Monthly Archives: March 2018

Food Safety News 

An Oregon company is recalling three brands of kratom powder products because samples have tested positive for Salmonella and an illness has been reported in connection with one of the products.

PDX Aromatics of Portland, OR, sold the recalled products directly to consumers via websites between Jan. 18 and Feb. 18, according to the company’s recall notice on the Food and Drug Administration’s website.

The  company does business as three entities, which bear the same names as the three brands of product subject to recall: Kraken Kratom, Phytoextractum, and Soul Speciosa.

At least 10,000 “units” of the kratom powder products are subject to the recall. They are packaged in plastic heat sealed pouches and sold in weights of 28 grams 56 grams and 112 grams.

“Consumers who may be in possession of potentially contaminated products are advised not to consume products labeled with the above product descriptions and lot codes,” according to the recall notice.

“PDX Aromatics has identified a supplier in our supply chain as the source of Salmonella. The company has removed that supplier from our supply chain and all associated products from our facility.

“We have ceased distribution of products in order to perform a facility audit … Working in cooperation with the FDA, the company will destroy all recalled product upon return.”

The Salmonella contamination was discovered by California inspectors. The California Department of Public Health notified the Oregon company of the Salmonella contamination and the infected person, PDX Aromatics reported.

Several states are investigating illnesses among people who have ingested various brands of kratom powders. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA are also investigating the substance.

The CDC says an ongoing nationwide outbreak has sickened at least 40 people across 27 states since October 2017.

The FDA has been investigating the substance for several years and is assisting the CDC and states with the current outbreak as well as continuing its general review of the substance. The FDA has reported that it has evidence of more than 40 deaths in the United States that have been linked to kratom.

Kratom is a plant consumed for its stimulant effects and as an opioid substitute. Kratom is also known as Thang, Kakuam, Thom, Ketom, and Biak.

FSA

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have today published details of a recall of meat products by Muscle Food.

FSAI

Message:

All minced lamb, diced lamb, diced beef and diced skinned chicken supplied by Hab Foods Limited trading as Haji Baba, Ballyfermot are subject to recall.  A Closure Order, under the FSAI Act 1998, was served on the food business operator by the HSE, due to a grave and immediate danger to public health.  In addition, this business did not have the required approval to operate.  A Prohibition Order, also under the FSAI Act 1998, was issued by the HSE regarding the recall and destruction of the above described meats.

Nature Of Danger:

The unapproved establishment is unsuitable and unhygienic for the purposes of food production. There is a risk of the implicated meats being contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, which could cause illness.

Action Required:

Manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, caterers & retailers:

Food businesses currently selling the affected meats must immediately remove these products from sale and are requested to display a point-of-sale recall notice in stores.

Daily Mirror

More than 100 persons had been admitted to the Kayts Hospital in Jaffna due to a food poisoning, the Police said.

They said several devotees participated at a function held at St. Anthony’s Church at a fishery village in Malenechmunai, Jaffna fallen sick last night and this morning after taking the food given at the function.

The Police and Public Health Inspectors are investigating the incident

Channel News Asia 

Barf Blog

In just two months, salmonella infection has been detected in 1,007 cats in Sweden. Never before have so many cases been discovered even for a whole year.

FDA

Starwest Botanicals is voluntarily recalling Starwest Botanicals Organic Cardamom Pods Green (Whole), which is packaged in Mylar 1 pound bags and in bulk packs.

The product was sold nationwide by several different methods.  It was either shipped directly to Starwest Botanicals customers who purchased online from firm’s website or mail order customers, or held for pickup up by the customer at Starwest Botanicals. The product was sold between January 15, 2018 and March 2, 2018.

• The lot number of Starwest Botanicals Organic Cardamom Pods Green (Whole) 1 pound with UPC 7-6796302528-9 included in this recall. The item# 209735-01 and lot number (75593) can be found on the label affixed to the bag.
• The lot number of Starwest Botanicals Organic Cardamom Pods Green (Whole) bulk pack with UPC 7-6796302527-2 included in this recall. The item# 209735-00 and lot number (90186-00) can be found on the label affixed to the bulk pack.

No other lots of Starwest Botanicals Organic Cardamom Pods Green (Whole) are affected by this recall, and no illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this voluntary recall. No other Starwest Botanicals products have been affected by this voluntary recall.

