Category Archives: environment

Supplier Quality Control – non-existent! Shanghai supplier for McDonald’s, KFC under fire after using expired meat: Shanghaiist

This could mean it’s back to the food safety drawing board for both McDonald’s and “Colonel Scandals,” who have been desperately trying to resurrect their images/profits in the wake of last year’s health violations. Yeah, it’s probably going to take a lot more than Hoisin burgers and celebrity shilling to wipe this one from the public memory.

Couple this with Wal-Mart’s recent fox meat scandal, and it seems the reputation of Western companies in China as (comparatively) ‘squeaky clean’ is on a nosedive. The Chinese are already starting to go native for their fast food fix.

via Shanghai supplier for McDonald’s, KFC under fire after using expired meat: Shanghaiist.

Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts > Wawona Packing Co. Takes Precautionary Step of Voluntarily Recalling Fresh, Whole Peaches, Plums, Nectarines, and Pluots Because of Possible Health Risk

Wawona Packing Company of Cutler, Calif is voluntarily recalling certain lots of whole peaches (white and yellow), nectarines (white and yellow), plums and pluots packed between June 1, 2014 through July 12,2014 due to the potential of the products being contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Wawona Packing has notified retailers of the specific lots being recalled. No other products are impacted by this recall. No illnesses have been linked to this recall to date.

Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

via Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts > Wawona Packing Co. Takes Precautionary Step of Voluntarily Recalling Fresh, Whole Peaches, Plums, Nectarines, and Pluots Because of Possible Health Risk.

US reports first locally acquired chikungunya cases | CIDRAP

A statement today from the CDC described the first of two local chikungunya cases reported in Florida, in a man who had not traveled outside the United States. The agency said it is working closely with the Florida Department of Health to explore how the patient got sick with the virus.

Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Health (FDH) said today it has detected two locally acquired cases, one in Miami–Dade County and the other in Palm Beach County. The counties are on Florida’s southern tip, about 70 miles apart: Palm Beach County to the west and Dade County to the east.

via US reports first locally acquired chikungunya cases | CIDRAP.

Malaysia facing dengue endemic with over 48,000 cases – Channel NewsAsia

Malaysia is facing a dengue endemic with more than 48,000 people falling victim to the mosquito-borne disease this year alone.

With at least 92 deaths so far, the government has now set up a national task force to tackle the problem before it spreads even further throughout the country.

Mr Tan Chee Hong and his family were looking forward to their annual Lunar New Year celebrations in January. But one by one, they fell ill with dengue fever.

Mr Tan said: “It was very depressing. You do not even want to call friends or relatives because you don’t want anybody to see you in the hospital during times like that, especially during Chinese New Year.”

He and his family are just four of the more than 48,000 Malaysians who have fallen victim to dengue since January — an almost 250 per cent increase in cases compared to the same period last year.

via Malaysia facing dengue endemic with over 48,000 cases – Channel NewsAsia.

Eurosurveillance – Chik V in Caribbean

Chikungunya fever (CHIKV), a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes, is currently affecting several areas in the Caribbean. The vector is found in the Americas from southern Florida to Brazil, and the Caribbean is a highly connected region in terms of population movements. There is therefore a significant risk for the epidemic to quickly expand to a wide area in the Americas. Here, we describe the spread of CHIKV in the first three areas to report cases and between areas in the region. Local transmission of CHIKV in the Caribbean is very effective, the mean number of cases generated by a human case ranging from two to four. There is a strong spatial signature in the regional epidemic, with the risk of transmission between areas estimated to be inversely proportional to the distance rather than driven by air transportation. So far, this simple distance-based model has successfully predicted observed patterns of spread. The spatial structure allows ranking areas according to their risk of invasion. This characterisation may help national and international agencies to optimise resource allocation for monitoring and control and encourage areas with elevated risks to act.

via Eurosurveillance – View Article.

Eurosurveillance – chikungunya virus and dengue in France

During the summer of 2014, all the pre-requisites for autochthonous transmission of chikungunya virus are present in southern France: a competent vector, Aedes albopictus, and a large number of travellers returning from the French Caribbean islands where an outbreak is occurring. We describe the system implemented for the surveillance of chikungunya and dengue in mainland France. From 2 May to 4 July 2014, there were 126 were laboratory-confirmed imported chikungunya cases in mainland France.

via Eurosurveillance – View Article.

Wow! Indigenous mountain farmers unite on climate change

Farmers from 25 indigenous mountain communities in ten countries have come together to share traditional knowledge that could help them to mitigate climate change and to lobby governments for greater recognition of their unique knowledge.

The International Network of Mountain Indigenous Peoples was formed at a workshop in Bhutan last month (26 May-1 June). It includes communities from Bhutan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Taiwan, Tajikistan and Thailand.

via Indigenous mountain farmers unite on climate change.

Wild Horse Oversight Act (H.R. 5058) – {Not!} GovTrack.us

The act would hand over protection and/or destruction of wild horses and burros to each state and tribal organization. The Federal government would no longer protect or manage the welfare of these wild animals.

So, if Utah, New Mexico, or Montana decided it wanted to round up all “their” animals and sell them to slaughter houses for export or consumption in US, they could and US horse burgers would be a big deal in in areas of the world where they are used to eating horses. If you are not in favor of Pinto tacos, or Mustang steaks – you might want to write your Representative.

Chris Stewart

Representative for Utah’s 2nd congressional district

via Wild Horse Oversight Act (H.R. 5058) – GovTrack.us.

Almonds Are Sucking the Life Out of California – The Wire

There is an eco-cost to every “industrialization” of agriculture – But even as the almond business booms, California ecology is heading toward a bust. In San Joaquin Valley, the ground has been sinking by an average of 11 inches per year, thanks to over-pumping of aquifers. Worse, groundwater depletion has been making the Sierra Nevada and Coast Mountain ranges slowly rise, which could potentially trigger earthquakes. And finally, honeybee colonies could be on the brink of collapse, as a whopping 60 percent of the nation’s managed honeybees devote their efforts to California’s almond orchards.

via Almonds Are Sucking the Life Out of California – The Wire.