FDA approves bacteria-killing Virus Combo for treating Meat
A division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday gave its approval to a combination of six bacteria-killing viruses that can be safely sprayed on cold cuts like meat and poultry, and hot dogs and sausages to combat common microbes that kill hundreds of people every year.
The mixture of microbes, called bacteriophages- the Greek name for "bacteria-eater", can combat Listeria monocytogenes, which can result in serious infections that cause the disease listeriosis. The manifestations of listeriosis include septicemia, meningitis (or meningoencephalitis), encephalitis, and intrauterine or cervical infections in pregnant women, which may result in spontaneous abortion (2nd/3rd trimester) or stillbirth.
Andrew Zajac, of the regulatory agency's office of food additive safety said this Virus combo the first-ever to win the approval of FDA as a food additive.
The bacteriophages are designed to be sprayed on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products including sliced ham and turkey, right before they are packaged.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimations, 2,500 people become seriously ill with listeriosis every year alone in US. Out of those numbers, 500 eventually die.
The FDA says bacteriophages is prepared in a manner that it only attacks strains of the Listeria bacterium and not human or plant cells, FDA confirms.
"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."
FDA is the government agency responsible for regulating food (human and animal), dietary supplements, drugs (human and animal), cosmetics, medical devices (human and animal), biologics, and blood products in the United States.
The viruses are developed in a preparation of Listeria monocytogenes, and then made free of impurities. The FDA was initially concerned the preparation could contain toxic residues associated with the bacteria, but testing did not expose any presence of residues.
Humans do not come into contact with phages in nature, because they are discovered in our digestive tracts. Some studies suggest that 1 to 10% of humans may carry Listeria monocytogenes in their intestines.
Medical experts have long examined bacteriophages as a bacteria-fighting alternative to antibiotics.
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You are freaking over nothing
You all hear the word "virus" and freak out! No one is trying to kill you. Bacteriphages (the virus they are going to spray on meat) DO NOT HARM HUMANS!! Before you start thinking crazy thoughts,why don't you try reading what a bacteriophage is. They only eat bacteria, hence the name. They cannot infect or harm humans and as a matter of fact you consume them by the millions everyday and don't even know it. Bacteriophages are everywhere. You all sound so silly because you don't know what you are talking about. Everyone should just stop being so PARANOID! Specific bacteriophages kill specific bacteria. The purified bottle of water that you drank today probably had a million in it. Did you die?? are you going to stop drinking water now too?? They are in the environment in larger numbers than you could every imagine.
Virus Spray
Ugh! We stopped eating beef 4 years ago because of mad cow, now I guess it's time to cut out sandwich meat. Damn, pretty soon we will be breatharians!
Having a degree in Science I
Having a degree in Science I can clearly tell you that bacteriophages (the virus that they approved to spray on meat)are perfectly harmless and you consume them everyday by the millions and don't even know it. Each Bacteriophage specifically kills certain bacteria. They are called bacteriophages because they only eat bacteria. I have done a lot of work with them in the lab and there is absolutely no way they can harm you. So settle down and stop freaking just because you hear the word "virus" not all viruses are bad, and these only eat bad bacteria.
bateria-killing virus
Are we still living in a Democracy? The public has been notified after the fact and there is no labeling on packages to alert us as to whether the food has been treated with this bacteria. Where is our freedom of choice? Is Big Brother making our decisions for us?
yet another reason to add to my long list of why i'm vegan...
in meat that is already laden with hormones, steroids, bioaccumulated pesticides, preservatives, and artificial colors and flavors, what's a little virus on the top? (that's me being sarcastic.) the fact that this kind of heavily processed meat is already terrible for you and already full of poisons. people in these risk categories (pregnant women, the elderly, the sick, etc.) shouldn't be eating them anyway! but when you've got major government agencies telling you that it's safe, and hiding the presence of these toxins, how would people know any better?
on the matter of using VIRUSES on FOOD, how could anyone at the fda possibly know what the long term effects will be? viruses are living organisms (maybe - no one is actually quite sure about that) that are capable of replicating themselves at an enormous rate. they, like everything with dna, undergo constant mutation, and when reproduction is on such a monumental scale they can evolve into something different relatively quickly. this, my friends, may be what causes the zombie revolution. meat-eaters will die off, and only vegans and vegetarians will remain... ok, probably not, but my suggestion is this: if you want to eat meat, buy raw, organic, locally produced meat whose source you can verify. eating anything else almost guarantees that you are ingesting more than you bargained for.
NONONONONONONONO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I refuse to eat meat with that crap on it. The meat they do spray it on better be labeled!!!!!! What about restaurants? Are they going to tell you that your sub meat is treated with that crap? No, I will become a vegitarian first. This is just about the nastiest thing I have ever heard of. If a pregnant woman eats this, not knowing it's on there and she loses her baby....I would sue them for her! I am just disgusted. There must be something we can do besides vent here to get this stopped! Start writing letters I guess and especially to your grocery stores!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Grama
Just can't help wondering
Just can't help wondering how much testing was done on humans who consumed meat treated with these viruses. If they are supposedly lethal to bacteria on meat, what effect do they have on the bacteria we have in our digestive tracts that are necessary to our survival? And once these bacteria leave our systems and enter the environment and food chain? What then?
And to say that the FDA wouldn't approve this treatment if it weren't safe??? You may want to do some research on the effects of aspartame (Nutrasweet), MSG, and various nitrates and nitrites in the body, just to name a few compounds the FDA has approved. Aspartame is particularly nefarious: a look at the history of aspartame and its voyage through the FDA approval process proves that the FDA cannot be trusted to ensure our safety.
Public health? Or Public extermination?
I agree, I just read an article the other day saying they were going to
*STOP* testing for Mad Cow disease! Not to mention all the other well known FDA shortcomings.
Anyone ever heard of the Bilderberg's alleged stance on "Population reduction"? - calling/pushing for a population reduction of 80%
Hard to believe, but certainly interesting food for thought...
I stopped eating meat when I
I stopped eating meat when I learned about prions. Mad cow disease is a serious health risk that the government has been covering up. The USDA has been an advocate of big business for years. Its about time for the people of the USA to wake up and take control of the government!
Bacteria-Killing Virus Combo
They won't allow testing for mad cow [see NY Times article http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9F04E6DB1338F933A25757C0A9629C8B63],
and won't adequately inspect meat or enforce regulations to keep protein-based feeds (other dead animals) out of the food chain, but they'll permit spraying this crap on our food?
The FDA is no longer in the consumer protection business; it's in the business protection business. Caveat emptor, America...you're on your own for food and drug safety because the FDA is in big business' back pocket.
Read the Article Thuroughly
We don't contact bacteriophages naturally. If they are in your water you have problems. Are you schills for the FDA or just stupid. When you hear the term "intestinal flora" do you think you have flowers in your gut? It's a balance between good and bad bacteria. A very delicate balance. When you upset the balance things go bad.....very bad. Think I'm wrong? Keep on eating those wieners time will tell.