Tag Archives: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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It was just chicken salad…


Policy and Action from Consumer Reports

It won’t be easy. But we can do this.Our antibiotics must work when your family needs them. And that means taking on some of the biggest power players in the marketplace. Your tax-deductible, year-end donation will help us take the fight to them.

Donate Now!

At 15, Sam was on the top of the world. He pitched varsity baseball as a freshman, sprouted three inches in the off-season. Pro scouts even came calling.

Then he ate a chicken caesar salad that changed his life.

Within three days Sam was headed to the emergency room doubled over in a diaper. Sickened with antibiotic-resistant bacteria common to chicken, he was bleeding and wasting away. Drug after drug was tried. Each failed. His parents were frantic. A month later when his infection was finally under control, Sam lost 30 pounds and couldn’t jog without wheezing. His pitching career was over.

This is our reality – a strapping Midwestern teen taken down by a ‘superbug’ in his chicken salad. The rapid rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria is so serious, the CDC warns that unless we act soon, it may be too late. Which is why we need your help now to get the attention of those who can fix this.

Your $10 tax-deductible donation will go directly to getting politicians and industry to face up to our antibiotic crisis!

We’re up against some of the biggest power players in the marketplace – the giant industrial meat producers. They already use 80 percent of antibiotics sold, and want to keep feeding them to food animals so they’ll grow bigger and survive cramped, filthy conditions. Last week’s FDA move to voluntarily re-label animal antibiotics is expected to have only a small impact on overall use.

This overuse is spawning drug-resistant bacteria that make their way into our food and the environment. At least 23,000 Americans die each year. So we’re unleashing consumer power to stop this unnecessary use.

We’re pressuring Congress and health officials to take emergency action to stop antibiotic overuse in food production. We’re pushing a leading national grocery chain – Trader Joe’s – to lead the marketplace and stop selling antibiotic-raised meat. We’re testing supermarket meat at Consumer Reports labs to discover how widespread a problem it is.

We must do more to solve this. Can you help crank up the pressure in 2014 with your $10 year-end gift?

Drug-resistant bacteria robbed Sam of his baseball career, but through great effort he recovered and went on to play college football. Yet no child should have to go through this. You’ve stood with us throughout this important fight, and we need your help to see it through. For kids like Sam. For kids like yours and mine.

Sincerely, Chris Meyer, Consumers Union Policy and Action from Consumer Reports

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Contamination and no recalls … Urge recall and launch real reform!


Policy and Action from Consumer Reports

Foster Farms won’t budge. With nearly 300 sick so far, and antibiotic resistant salmonella strains linked back to particular Foster Farms processing plants, it’s time for a recall.

More than that, it’s long past time our nation’s food producers stop overusing antibiotics on food animals — a practice that makes our life-saving drugs less effective at fighting deadly bacteria.

Despite the government shutdown, we’ll get you heard on this important health issue! Send a message now, and we will get it into the right hands at USDA and FDA.

Demand an immediate recall and new rules for antibiotic use!

When antibiotic resistant strains make people sick, industry reminds us to cook the food more. Wipe everything with bleach. While these precautions certainly help, they don’t address the underlying problem.

Our nation’s meat and chicken industry relies heavily on the overuse of antibiotics to speed growth and help animals survive filthy, crowded conditions. Overuse spurs the emergence of antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’ on both the farm and in our communities.

That’s why we’re also asking that FDA finally take a strong stand for reduced antibiotic use in agriculture. The current outbreak should serve as a warning. Let’s make real progress before the antibiotics we need for human health no longer work.

Send your message now. We’ll get it to the right people, even with the shutdown.

And don’t forget — get rid of this chicken. Learn how to tell whether you have it in your house or if it’s for sale at your store.. Then forward this email to friends and family so they can check their fridge and join our movement to save our nation’s antibiotics for human health.

Sincerely,
Meg Bohne, NotInMyFood.org,
A project of Consumers Union, Policy and Action from Consumer Reports

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You Should Forward This …


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The Top Nine Ways a Government Shutdown Affects Real Americans

 

1. 800,000 federal employees will go without pay — and it’s unclear if they’ll receive back pay for time missed.

2. 3.6 million veterans may not receive benefits if the shutdown lasts over two weeks.

3. The Centers for Disease Control will have to stop its flu prevention program, just as flu season begins.

4. Food safety inspections will scale back their work, exposing millions to risk.

5. About nine million moms and pregnant women will no longer receive nutritional assistance from the Department of Agriculture’s Women, Infants, and Children program.

6. The Small Business Administration will be unable to process new loans, potentially slowing new small business growth.

7. National parks and museums will close across the country, damaging our travel and tourism industries by millions for each day the government remains shut down. (Yes, that means the Statue of Liberty is closed for business…)

8. Head Start programs across the country will start closing, ending educational and health benefits for low-income children.

