Not the offending grape tomatoes (Image: Clay Irving)

Is it just us, or does it seem as though there were an unusual number of food recalls in Ontario yesterday? Consumers are being warned about possible salmonella in organic grape tomatoes, listeria in smoked salmon from a Toronto plant and undeclared milk and peanuts in soymilk sold in the GTA. No illnesses have been reported thus far—we just hope that no one with a peanut allergy chooses to enjoy their smoked salmon with roast tomato chutney and a glass of Korean soymilk. The complete details on the recalled products, after the jump.

• Strubs Ready-to-Eat Smoked Salmon, lot 09192011
• Erom Dr Hwang’s Premium Soy Drink, UPC 8 809111 699415
• Limited Edition organic grape tomatoes, UPC 0 33383 65592 5

• Organic grape tomatoes, smoked salmon recalled for possible salmonella & listeria contamination [CityTV]

• Soy drink recalled over peanuts, dairy not declared on label [CTV]

Bedbugs: the enemy within (Image: Oldmaison)

Since the feds certainly haven’t skimped on security spending for the G8 and G20 summits, we’re hoping that officials have the major bases (terrorists, anarchists, violent protesters) covered. Step two is dealing with some awkward, less dangerous problems. And for at least one Toronto hotel, that means bedbugs.

The Star reports that a major Toronto hotel (that would prefer to remain unnamed, natch) has gone proactive by hiring the services of specially trained dogs that detect bedbugs with greater efficiency and accuracy than human inspectors. Delegates can rest assured that one Toronto annoyance is being taken care of (well, at this one hotel). Now all we need is a magic wand for some of Toronto’s other embarrassing problems: rats, raccoons, bald raccoons, homelessness, smog, listeria, gridlock and Rob Ford.

Then again, if the government really cared about keeping the summits pest-free, many of the leaders would not have been invited. It probably couldn’t have hurt, either, to reconsider inviting world leaders to Huntsville in the middle of bug season.

• Dogs sniff out bedbugs from G20 delegates’ rooms [Toronto Star]

(Photo by Kyle T. Ramirez)

• While covering the cheeseburger beat for the Chicago Tribune, Kevin Pang scarfed down 60 different versions of the patty-and-bun classic. Now on a beef detox program of carrot sticks and flax seeds, Pang serves up his collected wisdom. On condiments: hold the ketchup and the mustard, but don’t forget the mayo. On french fries: while greasing them in duck fat is trendy, beef tallow provides a more robust taste. On flavour combinations: nothing beats cheese, bacon and caramelized onions. [Chicago Tribune]

• One lucky bidder will get the chance to work as Martha Stewart’s intern for the bargain-basement cost of $3,600. The American tastemaker is auctioning off a six-week paid internship to raise money for her eponymous centre at Mount Sinai Mission. Is this her take on stimulus spending or a version of home economics she picked up in prison? [Eat Me Daily]

• Low-calorie beef jerky is the first commercial offering from Elizabeth Hurley’s U.K. company. Set to go on sale this week, the organic, “guilt-free” snack is packaged with a drawing of the screen siren, formerly known as Hugh Grant’s girlfriend, lying on the ground in a black cocktail dress (likely the frock she wears while tending her cattle). The product is expected to appeal to calorie-conscious Brits with an equal taste for dried meat and bad acting. [Guardian]

• Of the papaya’s three sexes—male, female, hermaphrodite—it is only the cross-sexual variety that bears luscious fruit. There is no way for farmers to tell the plant’s sex until it has started to flower, which leads to an enormous waste of time and space. Scientists from the University of Illinois, the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, Texas A&M University and Miami University, however, have come up with a solution: give the seeds a sex change so they always bear big melons. [MNN]

• Researchers at McMaster University have developed paper strips that can test whether garden-variety grub is laced with pesticides. The 10-centimetre strips can detect five or six kinds of toxins and turn different colours depending on how much poison is present in the produce. These “dipsticks” might one day prevent disasters like those at Walkerton or Maple Leaf Foods, as long as they can be adapted to detect E. coli, listeria and salmonella. They may even be used by the military to detect chemical warfare agents. [National Post]

Bowlful of money (Photo by Terren)

