If you’re anything like me, the COVID-19 pandemic has left you with a lot of extra time around the house. For me and many others, this has meant diving into hobbies such as gardening. 

This is a new hobby for me and as everything is seemingly ripening at the same time, I’m searching for ways to safely preserve my produce before it spoils.

Here are some useful safety tips and resources I’ve found helpful:

Home canning is an excellent way to preserve your garden produce, but if home canning is not done the proper way, your canned vegetables and fruits could cause botulism.

Botulism is a rare but potentially deadly illness caused by a poison most commonly produced by a germ called Clostridium botulinum. The germ is found in soil and can survive, grow, and produce a toxin in certain conditions, such as when food is improperly canned. The toxin can affect your nerves, paralyze you, and even cause death.

You cannot see, smell, or taste botulinum toxin—but taking even a small taste of food containing this toxin can be deadly.

Botulism is a medical emergency. If you or someone you know has symptoms of foodborne botulism, see your doctor or go to the emergency room immediately.

Symptoms may include the following:

• Double vision
• Blurred vision
• Drooping eyelids
• Slurred speech
• Difficulty swallowing
• A thick-feeling tongue
• Dry mouth
• Muscle weakness

Safe canning tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Many cases of foodborne botulism happen after people eat home-canned, preserved, or fermented foods that were contaminated with toxin. The foods became contaminated because they were not canned correctly.

1. Use proper canning techniques.

The best way to prevent foodborne botulism is by carefully following instructions for safe home canning in the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning. 

Do not follow recipes and cookbooks that do not follow the steps in the USDA guide, even if you got these items from a trusted friend or family member.

You can learn more about proper home canning from these resources:

• The National Center for Home Food Preservation
• State and county extension services

2. Use the right equipment for the kind of foods that you are canning.

Pressure canning is the only recommended method for canning low-acid foods. Foods with low acid content are the most common sources of home-canning related botulism cases. Low-acids foods include almost every vegetable, some fruits, milk, all meats, fish, and seafood. See box to the right for examples. Do not use boiling water canners for low-acid foods because they will not protect against botulism.

What is low-acid food?

Low-acid foods have a pH level greater than 4.6, which means they are not acidic enough to prevent the growth of botulinum bacteria. Examples are:

• Asparagus
• Green beans
• Beets
• Corn
• Potatoes
• Some tomatoes
• Figs
• All meats
• Fish and seafood

Always use a properly sized pressure canner that meets USDA recommendations for pressure canning when canning low-acid foods. Contact your state or county extension service to find out if your pressure canner meets USDA recommendations.

3. When in doubt, throw it out.

If there is any doubt if safe canning guidelines have been followed, do not eat the food. Home-canned and store-bought food might be contaminated with toxin or other harmful germs if

• the container is leaking, bulging, or swollen;
• the container looks damaged, cracked, or abnormal;
• the container spurts liquid or foam when opened;
• the food is discolored, moldy, or smells bad.

If the container or the food inside has any signs of contamination, throw it out! If any of the food spills, wipe up the spill using a solution of 1/4 cup bleach for each 2 cups of water.

Never taste food to determine if it is safe. Do not taste or eat food that is discolored, moldy, or smells bad. Do not taste or eat food from cans that are leaking, have bulges or are swollen, or look damaged, cracked, or abnormal. Do not taste or eat food from a can that spurted liquid or foam when it was opened.

University Extensions

There are many universities that offer extension programs that teach community members about safe canning and food preservation. 

Utah State University’s Preserve the Harvest extension is one that I have found to be helpful. USU’s extension offers an online lecture series on preserving your garden harvest, as well as an online canning course. 

Other resources on the page include information and instruction on: 

• Selection, preparation, and pretreating of foods
• Canning
• Freezing
• Drying
• Food storage and packaging

Iowa State University is another institution offering free instructional courses on food preservation.

ISU’s Food Preservation 101 is a one-hour online course.  During which, nutrition and wellness specialists will:

• Discuss various food preservation techniques – pressure canning, hot water bath canning, dehydration and freezing.
• Provide science-based, reliable food preservation resources.
•  Answer general food preservation questions.

Food Preservation 101 will be hosted numerous dates and times between May and September.

For more information and to register, visit their website.

