RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes (in 2 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled vegetarian smoked sausage from Germany in the Netherlands
RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes (60 ; 100 CFU/g) in chilled herring fillets from Italy in Italy
RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes (>1500 CFU/g) in ready-to-eat chicken meat products from France in France
EFSA is closely monitoring the situation regarding the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that is affecting a large number of countries across the globe. There is currently no evidence that food is a likely source or route of transmission of the virus.
EFSA’s chief scientist, Marta Hugas, said: “Experiences from previous outbreaks of related coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), show that transmission through food consumption did not occur. At the moment, there is no evidence to suggest that coronavirus is any different in this respect.”
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has said that while animals in China were the likely source of the initial infection, the virus is spreading from person to person – mainly via respiratory droplets that people sneeze, cough, or exhale. More information on coronavirus and food can be found in this FAQ by the BfR, Germany’s risk assessment body.
Scientists and authorities across the world are monitoring the spread of the virus and there have not been any reports of transmission through food. For this reason, EFSA is not currently involved in the response to the COVID-19 outbreaks. However, we are monitoring the scientific literature for new and relevant information.
Regarding food safety, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued precautionary recommendations including advice on following good hygiene practices during food handling and preparation, such as washing hands, cooking meat thoroughly and avoiding potential cross-contamination between cooked and uncooked foods. More information can be found on the WHO website.
The FSA Board has welcomed a report which presents new comprehensive estimates of the societal burden caused by foodborne illnesses in the UK.
The outcome of an extensive programme of work conducted over a five-year period was scrutinised by Members at the FSA Board Meeting, and provides a more in depth understanding of the wider impacts of foodborne diseases such as norovirus, campylobacter and listeria.
For the first time, the study also incorporates estimates based on the impacts of foodborne illness cases where a specific pathogen is not identified, often as a result of people not seeking medical attention.
The new model which produced the estimates follows an established process used in the UK and internationally to assess the financial impacts and the ‘human costs’ such as pain grief and suffering and changes to quality and length of life.
Estimates for these ‘human costs’ were developed in part by surveying more than 4,000 people to produce monetised values to measure the impact of different foodborne pathogens.
This will allow for these intangible human impacts to be considered alongside financial impacts when decisions relating to foodborne illnesses are made.
The model shows that for 2018:
The Board welcomed the work and the report’s findings which provides the FSA with a more robust and comprehensive awareness of the impact of all foodborne illnesses and an additional tool to direct future decisions on prevention.
Heather Hancock, Chair of The Food Standards Agency said:
“I welcome this vital new research. Being able to put a cost on the personal, social and economic burden when someone becomes ill as a result of food, represents a milestone for the FSA.
“We will use this new analysis of the cost of illness, and how it varies between different germs, to help set our priorities for tackling foodborne illness and to focus the FSA’s expertise, money and influence.”
Professor Rick Mumford, Head of Science Evidence and Research at the Food Standards Agency said:
“For the first time this model gives the FSA and other partners a much more detailed picture of how foodborne illnesses can impact society.
“We have designed it from the ground up to measure the impacts of specific pathogens as well as for the first time providing an estimate of the majority of cases where no pathogen is attributed.
“As a result, we are now equipped with robust, quantitative evidence on the impact of foodborne disease which significantly strengthens our decision-making ability.”
Richard Smith, Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor and Professor of Health Economics at the University of Exeter said:
“Providing an understanding of the impact of foodborne disease on individuals and wider society is a critical building block to understanding where and how to best deal with it.
“The FSA has a rich history of developing such analyses, and this latest work builds on that with significant revisions and updates to provide the most robust values yet of the societal impact of foodborne disease.
“This provides a robust, powerful and flexible tool to assist FSA in determining its priorities for tackling foodborne disease, which remains a serious challenge for our society.”
FSA economists worked with academics from leading UK universities to develop the Cost of Illness (COI) model to identify and measure all the costs of a particular disease.
