The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and G. Dion Foods are warning the public not to consume the Dion brand curry powder described below because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. The affected product, Dion brand Organic Curry powder is sold in 36 g packages bearing lot code 02B01G and UPC 6 20383 02007 7. This product has been distributed in Quebec and Ontario.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
This study evaluated the high pressure inactivation of Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, and poultry meat spoilage organisms. All treatments were performed in aseptically prepared minced poultry meat. Treatment of 19 strains of C. jejuni at 300 MPa and 30°C revealed a large variation of pressure resistance.
The efficacy of cinnamaldehyde and Sporan for reducing Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on spinach leaves was investigated. Spinach leaves were inoculated with a five-strain cocktail of Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7, air dried for ca. 30 min, and then immersed in a treatment solution containing 5 ppm of free chlorine, cinnamaldehyde, or Sporan (800 and 1,000 ppm) alone or in combination with 200 ppm of acetic acid (20%) for 1 min or with water (control).
Dr. Ron Cutler, a biomedical scientist in London specialising in infectious diseases and their control and treatment, has run studies at Queen Mary – University of London, proving that such things as restaurant high chairs and your car’s steering wheel are likely to have more germs than a public toilet seat.
Now he’s examined 200 bills of currency (British bank notes) and 45 credit cards and discovered that 26 per cent of the notes and 47 per cent of the cards had high levels of bacteria. In other words, money and credit cards are dirtier than a toilet seat.
Posted in Bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen
Tagged science
After the 2011 outbreak of E.coli O104 :H4 in Europe this study investigated the theory that cattle could be the reservoir for the organism but non of the cattle tested showed positive for the markers they searched for.
The actual number of bacteria-related foodborne illness incidents in Japan could be hundreds of times more than what official government statistics show, a recent report indicates.
The report, compiled by a Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare study group comprised of researchers, estimates that the actual number of bacteria-related food poisoning incidents between 2005 and 2009 ranged from 36 to 715 times more than those described in official government statistics.
The study group estimates that in 2006, for example, there were a total of 1,641,396 “Campylobacter” bacteria-related food poisoning incidents — some 715 times more than the 2,297 cases reported by the health ministry for the same year. Furthermore, in all studied time periods, the actual cases of food poisoning related to the same bacteria type — which is usually found in raw meat — are estimated at over 400 times more than those described in official governmental statistics.
As many as 47 student nurses and eight staff nurses have been hospitalised with acute food poisoning at the Benazir Bhutto Hospital during last 24 hours reportedly after eating food at the nursing hostel.
On February 22, 2012 Charcuterie La Tour Eiffel recalled Parisian Cooked Ham because it may have been contaminated with what the recall said were “dangerous bacteria or parasites.”
Another recall was issued Wednesday for more products from the same company. This time, the recall was issued because the products may be contaminated with Clostridium perfingens. This bacteria can cause serious illness. The products were supplied to retailers, hotels, restaurants, and institutions in Quebec.
B&M Sausages in Scotland is withdrawing a variety of meat products, produced up to and including 1 March 2012. Food contact surfaces were inadequately disinfected, resulting in possible contamination of the products with harmful bacteria. The Agency has issued a Product Withdrawal Information Notice.
The products being recalled are:
B&M is withdrawing all the affected products from the four delicatessens it supplies and customer notices will be displayed in stores, explaining why the products have been withdrawn.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Charcuterie La Tour Eiffel are warning the public not to consume the Tour Eiffel brand Parisian Cooked Ham described below because the product may be contaminated with dangerous bacteria or parasites.
The affected product, Tour Eiffel brand Parisian Cooked Ham was sold from deli counters at certain Sobeys stores (e.g., IGA, IGA extra) and Metro stores (e.g., Metro, Marché Richelieu), as well as certain independent grocers and delicatessens in Quebec between February 10 and 21, 2012.
Some deli packages may not bear a label indicating brand or date information. Consumers who cannot determine the original product identity are advised to check with their retailer to determine if the product is affected.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
FoodWorld 