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The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports that tropical storm conditions are expected, with hurricane conditions possible, along portions of the Florida east coast beginning Saturday and spreading northward along with the remainder of the U.S. east coast through early next week. This system may produce strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge beginning this weekend resulting in power outages and flooding. Power outages and flooding can compromise the safety of stored food. Residents impacted by power outages and floods should pay close attention to the forecast. FSIS recommends that consumers take the following steps to reduce food waste and the risk of foodborne illness during this and other emergency events.

Steps to follow in advance of losing power or flooding:

• If possible, raise refrigerators and freezers off the floor, putting objects under their corners.
• Move canned goods and other foods that are kept in the basement or low cabinets to higher locations for storage.
• Keep appliance thermometers in refrigerators and the freezers to ensure temperatures remain food safe during a power outage. Safe temperatures are 40 degrees F or lower in the refrigerator, 0 degrees F or lower in the freezer.
• Freeze water in one-quart plastic storage bags or small containers prior to a hurricane. These containers are small enough to fit around the food in the refrigerator and freezer to help keep food cold. Remember, water expands when it freezes, so don’t overfill the containers.
• Freeze refrigerated items, such as leftovers, milk and fresh meat and poultry that you may not need immediately — this helps keep them at a safe temperature longer.
• Know where you can get dry ice or block ice.
• Have coolers on hand to keep refrigerator food cold if the power will be out for more than four hours.
• Group foods together in the freezer — this igloo effect helps the food stay cold longer.
• Keep a few days’ worths of ready-to-eat foods that do not require cooking or cooling.

Steps to follow if the power goes out:

• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. A refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if the door is kept closed. A full freezer will hold its temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if half-full).
• Place meat and poultry to one side of the freezer or on a tray to prevent cross-contamination of thawing juices.
• Use dry or block ice to keep the refrigerator as cold as possible during an extended power outage. Fifty pounds of dry ice should keep a fully-stocked 18-cubic-feet freezer cold for two days.

Steps to follow after a power outage:

• Check the temperature inside of your refrigerator and freezer. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs or leftovers) that has been above 40 degrees F for two hours or more.
• Check each item separately. Throw out any food that has an unusual odor, color or texture or feels warm to the touch.
• Check frozen food for ice crystals. The food in your freezer that partially or completely thawed may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is 40 degrees F or below.
• Never taste a food to decide if it’s safe.
• When in doubt, throw it out.

Steps to follow after a flood:

• Do not eat any food that may have come into contact with flood water—this would include raw fruits and vegetables, cartons of milk or eggs.
• Discard any food that is not in a waterproof container if there is any chance that it has come into contact with floodwater. Food containers that are not waterproof include those packaged in plastic wrap or cardboard or those with screw‐caps, snap lids, pull tops, and crimped caps. Floodwaters can enter into any of these containers and contaminate the food inside. Also, discard cardboard juice/milk/baby formula boxes and home-canned foods if they have come in contact with floodwater because they cannot be effectively cleaned and sanitized.
• Inspect canned foods and discard any food in damaged cans. Can damage is shown by swelling, leakage, punctures, holes, fractures, extensive deep rusting, or crushing/denting severe enough to prevent normal stacking or opening with a manual, wheel‐type can opener.

FSIS will provide relevant food safety information as the storm progresses on Twitter @USDAFoodSafetyand Facebook.

FSIS’ YouTube video “Food Safety During Power Outages” has instructions for keeping frozen and refrigerated food safe. The publication “A Consumer’s Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms and Hurricanes” can be downloaded and printed for reference during a power outage. FoodSafety.gov also has information about disasters and emergencies.

If you have questions about food safety during severe weather, or any other food safety topics, call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline at 1-888MPHotline or chat live with a food safety specialist at Ask USDA. These services are available in English and Spanish from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. Answers to the frequently asked questions can also be found 24/7 at Ask USDA.

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This year, many state and county fairs across the U.S. have been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but those in charge are still finding ways to promote and recognize local agriculture.

For the New York State Fair, this is only the second time it has had to cancel in its nearly 140-year history, the first was during World War II.

“We are proud to put on the Great New York State Fair and provide a showcase for the best of New York agriculture, but our No. 1 concern is always the health and safety of our fairgoers, vendors and staff,” said New York State Fair Director Troy Waffner.

Other state fairs have had to get creative about how they will showcase their state’s agriculture. This past month the Washington State Fair had three weekends where fair food vendors sold food via drive thru. The Iowa State Fair is running similar weekend events called “Taste of the Fair Food,” where attendees can social distance and support local food vendors. The Ohio State Fair has posted a series of recipes so that those who are missing fair food can enjoy it at home.

