Category Archives: Eurofins Laboratories

US -Cheese and Milk Recall – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on January 8, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The MA Department of Public Health (MDPH) is issuing a warning to consumers to avoid consumption of certain cheese and milk products because the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes). The presence of L. monocytogenesin foods such as cheese and milk products represents a significant danger to public health.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued an 11/24/11 health alert notifying residents of Canada of a voluntary recall initiated by the dairy plant, 3903052 Canada Inc., Boisbriand, in Québec. This large recall followed two previous alerts, fairly extensive product testing and a clinical match to a case of listeriosis.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified MDPH on 12/28/11 that product was distributed to Cedar Market located in Norwood, MA.  Cedar Market is a retail establishment, which also sold the following products to Bahnan’s located in Worcester, MA.

The recalled products distributed in Massachusetts have the brand name “Fromagerie Marie Kade”.  All cheese products involved bear establishment number 1874. Any Best Before dates up to and including those listed, are affected by the alert. The cheese products that are the subject of the consumer alert in Massachusetts include:

  • Akawi Cheese Best Before 08 MAR 2012
  • Baladi Cheese Best Before 08 FEB 2012.
  • Shinglish Cheese Best Before 07 NOV 2012
  • Tresse Cheese Best Before 10 NOV 2012
  • Vachekaval Cheese Best Before 10 MAR 2012
  • Halloom Best Before 01 MAY 2012
  • Moujadale Best Before 04 MAY 2012      

To date, no illnesses have been reported in MA.  MDPH has worked with the US FDA and local officials to embargo and destroy these products and to review inventory records for distribution.

Since the recalled products have not expired, it is possible that consumers may have products in their home. For that reason, MDPH is advising consumers who have purchased products listed to discard them. Consumers with questions may call MDPH Food Protection Program at 617-983-6712.

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Recall

Toxoplasmosis a Time to Act?

Posted on January 6, 2012 by | 3 comments

Food Production Daily                                 FSA Consultation Paper

An article in Food Production daily has reported on a consultation paper released by the FSA about Toxoplasma gondii and Toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is under reported in the UK and there are large gaps on knowledge about the parasite. Figures from the US and UK would indicate that about 50% of Toxoplasmosis cases are foodborne although the disease is more associated with domestic animals. In the US it is estimated that 60 million people carry the parasite and estimate figures for the UK are 15 million of the adult population carry the parasite.

It is listed in the top five organisms for economic loss from foodborne illness in the USA.

In general exposure to the healthy population would lead to mild symptoms but in immunosuppressed and pregnant could develop more severe and even life threatening symptoms.

There is a raft of information in both links above.

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Testing, Microbiology, Toxoplasmosis

US – More Shredded Cheese Recalled – Listeria

Posted on January 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

In another recall of cheese processed in Wisconsin, Bekkum Family Farms of Westby, WI, is recalling shredded cheese because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
 
In a news release, Bekkum Family Farms said it was informed by Alpine Slicing & Cheese Conversion, of Monroe, WI, that its cheese was shredded on the same equipment where other cheese had tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Alpine processes and packages cheese for other companies.
 
The Bekkum cheese has not tested positive for the bacteria, but the product should be thrown away or returned to place of purchase for a full refund, the company advised.

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Safety Alert, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Recall

Bacteria in Paper Towels – Canadian Study

Posted on January 5, 2012 by | 3 comments

A Canadian study may give you pause for thought next time you reach for a paper towel. The study finds bacteria thrive on the paper products, even on unused towels. The new study by researchers at Laval University in Quebec City, and published in the American Journal of Infection Control, says some of those germs could be transferred to people after they’ve washed their hands. Research into bacterial transmission from unused paper towels to hands and surfaces has not previously been well-documented. The study authors cautioned that their work doesn’t imply that paper towels are unsafe; just that they could possibly be an unwanted source of contamination in certain environments. For example, the study suggests paper towels could pose a danger in certain clinical or industrial settings or for those with immune disorders. A study of six towel brands, all commercially sold in Canada, showed all had germs. However, recycled towels were the most heavily contaminated.

