Attention to the safety of organic food

　　
　　
Shoppers nervous about foodborne illnesses may turn to foods produced at smaller farms or labeled "local," "organic" or "natural" in the hopes that such products are safer. But a small outbreak of salmonella in organic eggs from Minnesota shows that no food is immune to contamination.
While sales for food produced on smaller operations have exploded, partially fueled by a consumer backlash to food produced by larger companies, a new set of food safety challenges has emerged. And small farm operations have been exempted from food safety laws as conservatives, farmers and food-lovers have worried about too much government intervention and regulators have struggled with tight budgets.
The government has traditionally focused on safety at large food operations — including farms, processing plants, and retailers — because they reach the most people. Recent outbreaks in cantaloupe, ground turkey, eggs and peanuts have started at large farms or plants and sickened thousands of people across the country.
"While it's critical that food processors be regularly inspected, there is no way the Food and Drug Administration would ever have the resources to check every farm in the country, nor are we calling for that," says Erik Olson, a food safety advocate at the Pew Health Group.
"Unfortunately, there are regulatory gaps, with some producers being completely exempt fromFDA safeguards."
The FDA, which oversees the safety of most of the U.S. food supply, often must focus on companies that have the greatest reach. A sweeping new egg rule enacted last year would require most egg producers to do more testing for pathogens. Though the rule will eventually cover more than 99 percent of the country's egg supply, small farms like Larry Schultz Organic Farm of Owatonna, Minn., would not qualify. That farm issued a recall last week after six cases of salmonella poisoning were linked to the farm's eggs.
A new food safety law President Barack Obama signed earlier this year exempts some small farms as a result of farmers and local food advocates complaining that creating costly food safety plans could cause some small businesses to go bankrupt. The exemption covers farms of a certain size that sell within a limited distance of their operation.
Food safety advocates unsuccessfully lobbied against the provision, as did the organic industry. Christine Bushway of the Organic Trade Association, which represents large and small producers, says food safety comes down to proper operation of a farm or food company, not its scale.
"How is the farm managed? How much effort is put into food safety?" she asks. "If you don't have really good management, it doesn't matter."
Smaller farms do have some obvious food safety advantages. Owners have more control over what they are producing and often do not ship as far, lessening the chances for contamination in transport. If the farm is organic, an inspector will have to visit the property to certify it is organic and may report to authorities if they see food being produced in an unsafe way. Customers may also be familiar with an operation if it is nearby.
But those checks aren't fail-safe. The FDA has reported at least 20 recalls due to pathogens in organic food in the last two years, while the Agriculture Department, which oversees meat safety, issued a recall of more than 34,000 pounds of organic beef last December due to possible contamination with E. coli.
Egg safety is equally ambiguous. While many people like to buy cage-free eggs, those chickens may be exposed to bacteria on the grounds where they are roaming.
So what can a consumer do? Experts say to follow the traditional rules, no matter what the variety of food. Cook foods like eggs and meat, and make sure you are scrubbing fruit and cleaning your kitchen well.
Do your part, and hope for the best, the experts say.
"Labels like organic or local don't translate into necessarily safer products," says Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "They are capturing different values but not ensuring safety."
Bushway of the Organic Trade Association says one of the best checks on food safety is the devastating effect a recall or foodborne illness outbreak can have on a company's bottom line.
"It's just good business to make sure you are putting the safest products on the market," she says.

Ji round shrimp porridge

　　
　　Seafood such as prawns is a good source of zinc which can alleviate and prevent colds Tuesday October 25,2011 By Dr Gio Miletto
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FOOD as medicine is a continually developing science.
Every week the results of new studies clarify, expand and sometimes even contradict previous wisdom. Half a century ago we might have taken a packed lunch to work of Spam sandwiches on white bread and added a sprinkling of salt. Now we are more educated about nutrition.
Most understand that eating is not just about putting fuel in the tank. Many foods have healing properties which can alleviate, prevent or even cure a range of common conditions.
Anxiety
It is normal to become anxious in certain situations but if it becomes exaggerated you need to seek help. If the problem is serious your doctor can prescribe cognitive behaviour therapy which helps encourage positive thinking.
Foods to eat: Those with a low GI (glycaemic index) such as wholemeal bread and pasta, beans, pulses and fruit and vegetables as they keep blood glucose steady and regulate moods. Amino acids found in meat help and Brazil nuts are full of mood-boosting selenium.
Many foods have healing properties which can alleviate, prevent or even cure a range of common conditions
Foods to avoid: Sugary treats as they destabilise blood glucose.
Bad breath
Bacteria on the gums, teeth and tongue can lead to bad breath. An unpleasant odour can also be a sign something is wrong in the digestive tract such as gastroenteritis or constipation. Sinus problems or chronic tonsillitis can be to blame. Try to find the cause and treat that.
Foods to eat: Citrus fruits stimulate saliva and are best eaten first thing. Parsley can act as a deodoriser.
Foods to avoid: Sugary foods can ferment in the mouth creating odour. Onions, garlic and smelly cheese all cause “flavoured”

Cooking Fish With Grill Planks

Ask any griddle enthusiast about grill planks, and there is really no stopping them after that. They’ll go on and on about cooking salmon on cedar planks. Actually, there are eateries that prepare something like forty pounds of salmon each day with cooking planks.
Plank barbecuing and cooking planks aren’t new. In fact, they’re a wonderful old tradition of cooking that originated from the Indians around the Pacific Northwest and became popular with the rest of the planet.
Plank barbecuing is comparable to using a pan. The difference is you’ll get smoke, and the plank is probably going to catch fire. Planks are great as you get a nice flat surface that’s stable to put your food on, enabling them imbibe that smoke flavor. Think fish fillets. In reality, the 1st ever food cooked on planks was fish, and you can imagine why.

