Monthly Archives: March 2019

USA – Like eggs over easy warning letters follow last year’s violations

Posted on March 4, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

 

Shell egg farms in Alabama and New York inspected last year by the Food and Drug Administration were recently warned about the serious violations FDA discovered.

In the warning letters, FDA discloses more details about a previously reported outbreak and reports  that the  Salmonella Enteritidis or SE outbreak caused a cage-free egg producer to cease operations.

Alabama’s Gravel Ridge Farms in Cullman was the likely source of a multi-state SE outbreak that last year sickened 44 people in 11 states, FDA says in the recently released warning letter dated Feb. 12, 2019.

As consequence, Gravel Ridge recalled 660,000 shell eggs between May 22 and Aug. 29, 2018. It was one of two large shell egg recalls that occurred last year.   The other involved a Salmonella Braenderup outbreak.

FDA’s Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) Network and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated the outbreak. A match to the outbreak strain was turned up from an environmental swab in laying house 2 at Gravel Ridge Farms.

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

USA – Norovirus Outbreak at Tijuana Taco and California Tacos

Posted on March 4, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Journal Norwalk_Caspid

From Tacoma/Piece County Department of Health:

Update March 1, 2019

Since our last update, 13 more people have reported norovirus-like illness to the Health Department after they said they ate at Tijuana Taco. As of today, 51 customers have contacted us with reports of illness from this suspected norovirus outbreak.

We’ve collected samples from ill customers and restaurant employees for testing. We’ll report the findings of those lab tests once we have them, which could be in the next week or two.

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Norovirus, Uncategorized

USA – Campylobacter Outbreak in 2017 Associated with Well Water Supply in Nebraska

Posted on March 4, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The February 22, 2019 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Morftality Weekly Report had a study about a Campylobacter outbreak in 2017 that was associated with the municipal water supply in Nebraska. At least 39 people were sickened after they drank untreated city water. The city was not named, just called “City A.”

Apparently, a center pivot irrigation system, that was supposed to pump livestock waste into farmland malfunctioned. Runoff collected in a road ditch near two wells that fed the water supply.

There were 33 probable and 6 confirmed cases in this outbreak. Untreated unboiled city A tap water was the only exposure that was significantly associated with illness.

The city is served by four untreated wells and an interconnected distribution system. After the wells were removed from service, no further illnesses were reported.

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Posted in Campylobacter, Contaminated water, Uncategorized, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

Canada – Breaded Chicken Salmonella Outbreak in Canada Has Sickened 534

Posted on March 4, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

kswfoodworld salmonella

Image CDC

A breaded chicken Salmonella outbreak in Canada has sickened at least 534 people in 13 provinces. There are actually 15 national outbreaks linked to raw chicken, including raw breaded chicken products. Food recalls have been issued for twelve products that are linked to some of these outbreak investigations.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Research – Toxoplasma gondii and Other Zoonotic Protozoans in Mediterranean Mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis): A Food Safety Concern?

Posted on March 3, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection 

Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) are among the most consumed fishery products, but they are frequent vehicles of foodborne infection worldwide. In this study, we investigated the occurrence and seasonality of zoonotic protozoans in mussels farmed or sold at retail outlets in Italy. We collected and tested 1,440 M. galloprovincialis and 180 M. edulis. Pooled samples were molecularly tested for Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., and Toxoplasma gondii and then sequenced. Sixty-two (45.9%; 95% confidence interval, 37.5 to 54.3%) mussel pools tested positive for one or more of the investigated pathogens. Both Mytilus species and samples from all the investigated areas harbored pathogens. Mussels were statistically more contaminated by Cryptosporidium spp., followed by T. gondii and G. duodenalis assemblage A, and M. galloprovincialis was more contaminated than M. edulis (P < 0.01). Contamination was more likely in mussels at retail outlets (P < 0.05) than in those from farms and in mussels collected in spring (P < 0.01) than in other seasons. This is the first report of T. gondii found in M. galloprovincialis in Italy and in M. edulis in Europe. The detection of zoonotic protozoans in a widely consumed food source indicates the need for a more detailed microbiological risk analysis, especially considering that bivalve mollusks are often consumed raw worldwide.

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Posted in Cryptosporidium, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Giardia, Protozoan, Toxoplasma gondii, Toxoplasmosis, Uncategorized

Research – Inhibitory Effect of Lactic Acid Bacteria on Foodborne Pathogens: A Review

Posted on March 3, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

Foodborne pathogens are serious challenges to food safety and public health worldwide. Fermentation is one of many methods that may be used to inactivate and control foodborne pathogens. Many studies have reported that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can have significant antimicrobial effects. The current review mainly focuses on the antimicrobial activity of LAB, the mechanisms of this activity, competitive growth models, and application of LAB for inhibition of foodborne pathogens.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Testing, lactic acid bacteria, Pathogen, Uncategorized

Research – Survival of Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli O157:H7 Sprayed onto the Foliage of Field-Grown Cabbage Plants

