Category Archives: Eurofins Laboratories

US – Stuffed Beef Recall – Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria Blog

Mosul Kubba, a Chicago, Ill. establishment, is recalling approximately 1,100 pounds of stuffed, layered beef products due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The problem was discovered during routine FSIS testing. FSIS and the company have received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.

FDA – Blue Ocean Smokehouse – Botulinum

Botulism Blog 

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.

How Many Bacteria Do You Add to Your Environment? – 37 Million Per Hour

Science Daily

A person’s mere presence in a room can add 37 million bacteria to the air every hour — material largely left behind by previous occupants and stirred up from the floor — according to new research by Yale University engineers.

Overall, they found that “human occupancy was associated with substantially increased airborne concentrations” of bacteria and fungi of various sizes. Occupancy resulted in especially large spikes for larger-sized fungal particles and medium-sized bacterial particles.

Researchers found that about 18 percent of all bacterial emissions in the room — including both fresh and previously deposited bacteria — came from humans, as opposed to plants and other sources.

US – 30 at College Hit with Norovirus Illness

lohud.com

Dozens of students at Corcordia College are recovering from a stomach virus that swept the campus over the weekend and sent a few people to the hospital.

Some students suspect it was the Norovirus — a fast-spreading foodborne disease that causes diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pains — but there is no official finding, college officials said.

It was first reported on the 800-student campus Friday. Within a couple of days, 30 students contracted the virus and four wound up in Lawrence Hospital Center in Bronxville.

Wales – Report on Protecting Consumers from E.coli O157

Consumer Focus 

For the past two years, Consumer Focus Wales has published a report scrutinising the implementation of the recommendations of the Pennington Inquiry into the E.coli outbreak in 2005 in which 44 schools were affected and a total of 157 people, mostly children, were diagnosed with E.coli O157.

In our second report publish in March 2011, we noted that progress is well advanced.However we identified specific areas where more needed to be done as well as highlighting a number of food safety issues relating to the Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) and concerns about standards in some premises serving food to vulnerable groups such as children in nurseries and older people in care homes.

This statement is an update a year on about what has been done since our last report and where focus is still needed. I am glad to report there has been continued progress this year towards implementing Professor Pennington`s recommendations, and improving food safety in Wales.

2011 Consumer Focus Report

FSA – Guidance on Setting Up a Food Stall During the Olympics

FSA 

 

The Food Standards Agency is reminding anyone who is considering setting up a stall selling refreshments during the Olympics to plan ahead. To help, the Agency has produced guidance answering the most frequently asked questions.

 

The stall will need to be registered as a food business and, if it is to be situated on a public road or path, a street trading licence will also need to be obtained from the local authority. Anyone not following these procedures may face tough enforcement action.

 

Mustard Seeds for Controlling Food Spoilage?

Science Codex 

University of Alberta researcher Christina Engels has discovered how to extract a compound from mustard seeds that can protect against food spoilage.

Engels recovered a particular compound—sinapic acid—from mustard seed meal, which shows antibacterial effects against such strains as Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes, all of which can cause grave illness and death in humans. Canada is the world’s largest exporter of mustard seed.

Link to Paper

Climate change: Potential Impacts on Food- and Waterborne Diseases in the EU

ECDC 

ECDC issued the report ‘Assessing the potential impacts of climate change on food- and waterborne diseases in Europe’.

This report identifies the relationships between meteorological and climate variables and six food- and waterborne pathogens, by reviewing existing literature, in order to assess the potential impacts of climate change on food- and waterborne disease transmission in the EU.

Publication Link – Free of Charge

US – Recall – Salmonella – Salsa

Food Poisoning Bulletin 

Kroger Company is recalling store brand salsa and pico de gallo because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. This recall may be related to the recall of fresh jalapenos by Castellini Produce earlier in the month

Canada Raw Milk Cheese Recalled

Food Poisoing Bulletin

The Canadian Food Inspection Service (CFIA) is recalling raw milk cheese from Fromagerie du Pied-de-Vent Inc. because it may be contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus. The cheese was sold in retail stores in Ontario and Quebec.