Perhaps one of the more unique responses to cancellation is the California State Fair’s “Digital Festival.” Visitors are encouraged to go to a website and take part in various activities, including a Fair Twitch hangout, a pet look-alike contest, satellite horse wagering and more. The fair is also promoting its local agriculture by offering free virtual company tours of last year’s commercial winners in the winery, brewery, cheese and olive oil categories.

Though the Texas State Fair was also canceled, organizers recognize the importance of the fair for agriculture and livestock.

“Although the 2020 State Fair of Texas is canceled due to the current landscape related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fair is committed to offering youth livestock participation opportunities in a safe environment for our exhibitors and staff, to carry-on our nonprofit mission of promoting agriculture, education and community involvement,” said a fair spokesperson.

In a similar mode to Texas, the Missouri State Fair is pivoting from its usual state fair to having only its youth livestock show, scheduled for mid-August. The fair’s cancellation press release says, “The fair will continue to allow the invaluable agriculture education experience to Missouri 4-H and FFA members by offering a Youth Livestock Show only.”

Though every state fair director and organizer conveyed their disappointment at the canceling of their fairs, they expressed their optimism for resuming regular fair activities in 2021.

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A total of 45 percent of respondents are risking illness from eating undercooked burgers because they don’t cook them to high enough temperatures to kill pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Safefood’s Well Done BBQ Burger campaign encourages people to follow good food safety habits when preparing and cooking food on the barbeque this summer to avoid making others sick.

Research was conducted by iReach in June as part of the Consumer Nationwide Omnibus survey with 1,000 responses on a nationally representative basis. It also found that people lack confidence when it comes to knowing when barbecue  meat is thoroughly cooked, with 50 percent of those surveyed saying they find this challenging.

Safefood’s research revealed that 45 percent of people have burnt the food on the outside, while it was still raw on the inside. More than a third claimed it took too long for the grill to heat up, and 16 percent of those surveyed have set fire to grills.

Avoiding food poisoning
More than a quarter are barbecuing more than usual, with 18 percent using the barbecue with the same enthusiasm as previous years. A third of respondents look online for trusted sources of information and inspiration, as well as tips and advice for barbecuing, while a quarter ask for advice from friends and family and 15 percent rely on cookbooks.

Gary Kearney, director of food safety at safefood, said the research reveals that many people lack confidence when it comes to knowing how to properly cook meat and poultry.

“Foods like burgers, chicken and sausages must be cooked thoroughly, and absolutely never served rare or pink in the middle as this can cause food poisoning. With our tips and advice, we want people to have confidence in safe BBQ cooking by following good food safety advice and avoiding any food poisoning situations so that they can keep their families safe,” he said.

Safefood’s tips include keep perishable food like salads or coleslaw in the fridge until they are to be served, if barbecuing frozen food, it must be completely thawed on the bottom shelf of the fridge before cooking and when handling raw meat and poultry, wash hands thoroughly and frequently.

Burgers, sausages and kebabs, pork and poultry must be cooked all the way through. Make sure any marinade used on raw meat is not then used as a sauce to coat vegetables or cooked meat because it will contain raw meat bacteria.

Keep cooked meat separate from raw meat and use separate chopping boards, cooking utensils and plates and allow leftovers to cool before refrigerating but make sure to put food in the fridge within two hours of cooking.

Similar warning in Hong Kong
The U.S. Department of Agriculture advises that all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (71 degrees C), poultry must be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) and cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) with a three minute resting time after taking the meat off the heat.

Officials in Hong Kong also recently warned eating undercooked beef burgers or steaks can cause food poisoning.

The Centre for Food Safety in the country said there has been a trend in recent years at gourmet-style burger restaurants. Some consumers may prefer the taste and mouthfeel of rare or medium burger patties to the well-done versions. Restaurants that serve undercooked steaks are encouraged to provide advice on their menus to inform consumers of the potential risk.

When meat is minced to produce burger patties, bacteria such as Salmonella or E. coli from the raw meat’s surface are mixed throughout the whole batch. Unless the burger patty is cooked right through, these bacteria can remain alive on the inside. In Hong Kong, there has been sporadic E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to minced beef congee.

The agency also advised consumers, especially susceptible people such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with a weakened immune system, not to eat undercooked meat.

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Warnings have been issued to the community by email, fax, radio and social media after blue mussel samples collected from the beach on the same day the shellfish were consumed were found to have extremely high toxin levels, more than 100 times higher than the safe regulatory limit. The snail samples also had elevated toxin levels, but not as high as the blue mussels.

Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is the most common and most severe form of shellfish poisoning. PSP is caused by eating shellfish contaminated with saxitoxins. These potent neurotoxins are produced by various dinoflagellates. A wide range of shellfish may cause PSP, but most cases occur after eating mussels or  clams.

The individual who died consumed blue mussels and snails collected from Dutch Harbor beach July 4. The Medical Examiner’s office reported that the individual had underlying health conditions that contributed to death, but the primary cause was determined to be paralytic shellfish poisoning.

The shellfish were cooked before consumption and symptoms began about four hours later. The individual’s initial symptoms included tingling in the fingers, numbness, a floating sensation and vomiting. Several hours later, the patient reported numbness in their mouth, weakness in their hands and pain in their neck and back. The individual was transferred to a local clinic and then flown to an Anchorage hospital where they died. Two other people ate smaller amounts of the same shellfish but did not develop symptoms.

This is the first known death linked to PSP in Alaska since 2010, though serious illnesses are reported frequently.

High levels of algal toxins that can lead to paralytic shellfish poisoning have been recently identified in non-commercially harvested shellfish from numerous Alaska communities.

According to theU.S.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms usually appear 30 to 60 minutes after eating toxic shellfish and include numbness and tingling of the face, lips, tongue, arms and legs. There may be headache, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Severe cases are associated with ingestion of large doses of toxin and clinical features such as ataxia, dysphagia, mental status changes, flaccid paralysis and respiratory failure. The case-fatality ratio is dependent on the availability of modern medical care, including mechanical ventilation. The death rate may be particularly high in children.

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Tarbagan marmot is used to make a Mongolian dish called boodog. For centuries, Mongolian’s have cooked marmot meat by inserting preheated stones into the abdominal cavity of a marmot. The skin is then tied up to make a bag within which the meat cooks. However, this cooking method often prevents the meat from being thoroughly cooked or reaching high enough temperatures to kill harmful pathogens. 

According to the Center for Disease Control, humans can become infected with plague when handling tissue or body fluids of a plague-infected animal. For example, a hunter skinning a rabbit or otherinfected animal without using proper precautions could become infected with plague bacteria. In Mongolia, there have been public health campaigns that have warned people to avoid eating or coming into contact with marmots.

The death of the boy comes after Mongolian authorities recorded two cases of plague in the neighboring province of Khovd aimak. There has been a strict quarantine placed on the both provinces, and entry and exit of vehicles have been suspended.

In April 2019, a couple died of bubonic plague in another western Mongolian province, Bayan-Ulgii, after eating raw marmot meat. According to the World Health Organization, between 1,000 and 2,000 cases are reported each year, though the true number is likely much higher.

This latest death has prompted Russian health officials to warn residents in Western Siberia not to hunt and eat marmots after both neighboring Mongolia and Inner Mongolia have reported cases of bubonic plague.

Plague is a disease that affects humans and other mammals. It is caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis. Humans usually get plague after being bitten by a rodent flea that is carrying the plague bacterium or by handling an animal infected with plague. Plague is infamous for killing millions of people in Europe during the Middle Ages. 

Today, modern antibiotics are effective in treating plague, but without prompt treatment, the disease can cause serious illness or death. Presently, human plague infections continue to occur in rural areas in the western United States, but significantly more cases occur in parts of Africa and Asia.

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The report warns that diseases such as COVID-19 that can jump from animals to humans are more likely to emerge as animals’ habitats are destroyed by wildlife exploitation, poor farming practices, and climate change.

That’s important to note since 60 percent of human diseases originate in animals, domestic or wild, according to OIE, the World Organization for Animal Health. Also important to note is that global demand for animal meat has increased 260 percent in the past half century, said United Nations Environmental Program Executive Director Inger Andersen.

Diseases that can jump from animals to humans are called zoonoses.

“The science is clear that if we keep exploiting wildlife and destroying our ecosystems, then we can expect to see a steady stream of these diseases jumping from animals to humans in the years ahead,” said Andersen. “Pandemics are devastating to our lives and our economies, and as we have seen over the past months, it is the poorest and the most vulnerable who suffer the most. To prevent future outbreaks, we must become much more deliberate about protecting our natural environment.”

Not surprisingly, food safety is an important part of this.

In his summary of what needs to be done, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that to prevent future outbreaks, “countries need to conserve wild habitats, promote sustainable agriculture, strengthen food safety standards, monitor and regulate food markets, invest in technology to identify risks, and curb the illegal trade in wildlife.”

