Author Archives: KSW

RASFF Alerts – STEC E.coli – Wood Ear Mushrooms – Psyllium Fibre

RASFF

STEC (stx2+; eae+) in wood ear mushrooms from Thailand in Switzerland

RASFF

Presence of E. Coli VTEC O103:H2 in 99% psyllium fibre from India in Italy

RASFF Alerts – Norovirus – French Oysters – Strawberries

RASFF

Presence of Norovirus genotype II in strawberries from Morocco in the Netherlands and Spain

RASFF

Norovirus in oysters from France in Belgium

RASFF Alert- Visible Mold/Mould – Falafel

RASFF

Visible mold in falafel, due to insufficient pasteurisation, from the Netherlands in Germany

RASFF Alert- Enterobacteriaceae – Fish Meal

RASFF

High content of Enterobacteriaceae in fishmeal from Norway in Spain

RASFF Alerts – Animal Feed – Salmonella – Raw Pet Food – Freeze Dried Raw Snacks Duck and Chicken

RASFF

Salmonella in raw pet food from Netherlands in Belgium

RASFF

Salmonella enteritidis in Carnilove Freeze-dried Raw snacks Duck& Chicken from Estonia in the Czech Republic

USA – Iowa Egg Company Inc. – Warning Letter – Salmonella

FDA

On June 28-29, 2023, the Iowa Department of Agriculture, under contract with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), inspected your shell egg farm and egg processing facility, where your eggs are washed, graded, and packed, located at 3407 Kirkwood Ave., Osage, IA 50461. The inspection revealed serious violations of the Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in Shell Eggs During Production, Storage, and Transportation regulation (the Shell Egg regulation), Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 118 (21 CFR Part 118). Failure to comply with the provisions of 21 CFR 118 causes your shell eggs to be in violation of section 361(a) of the Public Health Service Act (the PHS Act), 42 U.S.C. § 264(a). In addition, these violations render your shell eggs adulterated within the meaning of section 402(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act), 21 U.S.C. § 342(a)(4), in that they have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health. You may find the Act, the PHS Act and Shell Egg regulation through links on FDA’s home page at http://www.fda.gov.

At the conclusion of the inspection, Iowa Department of Agriculture State inspectors issued Mr. Jose Hernandez, Site Manager, an FDA Form 483 (FDA-483), Inspectional Observations. To date, FDA has not received a response describing corrective actions. Based on our review of the inspectional findings, we are issuing this letter to advise you of our concerns and to provide detailed information describing the findings at your farm. Your significant violations are as follows:

1.  You did not have and implement a written Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) Prevention Plan that includes, at minimum, the SE prevention measures required by 21 CFR118.4. You have a document titled “SE Prevention Plan”; however, as describedbelow, this plan is inadequate in that it does not address all required SE prevention measures.

Japan – 163 get norovirus after eating sashimi and sushi rolls at Tokyo restaurant

Japan Today

A norovirus outbreak sickened 163 customers at Kisoji, a traditional Japanese restaurant chain in Tokyo, between Jan 30 and Feb 3.

According to health officials in Adachi Ward, the customers were aged between 6 and 88 and dined at Kisoji’s Nishiarai branch, TV Asahi reported. Some complained of diarrhea, while others vomited after eating the sashimi set menus and ehomaki sushi rolls. Three diners were admitted to the hospital for severe symptoms.

After the hospital determined the patients were suffering from norovirus, the public health center suspended operations at the Nishiarai restaurant from Feb 6 to 10.

New Zealand- Shellfish Biotoxin Alert – PSP

MPI

EAST CAPE LOBSTER WARNING

Toggle expandable

Reason for alert Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP)

Check the symptoms of PSP

Date warning issued Media release: 26 January 2024

Update: The area affected by the warning was reduced on 15 February 2024.

Affected area From 15 February 2024, the area extends from the north side of Tolaga Bay to Hicks Bay.
Shellfish affected Lobster are the only species affected. Shellfish and finfish are not affected by this warning.

Lobster (crayfish) may still be eaten if the gut has been completely removed prior to cooking, as toxins can accumulate in the gut. If the gut is not removed its contents could contaminate the meat during the cooking process.

Symptoms Symptoms typically appear between 10 minutes and 3 hours after ingestion and may include:

  • numbness and a tingling (prickly feeling) around the mouth, face, and extremities (hands and feet)
  • difficulty swallowing or breathing
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • diarrhoea
  • paralysis and respiratory failure and, in severe cases, death.
Other information Elevated paralytic shellfish toxins are still being detected in lobster near Tokomaru Bay.

Map of the affected area

Map showing the area covered by the lobster biotoxin alert, extending from the north side of Tolaga Bay to Hicks Bay.

USA -FDA Core Investigation Table – Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

FDA

What’s New

  • For the outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes (ref #1214) linked to queso fresco and cotija cheese, the outbreak advisory has been updated to include additional downstream recalls.

11 sick in French cheese STEC O26 E. coli outbreak

Food Safety News

The number of children sick in a severe E. coli outbreak in France linked to raw milk cheese has risen to 11.

The 11 hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) cases were reported in late 2023. HUS is a severe complication associated with E. coli infections that causes kidney failure. Santé publique France surveillance on HUS only covers children younger than 15 years old in the country, so there could be other sick people in the outbreak.

Five young children attending the Minimes crèche in Toulouse had to be hospitalized in November. Stool cultures revealed Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection. Cheese has tested positive for E. coli O26.

The other six children with HUS infected with the outbreak strain are unrelated to the crèche and live in different regions.

Speaking to different French media outlets, the parents of two girls, Élise, aged 7, and Clara, 18 months old, revealed how their children had been affected and their ongoing health issues