How to prevent food-borne illnesses

ASK FOOD EXPART........

food safety inconsistent in Scrutiny.almost always includes a method invented in Minnesota to keep astronauts from getting sick in space.The idea: Food makers must identify the riskiest steps in processing each kind of food and systematically attack the pathogens at those critical junctures.Food scientists say the deadly salmonella outbreak linked to the Peanut Corp. of America shows why such preventive measures should be mandatory across the food industry.Under the government's fragmented regulation of food safety, some industries, such as meat and seafood, are required to have science-based programs to keep harmful germs out. For most other food processors, such programs are voluntary.Makers of fresh juice and canned vegetables have to follow preventive control efforts, but not those that package fresh lettuce and spinach. Almond processors must comply with salmonella-prevention requirements imposed in 2007. The peanut industry doesn't.The PCA processing plant in Blakely, Ga., linked to the salmonella outbreak wasn't required to have a hazard-control program and "to our knowledge, did not have one," Arty Schronce, spokesman for the Georgia Department of Agriculture, said in an e-mail.It's not known how many plants don't bother with food-safety protocols developed nearly 50 years ago at Pillsbury. Large food makers have widely embraced the practice, said Francisco Diez, an associate professor of food safety microbiology at the University of Minnesota.For others, "the government has relied on self-policing by the industry, but the case of PCA shows that self-policing is not sufficient," Diez said.Even food industry groups say that Congress should require every manufacturer to have a food safety plan.

peanut product recalls have been announced because the products may be contaminated with salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially in young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems:
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Texas Star Nut & Food Co. of Boerne, Texas, recalled raw peanuts distributed in Texas through retail grocery stores. No illnesses associated with this product have been reported to date, the company said. The product is packaged in 12-ounce plastic bags with UPC code 8-32112-00410-4 with product code date "sell by Jan. 11, 2009 thru July 11, 2009." The sell by date appears in the clear box that includes the product name "Raw Peanuts." Details: By phone, 1-866-455-8300.
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Ultimate Nut and Candy Co. of Burbank, Calif., recalled specific peanut products distributed through its store in Los Angeles Farmer's Market and the Internet from Jan. 1, 2007, to Feb. 13, 2009. No illnesses associated with this product have been reported to date, the company said.

Online fashion store opens in asia first

New fashion store opens in asia .May be its great opportunity for all asian"s people.
ASIA’S first on-line multibrand fashion and lifestyle retail outlet begins business this month, and it’s based in the Philippines.

A venture of 27-year-old Bianca Cristina Zobel, www.im-hm.com carries internationally known and under-the-radar labels – including some Filipino designers – for apparel, accessories and other lifestyle products.

IM-HM.com (or “I Am High Maintenance”) aims to sell to countries like Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

“The potential of an online shopping business in Asia is huge,” Zobel says in an e-mail interview. She is president of Intelligent Movement, the company behind the project.

“Reports show there is a slight deceleration in the growth rate of yearly Internet sales in the US and Europe. Growth, however, is poised to accelerate in the Asia Pacific region. E-commerce sales in countries like Japan, China and Korea are booming and other countries in the region are following suit. Where fashion and retail are concerned, Asian countries account for around 10 percent of worldwide online sales, and these three countries are consistently in the top five countries that shop for fashion online.”

Challenge

“Women are not about to give up on being fashionable and stylish just yet,” Zobel notes. “While before, some women would go for the most expensive items, they now show a marked tendency toward thinking twice, or will check other retailers for better prices...Women have always used fashion as a feel-good way of expressing themselves, and no credit crunch is going to change that.”

What she foresees to be a challenge is establishing a secure and efficient online structure that would earn Asian consumers’ trust. In Asia, she says, “immature online payment systems, poor delivery networks and distrust between buyers and sellers” have been hampering the growth of e-commerce.


Australian brands
Targeting the age 21-and-up market, IM-HM.com’s initial list of brands is dominated by Australian names, some of which Zobel discovered at last year’s Australian Fashion Week: Sass & Bide, Ksubi [formerly known as Tsubi], Azzollini, Kirrily Johnston, Madame Marie, Skin and Threads, Nevenka, Mor Cosmetics.

The Sydney-based Filipino-Australian designer Leonardo Salinas also headlines the offerings, alongside brands such as Junk Food, Joe’s Jeans, Melissa Odabash and the high-end Ego Laptops. Price points average $250-$500, with delivery charges from $5-$20. IM-HM.com has exclusive Asian distribution rights to some of these brands.