On the food safety side of the ledger, some of the diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans  include E. coli, salmonella, and listeria. These foodborne pathogens often originate in cows, poultry, pigs  and other agricultural animals. Caused primarily by bacteria, these animal-originated pathogens, among others, can sicken people and sometimes even kill them. 

On the other side of the ledger are some animal-to-human diseases, primarily caused by viruses. Among them are COVID-19, Ebola, SARS (Severed Acute Respiratory Syndrome), Zika, West Nile Fever, MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), and Swine Flu.

COVID-19
Although COVID-19’s exact origins have not yet been identified, researchers suspect that it originated in horseshoe bats in China and from there may have jumped to humans by way of an intermediary wild species.

A prime suspect is the pangolin, a sort of a cross between an anteater and an armadillo. Their scales are highly prized in traditional Chinese medicine. And although trade in them is illegal, there is, nonetheless, a lot of trade going on. The meat is also considered  a delicacy by many people.

And though until the recent COVID-19 pandemic, many people had never heard of pangolins, Paul Thomson, director of the Conservation Programs at Wildlife Conservation Network, said that they’re the most illegally trafficked wild mammals in the world, more than tigers, more than elephants, more than rhinos, anything.”

Portland State University biology professor, Ken Stedman, aka the “virus hunter,” an expert on viruses and the spread of viruses, said that it is “highly unlikely” that someone would get COVID-19 from eating pangolin meat.

Even so, he also said “it’s a very open question how it got to humans.”

Scientists conjecture that  this “jump” from one species and then from there to humans, might have occurred in crowded wildlife markets, or wet markets, such as those in Wuhan, China, and cities in other southeast Asian countries. These markets are where a lot of different kinds of animals — wild and domestic, alive and dead — are sold and where many people come into close contact with them, making it easier for animals and humans to share viruses.

Wet markets are so named because of the vast quantities of ice used to keep animals and meat cool. As it melts, it becomes water, sometimes mixed with blood, and pools on the floor.

China is concerned enough about this possible origin of COVID-19 that it is closing markets that sell wildlife for human consumption and is urging other countries to follow suit. Some people have made unsubstantiated claims that the virus came from a lab in Wuhan, a claim that China has vehemently denied.

As COVID-19 cases accelerate in a number of countries, the global total has passed 11 million cases, also marking a record daily high case number — 212,326 — reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 4.

Especially worrisome, it took only five days for world’s number of COVID-19 cases to go from 10 million to 11 million.

Efforts are under way to develop a vaccine, although some warn that one might not be ready for 12 to 18 months. 

“The suggestion that COVID-19 originated in wildlife highlights the importance of addressing health risks at the human-animal-ecosystem interface, as well as the need for integrated surveillance systems, all while preserving animal welfare and biodiversity,” according to a statement on an OIE website.

Some animal-to-human diseases
SARS — Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome was identified in 2003. According to the World Health Organization, it is thought to be an animal virus from an as-yet-uncertain animal reservoir, perhaps bats, that spread to other animals (civet cats) and first infected humans in the Guangdong province of southern China in 2002. It affected people in 26 countries.

Transmission of SARS was primarily from person to person. Putting appropriate infection control practices in place brought the global outbreak to an end.  Experimental vaccines are under development.

Ebola — Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a rare and deadly disease in people and nonhuman primates. The viruses that cause EVD are located mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. People can get EVD through direct contact with an infected animal (bat or nonhuman primate) or a sick or dead person infected with Ebola virus. From there, it is transmitted from human to human. 

Viruses don’t take breaks.”

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general

Good outbreak control relies on applying a group of interventions, among them case management, infection prevention and control practices, surveillance and contact tracing, good laboratory service, safe and dignified burials, and social mobilization, officials say.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an Ebola vaccine for the prevention of EVD but only against the Zaire ebola virus species.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. director general of WHO, said the recent joyful celebration of the end of the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 25 was a “victory of science, marking the rapid roll out of a highly effective vaccine that saved lives and slowed the progress of the disease.” 

“For the first time, the world has a licensed ebola vaccine,” he said.

Even so, he reminded everyone that “viruses do not take breaks. There is still the potential for flareups and rapid response teams must remain place.”

