WASHINGTON - 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.

This is highly disturbing. Viruses can't live on their own, they require another host organism in order to survive and replicate... if they didn't, they woundn't be called viruses!
What happens when their preferred host is gone? They look for another one!
Always have and always will, thats just the nature of single cell organism with nothing more to worry about than it's own survival. I don't care how many people say this is safe, it is going to mutate, period. Maybe in a year, maybe in 10 years, but it will find a way to live off of a different host. In this case the front line host is PEOPLE...
who eat the food...
that naturally contains the bacteria...
that is hosting the newly introduced virus.
Someone, likely working in the food prep industry, who is handling meats all day every day is going to have a bunch of bacteria microbs all over their hands and then handle some virus infected bacteria which will seek out the other microbes on their hands and inadvertantly be introduced into the persons eye, or mouth, or any other point of entry and realize "hey, I can host myself in this person's cells rather than that stupid bacteria". And then it gets smart, spreads and were all virus laden toast.

Another thing that bothers me about this is the fact that we (as a supposedly developing human race) are ignoring all the lessons that we have learned about combating nature with nature.
Or introducing a bug from a different geographical location to combat local problematic bug. 10 times out of 10 the foreign bug takes over because there isn't any other bugs around to kill it. Or it wipes out the local problem bug and then looks for more stuff to eat. Then you need to find another bug or animal that will kill that bug, but then that one ends up killing a bunch of other, wanted bugs/animals, and...
...it just doesn't work. Never has.

All this to protect 2500 people per year, of which they say (and it's likely inflated) 500 die.
No, just no. It's simply not worth the risk.
But they are doing it... and they aren't going to tell you what products they do it to either...


The combination of six viruses is designed to be sprayed on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, including sliced ham and turkey, said John 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 Andrew 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 Smith 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."

These CSPI pricks look like the mafia for the food industry, "you want protection, you gotta pay... or else!" Here's an example of their "or else!" I can't believe they are bashing Campbells Chicken Noodle Soup! I can only guess that Campbell's didn't donate to the CSPI cause last year or something. They've only been making soups since 1869, what do they know??? Burger King not only didn't donate, but someone must have pissed CSPI off since they publisized this line about thier french fries... "Burger King makes some of the worst french fries you can buy." Isn't that slander?
Here's a little insight on CSPI's "organization" and it's effects on the food industry.

Anyway, the end of the article...
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.

Putting viruses in our food...
...could there be a more open door to biological terrorism both forign or domestic?

Current Mood: irate