Ill from food

I couldn't figure out where to post this so I picked the most well trafficed spot as I think this is important.
Please feel free to move it about, Robin, if you think it belongs another place.

Well, KY made it to the front page of the New York Times, and not in a good way.
This is a scary article that highlights KY's lack of health inspectors concerned with our food supply. I know that tax revenues are spread thin, but putting the citizen's lives at risk hardly seems like an effective cost cutting move.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/healt ... ml?_r=1&em

I hate to say it, but this makes sense to me, I have lived in Virgina, and Rhode Island, and the standards of public health in restaurants is far more strict than here in KY, more than once I have been quite shocked by what I have seen in the back of restaurants in my ten years of sales, and still to this day I can't believe no one ever died from eating at The China Town Buffet that was where Calistoga is now. (only flaming b/c they are long gone)

[Robin Garr]

Perfect location, Gary. It's about restaurants. I was going to post it yesterday myself, but got busy. Thanks for the backup.

Two unrelated comments on the story itself:

1. Bear in mind that in Kentucky, there's some variation among counties. Jefferson's Metro Health Department, I think, is pretty good. Note that the horrible examples from Kentucky in the story are generally rural.

2. I can't resist noting that we read this important local story on the front page of the New York Times, not the Courier-Journal.

I couldn't figure out where to post this so I picked the most well trafficed spot as I think this is important.
Please feel free to move it about, Robin, if you think it belongs another place.

Well, KY made it to the front page of the New York Times, and not in a good way.
This is a scary article that highlights KY's lack of health inspectors concerned with our food supply. I know that tax revenues are spread thin, but putting the citizen's lives at risk hardly seems like an effective cost cutting move.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/healt ... ml?_r=1&em

Within 45 minutes, she was vomiting so violently that she passed out and her heart stopped.

Now I am confused, especially since this is coming from the NYTimes and not the CJ. I have been led to believe that symptoms of food poisoning appear hours (2 to 6 or even more) after the bad food is injested.

Now I am confused, especially since this is coming from the NYTimes and not the CJ. I have been lead to believe that symptoms of food poisoning appear hours (2 to 6 or even more) after the bad food is injested.

If I remember correctly from sanitation class, it depends on the type of food poisoning.

[Robin Garr]

Now I am confused, especially since this is coming from the NYTimes and not the CJ. I have been lead to believe that symptoms of food poisoning appear hours (2 to 6 or even more) after the bad food is ingested.

If I remember correctly from sanitation class, it depends on the type of food poisoning.

You remember correctly. Many of the more common types - salmonella, anyone? - typically take hours to incubate. My famous incident with the homemade mayo at the rosticeria in Cuzco, Peru (boy, was THAT stupid) took until about midnight to metastasize after an early evening dinner.

But some of those beasties will whack your innards fast, fast, fast. You can't generalize, but in this instance, it appears that The Times is not working from anecdotal reports but cases with some substance. In this one, the woman was treated at a hospital (and presumably diagnosed). The fact that multiple in the same party were also sickened probably also came into account.

That being said, I caution against people posting here that "I got food poisoning at Cafe Ritzo" unless their doctor or a Health Department investigator told them so.

Anecdotally, I think my original home county (Graves) does a pretty good job of policing food. I remember one location that went through a quick series of restaurant closings because none of the tenants paid any heed to sanitation. (The last was a hybrid Mexican/Chinese buffet-style restaraunt. )

Now I am confused, especially since this is coming from the NYTimes and not the CJ. I have been lead to believe that symptoms of food poisoning appear hours (2 to 6 or even more) after the bad food is injested.

If I remember correctly from sanitation class, it depends on the type of food poisoning.

She may have also had other pre-existing medical problems. In my experience, most people do not go into full arrest from vomiting.

Perfect location, Gary. It's about restaurants. I was going to post it yesterday myself, but got busy. Thanks for the backup.

Two unrelated comments on the story itself:

1. Bear in mind that in Kentucky, there's some variation among counties. Jefferson's Metro Health Department, I think, is pretty good. Note that the horrible examples from Kentucky in the story are generally rural.

2. I can't resist noting that we read this important local story on the front page of the New York Times, not the Courier-Journal.

Robin, I agree, Metro Health does a very good job, but it varies completely throughout the state. Requirements are set and enforced at the county level ( How does that make sense? ) When my MIL opened a restaurant in Eastern Kentucky, she and her staff never had any food safety training requirement at all, nor any training available even if they'd wanted it.