Swine flu — Declared a global pandemic by WHO  on June 11, 2009, “swine flu,” or H1N1, was first detected in Mexico and the United States in March of that year. The CDC estimates swine flu caused 60.8 million illnesses, 273,304 hospitalizations and 12,469 deaths in the U.S. Globally, an estimated 151,700 to 575,400 people died from swine flu in the first year of the pandemic. It was considered over by August 2010.

New swine flu — The new swine flu virus, referred to as G4,  emerged recently in pigs and can infect people who work with pigs. University of Washington’s Carl Bergstrom, a biologist, says that while pigs have carried G4/H1N1 since 2016, there was no evidence it is circulating in humans. Therefore, at this point, there’s no immediate threat to the public. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, would agree, saying in recent testimony before the U.S. Senate that the new G4 virus is “not an immediate threat” to public health “in the near term.” 

MERS — Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is an illness caused by a virus that is said to have originated with dromedary camels in the Arabian Peninsula. Three or four out of every 10 patients reported with MERS have died. MERS can spread from ill people to others through close contact, such as caring for or living with an infected person. MERS patients have ranged in age from younger than 1 to 99 years old.

Hitchhikers
Both the legal and illegal trade in wildlife also present serious challenges. 

“The diseases that hitchhike into the country on legally imported wildlife continue to go largely unnoticed,” said Jonathan Kolby, a former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement officer and policy specialist focusing on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

He points to the thousands of illegally traded shipments of wildlife that are intercepted each year. In 2019 alone, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened more than 10,000 illegal wildlife trade inspections.

“Importing any live animal brings with it the risk of disease — to native wildlife, to livestock, and to people,” he said. “The outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China  . . .  has shined a spotlight on how easily zoonotic diseases can emerge from wildlife.”

He pointed out that with few exceptions, the U.S. doesn’t have any laws that specifically require a disease surveillance for wildlife entering the country, which means that the vast majority of wild animal imports are not tested. 

But the U.S. is not alone in this. Kolby said that other countries don’t have a government agency that comprehensively screens wildlife imports for pathogens. That’s important because according to information from OIE’s press release, the majority of recently emerging infections diseases have wildlife origins.

“With Covid-19 aiming a spotlight on long-existing deficiencies, now is the time for the best minds in the Fish and Wildlife Service, CDC, USDA, industry and academia to come together and consider what steps can be taken to sew this hole shut before the next animal-origin pandemic is thrust into our daily lives,” said Kolby.

The search for a solution
The new U.N. report calls for governments to take a “One Health” approach, which would pull together public health, veterinary and environmental experts to fight outbreaks of zoonotic diseases. The report’s authors say this One Health approach is the best way for preventing as well as responding to zoonotic disease outbreaks and pandemics.

Among its 10 recommendations are expanding scientific enquiry into zoonotic diseases; strengthening monitoring and regulation practices associated with zoonotic diseases, including food systems; and incentivizing sustainable land management practices and developing alternatives for food security and livelihoods that do not rely on the destruction of habitats and biodiversity.

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The problem with Starkey bottled water is that it contains harmful levels of arsenic.

Recent testing by CR found Starkey with “concerning levels” of arsenic, ranging from 9.49 to 9.56 parts per billion (ppb) or at least three times the level of every other brand tested.

Starkey is barely legal, coming in at just under the government’s maximum for arsenic, which is 10 ppb. CR sees the maximum as too as high to protect public health and it seems most water bottlers would agree.

James Dickerson, CR’s chief scientific officer, says that regular consumption of even small amounts of heavy metal over time can contribute to risks for cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, lower IQ scores in children, and other health issues.

As recently as 2019, CR tests of Starkey’s arsenic content was over or close to over the limit. A 10.1 ppb level was recorded at that time, along with three other samples that ranged from 9,48 to 9.86 ppb.

Two consumer lawsuits cited CR’s test results from 2019.

CR announced the latest findings on Starkey’s arsenic content as part of a project on the need for safe, clean, and affordable water. “I think the average consumer would be stunned to learn that they’re paying a lot of extra for bottled water, thinking that it’s significantly safer than tap, and unknowingly getting potentially dangerous levels of arsenic,” said Natural Resources Defense Council’s Erick Olson.

The NRDF studies water quality and Olson is the organization’s health and food director.

Two states, New Jersey and New Hampshire have lowered their maximums for arsenic to 5 ppb, but it only applies to tap water. CR findings point to health risks that can emerge below the 10 ppb limit.

Tap water in the United States is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It permits the states to impose stricter limits. Bottled water, however, is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and FDA is not open to any state imposing more stringent arsenic levels.

