Food Poisoning Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Food Poison Blog

The return of Banquet pot pies after a Salmonella outbreak that sickened hundreds was the subject of an article by Julie Schmidt in USA Today.  The article focuses on ConAgra's new packaging and cooking instructions:

Most people know to check the Thanksgiving turkey with a thermometer to make sure it's fully cooked and safe to eat. But a microwaveable pot pie?

That's what the maker of Banquet frozen pies is telling consumers to do after salmonella bacteria in some pies led to a $30 million recall in October. The episode was linked to reports of 272 illnesses in 35 states.

ConAgra Foods, which earlier said sickness was likely related to undercooked pies, now says its previous cooking directions were confusing and that Banquet pies should be cooked to 165 degrees, a temperature high enough to kill bacteria.

Food safety expert Doug Powell of the International Food Safety Network did a cooking experiment with a pot pie that he purchased just after the recall was announced in October - following ConAgra's cooking instructions exactly to see whether he could cook a pot pie in the microwave to a temperature hot enough to kill Salmonella.  He conducted the same experiment again, this time following the new cooking instructions on a Banquet pot pie's box, then wrote about his second experience:

I bought some of the new and improved pot pies and did the same cooking experiment, following what ConAgra called " redesigned easy-to-follow cooking instructions … to help eliminate any potential confusion regarding cooking times."

After four minutes in a 1150 Watt microwave, the interior of the pot pie registered at about 50F. After letting it sit for an additional three minutes -- as per label instructions - the temperature varied anywhere from 75 - 190 F.

I decided to cook an additional two minutes.

After six minutes of cooking, and the previous three minutes of resting, the pot pie had tremendous variation in temperature: anywhere from 200F down to 100F. 165 F is required to kill Salmonella.

I wouldn't want my kids popping these in the microwave after school.

Maybe pot pies shouldn't be microwaved at all.

• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

This week's food safety infosheet from the International Food Safety Network focuses on proper cooking temperatures for food. 

We've learned more about proper cooking temperatures in recent weeks since ConAgra recalled chicken and turkey pot pies for Salmonella contamination.  Microwave temperatures vary, and using a food thermometer to measure a food's internal temperature and determine food safety is important since consumers are the last line of defense when cooking at home.

The iFSN "barf blog" post titled, "Cooking a Frozen Pot Pie in a Microwave" is a good demonstration of why food thermometers are useful tools in the kitchen.

• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

The ConAgra plant that produces the company's Banquet pot pies was closed yesterday among concerns of Salmonella contamination in Banquet chicken pot pies that had been manufactured in the plant.  The Associated Press reported on the closure today:

ConAgra Foods Inc. voluntarily stopped production Tuesday at the Missouri plant that makes its Banquet pot pies after health officials said the pies may be linked to 139 cases of salmonella in 30 states.

ConAgra officials believe the company's pies are safe if they're cooked properly, but the Omaha-based company told consumers Tuesday not to eat its pot pies until the government and company investigations are complete.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also issued a health alert Tuesday afternoon to warn consumers about the link between the company's product and the salmonella cases.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been tracking reports of the salmonella cases since Wednesday. A CDC spokeswoman said the largest numbers of salmonella cases had been reported in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Missouri. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement about the pot pie Salmonella outbreak, encouraging consumers to avoid any ConAgra-brand pot pies with a code of P-9, since they were produced in the same facility as the Banquet pot pies.

At this time, CDC recommends that people do not eat any Banquet pot pies or pot pies made by ConAgra Foods that have a printed code ending in “P9.” Other brands of pot pies made in the ConAgra Foods factory that makes Banquet brand pot pies and sold under other brand names may also be contaminated with Salmonella. These other pot pie boxes also have a printed code ending in “P9”. If you have any of these products at home, the safest thing to do is to discard them.

This information conflicts with what ConAgra has been telling the public, maintaining that if the pot pies are cooked properly they will be safe for human consumption.  The AP article stated included a few sentences on ConAgra's take on the outbreak:

[ConAgra spokeswoman Stephanie] Childs said ConAgra is confident in the safety of its chicken and turkey pot pies when all the cooking instructions on the package are followed. It is especially important to follow the directions when the pies are cooked in a microwave."

And on the International Food Safety Network's Barf Blog, Dr. Doug Powell wrote his family's experience with purchasing ConAgra-brand Banquet chicken pot pies and their attempt to get proper cooking information from ConAgra:

So Amy and I went to the local supermarket after dinner. We found the products in question, with the P-9 on the side, and on sale, 2-for-$1.

I called the number suggested by ConAgra (see above). After listening to a recorded message, I spoke with a human, who wanted to know my name, zip code, state, and when she got to address, I said, I just want to know how to properly cook these in the microwave, cause the press release says they're safe if cooked properly.

The human hung up.

Amy and I then examined the ingredient list, which included cooked chicken, and mechanically deboned chicken -- but did not specify whether the meat was coked or not. So maybe there is raw poultry in the pot pies, which could be a source of salmonella, or maybe it's all cooked but there was a failure in reaching 165F. Don't know at this point.

With the CDC reporting at least 139 cases of Salmonella epidemiologically linked to the ConAgra outbreak in 30 states - and that number growing - more information certainly will be available for Dr. Powell and others concerned about food safety very soon.

• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

ConAgra announced today that the company will re-open the plant where Salmonella-contaminated peanut butter was produced.  The plant was closed in February after it was identified as the source of a Salmonella outbreak that had sickened hundreds of people who ate contaminated Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter.  From Forbes.com:

The Omaha-based company said it was planning to reopen its Sylvester, Ga., plant after spending at least $15 million on renovations that include repairing the roof, installing new equipment and creating a design to better separate raw materials and the finished product.

"Right now we're in the final stages of getting everything ready to produce Peter Pan peanut butter there," said Stephanie Childs, a company spokeswoman.

The plant was shut down in February after health officials linked the Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter to a salmonella outbreak. More than 600 people in 47 states reported becoming ill, and the company faces lawsuits in several states.

• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link