RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes in Organic Camembert from Denmark
China Post – E.coli in beverages and frozen foods in Taipei
Hong Kong – STEC case in hospital source unknown.
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Category Archives: EHEC
Japan Raw Beef Liver Restaurant Ban – E.coli O157
Japan has announced that it will ban the sale of raw beef liver in restaurants, following a spate of food poisoning cases last year.
The health ministry has decided to ban restaurants from serving raw beef liver from July 1 due to food poisoning concerns, and violators of the new rule could be fined or even imprisoned.
The ministry made the decision after its food sanitation council approved the policy at a meeting Tuesday.
Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O-157 and Campylobacter bacteria, both of which can cause severe stomachache, have been detected in raw beef liver. A research report said it is difficult to remove or kill the bacteria through screening tests or disinfection, and that liver can only be guaranteed safe to consume if it has been cooked.
Operators of barbecue restaurants and other establishments that ignore the ban on raw beef liver could be sentenced to up to two years in prison or fined up to 2 million yen.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry presented comments submitted by the public over the month through May 18. Although most of the 1,532 opinions were against outlawing raw liver, ministry officials insisted a ban–backed up by penalties–was necessary because there is no 100 percent safe way of eating raw beef liver.
Belgium – 19 Cases E.coli O157
Nineteen cases of infection with E. coli O157 have been detected in Limburg, Belgium, of which three have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
The Federal Agency for Security of the Food Chain (AFSCA) said Thursday that all cases are related to the ingestion of filet américain (lit. American fillet) with onions and more seasoning than a normal steak tartare.
AFSCA launched an investigation and based on date of purchase, consumption and onset of disease, the suspect beef has been traced and initial sampling results were positive for E. coli O157
US – Raw Milk E.coli O157
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine today warned consumers in and around Chautauqua County to not consume “unpasteurised” raw farm milk from Castle Farms due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination.
Castle Farms, located at 1051 Route 249 in Irving, New York, holds a Department permit to legally sell raw milk at the farm. Samples of the milk are routinely tested by the New York State Food Laboratory to determine if the raw milk is free of pathogenic bacteria.
It is important to note that raw milk does not provide the protection of pasteurization, which eliminates all pathogenic bacteria, including E. coli O157:H7. Producers who sell raw milk to consumers must have a permit to do so from the Department, must sell directly to consumers on the farm where the milk is produced and must post a notice at the point of sale indicating that raw milk does not provide the protection of pasteurization. Farms with permits to sell raw milk are inspected by the Department monthly.
To date, no illnesses are known by the Department to be associated with product from Castle Farms.
US E.coli O145 Outbreak Now Hits Six States
Today the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the E. coli O145 outbreak that killed a young girl in Louisiana has sickened at least 14 people in six states:
Georgia (5 illnesses), Louisiana (4), Alabama (2), California (1), Florida (1) and Tennessee (1).
Three people have been hospitalised.
The source of the contamination remains unknown.
“The investigation is looking at both food and non-food exposures as part of the ongoing investigation,” a CDC statement read. “State public health officials are interviewing ill persons to obtain information regarding foods they might have eaten and other exposures in the week before illness.”
Illness onset dates range from April 15 to May 12. Infections that began after May 12 may not have been reported yet. The most recent case was reported on June 4.
A 21-month-old girl in Louisiana died from her infection on May 31 after falling ill several weeks earlier. This outbreak has no connection to the May 26 death of a 6-year-old Massachusetts boy suffering from an E. coli O157:H7 infection.
US Multi State E.coli O145 Outbreak
Florida is part of an E coli outbreak that includes Georgia and Louisiana, according to the Florida Department of Health. A spokesperson for the Florida DOH told Food Poisoning Bulletin that a case has been confirmed and that they are “using routine processes and working closely with the CDC in the investigation of a potential commonality.”
News of this multi-state outbreak began this week with the death of a toddler in New Orleans. Our investigation has found that Georgia and Florida also have patients ill with the same strain of E. coli 0145. No particular source has been pinpointed as the cause of this outbreak.
The CDC has not released any information about the outbreak. The case count is as follows:
- Florida (1)
- Georgia (5)
- Louisiana (3) (1 death)
CIFA – Ground Beef Recall – E.coli O157
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume the ground beef described below because the products may be contaminated with E. coliO157:H7.
The affected products, Ground Beef Reg. and Ground Beef Lean, were sold in plastic bags of varying weight on May 31, 2012 from the Kabul Farms store located at 255 Dundas Street West, Mississauga, ON. The packages bear a sticker with the product name, the store’s name and the price.
Consumers are advised to contact the retailer if you are unsure as to whether you have the affected beef products stored in your home freezer.
There have been no confirmed illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
US – Six Year Old Dies – E.coli Infection with HUS
On May 26, 2012, a six year old boy in Massachusetts died from an E. coli infection, according to the Massachusetts Department of Health and the Worcester Department of Public Health. A press release by the City of Worcester, obtained by Food Poisoning Bulletin, confirms that he died from complications of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
The source of exposure has not yet been determined at this time. Officials are treating this as an isolated case, consistent with a food borne illness.”
It only takes 100 E. coli 0157 bacteria to make a healthy person sick. One bacterium is about 0.002 centimeters long, so a small amount of food can be easily contaminated with that amount. Children are more susceptible to complications from this type of infection because their immune systems are still developing.
RASFF Alerts – Salmonella, Listeria, E.coli
RASFF – Salmonella Caracas in Ground Cumin from Turkey ans Syria
RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes in raw milk sheep cheese coated with herbs from France
RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes in Manouri Sheeps cheese from Greece.
RASFF – Salmonella Isangui in rapeseed meal from Kazakhstan.
RASFF – Salmonella in minced meat products from Sweden.
RASFF – Salmonella in poultry cutlets from Germany.
RASFF – Shigatoxin E.coli in rump steak from Argentina.
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall, Salmonella
Tagged food, rapeseed meal, sheep cheese
US – E.coli STEC Strains Testing to Start Monday?
Barring any last-minute delays, U.S. food safety inspectors will begin testing Monday for six new strains of potentially deadly E. coli bacteria to be banned from certain cuts of raw beef.
The move implements long-delayed federal regulations aimed at a group of E. coli bacteria collectively known as “the Big Six,” bugs capable of causing severe infection and death.
Under the new rules, the six additional strains of E. coli will be classified as adulterants on par with the better-known E. coli O157:H7, which is often linked to serious illnesses tied to hamburger. The new strains include E. coli O26, O111, O103, O121, O45 and O145.
Meat producers such as Cargill Inc., who have long opposed expanded testing, said they are ready to begin.
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O26, EHEC, FDA, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen
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