As long as Whole Foods keeps Starkey’s arsenic level under 10 ppb, it is meeting the FDA’s heaving metal standard. An FDA spokesman told CR “it is not possible to remove arsenic entirely from the environment or food supply.”

FDA last updated its maximum arsenic level 15 years ago.

CR’s new round of tests found many of 45 brands with undetectable amounts of arsenic. Starkey Spring Water was the only brand that exceeded 3 ppb. CR’s Brian Ronholm said that shows lower levels can be achieved.

Ronholm is a former USDA deputy undersecretary for food safety and is currently CR’s director of food policy. He says FDA’s standard needs to be updated “to be more consistent with public health goals.”

Shortly after Starkey Spring Water was introduced by Whole Foods in 2015, Florida notified FDA that it tested out for arsenic at 11.7 ppb. Others reported Starkey arsenic content at 12 ppb. Two thousand cases were recalled in 2016-17 for high arsenic.

Local water utilities at least annually test their own tap water and make the report available to anyone who requests a copy.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last reported on the outbreak on May 20. Now there are 465 confirmed patients across 42 states with 86 of the people requiring hospitalization. Illnesses started Jan. 14 with the most recent confirmation on June 1. Ill people range in age from less than 1 year to 88 years old, with a median age of 31. Tests on samples from patients showed 85 percent of the outbreak strains of Salmonella are antibiotic resistant, to varying degrees.

“Epidemiologic evidence shows that contact with backyard poultry such as chicks and ducklings is the likely source of these outbreaks,” according to the CDC update.

“In interviews, ill people answered questions about animal contact in the week before they became ill. . . . Ill people reported buying poultry from various sources, including agricultural stores, websites, and hatcheries. Regardless of where poultry are purchased, they can carry Salmonella germs that can make people sick. Backyard poultry owners should always follow steps to stay healthy around their flocks.

Consumer advice from the CDC
You can get sick with a Salmonella infection from touching backyard poultry or their environment. Backyard poultry can carry Salmonella bacteria even if they look healthy and clean and show no signs of illness. Follow these tips to stay healthy with your backyard flock:

Wash your hands.

• Always wash your hands with soap and water right after touching backyard poultry, their eggs, or anything in the area where they live and roam.
• Adults should supervise handwashing by young children.
• Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available.

Be safe around poultry.

• Don’t kiss backyard poultry or snuggle them and then touch your face or mouth.
• Don’t let backyard poultry inside the house, especially in areas where food or drink is prepared, served, or stored.
• Set aside a pair of shoes to wear while taking care of poultry and keep those shoes outside of the house.
• Don’t eat or drink where poultry live or roam.
• Stay outdoors when cleaning any equipment or materials used to raise or care for poultry, such as cages and containers for feed or water.

Supervise kids around poultry.

• Always supervise children around poultry and while they wash their hands afterward.
• Children younger than 5 years of age shouldn’t handle or touch chicks, ducklings, or other poultry. Young children are more likely to get sick from germs like Salmonella.

Handle eggs safely.

• Collect eggs often. Eggs that sit in the nest can become dirty or break.
• Throw away cracked eggs. Germs on the shell can more easily enter the egg though a cracked shell.
• Eggs with dirt and debris can be cleaned carefully with fine sandpaper, a brush, or a cloth.
• Don’t wash warm, fresh eggs because colder water can pull germs into the egg.
• Refrigerate eggs after collection to maintain freshness and slow germ growth.
• Cook eggs until both the yolk and white are firm. Egg dishes should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) or hotter. Raw and undercooked eggs may contain Salmonella bacteria that can make you sick.

For a complete list of recommendations, visit the Healthy Pets, Healthy People website section on backyard poultry.

The CDC outbreak update page also has safety information for stores that sell or display live poultry and mail order hatcheries.

About Salmonella infections
Chickens infected with Salmonella may not appear sick. Similarly, food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria does not usually look, smell, or taste spoiled. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection. Infants, children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile, according to the CDC.

Anyone who has had contact with live poultry and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention. Sick people should tell their doctors about the possible exposure to Salmonella bacteria because special tests are necessary to diagnose salmonellosis. Salmonella infection symptoms can mimic other illnesses, frequently leading to misdiagnosis.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Otherwise, healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that patients require hospitalization.

Older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, are more likely to develop a severe illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions.

