Food irradiation can reduce foodborne illnesses but is rarely used in the United States. We determined whether outbreaks related to Campylobacter, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes were linked to irradiation-eligible foods. Of 482 outbreaks, 155 (32.2%) were linked to an irradiation-eligible food, none of which were known to be irradiated.
A new report by New Zealand Food Safety identifies Salmonella in imported sesame seed-based products as the most significant food safety event of 2023, resulting in 14 recalls affecting 65 food products.
The ‘Consumer-level food recalls annual report for 2023’, one of 2 recall reports published by New Zealand Food Safety today, says the recalls were initiated after Salmonella was detected during routine testing by a New Zealand business making products containing tahini.
Consumer-level food recalls annual report for 2023 [PDF, 3.2 MB]
“A complex investigation by our Food Compliance Services team – involving product testing and tracing of ingredients through the domestic market – found the contamination was from tahini imported from a Turkish manufacturer,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle.
“The team dug deeper and subsequent online surveillance and scanning of international food safety issues also identified concerns with products from a manufacturer in Jordan.
“By the time all the sesame seed-based products were tracked down and removed from sale, we had supported 14 recalls affecting 65 products. And, most importantly, we had no confirmed reports of related illness.”
The annual reports are a new initiative by New Zealand Food Safety to share information on consumer-level recalls with the public.
“Our priority is to protect consumers, and these reports help identify trends and find ways to prevent food safety incidents,” says Mr Arbuckle.
“New Zealand’s food safety system has a strong track record of keeping people safe and – given the volumes of food being produced, manufactured and imported – incidences of related illness remain rare.
“However, there are occasions when food safety issues occur, and that’s when we work quickly with food businesses to recall the affected product, removing it from the food supply chain and promoting public awareness.”
The 2023 report shows New Zealand Food Safety supported food businesses to conduct 70 consumer-level food recalls.
“It’s important to note that the number of recalls is not an accurate indicator of the level of risk to consumers. Numbers are dependent on many factors, including regulatory changes, business and public awareness of food-related problems, and reporting of those problems,” says Mr Arbuckle.
Of the 70 recalls, 48 were initiated for domestically produced foods and 22 were for imported foods.
“Another food safety event to highlight from 2023 was the possible presence of Listeria and Campylobacter in raw milk, which led to 3 recalls.
“Drinking raw milk carries inherent risks as it may contain harmful bacteria that would normally be killed through the pasteurisation process.
“In this case, there were fortunately no associated reports of Listeriosis, which can be very serious for vulnerable people like the very young, pregnant, older and those with low immunity. But we were notified of 3 related cases of Campylobacter, which causes vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, headache, and body aches.”
Allergens in food were the leading cause for recalls in 2023, with milk being the allergen that triggered the most recalls.
“Food recalls are a sign that our food safety system is working to protect consumers,” says Mr Arbuckle. “You can help keep yourself and your family safe by subscribing to our recall alerts from the New Zealand Food Safety food recall page.”
By the numbers:
Campylobacter jejuni in fresh organic chicken breast fillet from Austria in Germany
Posted in Campylobacter, Campylobacter jejuni, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, RASFF
The Waitrose grocery chain blamed factors outside the control of the retailer and its supply base for poor Campylobacter in chicken results.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) maximum target level is up to 7 percent of birds with more than 1,000 colony-forming units per gram (CFU/g) of Campylobacter.
Waitrose and Partners reported that 7.1 percent of chickens tested positive for Campylobacter above 1,000 CFU/g from October to December 2023.
Data from the retailers covers the second half of 2023 on high findings of Campylobacter in fresh, shop-bought, UK-produced chickens.
The Sainsbury’s chain has joined retailer Tesco in stopping publishing related data.
“The safety of our products is extremely important to us and we have a range of processes in place to monitor and limit levels of Campylobacter in our fresh chicken. We have consistently achieved the FSA target for Campylobacter levels for several years, so we will no longer be formally reporting on this,” said a Sainsbury’s spokesperson.
Sainsbury’s Campylobacter results for Q2 2023 showed that 1 percent of chickens had levels above 1,000 CFU/g compared to 3 percent in Q1.
Aldi has not updated its related webpage or provided the figures when Food Safety News asked it to do so. The latest data from Q4 2022 shows that 1.7 percent of chickens had levels above 1,000 CFU/g.
Co-op reported chickens contaminated at levels greater than 1,000 CFU/g for the first time since Q3 2021. In Q3 2023, 3.5 percent were above 1,000 CFU/g; in Q4, the figure was 2.6 percent.
Lidl recorded 4 percent of birds in the highest category from July to September and above 2 percent from October to December 2023. The figures were almost 2 percent in the highest category from April to June and 4 percent from January to March.
Marks and Spencer had 1 percent of samples in the top threshold in July, none in August, and 4 percent in September from 376 samples. The retailer also had 3 percent above 1,000 CFU/g in October, none in November, and 3.85 percent in December.
