Food safety regulations increasingly pressure growers to remove hedgerows, ponds and other natural habitats from farms to keep out pathogen-carrying wildlife and livestock. Yet, this could come at the cost of biodiversity. New research encourages the presence of dung beetles and soil bacteria at farms as they naturally suppress E. coli and other harmful pathogens before spreading to humans.
Three people have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease and one person has died following stays at the Christmas Mountain Resort in Wisconsin Dell. At this time, the local health authorities are investigating the outbreak.
As the investigation unfolds, a representative for the resort told the local media that some of their accommodations did indeed have Legionella present. “After testing, we found that the water supply in certain units had been affected and, subsequently, tested positive for the bacteria,” the spokeswoman said. The resort claims to be telling prospective guests about the disease, but thus far denies that the confirmed illnesses occurred on their property – despite the fact that all of those who are ill stayed at the resort within 2 weeks of their illnesses.
Canadian officials have posted the 13th recall notice related to more than a dozen Salmonella outbreaks — some ongoing — in their country in the past 22 months. Investigators have traced the outbreaks to frozen breaded chicken nuggets, patties and similar products.
In the latest recall, posted March 21, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency urged consumers to check their homes for certain Janes brand “Pub Style – Chicken Nuggets – Breaded Chicken Cutlettes” and throw them away even if some have been eaten and no one appeared to have become sick. The agency reported the Sofina Foods Inc. distributed the recalled products to retailers nationwide.
The Public Health Agency of Canada continues to warn the public about the dangers of raw frozen breaded chicken products. The agency reported that as of March 1, there had been a total of 555 laboratory-confirmed outbreak victims nationwide. Of those for whom complete information is available, 92 people had to be admitted to hospitals.
FDA’s Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb and Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas have addressed advancing new tools and science for produce safety via agricultural water, and have set new dates for implementation. The two E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks that were linked to romaine lettuce in 2018 were allegedly caused by contaminated agricultural water.
More cases of Salmonella infections have been reported in Norway with a link to imported dried fruit and coconut. Salmonella Agbeni has been detected in several samples of the snack mixes. Salmonella Gamaba was also found in two unopened packages from the same lot.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Folkehelseinstituttet) reported 32 confirmed and seven possible Salmonella Agbeni cases in an update from the 21 confirmed and nine possible infections earlier this month.
La Rosita Fresh Market of Mount Prospect, Illinois, is recalling about 54 pounds of raw ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. No illnesses have been reported to date in association with this problem. That pathogen can cause serious illness and possibly hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) if ingested.
The beef was only sold at the La Rosita Fresh Market Inc. retail store. That facility is located at 1805 West Algonquin Road in Mount Prospect, Illinois.
The recalled products is Molida De Red Ground Beef in various weights. The product is packed in white trays covered with plastic wrap. The dates on the product are “Packed On 3/13/19 Sell By 3/20/19” and “Packed On 3/14/19 Sell By 3/21/19.”
RASFF – Salmonella (present /25g) in chilled chicken meat from Slovakia in Poland
RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in frozen salted raw chicken half breast from Brazil in the UK
RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in multicereal bread mix from the Netherlands in Belgium
RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (present /25g) in chilled chicken from Poland in the Czech Republic
RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Give (present /25g) in frozen duck legs from Hungary in Italy
RASFF – Salmonella (present /25g) in frozen peppered turkey breast from Chile in Germany
RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Kottbus (presence /25g) in frozen duck legs from Hungary in Italy
RASFF – Salmonella (present /25g) in frozen peppered turkey breast from Chile in Germany
RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in sesame seeds from Sudan in Greece
RASFF – Salmonella (present /25g) in chorizo noir from Portugal in France
RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium (presence /25g) in chilled chicken cuts from France in France
RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Oranienburg (presence /25g) in black pepper from Brazil in Germany
RASFF – Salmonella (present /25g) in black pepper from Brazil in Spain
RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in sesame seeds from India in Romania
