Aflatoxin in almonds from Australia in Spain
Aflatoxin in almonds from Australia in Spain
Aflatoxin in almonds from Australia in Spain
Aflatoxins in organic dried figs from Turkey in Italy
Aflatoxins in dried figs from Turkey in Belgium
Aflatoxins in Pistachios kernel from Iran in Slovakia
Aflatoxins in peanut marzipan from Mexico, via Germany in Finland
Ochratoxin-A in nutmeg from Indonesia in the Netherlands
Posted in food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Mold Toxin, Mould Toxin, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, RASFF
LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES IN GOAT RAW MILK CHEESE from France in France and Portugal
Listeria monocytogenes in raw milk blue cheese from Northern Ireland in Germany
Listeria monocytogenes in chilled cooked organic beetroots from the Netherlands in Belgium
Listeria monocytogenes in frozen meatballs from Bulgaria in Germany
Salmone affumicato presenza di Listeria Monocytogenes in Denmark
Presence of Salmonella spp. in sesame seeds from Nigeria in Greece
Salmonella Enteritidis detected in frozen fresh chicken meat from Poland in France
Salmonella Enteritidis in chicken neck skin from Poland in France
Salmonella in pork meat from Germany in Estonia and Finland
Salmonella group CO in chilled turkey carcasses from Poland in the UK, Sweden and Germany
Salmonella l-form in hulled sesame seeds from Nigeria via Turkey in Germany
Salmonella Saintpaul, Salmonella Denver and Salmonella Poona in black pepper from Brazil in Germany
Salmonella Grumpensis in black pepper from Brazil in Germany
Posted in food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, RASFF, Salmonella, Salmonella in Black Pepper, Salmonella in Chicken, Salmonella Poland, Salmonella Sesame Seeds
Salmonella spp. in fish meal from Mauritania in Spain
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis in England. Substantial yearly increases of autochthonous infections were observed during 2003–2016 and again during 2017–2019. Previous studies associated acute HEV cases with consumption of processed pork products, we investigated risk factors for autochthonous HEV infections in the blood donor population in England. Study participants were 117 HEV RNA–positive blood donors and 564 HEV RNA–negative blood donors. No persons with positive results were vegetarian; 97.4% of persons with positive results reported eating pork products. Consuming bacon (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.7–5.5; p<0.0001), cured pork meats (OR 3.5, 95% CI 2.2–5.4; p<0.0001), and pigs’ liver (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.0–8.3; p = 0.04) were significantly associated with HEV infection. Our findings confirm previous links to pork products and suggest that appropriate animal husbandry is essential to reduce the risk for HEV infection.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will be collecting and testing samples of lettuce grown in California’s Salinas Valley from local commercial coolers from May through November 2021. The agency will test the samples for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), including E. coli O157:H7, and Salmonella spp. as part of ongoing surveillance efforts following reoccurring outbreaks linked to this region, including most recently in the fall of 2020.
The FDA assignment will direct sampling to be conducted at commercial cooling and cold storage facilities where field heat is removed from harvested lettuce and where product is cold-stored before processing. Sampling may include pre-cooled product (preferred) or post-cooled product. Sample collection at commercial coolers helps the FDA efficiently obtain samples from multiple farms at centralized locations and facilitates prompt traceback and follow-up if contamination is detected.
The agency plans to collect and test a total of approximately 500 post-harvest samples of iceberg, leaf and romaine lettuce. Each sample will consist of 10 subsamples, each made up of one head of lettuce (trimmed, cored and possibly wrapped), or in the case of romaine lettuce, loose leaves or one package of hearts. FDA laboratories will conduct all testing.
During this sampling assignment, the FDA will take extra precautions to help ensure the safety of agency investigators and firm employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. FDA investigators will preannounce their visits to firms per the Agency’s COVID-19 safety practices. They will be outfitted with personal protective equipment (PPE) and will carry out their work while adhering to local, state and applicable CDC guidance.
Helping to ensure the safety of leafy greens remains a high priority of the FDA. This assignment adds to other work underway in collaboration with stakeholders in the California Central Coast growing region to identify where the recurring strain of pathogenic E. coli is persisting and the likely routes of leafy green contamination with STECs. This includes continued implementation of actions identified in the recently updated Leafy Greens Action Plan, including a multi-year longitudinal study to assess the environmental factors impacting the presence of foodborne pathogens in this region. Consistent with the action plan, if the FDA detects a pathogen such as E. coli O157:H7, the agency will conduct a follow-up investigation to identify potential sources and routes of contamination. Such investigations are designed to inform what additional preventive measures may be needed to help prevent outbreaks of foodborne illness.
Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, 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 Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, Research, Salmonella, STEC, STEC E.coli
A French agency has proposed a guideline value to protect consumers of shellfish from a group of marine biotoxins.
The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) said brevetoxins (BTX) were first detected in mussels in Corsica in 2018. If ingested by humans, these toxins can cause neurological, gastrointestinal or cardiovascular symptoms.
After this finding a few years ago, ANSES was asked by the Directorate General for Food (DGAL) and Directorate General for Health (DGS) to propose a guideline value to protect the health of people who eat shellfish. The agency has published an opinion and report on the subject in French.
Based on reports of food poisoning in other countries, ANSES has set a guideline value to protect consumers of products such as oysters and mussels. This value is 180 µg/kg of shellfish flesh, expressed in BTX-3 equivalents, with BTX-3 being the form of brevetoxin used as the reference.
A current foodborne outbreak has caused the closure of school buildings for at least two weeks in Camden County, NJ.
On May 6, the district’s employees experienced symptoms of foodborne illness after attending a luncheon catered by an outside vendor.
As of the posting of this article, the exact pathogen is still unknown. However, the Camden County Department of Health has stated that they suspected the pathogens could be highly contagious.
The Waterford Township School District is a community public school district that serves students in prekindergarten through sixth grade.
On May 10, the district’s Superintendent, Brenda Harring, sent a letter to the parents of students at Waterford Township School District explaining that more than 60 percent of the school’s staff members that participated in the luncheon became ill and are continuing to recover.
Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak
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