Meat Smuggling = Disease

One of the more interesting global health debates about transmissable disease and food supply is the illegal meat trade. Illegal and unregulated meat trade and comsumption has been the alleged cause of some Ebola outbreaks, and more recently, tied to the introduction of Bird Flu, or Avian Influenza, into Africa. The latest news is that poultry smuggling into the US is occuring from influenza-endemic areas. I'm not sure just how this is a political issue, but my gut tells me that responsible and effective government includes ensuring the safety of the food supply. It appears that our government, in general (not necessarily from this story), has shifted it stance toward protecting industries, rather than consumers and workers. Ironically, those are the people the industry depends upon. Semper paratus.

AVIAN INFLUENZA, POULTRY VS MIGRATORY BIRDS (31)
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[1]
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006
From: David G Sweet <[e-mail]>
Source: Free Press, 12 Jul 2006 [edited]
<http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=3D/20060712/NEWS05/6071204=20>

State and federal authorities are trying to track down a cache of
frozen
poultry smuggled into the United States and metro Detroit from areas in
China where avian flu is prevalent, state officials said Tues [11 Jul
2006].

They said consumers probably have eaten some of the meat and should be
concerned but not alarmed. Proper cooking destroys the deadly virus.

The frozen poultry -- geese, ducks and chickens with intestines still
intact -- was purchased by the owner of a warehouse in Troy, which
supplies
300 Chinese restaurants and Asian grocery stories throughout southeast
Michigan, state authorities said. They said the owner has disappeared
and
is facing possible criminal charges.

Federal officials, who could not be reached for comment, learned of the
problem in early June and alerted state officials around 22 Jun 2006,
Michigan Department of Agriculture officials said.

They said they didn't know whether any carcasses were contaminated with
the
virus, which has killed 129 people worldwide since 2003.

Federal officials apparently destroyed birds seized from the warehouse
27
Jun 2006 before the meat could be tested, prompting Michigan officials
to
complain.

On 5 and 6 Jul 2006, state and federal officials seized 1600 pounds of
meat
from the warehouse. It too was destroyed without testing, prompting
requests from some state officials that all future meat seizures be
tested.
It was unclear why agents made 2 seizures at the property.

Although the virus, which lives in the birds' intestines, can survive
indefinitely in frozen poultry, it is killed when meat is thoroughly
cooked. Food preparation surfaces and utensils should be disinfected
with
soap or bleach and hands should be washed to prevent the spread of any
virus.

"We are treating it seriously and looking to see where the material
might
have gone," said Brad Deacon, emergency management coordinator for the
state Agriculture Department.

Deacon said the state obtained a list of the company's customers and is
sending inspectors to each one to collect paperwork and seize
potentially
tainted poultry. "Hopefully it will test negative and we can reassure
the
public that the food supply is safe and the public health is
protected,"
Deacon said.

Chinese-grown poultry is banned in the United States because of fear it
could spread diseases.

"One of the reasons we haven't been public is because it's the USDA's
investigation," Deacon said, referring to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. "The delicate balance of food safety is trying to let
people
know about threats and risks without unduly scaring them."

Deacon said federal officials told him that the owner of the warehouse
has
disappeared.

It's unclear when or how the poultry was smuggled into the United
States.
Some of it is believed to have been intercepted at a port in New
Jersey.
Deacon said some of the poultry that wound up in Michigan had been
labeled
as frozen tilapia fish or labeled only in Chinese, apparently to avoid
detection.

The Free Press learned about the search from e-mails that Deacon sent
23
Jun 2006 and Mon [10 Jul 2006] to members of the state's working group
on
avian flu. When the Free Press called Deacon, he confirmed that
officials
are searching for the poultry.

The e-mails said the state had alerted health officials in Detroit and
in
Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. The Macomb health department got a
heads-up about possible smuggled meat, said county spokesman Phil
Frame.
But Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and county health
officials said they knew nothing about it.

"Unfortunately, they're keeping the locals in the dark," Patterson
said.

Richard Fulton, a Michigan State University professor of avian diseases
and
a member of the avian flu working group, cautioned consumers not to
overreact.

"It's something to be concerned about, but not to be alarmed about," he
said. "It's very important to know that this virus can be killed by
plain
old soap and water, any type of disinfectant or household bleach. If
it's
in food that is cooked to the proper temperatures, it will die."

Because of the U.S. ban on Chinese poultry, the U.S. government seized
165
000 pounds of Asian poultry last fall, according to the USDA. No bird
flu
virus was found in the prohibited poultry, which included frozen
chickens,
ducks, pigeons and poultry parts.

[Byline: David Ashenfelter and Tina Lam]

--
David G. Sweet, CBCP
TCF Bank-MI-Business Continuity
Information Security, Records Retention
<[e-mail]>

[Illegal international trade in animal products, particularly meat, is
a
matter of worldwide concern. On top of its possible origin in infected
farms and in illegal slaughterhouses without veterinary inspection nor
certification, smuggled meat is, most probably, transported in poor
hygienic conditions and without proper refrigeration.

