EDMONTON – Health officials in southwestern Alberta are dealing with an acute outbreak of salmonella. Officials in Lethbridge say there are more than 30 cases, mostly in rural areas. Many of the infections are secondary ones, meaning it is being spread by household contact. Symptoms include nausea and vomiting and residents are warned that the most serious complication is dehydration.
Listeria monocytogenes (15000 CFU/g) in smoked salmon in Germany sourced from Poland
Welcome to outbreakdatabase.com, a searchable database of illness outbreaks caused by one or more of the following
The database describes outbreaks occurring since 1984.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines an outbreak as “two or more ill persons linked to a common source” and this serves as the basis of outbreakdatabase.com. To be included in outbreakdatabase.com, the outbreak must have supporting documentation from public health agencies, journal articles, media reports, etc. Names of stores, brands, restaurants, or other sources are listed if they have been publicly identified previously.
The database is a work in progress. It will continually be updated and revised. Significant effort has been made to ensure the data are accurate. We welcome contributions, corrections, comments, etc. Please use the contact form for comments.
Up to 10,000 pounds of spinach are washed and packaged every day in iVeg Pak’s Toronto, Ontario plant. No matter where the spinach originates – Mexico, Texas, New Jersey or Ontario – the end product goes into a Pop-i package. That brand must be protected, not only for the Carnevale family owners but for the entire food chain.
To meet those standards, Taylor McCarthy’s full-time job is quality assurance, taking water samples every hour and making sure that the spinach is in the peracetic acid bath for a minimum of 45 seconds before proceeding to a drum dryer.
“This sanitizer has proven to be very effective,” says McCarthy. “We are an industry leader in using this product instead of chlorine. It’s not as corrosive on the stainless steel equipment.”
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Methods, Microbiology, Research
Tagged restaurants, water
S&M International Inc, Bayonne, NJ is recalling Yang Sheng cooked salted duck eggs, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which can cause serious life-threating illness or death. Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look smelled or spoiled.
The recall was initiated after it was discovered through NYSDAM Sampling which revealed the product was not processed in a manner to prevent growth of Clostridium botulinum. S&M International Inc reached the decision to recall this product after a thorough investigation. The company has taken a number of corrective steps to address the issue.
FSA – 
Heads of Environmental Health and Directors of Trading Standards will wish to be aware of a recall associated with rose bean curd tofu and chilli bean curd tofu originating from China via the Netherlands. The Dutch importer Liroy B.V, is recalling all affected batches.
The two affected products have shown to be contaminated with Bacillus cereus and several different yeast varieties. The affected products have been distributed widely throughout the UK. Pictures are attached for ease of identification.
The levels of Bacillus cereus detected render the product a potential health risk.
Identification of the affected products:
1) Koon Yick Wah Kee – Rose Bean Curd (Tofu) 454g. Best Before Date 30.12.14 Lot number 023424
2) Koon Yick Wah Kee – Chilli Bean Curd (Tofu) 454g. Best Before Date 30.12.14 Lot Number 023421
Actions to be taken by local authorities.
Local authorities are requested to identify and make contact with relevant retailers in their area who may sell the implicated product. If implicated products are found during the course of their investigations, enforcement officers should ensure that the specific lot code and ‘best before’ date are withdrawn from sale and destroyed, if necessary, using powers under the Food Safety Act 1990.
Local authorities should report any finding of the implicated product by emailing the FSA’s dedicated Food Incidents mailbox: foodincidents@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
This notice provides new instructions to inspection program personnel (IPP) for verifying and documenting the sample source (beef, veal, or mixed) in the Public Health Information System (PHIS) when collecting raw beef samples under FSIS’s verification testing programs for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC).
Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterial foodborne pathogen, can cause meningitis, bacteremia, and complications during pregnancy. This report summarizes listeriosis outbreaks reported to the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during 1998–2008. The study period includes the advent of PulseNet (a national molecular subtyping network for outbreak detection) in 1998 and the Listeria Initiative (enhanced surveillance for outbreak investigation) in 2004. Twenty-four confirmed listeriosis outbreaks were reported during 1998–2008, resulting in 359 illnesses, 215 hospitalizations, and 38 deaths. Outbreaks earlier in the study period were generally larger and longer. Serotype 4b caused the largest number of outbreaks and outbreak-associated cases. Ready-to-eat meats caused more early outbreaks, and novel vehicles (i.e., sprouts, taco/nacho salad) were associated with outbreaks later in the study period. These changes may reflect the effect of PulseNet and the Listeria Initiative and regulatory initiatives designed to prevent contamination in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.
The company TOM GUYOMARC’H recalls sausages (any kind) brand TOM GUYOMARC’H, following the identification of Listeria .
Following the discovery by sampling Listeria monocytogenes , 2 lots Andouilles brand TOM GUYOMARC’H have been removed from sale by the precautionary principle and a recall of these products is in progress.
The products concerned: any type sausages
Consignment: 12292 and 12293
| Monday 17th December | |
| Food Product: | Dips and spreads |
| Name of Product and Identification: | ‘Gesas’ brand Tahini Date mark (Exp) 06.2014 (see container lids) |
| Package Description & Size: | 18kg buckets, 1000g plastic bottles and 600g glass jars |
| NZ Distribution: | The product is sold in ethnic retail supermarkets throughout New Zealand. |
| Overseas Distribution: | No |
| Reason for Recall: | Grand Bazaar Ltd are initiating a recall of the ‘Gesas’ branded tahini after discovering the tahini is contaminated with Salmonella. |
| Comments: | Salmonella can cause symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain and nausea. Any person concerned about their health should seek medical advice. Customers should return the product to their retailer for a full refund or phone 09 828 5246 with any queries. This recall does not affect any other Grand Bazaar Ltd product. Grand Bazaar Ltd 40 Honan Pl Avondale Auckland |
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, Salmonella
Tagged health
The Kroger Company is warning its customers that Dolores Pickled Carrots, 1RW are being recalled because the product may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. The product was sold in Food4Less and FoodsCo stores. Discard of the product in a sealed container or return it to the store for a refund.
FoodWorld 