Consumers in possession of this voluntary recalled product may return it to Starwest Botanicals in Sacramento, CA for a full refund.  Consumers or media with questions should contact Starwest at 1-800-800-4372 (Monday through Friday 8:00 am – 4:30 pm PST).

Academic Journals

Listeria monocytogenes is among the most important foodborne pathogens. It may enter food-processing environments through raw materials, handlers or equipment and may persist due to ineffective cleaning or sanitation. The bacterium can be isolated from both frozen vegetables and fresh food substances. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in spices and frozen vegetables and screen for some virulence factors and drug-resistance determinants of the isolated bacteria. First, conventional microbiological methods were used for the isolation and identification of bacteria. Next, the identity of isolated bacteria was confirmed by molecular techniques, and the virulence genes iap and hlyA were identified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The hemolytic activity of the isolates was assessed by cultivation on sheep blood agar. Furthermore, the antimicrobial susceptibility of confirmed L. monocytogenes isolates was tested by the disk diffusion method against 10 antibiotics. Out of 331 vegetable samples, 47 isolates were confirmed to contain L. monocytogenes, whereas none of 40 spice samples tested positive. All isolates were positive for iap and hlyA genes. Susceptibility testing indicated that all isolates were sensitive to trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole, but only 36% were sensitive to penicillin G, while 100% and 70% showed intermediate resistance to chloramphenicol and erythromycin, respectively. All tested isolates were resistant to amoxicillin, gentamicin and norfloxacin; on the other hand, 90, 86 and 84% of the tested strains were resistant to ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime/clavulanic acid and amikacin, respectively. In summary, L. monocytogenes isolates disseminated in frozen vegetable samples from the Egyptian market were highly virulent, entirely multiple-drug resistant and were enriched in iron-containing vegetables. Since L. monocytogenes is primarily pathogenic to humans and causes a life-threatening disease, there is a potential infection risk for people who usually deal with frozen vegetables before cooking. Hence, surveillance to L. monocytogenes in frozen products, together with implementation of tight measures would be valuable in preventing listeriosis, and are highly recommended.

The Poultry Site 

Common disinfectants used in chiller tanks and dipping stations at poultry processing plants are not effective against Salmonella in its biofilm state, caution Tereza Chylkova and colleagues at the University of California–Davis. [1]

Salmonella biofilms aren’t as pathogenic as free-floating Salmonella particles but, nevertheless, are significant contributors to contamination in food processing plants. However, there’s no established way to measure the sensitivity of biofilms to specific disinfectants.

Consequently, the researchers tested the effectiveness of disinfectants used by commercial poultry companies against Salmonella biofilms.

References:

[1] Chylkova T, et al. Susceptibility of Salmonella Biofilm and Planktonic Bacteria to Common Disinfectant Agents Used in Poultry Processing. J Food Protection. 2017 July;80(7):1072-1079.

Academic Journals

Raw milk plays an important role in the survival and transport of pathogenic bacteria including Escherichia coli strains. This study was performed to determine the existence of E. coli in raw milk intended for human consumption and its associated virulence determinants. In this context, a total of 232 milk samples were obtained from different dairy shops located at Mansoura city and its surrounding villages. Milk samples were subjected for bacteriological and serological examination of E. coli. Furthermore, E. coli strains were tested for its haemolytic activity on blood agar plates. The recovered E. coli strains were also screened by Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of enterotoxins including heat –labile (LT), heat- stable (ST) toxins and haemolysin (hly) genes. The recovery rate of E. coli was 14.65% (34/232). Among the recovered E. coli strains, 12 different E. coli serotypes were identified namely, O26:H11 (n꞊6), O111:H2 (n꞊5), O128:H2 (n꞊5), O91:H21 (n꞊4), O124 (n꞊3), O127:H6 (n꞊3), O103:H21 (n꞊2), O153 (n꞊1), O113:H4 (n꞊2), O6 (n꞊1), O121:H7 (n꞊1) and O146 (n=1). Regarding PCR results, 31(91.19%) E. coli strains harbored STa and seven strains carried hly gene (20.59%) while non E. coli isoates harbord LT gene. Conclusively, raw milk can be considered as serious source of pathogenic E. coli, therefore, proper management practices and effective control measures are recommended to improve milk hygiene and sanitation.