding the role proper nutrition plays in lowering the risk of chronic diseases. According to the survey, more consumers “often read labels to determine the amount of calories, salts, vitamins or fat contained in the food products they are buying.” Choosing healthy, safe food is always music to our ears!

But the labels on food packaging can tell us more than just the nutritional content. There is another teensy little label that has a pretty big impact on food safety, especially when it comes to meat and poultry products – the expiration date.

One might think the meaning of an expiration label is self-explanatory, but this is not always the case. Actually, expiration labels are often called “dating labels” – but don’t confuse these with dinner and a movie dates. These labels are used to indicate how long your food should stay fresh.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), by reading so-called dating labels, we can learn more than the date that the meat goes bad. For example, if you own a grocery store, these labels help you and your employees determine how long to keep products like meat, eggs and cheese available for sale. And before adding a gallon of milk to their carts, shoppers can look to dating labels to see how long the milk will taste its best.

But while these labels are helpful when you’re trying to determine how long you should keep a porterhouse, it’s really important to remember these dates don’t guarantee the food is safe.