Barbecuing planks put that perfect flavor into your grilled meat, fish or bird. The juices are held intact within the meat making them succulent. Before you start cooking on the plank, it’s got to be drenched for fifteen to twenty mins. Then it can be placed immediately over the fire. A grilling plank can be used up to four times. In fact, these will work with any grill, be it a charcoal griddle, gas griddle or even electrical griddle, as long as you have a lid for the griddle.
Preparing your meals on aromatic barbecuing planks is a wonderful way to griddle. The original Indians would slow roast their fresh catch of salmon on cedar or alder planks over their fire pits. This methodology made the natural oil and moisture in the cedar or alder wood penetrate the salmon to give it a phenomenal flavor. Now, this method is also being used creatively all over the world to cook meat, birds cheese, vegetables and fruit. And yes, you can make your pizza on a cooking plank!
When you buy your cedar barbecuing plank, ensure you get one that’s untreated. You can get them at your local hardware or grocer. Why untreated? So that you can avoid your food being poisoned by chemicals. Also avoid resinous wood like pine. Aside from cedar barbecuing planks, you can also try alder, maple, cherry, apple wood, mesquite, peach or oak to experience different flavors in your food. About an in. thick wood will do. Get a cooking plank that will take the dimensions of the food you would like to griddle.
You may also purchase your cooking planks online these days. Lots of folks visit their local lumberyard and get the exact size cut to fit their griddle. If your plank has similarities to cedar shingles it can crack, chip or burn and you can only use it once.
Experienced cooks use one inch thick alder grilling planks for cooking salmon. They have a series of holes drilled diagonally across to skewer the salmon fillets to the board. These planks are hung vertically around a fire pit that burns slowly to enable the salmon roast slowly, basting in their own oil while absorbing the smoke and the wood flavor.
Plank barbecuing is a particularly juicy way to griddle thanks to the delicious tastes. It’s also very easy to do. Those who have tried it once appear to want to get as many recipes as practicable into their favorite cookery book and try them all on the board. Practically anything can be plank grilled from poultry to huge roasts and almost anything that needs a longish barbecuing time. Cooking planks give your food that great smoke flavour which is the bedrock of barbecue barbecuing.

Cooking Fish

There are various ways in which fish is cooked and the recipes in this chapter are all based upon the basic methods below:

To bake fish:

This means cooking the fish in the oven; it could be baked in just a little seasoned butter or it could have a variety of other ingredients as the recipes you will find here in our food section. If you want the fish to keep moist cover the dish, but if you want the fish to brown slightly on top leave the dish uncovered. Bake whole fish for approximately 12 minutes per lb. (1/2 kg.), fillets for 12 to 20 minutes, depending upon the thickness and most fish cutlets take about 20 minutes. The oven should be set to a moderate to moderately hot temperature, unless stated to the contrary.

To fry fish:

There are two basic ways of frying fish, the first in shallow fat or oil, the second in deep fat or oil.

When frying fish you can coat the fish with seasoned flour, or to give a better coating, with the flour then with beaten egg and fine crisp breadcrumbs. This coating is suitable for both shallow or deep frying.

You can, however, coat the fish with a batter; directions for making this are given under the fried scampi recipes in this section.
If frying in shallow fat allow enough fat or oil to give a good coating in a large frying pan. Put in the fish and fry rapidly on one side then turn and fry on the second side. Thin fillets of fish take only about 4 minutes, but thicker fish will take up to 10 minutes. Lower the heat after browning the fish on either side.

If frying in deep fat or oil, make sure this is really hot you will find advice on testing the temperature in the recipe in this food section. The cooking time when deep frying is a little shorter than when frying in shallow fat or oil.

To Grill Fish:

Make sure the grill is really hot before putting the fish under this. Either cover the grill pan with buttered or oiled foil, or bush the grid of the grill pan with butter or oil. Cook for the same time as shallow fruing, and baste the fish with butter or oil to prevent it drying.

To poach fish:

Often one is told to ‘boil’ fish, this is a mistake, for fish should not be boiled quickly; it spoils the texture and breaks the fish. Put the fish into seasoned cold water, or white wine or fish stock (made simmering bones and skin). Bring to simmering point, then allow 7-10 minutes per lb. (1/2 kg.); in some recipes the fish is put into the heated liquid and simmered.

Canned and frozen fish:

Many fish are either canned or commercially frozen, it is useful to have these in either your store cupboard or freezing compartment of the refrigerator or the freezer.

The official recommendations about storing canned fish is to keep fish in tomato sauce for only up to 1 year and fish in oil for up to 5 years. The most useful canned fish is sardines, for savory toast or sandwiches or used on quick recipes.

There is a wide variety of frozen fish available; much of this can be cooked from the frozen state. Read and follow the manufacturers’ instructions on the packet. Shellfish, however, is generally better thawed out at room temperature. If you are in a hurry, stand the container in cold, not hot water to hasten defrosting.

Remember: When canned fish is removed from the can or the can is opened and when frozen fish is defrosted, these are as perishable as fresh fish.

Delicious Fish to eat

Carb Fish, Lobster Fish, Whiting Fish, Trout Fish, Shrimps, Fish Scallops Fish, Oysters, Fish Mussels, Red Mullet Fish, Salmon Fish, Mackerel Fish and Halibut Fish are the delicious fish to eat.