Category Archives: Bacteria

RASFF Alerts Listeria – Fish – Campylobacter – Chicken – Bacillus cereus -Ginger Powder – Curry Powder

RASFF -Listeria monocytogenes (2600, <10 CFU/g) in smoked halibut from Belgium, with raw material from Denmark

RASFF -Listeria monocytogenes (<10 CFU/g) in various tuna, smoked salmon and sea food salads from Belgium in France

RASFF -Campylobacter coli (2800; 45000 CFU/g) and Campylobacter jejuni (3200; 120000 CFU/g) in fresh whole chicken, breast fillet from France in Den mark

RASFF -Bacillus cereus (39000 CFU/g) in ginger powder from India, via France in Switzerland

RASFF -Bacillus cereus (14000 CFU/g) in curry powder from India in Switzerland

RASFF – Bacillus cereus (55000 CFU/g) in curry powder from India in Switzerland

RASFF Alerts – Salmonella – Turkey – Chicken

 RASFF -Salmonella spp. in frozen turkey meat preparation from Brazil in the Netherlands

RASFF -Salmonella Heidelberg (presence /25g) in frozen whole chicken (Gallus gallus) from Brazil in Denmark

RASFF -Salmonella enteritidis (presence /25g) in chicken steak without bone from Poland in the Czech Republic

RASFF – Salmonella spp. in frozen chicken leg quarters from Denmark

RASFF – E.coli – Deer Meat – Beef

RASFF -Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (O103 VT1 EAE positive) in quick-frozen deer meat from Austria in Italy

RASFF – Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (presence /25g) in frozen boneless beef (Bos taurus) from Brazil inItaly

Canada – Gouda Cheese Updates – E.coli O157

CFIA

Ottawa, September 19, 2013 – The public warning issued on September 17, 2013 has been updated to include an additional product.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm (EST 4478) are warning the public not to consume the Mild Gouda Cheese described below because it may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

This recall is the result of an ongoing food safety investigation initiated as a result of a recent outbreak investigation. There may be recalls of additional products as the investigation at this facility continues.

Lot codes 122 to 138 are affected by this recall.

Some product packages may not bear a lot code or indicate that the cheese was made with raw milk. This product may also have been sold clerk-served from deli counters with or without a label or coding. Consumers who are unsure if they have purchased the affected product are advised to contact their retailer.

There have been reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

The manufacturer, Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm, Salmon Arm, BC is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

Food Safety News

The outbreak of E. coli linked to Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm in Canada has resulted in one death, as well as 10 confirmed and six suspected illnesses, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The victim who died was from British Columbia. Three more B.C. residents fell ill, while the other seven cases are in Alberta. The agency is investigating another six illnesses that appear to be connected.

Research – Cattle – Vacination and E.coli O157

Trading.comEcoli Istock

The bacteria, which cause severe gastrointestinal illness and even death in humans, are spread by consuming contaminated food and water, or by contact with livestock faeces in the environment. Cattle are the main reservoir for the bacterium. The vaccines that are available for cattle are rarely used, but the latest study suggests the public health benefits could be significant.

The research was lead by a team of researchers at the University of Glasgow in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, the Royal Veterinary College, Scotland’s Rural College, Health Protection Scotland, and the Scottish E. coli O157/VTEC Reference Laboratory.

The study, published in the online journal PNAS, used veterinary, human and molecular data to examine the risks of E. coli O157 transmission from cattle to humans, and to estimate the impact of vaccinating cattle.

UK – FSA – Food Business Toolkit

FSAfood_standards_agency_logo

The Food Standards Agency is encouraging food business to make the most of their food hygiene rating to help attract customers trade. A toolkit offering guidance, images, logos and web banners is available.

New Zealand – Fronterra Products Did Not Present a Threat

Botulism BlogClost

Dairy products made by the New Zealand company Fonterra that were at the center of a global contamination scare this month did not contain a bacterium that could cause botulism and posed no food safety threat, New Zealand officials said on Wednesday.

The Ministry for Primary Industries said tests showed that whey protein concentrate manufactured by the world’s largest dairy processor contained Clostridium sporogenes, which cannot cause botulism but which at elevated levels can be associated with food spoiling.

Initial tests conducted by Fonterra and a New Zealand government research institute had indicated the presence of Clostridium botulinum, raising fears that infant formula and sports drinks made from the product and widely exported could be dangerous.

The botulism scare caused a recall of products made by multinational brands that may have contained the whey protein in markets like China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. It also prompted bans in Russia and Sri Lanka.

Canada – CFIA Recall Gouda Raw Milk Cheese – Possible E.coli O157

CFIAEurofins Food Testing UK

Ottawa, September 17, 2013 – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm (EST 4478) are warning the public not to consume cheese products described below because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

This recall is the result of an ongoing food safety investigation initiated as a result of a recent outbreak investigation. There may be recalls of additional products as the investigation at this facility continues.

All sizes of the raw milk cheeses listed in the link above are affected by this recall.

These affected products were sold at the manufacturer’s outlet, at retail stores in Alberta and British Columbia, and through internet sale from May 27 to September 14, 2013, inclusive.

Lot codes 122 to 138 are affected by this recall.

Some product packages may not bear a lot code or indicate that the cheese was made with raw milk.  These products were also sold clerk-served from deli counters with or without a label or coding.  Consumers who are unsure if they have purchased the affected product are advised to contact their retailer.

There have been reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

The manufacturer, Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm, Salmon Arm, BC is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace.  The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

Research – Salmonella Antibiotic Resistance

Food Safety NewsSalm

The number of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella serotypes hasn’t increased drastically in recent years, but drug-resistant Salmonella continues to pose a public health threat in the United States, particularly as resistance spreads across classes of drugs, necessitates the use of more expensive drugs, makes treatment less effective, and, in worse-case scenarios, leaves infections untreatable.

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study identified increasing resistance to a class of drugs called Cephalosporins, which are commonly used to treat severe Salmonella infections in adults and are the main drug of choice when treating children, for whom the fluoroquinolone class of drugs is not recommended. Currently, about five percent of Salmonella strains are resistant to Cephalosporins, mostly in cases of Salmonella Heidelberg and Salmonella Newport.

Research – Effect of Pickling on Pathogens in Hard Boiled Eggs

Journal of Food BiochemistryEGGS

Traditional methods of food preservation, such as pickling, have reemerged as popular approaches for home and commercial food processing. The process of pickling hard-cooked eggs (HCE) can be an effective method of preventing the growth and survival of pathogenic microorganisms. Because of the variety of pickling processes, HCE manufacturers must validate their pickling process for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and demonstrate 5-log reductions of pathogens associated with the product. In this study, a rapid one-step pickling process was evaluated for its ability to reduce Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated onto HCE for 14 days at room temperature. All pathogens inoculated onto HCE were reduced by (>5.0 logs) within 24 h and were undetectable following enrichment. The data obtained in this study may be of interest to regulatory officials and processors of HCE seeking pathogen reduction validation for their products.