Monthly Archives: March 2019

USA – Hometown Food Company Recalls Two Production LOT Codes of Pillsbury® Unbleached All-Purpose 5lb Flour Due to Possible Health Risk

Posted on March 14, 2019 by | Leave a comment

FDA

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Please be advised the Hometown Food Company initiated a limited, voluntary retail-level recall on two specific lot codes of its Pillsbury® Unbleached All-Purpose 5 lb Flour (UPC 51500-22241)because it may be contaminated with Salmonella. Only Best If Used By Dates APR 19 2020 and APR 20 2020 are impacted.

Roughly 12,245 cases of impacted Pillsbury® Unbleached All Purpose Flour product were distributed through a limited number of retailers and distributors nationwide.   The only product lots affected by the recall are as follows:

Item Name Case Item Code UPC Item Code Lot Code BIUB Date
Pillsbury® Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
5Lb		 0 5150022241 3 0 5150022241 6 8 292 APR 19 2020
Pillsbury® Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
5Lb		 0 5150022241 3 0 5150022241 6 8 293 APR 20 2020

Other Best If Used By Dates and Lot Codes are not affected by this recall.

There have been no reports of any illnesses associated with this recall. Product is being recalled out of an abundance of caution. This voluntary recall is being made with the full knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Salmonella, Uncategorized

USA – Butterball ground turkey linked to Salmonella Schwarzengrund outbreak

Posted on March 14, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

kswfoodworld Salmonella

Image CDC

Butterball, LLC, a Mount Olive, N.C. establishment, is recalling approximately 78,164 pounds of raw ground turkey products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Schwarzengrund, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Information – How Do You Know if You Have a Listeria monocytogenes Infection?

Posted on March 14, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can make you seriously ill. Listeria monocytogenes infections are tricky, because the symptoms may not show up until 70 days after a person has been exposed. And the symptoms of this infection are similar to the flu, especially in pregnant women, so diagnosis can be difficult. Full article at the link above.

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Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Uncategorized

Research – Norovirus confirmed as etiology of last two cruise ship outbreaks

Posted on March 14, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today norovirus-1080x655

In a follow-up on the two latest cruise ship outbreaks investigated by the Centers for Disease Control’s Vessel Sanitation Program in February– Princess Cruises Island Princess and Viking Ocean Cruises Viking Star, officials have determined that the etiology for both outbreaks was norovirus.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Norovirus, Uncategorized

Information -Controlling Legionella in Emergency Showers & Eyewash Stations

Posted on March 14, 2019 by | Leave a comment

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Controlling Legionella in emergency showers and eyewash stations is an essential process to help maintain workplace safety for those businesses that need to provide such emergency facilities. In this guide the water safety experts at Legionella Control International look at how these showers and emergency wash facilities can increase the risks from Legionella and what practical measures can be taken to keep it under control and keep people safe.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Legionella, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Uncategorized, water microbiology

Australia- FSANZ report says Australian recalls jumped in 2018

Posted on March 14, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The number of food recalls hit the three figure mark in 2018, according to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).

There were 100 recalls last year, up from 69 in 2017, with 46 percent due to undeclared allergens and 20 percent because of microbial contamination. There were 33 undeclared allergen recalls in 2016, 34 in 2017 and 46 in 2018.

Mark Booth, FSANZ chief executive officer, said results demonstrate food businesses in Australia need to know the mandatory allergen labeling requirements in the Food Standards Code.

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Posted in Allergens, Allergic Reaction, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Testing, Uncategorized

France – E. coli O26/O157 and Salmonella behind French cheese recalls

Posted on March 13, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

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E. coli has prompted two different recalls of cheese and there has been one due to Salmonella in France in the past few weeks.

Recalls have been due to E. coli O26, E. coli O157 and Salmonella Montevideo but no illnesses have been reported.

Fromagère du Moulin de Carel recalled camembert from the supermarket Carrefour due to E. coli O26 H11.

The affected Camembert de Normandie 250-gram product has lot code of L19009C and date of March 10, 2019. It was beginning in late January.

The company, based in Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives, took the action after E. coli was detected during a microbiological control test.

Fromagère de Jort, based in Bernière d’Ailly, also recalled camembert made from raw milk from Carrefour and Auchan due to finding the same pathogen during a microbiological control.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, E.coli O26, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Information – Controlling Legionella on Ships, Ferries & Maritime Vessels

Posted on March 13, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Legionella Control 

This expert guide from our water safety specialists looks at the control of legionella on ships, ferries and other maritime vessels. The guide considers the water safety risks that can arise on-board different vessels, the need to consider dry dock safety, why a detailed risk assessment and Water Safety Plan are essential, and concludes by outlining the potential consequences following an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Legionella, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Uncategorized, water microbiology

Information -Bioterrorism: Using Foods and Beverages As Deadly Weapons

Posted on March 12, 2019 by | Leave a comment

In Homeland Security

“The food industry should start thinking seriously about various terrorism-related scenarios that could potentially involve radioactive materials and make preparations for dealing with these situations should they become reality,” Robert A. Norton, Ph.D., urges in Food Safety Magazine.

“The most immediate element of concern for a food facility — maybe a large production plant or sprawling warehouse — would actually be from the direct blast effects emanating from an improvised explosive device (IED) rather than from any radioactive material that might be present,” Norton added.

He was particularly concerned about possible radioactive elements being inserted into foods and beverages to cause illnesses or death. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has provided the food industry very rigid safeguards against poisonous chemicals entering our food. The USDA has a detailed list of Food Safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on food handling, cleaning, cooking and personal hygiene.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, there are “an estimated 2.1 million farms, 935,000 restaurants, and more than 200,000 registered food manufacturing, processing, and storage facilities. This sector accounts for roughly one-fifth of the nation’s economic activity.”

 

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Uncategorized

UK – Europe – Brexit – Food safety issues unclear as UK nears Brexit

Posted on March 11, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Fresh Plaza

The United Kingdom will lose access to RASFF after Brexit and Britain’s future relationship with EFSA remains unclear, says the British public health minister. Britain’s future trade with US food companies is also uncertain, with some in the UK saying certain food safety practices in the United States are unacceptable.

Questioned by the British Parliament’s Energy and Environment Committee this week, Minister Steve Brine, MP, confirmed the UK would not be able to vote in the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed or have access to the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) after the UK’s exit from the European Union later this month.

Brine admitted it is not known what the UK’s relationship with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will be, and whether Britain will retain access to food safety risk assessment work.

Lord Robin Teverson, chair of the committee, has said the lack of clarity is deeply concerning in the scenario that an agreement is reached and there is a transition period.

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Posted in EFSA, RASFF, Uncategorized