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Recently, several major food recalls have surfaced. Mega brands like Blue Bell Creameries, Kraft Mac and Cheese, and Beech-Nut Nutrition are among the recent recalls, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of consumers. Recalls are not limited to human food. Pet International, Inc. recalled their 6" Beef Trachea Pet Treats because of possible Salmonella poisoning. Nylabone Dog Chews were also forced to recall one lot of its Puppy Starter Kit dog chews because of the toxic bacteria. In these instances, the public is left to ponder how to trust familiar brands with not only their health, but the health of their beloved pets. And just as trust is recovered, it seems a new story breaks about another massive food recall. The concerns of the public are no joke, as The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that a whopping 300,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths every year are related to food-borne illnesses. Common causes are outbreaks of infamous bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli. These outbreaks are not only blows to victims' health, but also the economy. In fact, The United States' economy hemorrhages about $7 billion every year due to these outbreaks, according to The Washington Times. Recall costs, which include getting food off shelves, dealing with lawsuits, revamping plants and repairing public relations can be colossal for companies. That is not counting the tainted reputation and lost sales that can be difficult to monetize. To help make sense of the reality and facts behind food recalls is Mike Emerson, administrator at the Lafayette County Health Department. In his line of work, Emerson has seen a fair share of food recalls. "We usually get around 30-50 recalls a month, and probably 80 percent of the recalls we get are for something like misbranding - forgetting to put an ingredient on the label," he said. "Then, we filter through those to see which affect Missouri and wait to get the distribution list to see if they affect the stores in the county." Emerson admitted the most massive food recall he has experienced is that of Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries. The ice cream giant, who has been around for more than a century, recently recalled all of its products currently on the market due to Listeria contamination. According to the CDC, as of April 21, a total of 10 people with listeriosis related to this outbreak have been confirmed from four states: Arizona (one), Kansas (five), Oklahoma (one), and Texas (three). Three deaths were reported from Kansas. In a press release, Blue Bell CEO and President, Paul Kruse, remained positive the company would recover. "We're committed to doing the 100 percent right thing, and the best way to do that is to take all of our products off the market until we can be confident that they are all safe. We are heartbroken about this situation and apologize to all of our loyal Blue Bell fans and customers. Our entire history has been about making the very best and highest quality ice cream and we intend to fix this problem. We want enjoying our ice cream to be a source of joy and pleasure, never a cause for concern, so we are committed to getting this right." Bouncing back from such an outstanding recall can be near impossible for some businesses, Emerson said. "Some companies come back from something like Blue Bell's situation and some do not, but I think they will come back from it because they have got a lot of loyal customers." Aside from Blue Bell's unfortunate scenario, Emerson has pressing concerns about how many companies handle food recalls. "There are a lot of companies that are very secretive about everything that goes on, and while some are better than others about these types of situations, there needs to be more transparency. Companies need to do more testing and be more transparent about the results, sharing them all- the good, bad and ugly." Poor execution when handling recalls and a lack of education in the public are additional areas of concern for Emerson. "When there is a recall, the enforcement sometimes is not strong enough. It may turn out that it was the one batch of food that was contaminated, but companies do not always do comprehensive testing to be sure of that. That is what hurts them," he said. Regarding available information on how to handle food recalls, Emerson warned you cannot simply rely on the news to provide all the facts. "Some news outlets give you all the necessary information and some do not, leading to misunderstanding with the public. You might get little snippets of information on the news and end up just remembering the brand's name, even if it is only one certain product being recalled from the company." A common misperception among the public is if one product is recalled, all products among the brand are hazardous, too. However, Emerson said that is simply not the case. "Not every product is tainted under one specific recall. You should still be cautious when handling it though, because if you do not find out specific information, you will never be sure if it is safe." Therefore, after learning of a recalled product in your kitchen, Emerson recommends using the "better safe than sorry" method to deal with the product appropriately. "Stop using the product immediately. Then, there is usually a phone number to call on the packaging, which gives you further instruction. Quite often, you can take the item back to the retailer and they will give you your money back." There are various resources available to the public for tracking the latest food recalls, but the website Emerson recommends is FoodSafety.gov. He described the source as a combination of recalls from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). "If people want more specific recall information, they can visit the FDA or USDA's websites, individually. But Foodsafety.gov is the easiest way to stay on top of things." Online food handling safety courses are also a great source of information at the public's fingertips. Emerson and Environmental Specialist Debbie Dreves, recommend watching those videos and practicing proper food handling on a daily basis. "If you have meat, cook it to the right temperature and always wash your hands. Do not cross contaminate, either. For example, do not let raw meat touch a cutting board and then let other foods touch it," Emerson said. Food placement in the refrigerator also makes a difference. "You do not want meat juice dripping on your fresh vegetables," Emerson said. As warm weather approaches, Dreves brought up the importance of proper outdoor food preparation and storage, saying, "With picnic season coming up, make sure to cook your foods properly and store them soon after you eat." Both Emerson and Dreves agree that if food has been left out at room temperature for four hours or more, it needs to be tossed. To diffuse any resting fears the public may have about food recalls, Emerson said though it appears there have been a large number of recalls lately, it is nothing new. Because time and technology have advanced, so have detection and recording mechanisms surrounding food recalls. "One of the main misconceptions people have is, 'Why are these recalls happening all of a sudden?' But these things have always occurred," he said. For recall concerns, visit or call the Jackson County Health Department (816-404-6415) or check out FoodSafety.gov. More Recalls Food Safety Tips You Can Use By Morgan Nail

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