Category Archives: E.coli

Germany – Camembert de Terroir au lait cru – Bertrand Père & Fils – VTEC/STEC E.coli

LMW

product photo.jpg

Alert type:

Food

Date of first publication:

01/21/2022

Product name: Camembert de Terroir au lait cru – Bertrand Père & Fils
Gillot SAS
Manufacturer (distributor):

Gillot SAS, Saint-Hilaire-de-Briouze, Orne – France

Reason for warning: Detection of verotoxin-producing E. coli bacteria
Packaging Unit: 250g pack
Durability: 01/27/2022
Lot identification: 334513
Further information:

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC)

An EHEC (synonyms: STEC, VTEC) disease usually manifests itself within a week after infection with diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Babies, small children, the elderly and people with a weakened immune system in particular can develop more severe illnesses with bloody diarrhea. Rarely, especially in small children, acute kidney failure can occur in a second flare-up a few days after the onset of diarrhea. Anyone who has eaten this food and develops severe or persistent symptoms should seek medical attention and report possible EHEC infection. It makes no sense to seek preventive medical treatment without symptoms.

USA – Alaska says raw milk consumption a possible fatal risk but may make it legal

Food Safety News

Until now, when it came to raw milk, the state of Alaska was looking out for the public health of its residents. An easy to find fact sheet on the state’s website by the state veterinarian says:

“Raw milk may contain food-borne pathogens. These pathogens may be shed into the milk directly from the animal or enter the milk from the environment. These pathogens present a health threat to consumers of raw milk.”

The Alaska Division of Public Health and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation publish “Raw Milk Facts” on the state portal. “Raw milk has been recognized as a source of disease for over 100 years,” it says.

It explains the risks this way: “Unpasteurized milk can contain bacteria such as E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, and Salmonella. 

“While some people exposed to these bacteria do not develop any symptoms, others may develop short-term nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and cramps.

“Illnesses can last a week or longer, and some people even develop severe, long-term consequences resulting in kidney failure or paralysis. These infections are particularly serious in very young, very old, or those who have impaired immune systems. 

“They can even be fatal.”

RASFF Alert – E.coli – Whelks

RASFF

Too high count of Escherichia coli in whelk (Buccinum undatum) from France in Belgium and the Netherlands

RASFF Alert – STEC E.coli – Raw Milk Cheese

RASFF

VTEC/STEC in raw milk cheese from France in Germany

Research – HUS reports down in Italy but stable in France; some linked to raw milk

Food Safety News

Italy and France have reported updated statistics on a potentially fatal complication of E. coli infection.

The complication, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a type of kidney failure that can result in lifelong, serious health problems and death.

Italian data is from the start of September 2020 to the end of August 2021 when 49 cases were recorded. There were 84 cases from September 2019 to August 2020. French figures cover 2020 when 167 cases were reported.

Research – UC-Santa Cruz undergraduates win award for system that fights E. coli

Food Safety News

A team of undergraduates at the University of California-Santa Cruz has developed a system called Progenie that’s designed to target and eliminate a toxic gene found in Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.

The team’s method provides an alternative to antibiotics commonly used in agriculture. This new method is designed in part to stop the rise of drug-resistant bacteria.

The team’s project won a gold medal at the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Jamboree, an annual competition that brings together student teams from around the world to present synthetic biology projects that aim to address pressing global issues.

At the jamboree, teams are judged on their virtual project posters, wiki pages, and video presentations. Teams are awarded gold medals if they demonstrate excellence across multiple categories.

CPS – Research project Funding 2022 – Salads

CPS

Assessing Romaine lettuce “Forward Processing” for potential impacts on EHEC growth, antimicrobial susceptibility, and infectivity

Consumption of Romaine lettuce has been linked to multiple foodborne illness outbreaks due to contamination of pathogenic Escherichia coli strains. Recently, these outbreaks have occurred in the United States every year since 2016, causing great damage to consumer health and economic wellbeing of the fresh produce industry. The pathogen strains isolated from these outbreaks showed great similarity by genomic analyses. These outbreaks showed a pattern of heavy concentration especially in northeastern USA, prompting questions from the leafy green industry that the practice of “forward processing” could be linked to the outbreaks. “Forward processing” is a practice that the raw lettuce commodity is transported in trucks to facilities far away from the production area for washing and packaging, and regional marketing. We propose to work closely with the leafy green industry to comprehensively assess the forward processing for its effects on the integrity and safety of the raw commodity and the packaged products. In addition, the forward processing conditions will be simulated in the laboratory with the pathogenic E. coli strains. Emphases will be on how these conditions would affect the physiology of the pathogenic strains as well as other microorganisms on the raw commodity and packaged products. The findings in the research could provide important information that can be used by the leafy green industry for improving the forward processing practice and reducing the risks of fresh produce such as Romaine lettuce.