Marks and Spencer had no samples at the highest level from April to June. It also had none above 1,000 CFU/g in January and 1 percent each in February and March 2023 from 376 samples.
Asda reported that 2.42 percent of samples were above 1,000 CFU/g in the third quarter of 2023 and 3.33 percent in the fourth quarter. This compares to 3.6 percent in the first quarter and 3.5 percent in the second quarter.
Morrisons had no chickens contaminated above 1,000 CFU/g for both quarters, compared to 2.3 percent from April to June and 2.4 percent from January to March 2023.
Read in full at the link above.
The 2022 report shows that:
The number of broiler flocks positive for Campylobacter in Norway increased in 2023 but is still at low levels, according to the latest data.
Surveillance in 2023 showed that 128 flocks, or 6.1 percent, were positive for Campylobacter.
This is from tests on broiler flocks slaughtered before 51 days of age during May and October by the owner or keeper. There was no information shared on the levels of Campylobacter detected.
Scope and objectives
In response to a request from the 52nd Session of the Codex Committee on Food
Hygiene (CCFH), the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk
Assessment (JEMRA) convened a meeting in Rome, Italy from 6 to 10 February
2023, to collate and assess the most recent scientific information relevant to the
control of thermotolerant Campylobacter species C. jejuni and C. coli (hereafter
Campylobacter) in broiler production and chicken meat, including a review of
the Codex Guidelines for the Control of Campylobacter and Salmonella in Chicken
Meat (CXG 78-2011).1
The scope was focused on aspects of broiler primary production from the point of
chick placement into production establishments to consumer handling.
The objectives were to identify and assess control measures for Campylobacter in
the broiler production chain. The expert committee reviewed the available data
on Campylobacter control including scientific literature published from 2008 to
October 2022 and data submitted in response to a call for data for this meeting. The
experts:
1) determined the quality and quantity of evidence of control measures
for Campylobacter,
2) evaluated the impact of measures to control Campylobacter
in the broiler production chain,
3) determined which hazard-based interventions
pertained specifically to Campylobacter and which were general to the control
of foodborne pathogens in the pre- and post-harvest broiler production chain,
and
4) reviewed and recommended revisions to the Guidelines for the Control of
Campylobacter and Salmonella in Chicken Meat (CXG 78-2011), paragraphs 1 to
115, based on the currently available scientific evidence (Annex 3).
Control measure evaluation began at the time of chick placement since there
is currently no evidence that parent flocks or hatchery practices contribute to
the colonization of broiler chicks. The available literature on interventions was
predominantly based on laboratory and pilot studies, with few commercial
scale applications; therefore, limited conclusions could be reached. The experts
recommend the use of a combination of multiple interventions approach) suitable to production and processing stages to lower Campylobacter contamination on chicken me
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Office of
Public Health Science, Applied Epidemiology Staff, coordinates the FSIS response to
foodborne illness outbreaks that may involve FSIS-regulated products. This includes outbreaks that involve four foodborne pathogens that most frequently contaminate FSIS-regulated products: Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter.
A foodborne outbreak occurs when two or more persons experience a similar illness after ingestion of a common food, and epidemiologic analysis implicates the
food as the source of the illness. FSIS may investigate illnesses associated with other, less
common, foodborne pathogens (e.g., Clostridium botulinum) if they are potentially associated with FSIS-regulated products. FSIS collects and evaluates epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback information to determine if there is an association between an FSIS-regulated product and human illnesses. Epidemiologic information can include details like which foods ill people ate, where they purchased these foods, and where they live. Laboratory information can include comparing bacteria from FSIS samples and ill people to see if they are genetically similar or have similar characteristics. Traceback activities may include determining the location where the product was sold (e.g., grocery store, deli counter, or restaurant) or the source of a product (e.g., the federally inspected slaughter or processing facility). Depending on the evidence collected during an investigation, FSIS may have enough detailed exposure and product information to take one or more actions to prevent additional illnesses. These actions may include requesting that a company remove product from commerce and FSIS issuing a press release announcing that a firm is recalling meat, poultry, or egg products linked to human illnesses or FSIS notifying the public of potential food safety concerns through the issuance of a Public Health Alert (PHA).
This report summarizes outbreaks that FSIS investigated from October 1, 2022, to September
30, 2023, Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 2023). This report also highlights key lessons learned from
outbreak investigations in FY 2023.
Amid rising concerns over food safety, England has witnessed an unprecedented increase in hospital admissions due to foodborne illnesses, with salmonella, E. coli, and campylobacter infections reaching their highest levels in decades. According to NHS data, between April 2022 and March 2023, there were 1,468 hospital visits for salmonella infections alone, marking a significant spike and highlighting a growing public health issue. Experts debate the causes, citing weakened regulatory oversight and changes post-Brexit, while others point to improved detection methods.
Posted in Campylobacter, E.coli, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Salmonella
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