Deb

Now I am confused, especially since this is coming from the NYTimes and not the CJ. I have been lead to believe that symptoms of food poisoning appear hours (2 to 6 or even more) after the bad food is ingested.

If I remember correctly from sanitation class, it depends on the type of food poisoning.

You remember correctly. Many of the more common types - salmonella, anyone? - typically take hours to incubate. My famous incident with the homemade mayo at the rosticeria in Cuzco, Peru (boy, was THAT stupid) took until about midnight to metastasize after an early evening dinner.

But some of those beasties will whack your innards fast, fast, fast. You can't generalize, but in this instance, it appears that The Times is not working from anecdotal reports but cases with some substance. In this one, the woman was treated at a hospital (and presumably diagnosed). The fact that multiple in the same party were also sickened probably also came into account.

That being said, I caution against people posting here that "I got food poisoning at Cafe Ritzo" unless their doctor or a Health Department investigator told them so.

Without going into a lot of detail there are food bourn infections such as salmonella and then there are toxic reactions such as staph. (Mrs. Sanders).

I've personally seen more of the toxic variety in the US. The toxin is a byproduct of bacterial growth on inappropriately stored food. Mayo is a great example. You ingest the toxin and get violently sick from both ends in about 4-6 hours. After 48 hours or so, assuming you don't dehydrate and die, you recover rather dramatically and rapidly.

Infectious food illness I see most ofen in folks returning from Mexico, South America, etc. They got...well you know what they got. Cipro can really be your friend. If you plan on traveling out of the country and you have a good relationship with your doctor, he might give you some Cipro to take with you in case you get sick.

I got violently ill recently after eating some taco shells (won't name the store brand) but I didn't know where to report it. I still have some uneaten shells so they can be analyzed. I'm pretty sure it was from the shells because they smell weird. I know I should not have eaten them, but I did...Lucky to be alive!

Who do I call? I'd like to find out what I ingested and prevent others from buying this product.

Best bet is the Health Department, they can either look into or tell you who to call.

Anecdotally, I think my original home county (Graves) does a pretty good job of policing food. I remember one location that went through a quick series of restaurant closings because none of the tenants paid any heed to sanitation. (The last was a hybrid Mexican/Chinese buffet-style restaraunt. )

Paul,

Anyone who eats in a Mexican/Chinese Buffet....errrrr I mean open course "Fusion" restaurant DESERVES to get food poisoning.

Now I am confused, especially since this is coming from the NYTimes and not the CJ. I have been lead to believe that symptoms of food poisoning appear hours (2 to 6 or even more) after the bad food is injested.

If I remember correctly from sanitation class, it depends on the type of food poisoning.

Raises hand.

I can't tell you what kind of food poisening it was, but I have some first hand experience here, over 20 years ago. My sweetie and I had some freshly purchased, grilled, perfectly cooked (at home) yellow fin tuna, and in less than an hour we both got sick, which included an interesting blotchy cast to our skin. Called the doc's and they said as long as it's coming out one way or another we should be okay, and we were.

1990 when I arrived in Ashland (Boyd County) I came straight from Cafe Society on Main St. (Lou.) to become the F&B for the Ashland Plaza Hotel. I hadn't been there an hour when Suzanne, the primary health inspector for Boyd County, came by to introduce herself. She also asked to see my Jefferson Cty. food handler's certificate. For a year she appeared almost weekly to check things out. In the Spring we emptied the lobby of the hotel to do a seated dinner, on two floors, for several hundred people with Dean Fearing. Suzanne was right there, all evening, ensuring Dean and I got it right. She was tough and ever present but she made me take her seriously and keep it together. After two years at the hotel, we had a great respect for each other. I was very proud of my friendship with her. I sent most of my staff through her classes and seemed to hear from each how grossed out they were when they couldn't tell the difference between dried up ground beef and mouse droppings. She did an excellent job.

During the same period, a Chinese restaurant in the center of town ran a popular lunch time buffet. Suzanne ran a sting operation, caught the restaurant serving local cats and shut the business down. My impression was it took a long time for her to catch them in the act but catch them she did!

After two years at the hotel in downtown Ashland, I went to work for Ashland Inc. in the next county over which is Greenup County. I was there for eight years. I'm sure during that time we were inspected but I never met a inspector nor do I remember any particular inspections. (Instead, as a Marriott Director, I put myself and staff through the Serv Safe program which is a Federal food sanitation program that KY. will probably fully implement soon. ) I will never forget Suzanne. And I owe her something. CD