9. Disability benefits could be interrupted, leaving vulnerable Americans without the support they rely on.

For more info, you can read the full article here:

http://my.barackobama.com/9-Facts-On-Government-Shutdown

Some House Republicans might be treating this showdown like a game — but its impacts are real for millions of Americans who are starting to feel the shutdown in their lives.

Help get the word out — forward this email, and share the impacts of a government shutdown with everyone who should know:

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Diabetes


AmDiabeteslogo

Your Senator will be taking an important vote this week. Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee will vote on funding for important diabetes programs in the FY 2014 LHHS Appropriations bill for the upcoming budget. The votes will come in the next few days.
The result of this vote will set the stage for funding of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, the Division of Diabetes Translation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Diabetes Prevention Program, also at the CDC, for the next year.
Tell your Senator to take action to support increased diabetes funding in FY 2014!
The diabetes epidemic in our country is growing. A recent report by the American Diabetes Association found the annual cost of diagnosed diabetes has skyrocketed by an astonishing 41% over the last five years – from $174 billion per year in 2007 to $245 billion in 2012. Our country cannot afford the consequences of failing to adequately fight this growing epidemic. As Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee vote on the FY 2014 LHHS Appropriation bill, they can take steps to Stop Diabetes® by providing increased funding to prevent, manage and cure diabetes. Contact your Senator to urge support for increased funding for these important programs!
Thank you for your help in the fight to Stop Diabetes.

Sincerely,

Gina Gavlak Picture Gina Gavlak Signature Gina Gavlak National Advocacy Committee Chair American Diabetes Association

~ FDA/USDA ~~ Alerts & Safety

U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

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English: Logo of the U.S. Food and Drug Admini...
English: Logo of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2006) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
06/13/2013 12:30 PM EDT
Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the expanded voluntary nationwide recall of Vecuronium Bromide for Injection 10mg (NDC number 25021-657-10) manufactured by Mustafa Nevzat Ilac Sanayii A.S. (MN Pharmaceuticals) and distributed by Sagent. Sagent initiated a voluntary recall of Vecuronium Bromide for Injection to the user level for three lots on June 7, 2013 due to the discovery of an elevated impurity result detected during routine quality testing of stability samples at the 18-month interval.
06/13/2013 02:08 PM EDT
June 12, 2013 – St. Augustine, FL (PRWEB) – Butterfly Bakery issues allergy alert on undeclared Walnuts in 14.5 ounce Butterfly Bakery Whole Grain Harvest Berry Muffins, UPC 6 43482 60014 8. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to Walnuts (a type of tree nut) run the risk of serious or lifethreatening allergic reaction if they consume these products. This product has not been produced since November 26, 2012.
06/12/2013 04:41 PM EDT
Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. is voluntarily recalling one lot of Warfarin 2 mg Tablets, Lot # MM5767, expiration date June 2014 to the retail level. Four tablets of Warfarin 2 mg Tablets, Lot MM5767, have been found to be oversized in one product complaint.
06/13/2013 11:31 AM EDT
SECAUCUS, N.J., /PRNewswire/ – The Hartz Mountain Corporation, located in Secaucus, N.J. is voluntarily recalling one specific lot of Wardley Betta Fish Food 1.2 oz. size due to concerns that one or more containers within the lot may have been potentially contaminated with Salmonella. Hartz is fully cooperating with the US Food and Drug Administration in this voluntary recall.
06/11/2013 02:22 PM EDT
Bethel Nutritional Consulting, Inc. was informed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that a sample of Bethel 30 green capsule was collected and tested by FDA in April 24, 2013. The capsules tested positive for Sibutramine and Phenolphthalein.
06/12/2013 02:46 PM EDT
Julian’s Recipe, LLC., in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is voluntarily withdrawing its European Style Pretzel Baguette packages from HEB Stores in Texas. Certain packages of Pretzel Baguettes may contain Julian’s European Style Multigrain Garlic Baguettes, which are made with soy flour.
06/10/2013 02:54 PM EDT
SCHAUMBURG, IL – Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the voluntary nationwide recall of three lots of Vecuronium Bromide for Injection 10mg (NDC number 25021-657-10) manufactured by Mustafa Nevzat Ilac Sanayii A.S. (MN Pharmaceuticals) and distributed by Sagent. Sagent has initiated this voluntary recall of Vecuronium Bromide for Injection to the user level due to the discovery of an elevated impurity result detected during routine quality testing of stability samples at the 18-month interval.
06/10/2013 10:01 AM EDT
Alderman Farms Sales Corporation, Boynton Beach, Florida is recalling one pint containers of Certified Organic Cherry Tomatoes because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
06/04/2013 11:21 AM EDT
Townsend Farms, Inc. of Fairview, Oregon, today announced that it is voluntarily recalling certain lots of its frozen Organic Antioxidant Blend, out of an abundance of caution, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Hepatitis A virus, based on an ongoing epidemiological and traceback investigation by the FDA and the CDC of an illness outbreak. No other Townsend Farms products, frozen or fresh, are covered by this voluntary recall or linked to the illness outbreak at this time.