The seemingly endless number of contaminated food recalls has everyone racing to tackle them with solutions. While we continue to wait on food safety legislation in the lame duck Congress that would give the FDA mandatory recall power (among other things), university researchers have placed their focus on better detection of food pathogens to prevent the need for recalls in the first place.

Azlin Mustapha, a food scientist and professor at the University of Missouri, has developed a new lab test that will detect live Salmonella in as little as five to 12 hours rather than the five days it can take using the current testing method commonly used throughout the industry.

FIC is coming down from a mile high! Last week I was in Denver, Colorado at the 138th American Public Health Association Convention. Over 12,000 nurses, doctors, and those concerned with public health, converged to participate in this year’s APHA Convention themed “Social Justice: A Public Health Imperative.”

Without a doubt, social justice is an important aspect of public health. In many ways, it’s at the center of our work here at FIC. We all eat, and food is a necessary communal resource. Not surprisingly, social and political inequalities arise regarding its access, acquisition, and quality. FIC strives to correct those inequalities by working to alter the relationship of power between the food industry and consumers, protecting the rights of those who speak out against the practices that compromise food integrity, and empowering industry whistleblowers and citizen activists.

Whistleblowers and citizen activists are a necessary part of protecting public health and the integrity of the food system – from soil to plate. In public health terms, they play an important role in “public health surveillance.” That is to say, they report the looming food safety dangers that ultimately guide public health action. With adequate occupational free speech rights:

• immigrant workers could safely make reports of excessive use of pesticides that endanger food and lives,
• food processing whistleblowers could warn federal authorities of potentially lethal foodborne illness outbreaks, and
• citizen activists could spread the truth about dangerous agricultural waste run-off from factory farms.

FIC and our whistleblower mission were in good company in Denver among the many public health advocates working for social justice. For FIC, social justice requires that food is made available through means that are consistent with commonly held values -- that food should be produced humanely, safely, and sustainably without exploitation. Equally as important, when these expectations are compromised, workers should be empowered to protect food integrity and public health without fear of retaliation.

Amanda Hitt is Food Integrity Campaign Director for the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower advocacy organization.

Several multi-national retail and fast food businesses – many U.S.-based such as McDonald's, PepsiCo, and Kellogg's – have been invited to help shape UK policy regarding obesity, alcohol, and diet-related disease.

Yes, you're reading that correctly.

Remember Beanie Baby mania in 1999? People would wait in line forever just so they could get Ringo the Raccoon in their Happy Meal. These days it's Star Wars Clone Wars fingerboards, or Shrek Forever After watches. The marketing ploys of McDonald's and other fast food chains have been remarkably effective in drawing young consumers into their restaurants.

When I think of food at CVS or Walgreens, the two largest U.S. drugstore chains, I think of Cheez-Its and ramen noodles, not fruit and salads. Food at these chains is usually just a side item when people get caught browsing the aisles after renewing a prescription or grabbing extra toilet paper. I don't shop there for groceries. But in many urban communities around the country, good food options are lacking – and these retail chains aim to fill the void. Business Week reports:

Pharmacy chain CVS Caremark is adding fruit, salads, sandwiches, and other prepared meals at a growing number of its city locations. The second-largest U.S. drugstore chain, behind Walgreen, plans this year to remodel about 300 urban stores to carry food items in Boston, New York, Washington, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Eventually one-fifth of its 7,000 stores could be reconfigured, CVS says.

CVS and other convenience stores that traditionally haven't marketed groceries are adapting to untapped U.S. markets in dire need of fresh foods. How "fresh" their new items will be is another question – but they will help serve communities that now rely on corner stores with limited offerings beyond junk food. Maybe for the first time there will be healthier food competition in underserved areas. Even Wal-Mart, which is readying to open smaller outlets in U.S. cities next year, will have to hold its own against these retail chains already in place.

The article pointed out what's good for these communities is good for business too:

The U.S. government is offering $400 million a year in loans and tax incentives to lure stores offering better quality food to these underserved areas by 2017, part of First Lady Michelle Obama's campaign to reduce childhood obesity.

Although we still have a long way to go in the battle against food deserts in America and the conflicting dynamic between low cost and high quality food, providing communities with more options can't hurt.

Sarah Damian is Social and New Media Fellow for the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower advocacy organization.