CPS

Quantifying risk associated with changes in EHEC physiology during post-harvest pre-processing stages of leafy green production

The goal of this project is to determine if the time between harvest and end use of romaine lettuce impacts E. coli O157:H7 pathogenicity and detectability resulting in increased health risk. Laboratory scale experiments with inoculated lettuce undergoing simulated harvest and cooling will be used to measure changes in E. coli O157:H7 stress tolerance and virulence. Input from industry partners including temperature data from commercial romaine harvesting and cooling, and details on supply chain logistics, will be combined with the laboratory scale experimental data and used to model risk associated with specific harvest and handling practices. The resulting quantitative tool will be publicly available and allow for growers and producers to determine any practices that should be implemented to reduce the potential for O157 transmission on romaine lettuce.

CPS – Funded Projects 2022 –

CPS

Towards a holistic assessment of the food-safety risks imposed by wild birds

Birds introduce complex food-safety risks, as they carry multiple pathogens, are difficult to exclude from farms, and regularly defecate on crops. Yet very few wild bird species have been studied, and those that have form a minority of farm bird communities. Moreover, existing studies stop at examining pathogen prevalence in birds and do not holistically assess foodsafety risk. For a species to pose a significant risk, it must carry pathogens, visit fields, defecate on crops, and produce feces that support pathogen survival. Here, we propose to first identify species that carry pathogenic E. coliSalmonella, and Campylobacter by coupling existing studies with assays of field-collected feces. Second, we will survey birds and collect feces on 15-20 farms near rangeland, natural habitats, or produce farms to determine which species enter farms and defecate on crops and in which contexts. Third, we will compare E. coli survival between feces placed on different substrates (crops, organic/conventional soils, plastic mulch) and between feces from different species. Finally, we will compile holistic risk assessments for >50 species into a photographic guide to help growers identify and manage birds. Ultimately, we hope to help growers implement practices that bolster beneficial species without compromising food safety.

USA – Interstate Meat Dist. Inc., Recalls Ground Beef Products Due To Possible E. Coli O157:H7 Contamination

FSIS USDA

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2022 – Interstate Meat Dist. Inc., a Clackamas, Ore., establishment, is recalling approximately 28,356 pounds of 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 raw, ground beef items were produced on Dec. 20, 2021. The products subject to recall and the labels can be viewed here.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 965” inside the USDA mark of inspection or printed next to the time stamp and use or freeze by date. These items were shipped to retail locations in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

The issue was reported to FSIS after a retail package of ground beef was purchased and submitted to a third-party laboratory for microbiological analysis and the sample tested positive for E. coli O157:H7.  FSIS conducted an assessment of the third-party laboratory’s accreditation and methodologies and determined the results were actionable.

Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider. E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps 2–8 days (3–4 days, on average) after exposure the organism. While most people recover within a week, some develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). This condition can occur among persons of any age but is most common in children under 5-years old and older adults. It is marked by easy bruising, pallor, and decreased urine output. Persons who experience these symptoms should seek emergency medical care immediately.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160 °F. The only way to confirm that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/safetempchart.

Consumers and members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Sales Manager Mike Sinner and Quality Assurance Manager Rodolfo Mendoza, Interstate Meat Dist., Inc., at (503) 656-6168.

Click to access recall-001-2022-labels.pdf

Egypt/Denmark – Egyptian cabinet denies exports of green onions contaminated with E. Coli

Fresh Plaza

The Egyptian cabinet has denied rumors circulating about the export of a shipment of green onions with E. Coli bacteria. The Ministry of Agriculture affirmed that the news is void of truth, the governmental media center said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Ministry confirmed that all Egyptian agricultural exported crops including green onions are in line with the international standards. The media center urged all media outlets to scrutinize news about this subject matter intensely.