• Some dentist offices in the U.S. are offering a Halloween candy buy-back program to encourage trick-or-treaters to take it easy on sweets. The dentists pay around $1 per pound of candy, and some are giving away freebies, like toothbrushes. The bought candy will be shipped to U.S. soldiers serving overseas, who are presumably responsible enough to avoid any cavity-inducing overindulgence. We’re hopeful that dentists north of the border will eventually join the effort, lest American children gain an advantage in the field of bribery. [Baltimore Sun]

• The saga of a giant 70-year-old lobster that was meant to be sold for $275 (U.S.) and cooked for patrons at New York’s Oceana restaurant has ended happily—for the lobster, at least. The venerable crustacean, known as Peter, will not be eaten, thanks to multiple pleas urging the restaurant to spare the creature’s life. Upon hearing news that the septuagenarian lobster was on the menu at Oceana, a Bloomberg reporter queried, “Surviving to such an age, having dodged lobster traps all his life, doesn’t he deserve some sort of ‘get out of jail free’ card?” [New York Daily News]

• Toronto Life contributor David Sax has named Los Angeles—not New York—as the deli capital of the world in his new book, Save the Deli. “The [delis] that are most inspiring, the ones that people cling to, the ones that people enshrine for years and years are the traditional Jewish delis. And Los Angeles just happens to have more of them than any city I’ve been to,” he writes. In his examination of the state of the deli, Sax visited cured-meat hubs across North America and even ventured as far as Krakow, one of the birthplaces of the Jewish deli. [L.A. Times]

• A cheese war is going down in Quebec, the Star reports, as listeria-phobic government inspectors try to stop dairy professionals from using unpasteurized milk in their products. Cheesemakers, who say the milk makes more flavourful cheese, are also complaining of “severe” monthly inspections, saying the new government vigilance is more about “repression than development.” [Toronto Star]

• B.C.’s largest aquaculture farm lost an estimated 40,000 adult salmon last week, through holes in the fish’s pens. A representative from the farm said that the escapees—worth about $1 million—are free for the taking. “They’re really beautiful fish,” he said of the five-kilogram creatures. “Anybody who intercepts them out there, there are no restrictions on enjoying them.” [Ottawa Citizen]

Appreciation station: Zagat names Wendy's the best of the fast food joints (Photo by Mykl Roventine)

• The venerable Zagat guides, known for passing judgment on higher-end offerings, are now ranking fast food joints on the quality of their fries, burgers, coffee and more. Wendy’s comes out on top. [Sun Sentinel]

• Jamie Kennedy is one unlucky locavore. He’s selling the Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar—his St. Lawrence Market flagship—in an effort to keep his debt-plagued empire afloat. The problem, he admits, is that all those pricey, farm-fresh local ingredients he swears by are putting him in the red. [Globe and Mail]

• City hall is suspending food cart licences during Dundas Square tree planting, without offering vendors compensation or alternate locations. The Toronto Sun’s Sue-Ann Levy ascribes the trouble to the machinations of “socialists” at “Silly Hall.” [Toronto Sun]

• Bad weather plus a bad economy equals bad news for farmers. The rural U.S. has seen both this year, resulting in a dramatic increase in farmer suicides, especially in Colorado. [Denver Post]

• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency was “grossly resource starved” before last year’s deadly listeriosis outbreak. The CBC also reports that employees spent more time on tasks associated with the “agency” part of their employer’s name (administrative work) than on the “inspection” bit. [CBC]

Cattle: The environmental enemy (Photo by Dave Wild)

• Recent studies have revealed that beef is the least environmentally friendly meat out there, while the opposite is true of chicken. This may be because about 35 pounds of cow manure are produced for each pound of saleable beef. [Slate]

• The Italian founder of the Slow Food movement is coming to Toronto to attend a conference, as well as an orgiastic feast hosted for his Toronto devotees (including Jamie Kennedy). We expect him to travel by giant snail. [CP]

• In its next move in what appears to be a plan to defeat Starbucks, McDonald’s will soon be testing McCafe, the fast food giant’s coffee shop chain, in some Canadian markets. [CNN]

