Category Archives: Bacteria

USA – Two Salmonella Recalls – Ground Beef and RTE Pork Products

USDAUSDA

Jouni Meats, Inc., a Sterling Heights, Mich. retail store, is recalling
approximately 500 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with a
strain of Salmonella Typhimurium, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

USDA

Stallings Head Cheese Co., Inc., a Houston, Texas establishment, is recalling
4,700 pounds of hog head cheese that may be contaminated with
Salmonella, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

Hog head cheese products produced by EST. 2257 have been linked to a recent
Salmonella Uganda cluster involving six case-patients from Louisiana.

Research – Listeria Antibiotic Resistance in Burgers

Science Direct

Malaysian researchers have revealed the presence of multidrug-resistant strains of Listeria monocytogenes in frozen burger patties taken from supermarkets and other retail shops in Malaysia. The research was published in Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science.

A recent publication by W.C. Wong and colleagues in the Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science revealed the presence of multidrug-resistant strains of Listeria monocytogenes in frozen burger patties taken from supermarkets and other retail shops in Malaysia.

The results also suggested that the overall incidence of antibiotic resistance in L. monocytogenes is relatively low, and that most of the bacterial strains isolated from food are susceptible to antibiotics commonly used in veterinary and human therapy.

European/RASFF Alerts – Norovirus – Salmonella – Yersinia

Luxembourg – Listeria in Chicken Curry

RASFF – Norovirus in Chilled Live Oysters in Denmark source in France

RASFF – Salmonella in Turkey Breast in Sweden sourced in Brazil via Denmark

RASFF – Norovirus in Clams in Italy sourced in Tunisia

RASFF – Yersinia enterocolitica in chilled pork ham in Italy sourced in Spain

Research UK – Poultry Vaccinations – Reduction in Salmonella Infections

Food Safety NewsSalmonella

The United Kingdom’s mass poultry vaccinations introduced to combat Salmonella infections have led to a dramatic fall in the number of cases since the late 1990s, according to a researcher at the University of Liverpool.

Salmonella are dangerous foodborne bacteria that affect people worldwide, causing diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, fever and abdominal pain. The European Union currently sees around 6 million Salmonella infections per year, the majority of which are linked to food items such as eggs, chicken, beef, pork, salad vegetables and dairy products.

Between 1981 and 1991, the number of salmonella infections rose by 170 percent in the UK, driven primarily by an epidemic of Salmonella Enteritidis which peaked in 1993.

USA – Article – How do Pathogens get into Produce

This is a very interesting article in Food Safety News which I think would be of interest to Food Microbiologists and the Produce industry alike. the link will take you to the full article

Food Safety News

Leafy greens, lettuce, cantaloupes, mangoes and strawberries. These are just some of the foods that have sickened or even killed people when they were contaminated with foodborne pathogens such as E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella.

Amidst the confusing swirl of information about these and other produce outbreaks, the question arises: Were some of these pathogens inside the produce? Could it be — in some cases, anyway — that the plant’s roots sucked the pathogens up out of the soil and transferred them through the plant into its edible parts?

USA – Drinking Water Draft Revised Coliforms Regulations

USA EPA FactsheetWater

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revised the 1989 Total Coliform Rule (TCR), a national primary drinking water regulation (NPDWR). The purpose of the 1989 TCR is to protect public health by ensuring the integrity of the drinking water distribution system and monitoring for the presence of microbial contamination. EPA anticipates greater public health protection under the revised requirements, which are based on recommendations by a federal advisory committee and the agency’s consideration of public comments. The final Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR):

• Requires public water systems that are vulnerable to microbial contamination to identify and fix problems; and

• Establishes criteria for public water systems to qualify for and stay on reduced monitoring, which could reduce water system burden and provide incentives for better system operation.

The 1989 TCR remains effective until March 31, 2016. PWSs and primacy agencies must comply with the requirements of the RTCR beginning April 1, 2016.

Scientific American Article

European Alerts – Norovirus – Salmonella

Denmark – Norovirus in French Oysters

RASFF – Salmonella in Lemon Thyme in the UK sourced in Morocco

 

Danish Alerts – Listeria monocytogenes – Salted Pork – Teepolse

Denmark  – Salted Meat – Recall- Listeria monocytogenes

Denmark – Teepolse (cooked pork with spices and rum) – Recall Listeria monocytogenes

Hong Kong – Recall Australian Cheese Implicated in the Listeria Outbreak

Center for Food SafetyFood Testing

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (January 21) urged the public not to consume certain soft cheese products, manufactured in Australia, which might have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The trade should stop selling the concerned products.

“The CFS noticed through its routine Food Incident Surveillance System that some cheese products produced by an Australian manufacturer, Jindi Cheese Pty Ltd, were suspected to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.  The concerned company is now voluntarily recalling all soft and semi-soft cheese products it manufactured on or before January 6 this year,” a spokesman for the CFS said.

“The CFS subsequently received notification from the International Food Safety Authorities Network of the World Health Organisation / the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations that some of the affected products have been imported to Hong Kong,” he added.

According to the information provided by the Australian authorities, the CFS has contacted two chain stores which had imported the affected products, namely PARKnSHOP and Pacific Gourmet. The shops were instructed to stop selling the products concerned (see attached table). The CFS was also informed that the companies had set up hotlines to answer consumers’ enquiries about the product recall, PARKnSHOP at 2606 8658 and Pacific Gourmet at 3184 0805.

“In case any consumers have bought the affected soft cheese products, they should stop eating them, regardless of batches. To be prudent, consumers who recently bought any cut portion of gourmet soft cheese and are unsure of the product details should also stop eating it. People are advised to seek medical advice if they feel sick after consuming the products concerned. So far the CFS has not received any reports of persons feeling unwell after consumption of the affected products,” the spokesman said.

USA – FDA Recall Salad Sandwiches – Listeria monocytogenes

FDAlisteria-hp

Knott’s Fine Foods, Inc. of Paris, TN, is voluntarily recalling its 3 ounce Chicken Salad Sandwiches with an expiration date of 1/29/13 and earlier because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The recalled Chicken Salad Sandwiches were distributed in West Tennessee, Western Kentucky and North Mississippi in 35 retail stores.

The product comes in a 3 ounce black wedge with clear plastic film closure. UPC code is 0-11984-01132-6. All expiration dates 1/29/13 and earlier are being recalled. The expiration date is located on an orange sticker on the clear film of the package.

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.