Was an alcoholic energy drink to blame for putting nine college students in the hospital earlier this month? A party at Central Washington University (CWU) left several freshmen "passed out and so intoxicated that investigators thought they had overdosed on drugs," according to the Associated Press. But no drugs were found in their bloodstreams. The suspected culprit appears to be a caffeinated malt liquor - Four Loko - that combines a high concentration of alcohol with as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. Mixing the two is hardly a new concept, but not at such high amounts in a single large can.

Though it's a popular drink for young people wanting to get drunk fast, health advocates suggest the mix of a stimulant (caffeine) and a depressant (alcohol) can "mask a person's level of intoxication," possibly leading to overconsumption and injury.

Currently, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (under the Treasury Department) allows the same amount of caffeine in alcoholic drinks as it does in cola drinks. The FDA announced in November 2009 that it would review whether the use of caffeine in alcoholic beverages was Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), but an assessment has yet to be released almost a year later. The agency has requested from Phusion Products, the maker of Four Loko, information proving the safety of adding caffeine to alcoholic beverages, but the case remains open. NYT reports:

At the urging of 18 attorneys general, the Food and Drug Administration, which has never approved adding caffeine to alcohol, is reviewing whether the drinks are safe. And in July, Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether the drinks, with colorful packaging and flavors like watermelon, blue raspberry and lemon-lime, are “explicitly designed to attract under-age drinkers.”

Lawmakers in several states, including New York, have sought to ban the drinks, though no legislation has passed yet.

What happened on the CWU campus was not an isolated incident. The same thing occurred at a college in New Jersey last month, and similar events will likely continue happening if the government doesn't take action soon.

Sarah Damian is Social and New Media Fellow for the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower advocacy organization.

The candy industry is enjoying its highest-grossing time of the year with Halloween approaching this weekend. The holiday gives even conscious consumers an excuse to fill themselves with sugar. Whether it's aged Kit Kat bars picked up going door-to-door, or monster-decorated cupcakes covered in food coloring-filled frosting, there's plenty of room for the industry to market festive treats that aren't good for us.

Despite the promotion of healthy treats with attitude like "Scarrots," nothing can beat good old sugar this October 31, when candy sales are expected to increase seven percent from 2009 to nearly $2 billion.

If your wallet plans to contribute to those numbers, there are some things to keep in mind. First off, if you like chocolate-covered raisins but are allergic to peanuts, stay away from Nestle's Raisinets. The company issued a recall Friday of its "Fun Size" bags because of the undeclared legumes.

Whether you’re handing out or on the receiving end of trick-or-treats, also be cautious of expired candy. Experts warn, "the shelf life of some candy, like hard candy, may be indefinite, but there have been cases of salmonella poisoning from the consumption of expired chocolate."

UPI also reports:

If a candy appears extremely sticky or has a grainy texture, then it has most likely expired and the crystallization of sugar can result in an off flavor, have a change in color or turn moldy if it contains fruits or nuts.

It’s not just recalled or tainted candy we should worry about. One haunting fact is that sugar is everywhere we turn – even if we don’t ask for it. These days shoppers have to search for "unsweetened" labels even on items that are naturally sweet (like applesauce) just to avoid the pile-up of added sugars, which are found in most products at the supermarket. So it's not just Halloween that creeps sugar into our diets.

Whether it’s chocolate (which has its own integrity issues regarding child labor) or cereal, the immense trend for sweets is only fueling the industry’s growth and disregard for our overall wellbeing. Current statistics are already discomforting. New CDC research shows that one in three Americans could have diabetes by 2050. Knowing that, a lot needs to change. Although U.S. sugar production may decrease next year due to the controversy over banning genetically modified sugar beets, demand remains high.

As America's sweet tooth continues to get ever sweeter, a Salon piece explores the power of a pill nicknamed "The Sugar Destroyer" that can manipulate your taste buds, removing the sweetness from your favorite dessert. When you take sugar out of the equation, the author explains, your tongue can experience a whole new side of food unknown before.

Food can taste amazing without all those extra ingredients, so why do we need additional processed junk on them? It’s almost like we’ve passed the peak in the technology bell curve, and using machines to add more components to our food has started to diminish their sustenance. I’m not saying all sugar is bad, but when you can’t find many foods without it, something’s wrong.

Sarah Damian is Social and New Media Fellow for the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower advocacy organization.