• Bacon-flavoured hooch is only one of the 25 bizarre vodkas on this list, including one named after booty and one by Ed Hardy. Gross. [If It’s Hip, It’s Here]

• In response to some countries closing their borders to pigs, the CEO of Maple Leaf Foods reminds Canadians that eating pork will not give you swine flu. On an unrelated note, Maple Leaf’s profit margins are still recovering from last year’s listeria crisis. [Toronto Star]

Rooms with a view: C5 makes the top 10 (Photo by jethros_tale)

• The ROM’s C5 ranks second in Food and Wine magazine’s list of the top 10 restaurants with a view. In your face, Santa Monica! [Canada.com]

• Not to be outdone by the swine flu, listeria makes a comeback in the form of Piller’s Taste Better Than Bacon maple-flavoured smoked ham and Taste Better Than Bacon hickory-smoked turkey bacon. [Ottawa Citizen]

• Hot on the heels of a similar profile in the U.K.’s Telegraph is a Brit-written guide to Canuck cuisine. This time, they discuss Ontario’s best offerings and spend 288 words gushing about Jamie Kennedy. [Travelbite]

• In spite of the recession, Toronto’s Entertainment District was packed this past weekend. Apparently the city’s bars and clubs are being kept afloat by Gen Y boozers. [Toronto Star]

• Public health officials issued a hepatitis A warning to customers who ate at a Tim Hortons in Newmarket; two employees have tested positive for the disease. [UPI]

In more listeria hysteria news, inspectors report the Maple Leaf plant that produced the tainted meat wasn’t properly audited. [The Star]

A maid in Hong Kong appeared in court for allegedly putting menstrual blood in her boss’s soup in an attempt to improve their working relationship, since, you know, blood is thicker than stock. [AFP]

Canwest lists their top seven food experiences in Canada, granting the top honours to a wine tour in Vancouver. Toronto doesn’t even make the list (we were probably number eight). [Vancouver Sun]

Burger King’s PR department is scrambling after the cancellation of their latest print ads, due to the improper use of a Mexican flag. [Reuters]

Food snobbery: what's the score? (Photo by Hobvias Sudoneighm)

• Ever wonder what the criteria are to be categorized as a food snob? Time Out’s Holier Than Chow on-line quiz asks 30 questions before labelling participants as Easy Macs, Discerning Diners or Bona Fide Foodie Elitists. [Time Out]

• Save the best wine for sipping, not cooking, say many Toronto chefs. Some Food Network types suggest that top-shelf vino is best in the kitchen, but most high-end restaurants use lesser stuff. And money saved is not the only benefit of subbing in cheaper hooch: fine wine’s richer flavour can overpower—instead of enhance—foods. [Toronto Star]

• Those keeping notes on the New York–Toronto comparison may be disturbed by news of the most recent commonality: rats. Five businesses in Kensington Market and Chinatown were closed due to rodent problems and other infractions. [National Post]

• Farmers may be superheroes in the thriving locavore community, but they won’t be getting new powers just yet. A bid to form a union at a farm north of Toronto has been trumped by the Ontario Court of Appeal. [Globe and Mail]

• More woes for Maple Leaf Foods: the company announced that it would delay the sale of a Burlington plant due to a hostile market. The lethal listeria outbreak and recent sewing-needle-in-food scare couldn’t have helped much, either. [Reuters]

The hidden dangers of drinking (Photo by Mandie)

• Easy on the booze, boys. A study has found that men who consume 14 drinks a week or more are 20 per cent more likely than teetotallers to develop prostate cancer. [City News]

• Unfortunately for McDonald’s, which just introduced a Big Mac–infused mini-burger snack wrap, it takes a lot more than a pita to signify nutrition. [Burgerbusiness]

• Despite Maple Leaf’s battered reputation, the company insists its business make-over was not driven by last year’s listeria outbreak at its Toronto plant. [ItWorldCanada]

• Avid athletes commonly consume more than their necessary protein intake, despite the absence of scientific consensus indicating that the practice is beneficial. [Canada.com]

• Food blog Everybody Likes Sandwiches took home the gold this year for best Canadian blog at the ninth annual Weblog Awards—a.k.a. the Bloggies. [EverybodyLikesSandwiches]