Same Family, Different Nut...
On Monday, March 30th, 2009 the FDA advised: "Avoid pistachios amid salmonella scare"
and this article from the Associated Press was released on the MSNBC website:
"FRESNO, Calif. - Federal food safety officials warned Monday that
consumers should stop eating all foods containing pistachios while
they figure out the source of a possible salmonella contamination.
Still reeling from the national salmonella outbreak in peanuts, the
Food and Drug Administration said central California-based Setton Farms,
the nation's second-largest pistachio processor, was voluntarily recalling
all of its 2008 crop — more than 1 million pounds of nuts.
"Our advice to consumers is that they avoid eating pistachio products,
and that they hold onto those products," said Dr. David Acheson,
assistant commissioner for food safety. "The number of products
that are going to be recalled over the coming days will grow, simply
because these pistachio nuts have then been repackaged into
consumer-level containers."
Only A Fraction of What's out There Has Been Recalled
"The recalled nuts represent a small fraction of the 60 million pounds of
pistachios that the company's plant can process each year and an even
smaller portion of the 278 million pounds produced in the state in the 2008
season, according to the Fresno-based Administrative Committee for Pistachios."
The FDA learned about the problem last Tuesday, when Kraft Foods Inc.
notified the agency that it had detected salmonella in roasted pistachios
through routine product testing. Kraft and the Georgia Nut Co. recalled their
Back to Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix the next day."
Could Take Weeks
"By Friday, grocery operator Kroger Co. recalled one of its lines of bagged
pistachios because of possible salmonella contamination, saying the
California plant also supplied its nuts. Those nuts were sold in 31 states.
Because Setton Farms shipped 2,000-pound bags of nuts to 36
wholesalers across the country, it will take weeks to figure out how many
products could be affected, said Jeff Farrar, chief of the Food and Drug
Branch of the California Department of Public Health.
"It will be safe to assume based on the volume that this will be an ingredient
in a lot of different products, and that may possibly include things like ice cream
and cake mixes," Farrar said. "The firm is already turning around trucks in transit
to bring those back to the facility."
Salmonella, the most common cause of food-borne illness, is a bacteria that
causes diarrhea, fever and cramping. Most people recover, but the infection can
be life-threatening for children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems."
PROBIOTICS – WHAT ARE THEY AND CAN THEY HELP?
Probiotics, one of the fastest growing categories of dietary supplements, are products containing
beneficial Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species of bacteria.
Probiotic bacteria colonize the intestinal tract and help maintain a healthy microflora that stops
the overgrowth of undesireable or harmful microorganisms.
When a person is deficient in probiotics the immune system is not operating at peak strength and
this may predispose the person to experience an acute reaction to food poisoning microorganisms
such as salmonella and E. Coli.
Such a person may react negatively to a lower dose of Salmonella or E. Coli compared to a person
with a healthy, up-regulated immune system.
Specific probiotic strains that inhibit salmonella:
There is a strain of the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus called the NCFM strain because
it was isolated at the North Carolina Food Microbiology lab back in the 1970s. Also called
LA-1, it’s common for strains to have more than one designation.
It is one of the most effective “Acidophilus” strains on the market. In particular, it has
demonstrated in vitro antagonistic activity against Salmonella typhimurium, enteropathogenic
E. Coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium perfringens (Ref. Gilliland, S.E., and
M.L. Speck, 1977a. Antagonistic action of Lactobacillus acidophilus toward intestinal and foodborne
pathogens in associative cultures. J. Food Protection. 40: 820-823).
Another study conduced by the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (A.D.A.S.) in the UK
[by N.M Parkinson of the ADAS Central Science Laboratory in Slough, UK, 1989: In-vitro evaluation of the
antagonism of lactic acid bacteria and the probiotic Provita WD against pathogenic bacteria] discovered that the
NCFM (LA-1) strain of L. acidophilus dramatically reduced the growth of Salmonella typhimurium,
Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella dublin in associative broth cultures. All three of these Salmonella
species have a history of causing food poisoning.
Considering the harmless nature of the NCFM (LA-1) strain of L. acidophilus and its status as G.R.A.S. on the FDA
list of food microorganisms, it would seem that its dispensation and consumption during a salmonella outbreak
(or as a preventative under normal circumstances) would be something to consider.
Where do probiotics come from?
Although some yogurts contain probiotic bacteria they do not deliver a high enough dose of live probiotic cells
(measured as CFU or colony forming units) through the acidic stomach into the small intestine. The ability
of a product to deliver a sufficient live dose is a critical requirement.
The best probiotic effect is obtained with medical strength probiotics (those delivering at least 10 billion
CFU/dose) – this is the dose recommended by the International Probiotic Association (IPA) and a
number of probiotic researchers.
But how can a high enough dosage be delivered?
Since the biggest difficulty is getting the necessary dose of probiotic supplements through
the acid of the stomach, delivering ample CFUs becomes an issue. Many probiotic
supplement makers simply "play the numbers game" and count on about only 5% or less
of the product actually surviving long enough to make it to the intestines. ONLY 5%!
To achieve the best probiotic effect, at least 10 billion CFU/dose is recommended. But how
can that dosage be delivered if 95% is killed by stomach acid?
The answer lies in an acid proof, deep release delivery system. Right now, there is only
one probiotic on the market that has this acid proof delivery system.
Theralac® is a multi-strain probiotic that will deliver a guaranteed 30 billion CFU,
utilizing it's acid proof, deep release technology.
Theralac - featured in Prevention Magazine.
Theralac® probiotics are the only multi-strain probiotic supplements recommended in Prevention Magazine.
The article, Europe’s Best-Kept Health Secret, recommends Theralac® probiotic supplements for Irritable
Bowel Syndrome and to Boost the immune system. Theralac® is one of the best probiotic supplements to
buy and is considered to be one of themost reliable probiotics.
For more information:
For more information on Theralac®, visit our website by clicking here,
or by contacting Sarah at: 800-926-2961 X 3
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