Food Safety

Maryland is set to become the first state in the nation to outlaw chicken feed additives containing arsenic - but it won't be the last, if environmental activists have their way. Gov.Martin O'Malleyis scheduled to sign into law today legislation that bars sale or use of any chicken feed containing Roxarsone, which has been widely used since the 1940s by the poultry industry. It would become effective Jan. 1. Environmental and food safety advocates say they hope to push for similar legislation in other states, including neighboring Virginia.

This column may stress you out. It stressed me out just writing it. Start counting on your fingers how many of the following aggravations you have encountered personally. Ready? •You call a customer line to report a problem with some product or service, and after being forced to navigate through a multi-stage menu of options, you finally get a live person - who, unfortunately, seems capable of responding to only small set of basic requests. •You file an insurance claim, but the paperwork and documentation required to get the claim paid seem intentionally convoluted so as to deter you from ever collecting.

A shipment of Indian cumin seed contaminated with the larvae of a dead Khapra beetle, an invasive insect, never made it to McCormick & Co.'s Hunt Valley facility and was to be sent back to India, the spice maker said Tuesday. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists discovered the larvae and other seed contaminants during a search of the shipment at the port of Baltimore on April 17. The next day, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed that the insect was a Khapra beetle, considered one of the most destructive pests, damaging grain, cereals and stored food.

Maryland's General Assembly adopted today a ban on arsenic additives in chicken feed, which if signed into law would make the state the first in the nation to take such a step to keep the toxic chemical out of food and the environment. By a vote of 101-31, the House of Delegates gave final approval to the bill , ending a lengthy debate over the issue that had pitted environmentalists and food safety advocates against the state's major poultry industry.  Similar measures had failed to pass since 2009.

Alan Mark Silbergeld, a retired Consumer Union attorney and consumer advocate who was an aficionado of vocal music, died Friday of complications from lymphoma at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Homeland resident was 72. "He was a leading consumer advocate on federal policy in Washington for the last 40 years," said Stephen Brobeck, Consumer Federation of America executive director and a friend. "He also loved Baltimore. " Born in Greenville, Ill., and raised in St. Louis, Mr. Silbergeld earned a government degree at Indiana University and a law degree from Washington University.

Here is some more information from officials at the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for before and after the hurricane. --On carbon monoxide: This is generated by gas-powered appliances such as generators and charcoal and gas grills. It's invisible, odorless, tasteless and highly poisonous. Signs of trouble include fatigue, weakness, chest pains for those with heart disease, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, headaches, confusion, impaired vision and loss of consciousness.

With the Fourth of July approaching, many people are contemplating cookouts and picnics. But all that celebratory food and drink can pose a threat to your health. There are steps to take to ensure there aren't any unwelcome fireworks in your belly, according to Dr. Niraj Jani, division chief in gastroenterology at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. What is the appropriate time that meat/poultry should be cooked to prevent illness? The cooking time depends on the type, cut of meat and the method of cooking used.

The deadly outbreak of E. coli in Germany that has taken 22 lives and sickened some 2,200 is a reminder both of how vulnerable we can be to food-borne illness and how important it is to have a strong food safety system. American health officials report that so far there is no evidence that the rare strain of E. coli found in Germany has entered the United States food system. E. coli can be found in human and animal feces, and it spreads to vegetables via animal waste in fields and irrigation water, or from farm workers' poor hand-washing.

So, the first thing the new batch of Republican tea-partiers plan to do when they take control of government is to try to fight against the new rules for food safety ("Republicans to fight food regulation," Jan. 5)? They actually think the American people sent them to Washington to make sure big business can poison us with toxic chemicals and bacteria. Wow. Are they planning to personally spit in our food too? They really are as stupid as they sounded before the election. And here I thought it was just an act. Amazing.

Amid the sour partisan rancor in Washington, there is a glimmer of sweet hope. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act stands a good chance to pass the Senate on Monday night. The bill, which increases the Food and Drug Administration's authority over the food supply, has been worked on by Republicans and Democrats for two years. The finished product, while not a four-star creation, is certainly palatable. The bill would give the FDA mandatory recall authority — a power it oddly now lacks — as well as the authority to test widely for dangerous pathogens and trace the outbreaks back to their source.