Muttonbirds and malignancy … an encounter with radioactivity raises food safety issues

But was it nuked before flying south?

Spare a thought today for the Busted Blonde, whose observations on this, that and the other can be found at Roarprawn.

Her Christmas joy will be bruised by news of what’s happening – maybe – to muttonbirds.

Their exposure to nuclear radiation has raised concerns about their effects on people who eat them.

And it so happens these creatures rate high in BB’s culinary considerations.

Chances are she will be serving some of ’em for Christmas dinner.

Forget about Crusher Collins – let’s persuade her to become Slugger with this tasty idea

Alf has an idea for our Corrections Minister, the admirable Crusher Collins. Our Defence Minister, Wayne Mapp, is smart enough to see the possibilities, too.

Alf’s fertile mind was activated by news that Mapp, wearing his Research, Science and Technology hat, is thinking about coughing up good public money to help study toxic sea slugs.

As the NZ Herald reports today, scientists want to know how far the highly poisonous slugs have spread and why they have suddenly become toxic. But the Environment Ministry and other government departments have so far refused to pay.

Toxic snails? How toxic?

Sweet victory for Coca-Cola’s PR team

Hah. A triumph for Coca-Cola’s PR people, a setback for Sue Kedgley and her mob of food fanatics.

A campaign for Coca-Cola promoting the artificial sweetener aspartame has won New Zealand’s top public relations industry award.

Network PR’s ‘Aspartame – Facts and Fiction’ campaign sought to restore confidence in the substance by working with the health industry.

Macdoctor keeps up the heat on frozen peas

While the Greens remain quiet, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority’s compliance and investigation director Geoff Allen has had something to say about the contamination of Talley’s frozen peas with black nightshade (which apparently grows among peas as a weed).

Allen said Talley’s told him yesterday that the contamination had occurred after an unusually bad spate of nightshade in the 2007-2008 harvest.

The company withdrew several products in February after the contamination was noticed, he said. It had also traced the source of the nightshade to two growers and was increasing oversight before harvesting.

The same story at Stuff says:

Talley’s spokesman Robert Darragh said he believed the recent complaints were from consumers who had stored products recalled in February.

Consumers urged to give Talley’s the cold shoulder

Top marks to Macdoctor for calling on consumers to take direct action, in response to reports that the Talley’s food company is tightening its processes (but not recalling its product) after nightshade berries were discovered among packets of frozen vegetables.

The South Island company received complaints over recent weeks from consumers who found the current-like black nightshade berries in their food.

Macdoctor is urging consumers not to buy Talley’s products again until the company

1. Informs the public where the problem was and how they fixed it.

2. Apologises for it’s lackadaisical attitude.

If we can’t have regulatory muscle applied, there is still consumer power.

Other blogs are invited to pass this on to their readers:

The Greens, however, seem curiously oblivious to the issue. Too busy fighting fat, perhaps.