Food Safety

Food makers must alert government officials of potentially contaminated products within 24 hours under a new rule designed to help federal regulators spot food safety issues sooner. The Food and Drug Administration unveiled a new electronic database where manufacturers must notify the government of products likely to cause sickness or death in people or animals. The FDA said the database would help it prevent widespread illness from contaminated products and direct inspectors to problem plants.

After days of parading around her beefy black steer in the dung-scented August heat at the Colorado State Fair, Brandi Calderwood made the final competition. For months, the 16-year-old worked from dawn well past dusk, fitting in the work around school, to feed, train and clean her steer. But just before the last round, when the animals are sold, fair officials disqualified her.

Leave no patty unturned, no meatball overlooked. That was the mandate late last week as school district officials across the Southland tried to identify all meat that had come from a Chino-based slaughterhouse accused of distributing ground beef from at-risk cattle. This is not the first recall to affect California schools -- tainted strawberries and spinach have also caused scares in recent years.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is adopting new global safety standards for its private label and other foods at a time when analysts say that the public is more concerned than ever about food safety. The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer said Monday that it would require audits using safety standards at thousands of factories worldwide that produce its house brands. Wal-Mart said it is the first national grocery chain in the U.S.

San Bernardino County prosecutors Friday filed felony charges against a former Chino slaughterhouse manager who allegedly used cruel methods to force ailing cattle into the slaughter box. The charges follow last month's release of a video showing treatment of animals at the plant, which led to schools nationwide pulling beef from cafeterias.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the largest beef recall in its history Sunday, calling for the destruction of 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef produced by a Chino slaughterhouse that has been accused of inhumane practices. However, the USDA said the vast majority of the meat involved in the recall -- including 37 million pounds that went mostly to schools -- probably has been eaten already. Officials emphasized that danger to consumers was minimal.

To protect his identity and frustrate possible retaliation, the undercover investigator behind the biggest beef recall in U.S. history refuses to disclose his name, his marital status, his hometown, his job background or even his age. One of the few personal things he will reveal is his culinary preference: He's a vegan.

Agriculture Secretary Edward T. Schafer sparred with Senate lawmakers Thursday, insisting that regulations governing inspections of slaughterhouses are sufficient to ensure the safety of the nation's meat supply. Schafer rejected senators' calls to completely ban from slaughter any cattle unable to walk. "Downer" cows are at higher risk of carrying E. coli and salmonella bacteria and of having the wasting neurological illness known as mad cow disease.

Re "Making food safe," editorial, March 4 America enjoys the safest food supply in the world, but the recent beef recall and other incidents have raised consumer concerns about our nation's food safety net. Last year, the Grocery Manufacturers Assn. released its "Four Pillars of Imported Food Safety" proposal, which calls on federal agencies to focus on prevention as the essential weapon against food-borne illnesses. As part of this approach, we believe the Food and Drug Administration must be given the resources to fulfill its critical food safety mission, including a doubling of its current budget.

Before bagged leafy greens wind up on your plate, they are washed, often three times, in a potent chlorine bath. But new research shows the steps that California companies rely on to protect consumers do not kill dangerous bacteria inside the leaves, whereas zapping them with radiation wipes them out. The debate over how to protect consumers from E.