The Reportable Food Registry is an electronic portal where food companies report issues with a food where that food is likely to cause illness. This report has a lot of interesting data about the break down of which commodities caused food safety issues.
Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Research, Toxin
Tagged environment, health
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has expanded the health hazard warning for fesikh, a salted and cured fish product that may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. Whole fesikh shad has been added to the warning.
Product details:
There have been three reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products. For questions, call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume the salted and cured fish product (fesikh) described below because it may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. Toxins produced by this bacteria may cause botulism, a life-threatening illness.
The affected product, whole fesikh mullet, was sold in clear vacuum-packaged bags of varying count and weight, bearing no code or date information.
This product was sold from Lotus Catering and Fine Food, 1960 Lawrence Ave. E, Toronto, ON, on or before April 17, 2012.
There have been 3 reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume certain vacuum packaged fish products, described below, because the product may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. Toxins produced by this bacteria may cause botulism, a life-threatening illness.
The following vacuum packaged fish products, sold in various weights, listed below are affected by this alert:
| Brand | Product | Best Before Date |
|---|---|---|
| North 44 | Smoked Salmon mcewan’s own | 04/20/12 |
| Kristapson’s | Smoked Salmon | 04/20/12 & 06/11/12 |
These products have been sold only at McEwan Gourmet Grocery Store located at 38 Karl Fraser Road, North York, Ontario.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.
April 10, 2012 – Import Foods Wholesale Inc. in St. Paul, MN is recalling: Smoked Croaker, Smoked Barracuda, Smoked Big Eye, and Smoked Red Snapper after it was discovered by the Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture Laboratory personnel who confirmed that the product was not properly eviscerated prior to processing.
This product may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum spores, which can cause botulism, a serious and potentially fatal food–borne illness.
The sale of improperly eviscerated fish, 5 inches in length or greater, is prohibited because Clostridium botulinum spores are more likely to be concentrated in the viscera than any other portion of the fish. Uneviscerated fish has been linked to outbreaks of botulism poisoning which may pose a potentially life-threatening health hazard. Symptoms of botulism include blurred or double vision, general weakness, poor reflexes, difficulty swallowing and respiratory paralysis which may lead to death. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.
The following recalled products were sold to retail stores in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa.
No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem. Consumers who have Smoked Croaker, Smoked Barracuda, Smoked Big Eye, and Smoked Red Snapper are advised not to eat it, but should return it to the place of purchase.
Import Foods Wholesale Inc. intend to provide safe quality foods. Consumer with questions may contact the company at 612-876-5412.
This book is a great source of Microbiology Information and can be downloaded as a 264 page PDF.
The second edition of the Bad Bug Book3, published by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides current information about the major known agents that cause foodborne illness. The information provided in this handbook is abbreviated and general in nature, and is intended for practical use. It is not intended to be a comprehensive scientific or clinical reference. Each chapter in this book is about a pathogen – a bacterium, virus, or parasite – or a natural toxin that can contaminate food and cause illness. The book contains scientific and technical information about the major pathogens that cause these kinds of illnesses. A separate “consumer box” in each chapter provides non-technical information, in everyday language. The boxes describe plainly what can make you sick and, more important, how to prevent it.
Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens, Cryptosporidium, E.coli, E.coli O104, E.coli O157, E.coli O26, EHEC, Enterobacteriaceae, Eurofins Laboratories, FDA, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Legionella, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, MRSA, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, STEC
New York City Health Department is currently investigating two cases of foodborne Botulism linked to fresh bulk tofu sold at a store in Flushing. As reported by WABC, New York City has reported only one other foodborne-linked botulism over the past 15 years.
The two reported cases are Chinese-speaking residents of Queens who recently purchased the unrefrigerated bulk tofu from the same store. According to reports, the tofu was not made at the store and its source is under investigation.
Fish may put consumers at risk of botulism and other food hazards
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in a complaint filed by the Department of Justice, is seeking to stop the processing and distribution of fish products at a California company because of a risk of botulism and other food hazards.
If granted, the permanent injunction against Fujino Enterprises Inc., doing business as Blue Ocean Smokehouse, of Half Moon Bay, Calif., would stop the company from processing and distributing fish and fish products. Blue Ocean’s president Erika Fujino also is named in the government’s complaint.
Irish fans planning to travel to the Euro 2012 championships have been warned about the dangers of botulism.
Poland has a particularly high incidence of the serious food poisoning, which can be food-borne if the dish is improperly canned or preserved.
Up to 12,000 fans are expected to travel to the championship where rip-off hotel prices could be the least of their worries.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), which has issued a health checklist for football fans who plan to follow their national teams to the championships in June and July, has warned of the perils of improperly prepared food.
FoodWorld 