Smuggled meat poses a serious risk to the health of animals and humans.
Avian influenza is just one of the many disease agents which may be
transmitted by such products. Transportation (by sea, air?) of the
slaughtered birds with intestines still intact is extremely unhygienic.

Chinese poultry meat and organs, such as chicken legs, seem to have a
significant demand and attractive prices in receptive markets, probably
mainly for sale in ethnic restaurants. A recent example was a
consignment
of poultry meat smuggled from China, which was confiscated in Taiwan in
October 2005 and found contaminated with the H5N1 virus. - Mod.AS]

**
[2]
Date: Thu 13 Jul 2006 12:12 AM
From: Mary Marshall <[e-mail]>
Source: WoodTV.com [edited]
<http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5144038&nav=0Rce>

A warning is out Wednesday night after chickens were found smuggled
from
China, a nation that has been hit hard by the bird flu. Officials said
they
have found no evidence of contaminated food after a tip from a
restaurant
owner near Flint. That tip led authorities to a warehouse south of
there in
Oakland County, where they found the poultry smuggled into the US.

State and Federal investigators raided the Tinsway Company in Oakland
County 3 times in the last 5 weeks, confiscating over 2000 pounds of
meat
and other improperly labeled food. The US Department of Agriculture
conducted the 1st raid but did not tell state officials for several
weeks.
That bothers members of the Oakland County Health Department, who
happened
to be taking part in bio-terrorism training Wednesday

24-Hour News 8's sister station in Detroit tried and failed to get an
explanation from company employees. State investigators believe the
owner,
who also owns some restaurants, is out of the country. Meanwhile, the
warehouse is still in business. "We are making absolutely sure that we
have
appropriate evidence and statutory violations in order to take
appropriate
action," said Katherine Fedder of the Michigan Department of
Agriculture.
State inspectors are still getting a complete list of the restaurants
supplied by the company but they say a preliminary check shows none of
the
meat is turning up in restaurants. Even if it did, the risk to the
public
is low. "Making sure that it is cooked thoroughly, that takes care of
any
bacteria and any bird flu concerns that might be there," said Fedder.

Investigators think security was breached in New York or New Jersey.
State
officials say Michigan consumers may have eaten some of the meat. 24
Hour
News 8 contacted West Michigan Health Departments. They still haven't
released the list to tell us if any restaurants or stores here are
affected.

--
ProMED-mail
<[e-mail]>

[A Reuters report adds little new to the above, except that the 2000
lbs
poultry shipment was labelled as tilapia.
<http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-07-12T225013Z_01_N12309492_RTRUKOC_0_US-FOOD-POULTRY-MICHIGAN.xml&archived=False>
- Mod.MHJ]

[see also:
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (30) 20060621.1711
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (29) 20060619.1695
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (28) 20060615.1659
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (27) 20060607.1585
Avian Influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (26) 20060606.1574
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (25) 20060606.1571
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (24) 20060605.1567
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (23) 20060602.1541
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (22) 20060531.1522
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (21) 20060522.14461
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (20) 20060518.1396
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (19) 20060512.1350
Avian influenza, poultry vs. migratory birds (18) 20060504.1289
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (17) 20060502.1273
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (16) 20060501.1264
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (15) 20060429.1240
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (14) 20060422.1176
Avian influenza, poultry vs. migratory birds (13) 20060414.1114
Avian influenza - poultry vs. migratory birds (12) 20060413.1099
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (11) 20060412.1088
Avian influenza - worldwide (76): migratory birds, OIE 20060402.0995
Avian influenza - worldwide (68): migratory birds, OIE 20060328.0940
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (10) 20060324.0907
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds [phone].0867
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds [phone].0749
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds [phone].0721
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds [phone].0670
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds [phone].0645
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds [phone].0638
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds [phone].0578
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds [phone].0536
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds 20060217.0516
2005
----
Avian influenza - Eurasia (25): Taiwan ex China   20051022.3085
Avian influenza - Eastern Asia (71): H5N1, duck meat, 2003  
20050714.2008]
...............arn/mhj/pg/dk

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•  and if they didn't make it

  damn near impossible for us to stay in that business, local farmers could have filled all or most of that need, making the smuggling a lot less attractive.

  by farmerchuck on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 08:06:59 AM PDT

  •  Frozen?

    With the intestines remaining?  That is disgusting.

    by mango on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 08:20:09 AM PDT

    •  that's called a NY dressed

      around here, but we can't freeze them. market for them pretty much went away the past year, at least locally, got priced out by imported frozen for the NYC/boston markets.

      by farmerchuck on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 08:25:48 AM PDT

  •  I hear you

    The contemporary purpose of regulation appears to be to favor facotry farming over small farms.

    We've got a lot of small farms out here in Seattle and the surrounding areas (Vashon Island) that I shop exclusively from, and many restaurants are starting to, also. It costs more, to be sure, but real food blows away industrial products in taste and nutrition, hands down.

    by dnamj on Wed Jul 19, 2006 at 08:15:02 AM PDT