Re: {O.T.} FDA Approves Spraying Meat With Viruses

Thanks for posting this Yvonne! I personally do not want to eat any
foods that have been sprayed or irradiated. I wonder if organic meats
will be sprayed also, ( just because the FDA say's they won't doesn't
cut it for me) and how I as a consumer can avoid purchasing these
products. Or are we all going to ingest these viruses because our
government says they are good for us. I have no trust in government
agencies at this point in my life, and I do not want to forfeit my
freedom of choice to not purchase these virus sprayed foods. Again
thanks for posting this. Your posts are always so interesting--fran
yss57@xxxxxxxx wrote:
FDA Approves Spraying Meat With Viruses


National Vaccine Information Center Newsletter


e-NEWS
" Consumers won't be aware that meat and poultry products have been
treated with the spray, Zajac added. The Department of Agriculture will
regulate the actual use of the product. The viruses are grown in a
preparation of the very bacteria they kill, and then purified. The FDA
had concerns that the virus preparation potentially could contain toxic
residues associated with the bacteria. However, testing did not reveal
the presence of such residues, which in small quantities likely
wouldn't cause health problems anyway, the FDA said." - Associated
Press, Aug. 18, 2006

Barbara Loe Fisher Comments:

In yet another stunning demonstration of callous disregard for the
health of American citizens, a pathetically weak and useless Food and
Drug Administration has given the green light to industry microbe
hunters to spray cold cuts, poultry and other meats with a mix of
viruses that are supposed to eat bacteria contaminating the meat
without hurting anyone in the process. Right.

And the best part? Meat producers won't have to tell consumers which
meats have been bathed in the viruses so everyone gets a dose eating a
hot dog at a baseball game or frying up some ham and eggs for breakfast
- whether they want it or not. And when Uncle Leo in the Bronx drops
dead from a mysterious infection after eating an italian sub at a
neighborhood picnic, the story will be: it wasn't the virus infected
sausage that did it, it was - A COINCIDENCE. (But if enough people drop
dead after eating virus infected meat, an enterprising drug company
will probably develop a food vaccine and convince the CDC to mandate
it).

In America, apparently the only way consumers will be able to protect
themselves from FDA-sponsored contaminated meat is to become a vegan or
go organic. It's an expensive alternative but a small price to pay to
keep viruses, chemicals and hormones that don't belong in the food we
eat out of our bodies.


FDA Says Viruses Safe for Treating Meat
Associated Press
FORBES
August 18, 2006

By ANDREW BRIDGES

A mix of bacteria-killing viruses can be safely sprayed on cold cuts,
hot dogs and sausages to combat common microbes that kill hundreds of
people a year, federal health officials said Friday in granting the
first-ever approval of viruses as a food additive.

The combination of six viruses is designed to be sprayed on
ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, including sliced ham and
turkey, said John Vazzana, president and chief executive officer of
manufacturer Intralytix Inc.

The special viruses called bacteriophages are meant to kill strains of
the Listeria monocytogenes bacterium, the Food and Drug Administration
said in declaring it safe to use on ready-to-eat meats prior to their
packaging.

The viruses are the first to win FDA approval for use as a food
additive, said Andrew Zajac, of the regulatory agency's office of food
additive safety.

The bacterium the viruses target can cause a serious infection called
listeriosis, primarily in pregnant women, newborns and adults with
weakened immune systems. In the United States, an estimated 2,500
people become seriously ill with listeriosis each year, according to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 500 die.

Luncheon meats are particularly vulnerable to Listeria since once
purchased, they typically aren't cooked or reheated, which can kill
harmful bacteria like Listeria, Zajac said.

The preparation of bacteriophages - the name is Greek for
"bacteria-eater" - attacks only strains of the Listeria bacterium and
not human or plant cells, the FDA said.

"As long as it used in accordance with the regulations, we have
concluded it's safe," Zajac said. People normally come into contact
with phages through food, water and the environment, and they are found
in our digestive tracts, the FDA said.

Consumers won't be aware that meat and poultry products have been
treated with the spray, Zajac added. The Department of Agriculture will
regulate the actual use of the product.

The viruses are grown in a preparation of the very bacteria they kill,
and then purified. The FDA had concerns that the virus preparation
potentially could contain toxic residues associated with the bacteria.
However, testing did not reveal the presence of such residues, which in
small quantities likely wouldn't cause health problems anyway, the FDA
said.

"The FDA is applying one of the toughest food- safety standards which
they have to find this is safe," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director
of food safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a
consumer advocacy group. "They couldn't approve this product if they
had questions about its safety."

Intralytix, based in Baltimore, first petitioned the FDA in 2002 to
allow the viruses to be used as a food additive. It has since licensed
the product to a multinational company, which intends to market it
worldwide, said Intralytix president Vazzana. He declined to name the
company but said he expected it to announce its plans within weeks or
months.

Intralytix also plans to seek FDA approval for another bacteriophage
product to kill E. coli bacteria on beef before it is ground, Vazzana
said.

Scientists have long studied bacteriophages as a bacteria-fighting
alternative to antibiotics.


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