The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Canada Safeway Limited are warning the public not to consume The Gourmet Meat Shoppe and The Butcher’s Cut brands of Frozen Beef Burgers described below because these products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall
Tagged food, restaurants, science, transportation
San Jose Valley Veal, a Santa Clara, Calif. establishment, is recalling approximately 1,260 pounds of veal trimmings that may be contaminated with E. Coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The problem was discovered when a customer tested a shipment of veal and reported non-negative results. The customer held the shipment pending laboratory results, but other product from the producer’s same lot had shipped into commerce.
San Jose Valley Veal, a Santa Clara, Calif. establishment, is recalling
approximately 1,260 pounds of veal trimmings that may be contaminated with
E. Coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
This is a very interesting article in Food Safety News which I think would be of interest to Food Microbiologists and the Produce industry alike. the link will take you to the full article
Leafy greens, lettuce, cantaloupes, mangoes and strawberries. These are just some of the foods that have sickened or even killed people when they were contaminated with foodborne pathogens such as E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella.
Amidst the confusing swirl of information about these and other produce outbreaks, the question arises: Were some of these pathogens inside the produce? Could it be — in some cases, anyway — that the plant’s roots sucked the pathogens up out of the soil and transferred them through the plant into its edible parts?
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O103, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hepatitis A, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, O103, Research, Salmonella
Tagged food microbiologists, food safety news, leafy greens, science
The newly proposed produce safety rule of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has a section devoted to sprouts because they “present a unique risk.” That’s because the ideal conditions for growing sprouts are also ideal for growing pathogens, as we have seen many times in recent years.
Since 1996, there have been 30 “sproutbreaks” where sprouts contaminated with Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli and other pathogens have caused outbreaks of illness. In 2012, sprouts were recalled for potential contamination at least seven times and caused one of the largest multi-state foodborne illness outbreaks of the year. The 11-state outbreak which sickened 29 people was linked to sprouts served at a fast food sandwich chain. Also in 2012, Kroger, one of the nation’s largest grocery retailers decided to stop selling sprouts because of the risk they pose.
Some of the new requirements in the proposed rule are: requiring growers to take “measures reasonably necessary to prevent the introduction of hazards into or onto seeds or beans;” requiring that growing, harvesting, packing and holding of sprouts be done in a fully-enclosed building; “require that any food-contact surfaces that come in contact with sprouts, seeds, or beans must be cleaned and sanitized;” required use of a scientifically valid to reduce microorganisms before sprouting; required testing for Listeria; and required record keeping of seed treatments and environmental monitoring.
xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel (GPP), which recently received approval from US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is one lab test that can do the job of many, expertly scanning a solitary stool sample for 11 different illness-inducing organisms.
To many, that sounds an impressive feat in an of itself. But considering that 179 million Americans are stricken with gastroenteritis every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s also one that can come in handy. Infectious gastroenteritis is caused by certain viruses, bacteria, or parasites and can be spread easily through person-to-person contact or from contaminated food, water, and surfaces. Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea.
The xTAG can scan for bacteria including Campylobacter, Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) toxin A/B, Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) LT/ST, Salmonella, Shigella and Shiga‐like Toxin producing E. coli (STEC) stx 1/stx 2. It can scan for viruses including Norovirus and Rotavirus A. And it can scan for parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia.
Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Clostridium difficile, Cryptosporidium, E.coli, E.coli O103, E.coli O104, E.coli O145, E.coli O157, E.coli O26, EHEC, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Food Virus, Giardia, Methods, Microbiology, Norovirus, Pathogen, Rotavirus
Tagged c difficile toxin, enterotoxigenic escherichia coli, environment, food and drug administration fda, infectious gastroenteritis, science
Glenn’s Market and Catering, a Watertown, WI establishment, is recalling approximately 2,532 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The following products are subject to recall: Various size packages of Glenn’s Market ground round, ground chuck and ground beef sold between Dec. 22, 2012 and Jan. 4, 2013.
The products subject to recall were sold only at Glenn’s Market and Catering in Watertown, WI from the retail meat case.
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall
Tagged food
Reference Number: 7688
Recalling Firm: FRESHPOINT TORONTO
Date of Recall: 1/13/2013
Recall Classification: 1
Distribution : New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec
Extent of the Product Distribution : Hotel/Restaurant/Institutional
Posted in Bacteria, CFIA, E.coli, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall
The source of an E.coli outbreak that has sickened at least 16 people in Canada was lettuce served at Taco Bell and KFC restaurants, health officials in New Brunswick have discovered. The outbreak affected three provinces: New Brunswick, where six people became ill and Nova Scotia and Ontario which each had five cases.
“Based on the information we have collected and shared with other provinces, we believe that lettuce has been a common food source among cases,” said Dr. Eilish Cleary, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health. “Since lettuce has a limited shelf life, it is highly unlikely that some from the affected lots remain in restaurants.”
E.coli outbreak likely caused by leafy greens has sickened five people in Hamilton County, Ohio, Food Poisoning Bulletin has learned. The outbreak was confirmed this morning by Mike Samet, a public information officer, for the county’s public health department.
There are five confirmed cases and one probable case of E.coli 0157:H7 infection which were likely caused by tainted leafy greens, he said. The case patients, four females and two males, range in age from 12 to 83 and first showed signs of illness from December 10 to December 15, 2012
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen
Tagged climate, e coli outbreak, public health department, public information officer, science
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