The model is loosely based on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)’s Cost to Britain model (Opens in a new window)which estimates the annual cost of workplace fatalities, self-reported injuries and ill health at £15bn.
This new model was quality assured internally and externally by independent experts and represents a significant improvement from the previous, much simpler model used to estimate the burden of foodborne illness. Further work is currently ongoing to apply these methodologies to other areas, including food allergy and hypersensitivity.
The Burden of Foodborne Disease in the UK 2018 Report
Comparisons to previous estimates is not possible as this is the first time that the FSA have estimated the total burden of foodborne illness.
This estimate is therefore inevitably greater than the estimates for identifiable cases alone for the following reasons:
Posted in Campylobacter, food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Poisoning Death, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Food Virus, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Norovirus, Uncategorized, Virus
Federal health officials report investigating an outbreak of diarrhea among passengers and crew onboard Holland America Line vessel, Westerdam’s March 1–March 16, 2020 voyage.
According to officials, 21 of 680 passengers and one of the crew members have been sickened.
The etiology of the outbreak has not been identified.
As of March 9, 2020, 36 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported from 17 states. Arizona 2, California 9, Florida 2, Hawaii 3, Indiana 1, Kentucky 1, Maryland 2, Massachusetts 2, Michigan 1, Missouri 1, Nevada 1, New Jersey 1, New York 4, North Carolina 1, Rhode Island 1, Tennessee 1, Virginia 3.
Four deaths have been reported from California, Hawaii, and New Jersey. Six cases are pregnancy-associated and two resulted in fetal loss.
Listeria samples from ill people were collected from November 23, 2016 to December 13, 2019. Ill people range in age from less than 1 to 97 years, with a median age of 67. Fifty-eight percent of ill people are female. Of 32 ill people with information available, 30 hospitalizations have been reported.
Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Uncategorized
Ottawa, March 11, 2020 – The food recall warning issued on March 10, 2020 has been updated to include additional product information. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.
Sobeys Inc. is recalling Sobeys and Foodland brand Asian Vegetable Mix from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.
| Brand | Product | Size | UPC | Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sobeys | Asian Vegetable Mix | Variable | Starts with 208066 | Up to and including BB: 2020MR15 |
| Foodland | Asian Vegetable Mix | Variable | Starts with 208066 | Up to and including BB: 2020MR15 |
If you think you became sick from consuming a recalled product, call your doctor.
Check to see if you have the recalled product in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.
Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may contract serious and sometimes deadly infections. Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.
This recall was triggered by test results. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.
The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing the recalled products from the marketplace.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.
LARKANA: As many as 168 people were brought to the hospital suffering from food poisoning on Saturday, said Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) medical superintendent Dr Syed Ershad Hussain Kazmi. Two adult patients were in critical condition.
According to Dr Kazmi, the patients brought to the hospital had apparently consumed contaminated food, consisting of chapatti and chicken karahi, at a ceremony in Rahim Bughio village.
According to the hospital management, 22 affected children had been admitted for treatment. Besides, 86 adults were brought to the CMCH casualty department. Out of them, over 25 were discharged while 20 others were admitted.
Food recalls increased almost 20 percent in Finland this past year, according to data compiled by the Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto).
The most common reason for the 200 withdrawals in 2019 was related to allergens. Allergen errors accounted for the largest proportion of recalls for the second year running, at 27 percent.
Microbiological issues such as Salmonella, Listeria, and molds caused the second most recalls with 20 percent of incidents.
Just under half of the recalled food and food contact materials came from another EU country. Finnish products accounted for about 28 percent, as did items from non-EU countries.
Recall rise does not mean more products unsafe
Recalls went up by 32 this past year compared to 2018. It is the fourth year in a row that alerts in the country have increased. There were 111 recalls in 2015, 131 in 2016, 158 in 2017, 168 in 2018 and 200 in 2019.
FoodWorld 