[NVIC] FDA Approves Spraying Meat With Viruses

[Guest guest]

Horrifying

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

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 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 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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