Posted on March 2, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

To reduce the number of cabbage pathogen outbreaks, it is essential to understand the fate of enteric pathogens that contaminate plants in the field. To assist in that effort, two independent trials were conducted with a red cultivar (cv. Red Dynasty) and a green cultivar (cv. Bravo F1) of field-grown cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata). In the first trial, plants with small heads were sprayed with an inoculum containing both attenuated Salmonella enterica Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (5.0 log CFU/mL). Initial pathogen levels (ca. 3.9 log CFU per head), determined through plate count enumeration (limit of detection was 1.3 log CFU/g), dropped precipitously such that 2 days later, they could not be detected by enrichment culture in 22 to 35% of the heads. However, subsequent declines were at a slower rate; no differences were observed between red and green cabbage heads (P > 0.05), and heads were still positive for the pathogens 22 days after being sprayed with the inoculum. As a result, the logistic model revealed that for every 2 days contaminated cabbage heads remained in the field, the probability of finding a positive sample decreased by a factor of 1.1 (95% confidence interval from 1.0 to 1.2, P = 0.0022) and 1.2 (95% confidence interval from 1.0 to 1.4, P ≤ 0.0001) for Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7, respectively. In the second trial occurring 2 weeks later, plants with medium red or green cabbage heads were sprayed with an inoculum at a dose of 3.5 log CFU/mL. A similar decay in prevalence over time occurred for green cabbage as in trial 1; however, pathogen decline in red cabbage was less in trial 2 than in trial 1. The extended persistence of pathogens in cabbage heads exhibited in both trials infers that harvest of contaminated cabbage destined for raw consumption is risky. Additional field studies are necessary to determine whether similar pathogen fates occur in other regions or climates and to clarify the effect of the maturity of red cabbage on pathogen inactivation.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Uncategorized

Research – Overview of Leafy Greens–Related Food Safety Incidents with a California Link: 1996 to 2016

Posted on March 2, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection Eurofins Food Testing UK

An increase in the number of foodborne illness outbreaks associated with produce has been noted in the literature, and leafy greens have been the most common produce category associated with these outbreaks. California is the largest leafy greens producer in the United States, and many related foodborne illness incidents were traced to this state. A systematic overview of leafy greens incidents linked to California was conducted by the California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch through analysis of complaints, routine surveillance sampling, disease outbreaks, and investigations covering 1996 to 2016. The goal was to develop a risk assessment tool to modernize emergency response efforts to foodborne illnesses related to leafy greens. A database including environmental, epidemiologic, and laboratory information for each incident was developed, and descriptive analysis was performed to identify trends. In the 21-year period analyzed, 134 incidents were identified, the majority of which were surveillance related. Approximately 2,240 U.S. cases of confirmed illness were reported (298 California cases resulting in 50 hospitalizations). Romaine lettuce and spinach were the most commonly implicated vehicles. The most prevalent hazard type was microbiological, in particular bacterial, specifically associated with pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli. In California, the overview provided the Food and Drug Branch with a platform to (i) enhance its Food Safety Program, Emergency Response Unit, and California Food Emergency Response Team; (ii) assist in more efficient investigation, response, control, and prevention of California-linked foodborne illness incidents; and (iii) identify knowledge gaps and develop effective definitions, procedures, training, guidelines, and policies that will be used to help prevent future outbreaks. Outcomes provide insight into the situation in the largest leafy greens–producing state and may be used to prioritize limited national food safety resources and aid in future leafy greens–related research and foodborne incident investigations.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Uncategorized

Research – Here’s why you really shouldn’t use your phone on the toilet

Posted on March 2, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Sports Yahoo

Germs, germs, germs

For a start the bathroom is a hotbed of germs, which can easily be collected on your digi friend.

Initial Washroom Hygiene swabbed smartphones and found that average reading across all the mobile phones was 1479.

Just to give you an idea of how germ-y this is, a reading of over 500 units from an object indicates a high level of contamination, 200-500 is the normal range, and under 200 is low.

“Our phones are a common reservoir for potentially harmful pathogens and bacteria, and we know that people are prone to using them while visiting the washroom,” explains Dr Colm Moore area technical manager for Initial Washroom Hygiene.

“This is especially alarming when you consider that up to 80% of all infections are transmitted by touch. So when people use their phones and put it in close proximity to their mouths when on calls, they are potentially increasing the likelihood of picking up an illness.”

While many of the pathogens found on phones can be harmless, some can lead to some pretty nasty health ailments.

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

USA – FDA Investigated a Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Concord Linked to Tahini Produced by Achdut Ltd. is over.

Posted on March 1, 2019 by | Leave a comment

FDA

Update: February 27, 2019

The United States Food and Drug Administration, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local partners, investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Concord illnesses linked to tahini imported from an Israeli manufacturer, Achdut Ltd., located in Ari’el, Israel.

As of February 27, 2019, there are eight illnesses associated with tahini products from Achdut Ltd. The CDC has announced that this outbreak appears to be over.

Recommendation

The FDA is advising consumers not to eat recalled Achva, Achdut, Soom, S&F, and Pepperwood brand tahini and Soom brand Chocolate Sweet Tahini Halva Spread (lot code 071318CH) with expiration dates ranging from April 7, 2020 to May 21, 2020 and Baron’s brand tahini with the expiration date of May 5, 2021. The product lot codes range from 18-097 to 18-141. Consumers should discard the product or return the product to the store for a refund.

Some brands of tahini manufactured by Achdut Ltd. may lack specific dates or may have labels that are written in Hebrew. Consumers who have purchased a tahini product and are uncertain of where the product was manufactured or cannot identify the brand by lot codes or expiration dates should discard the product or return the food to the store for a refund. More product information and pictures of the recalled product labels can be found in Achdut ‘s recall announcement. View Soom Foods’ recall announcement.

Retailers and restaurants should not use any of the recalled tahini manufactured by Achdut Ltd. at their establishments. Retailers and restaurants should throw the product out.

Firms that may have used the recalled tahini (either repacked or used as an ingredient in a food without a kill step) should consider recalling their products. Recalls should be reported to your local FDA office. A list of recall coordinators can be found in the firm’s recall announcement.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Salmonella, Uncategorized