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Foodborne illness can really wreck a party, so we’re asking dads everywhere to brush up on their food safety knowledge. “It can happen to anyone,” says Mitzi Baum, CEO of Stop Foodborne Illness. “We are all susceptible to the dangerous foodborne pathogens that cause 3,000 people to die each year with another 128,000 hospitalized. Many continue to suffer from on-going consequences including heart disease, diabetes, gastrointestinal and stress disorders long after their illness is over.”

 On our website, Stop Foodborne Illness features an honor wall, where we share the stories behind the statistics. You can read first-hand accounts of both survivors and those that succumbed to foodborne illness, including the following two stories:

Ken
Lives can be forever altered by the sudden and confusing experience of foodborne illness. Thankfully, this father lived to tell the tale. In 2011, Ken was handling raw hamburger meat, making dinner for himself and some friends. After two days of continuous vomiting and diarrhea, Ken noticed blood in his stools. At the urging of his doctor, Ken immediately went to the ER, where he was given three liters of IV fluids, and the doctors ran some tests. Two days later, the hospital had results: Salmonella. Ken was prescribed a week of antibiotics, which began his slow recovery. With help from the Maine Center for Disease Control and the 13 other cases that had arisen in nearby states, Ken determined the origin of the infection. It was a three-pound bag of ground beef, of which he had handled and cooked only one pound.

“I know we’re all here for a limited time, so I was never afraid of dying. My kids have seen me go through a lot. I keep a positive attitude to show them how to keep your balance, even through adversity. I’ve always taught them to live each day the best they can.” Ken’s children have seen him battle a monster. But, “I am still here,” he says, “and I still have the opportunity to live and put a smile on people’s faces.” Ken believes that when we come together to help one another, that’s when life is best. “My children are living happy and successful lives, and I’d like to think I had a hand in that.” Despite the trauma he experienced, he is determined to keep a balanced life and pass on a message of positivity and perseverance. Read Ken’s full story here.

Riley
Riley was 16 months old in 1993, when an E. coli outbreak dominated the news in the Pacific Northwest. Because Riley had never eaten hamburger and wouldn’t anytime soon, his dad was more concerned about his nine-year-old brother. That did not matter, however, as Riley became ill not from directly eating food contaminated with a foodborne pathogen, but because of person-to-person contamination — from another child in his daycare who was sick with E. coli. Only 23 days after he became infected with E.coli and later developed HUS – requiring dialysis, exploratory surgery removing a large part of his intestines, and being placed in a medically induced coma — Riley died from a massive brain hemorrhage and multiple organ failure. “Seeing two men carrying my young son in a white coffin on a cold February morning is an image that is forever burned into my memory. That coffin was far smaller than a coffin should ever be,” says Darin, Riley’s father.

After Riley passed, Darin refused to let his son’s death be in vain.

He became an advocate for food safety, along with parents like himself, helping the government make food safer. Over the next five years, Darin was speaking, writing, and working as a consultant to the USDA’s Pathogen Reduction Program. This experience led him, when he started teaching high school history, math and science, to bring this message with him. During his teaching years, he was certified by the FDA as a Food Science Educator and presented before legislators, industry, national organizations, and consulted with and was featured in numerous print and broadcast media. After 15 years of classroom teaching, Darin left his job and moved to the East Coast to pursue his desire to work in some capacity to prevent others from suffering from foodborne illness.

For two years, he was the senior policy coordinator for Stop Foodborne Illness. Meanwhile, he conducted and defended his doctoral research on states’ ability to implement federal food policies. Today, he is a professor of food policy, lead faculty of a regulatory affairs of a graduate program in food, and an assistant dean at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. And he is the author of two recently published books, “Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions” and “Building the Future of Food Safety Technology: Blockchain and Beyond.”

Darin believes that focusing one’s energy solely on the failures in the past is neither healthy nor sustainable. He says, “Supporting and inspiring those who act to prevent future failures can bring about immeasurable rewards. Our world needs these voices and their passion to help inspire the changes we all need. My drive has been to create a future where fewer families live with a chair forever empty at the dinner table.”

“I lost my son, yes.  But my son did not lose his father.”

  By focusing on inspiring the future generations of food safety heroes, Darin finds incredible fulfillment, but, more importantly, he also finds peace in those opportunities to still be a father to his son.

 About the organization: Based in Chicago, Stop Foodborne Illness is a national nonprofit public health organization whose mission is to support and engage people directly impacted by foodborne illness and mobilize them to help prevent illness and death by driving change through advocacy, collaboration, and innovation. https://stopfoodborneillness.org/

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