“In our study, the concentration of bacteria in the recycled paper was between 100- to 1,000-fold higher than the virgin wood pulp brand,” the researchers wrote. No illness was found to be connected to paper towel use. Scientists wrote that the findings in their paper towel study are consistent with high bacterial counts found in other products made of recycled paper. Researchers also say the bacteria may thrive on recycled paper because it contains binding ingredients like starches and fillers, which serve as food. Paper manufacturers reject the notion that paper towels are worse than using hand dryers. One such company argues on its website that towels are a better bet, because dryers often contain bacteria on the actual device. While at least 17 bacterial species were found on the towels, researchers found the most common one was Bacillus, which is transferable to hands and linked to food poisoning. Contamination is a problem in the pulp and paper industry, where contaminated machinery can later affect the paper product. “Because of their high resistance to a wide range of chemical and physical agents, Bacillus spores may survive the various procedures encountered in the papermaking process,” the authors write.  

“It is worth mentioning that harmful toxin-producing Bacillus species were also detected in paper mills.”

 

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Posted in Bacillus, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Microbiology

Listeria Stopping Compound

Posted on January 4, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

In terms of deaths-per-infection, this year’s Listeria outbreak in cantaloupes ranks as the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in U.S. history, killing 31 of the 146 people infected and causing one miscarriage. A new discovery by a team of researchers at Cornell University, however, could eventually lead to therapeutic solutions that the team hopes would treat Listeria infections and fight deadly outbreaks.
 
In a study published by microbiology journal mBio on November 29, the Cornell team has identified a small antibiotic compound that stops Listeria from using the defense mechanisms that allow it to survive stomach acids and the other perils of human digestion and food processing.
 
The star compound, mercifully abbreviated as “FPSS” (for fluoro-phenyl-styrene-sulfonamide) works by stopping the Listeria bacteria from switching on its defenses when it comes under stress. The bacteria’s repertoire of defenses are controlled by an alternative sigma factor (a protein that acts as a “switch” for certain genes) called Sigma B. In the presence of FPSS, Sigma B fails to do its job, resulting in bacteria that can no longer survive being eaten.
 

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety Alert, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology

CDC – Infant Formula Not Tainted

Posted on January 4, 2012 by | 1 comment

Manufacturing Net

Four cases of infants sickened by a rare bacteria sometimes linked to powdered formula, including two who died, are not related and parents can continue using the products to feed their babies, two federal agencies announced Friday.

Scientists with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration tested various types of powdered infant formula and distilled water, known as nursing water, and found no cases of contamination by Cronobacter sakazakii.

Four babies, including one in Missouri and another in Florida who died, were sickened by the bacteria that are found naturally in the environment and in plants such as wheat and rice. Cronobacter also has been traced to dried milk and powdered formula.

Two other babies, in Illinois and Oklahoma, were sickened by the bacteria but survived.

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Posted in Chronobacter sakazakii, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology

US Foodborne Illness – $77 Billion Cost

Posted on January 3, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Foodborne illness poses a $77.7 billion economic burden in the United States annually, according to a new study published in the Journal of Food Protection.

The new estimate is significantly lower than the oft-cited $152 billion figure, which was calculated by Robert Scharff, a consumer science professor at Ohio State University, in 2010. The new study, also by Scharff, reflects the most up-to-date estimates on foodborne illness by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to estimate total annual health-related costs.

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Testing, Microbiology

Mead Johson Infant Formula Given the All Clear

Posted on January 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Production Daily

No traces of Cronobacter have been found at the Mead Johnson infant formula plant and there is no need for a product recall, said US safety bodies last week as part of an investigation into four babies infected with the bacteria – two of whom have died.

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Posted in Chronobacter sakazakii, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Recall

Chinese Food Safety Issue – Mycotoxins in Cooking Oil

Posted on January 2, 2012 by | 1 comment

AFP Post

Chinese authorities have recalled cooking oil products made by three companies after finding they contained the same type of cancer-causing toxin recently found in milk, state media said Thursday.

A product safety watchdog in the southern province of Guangdong suspended operations at plants owned by the firms, which made oil containing excessive levels of aflatoxin, caused by mould.

The incident comes after leading dairy firm Mengniu revealed at the weekend that authorities found high levels of aflatoxin in a batch of milk before it was sold, caused by cows eating mouldy feed at a farm in southwest China.

Aflatoxins, which affect grains and other agricultural products, can increase the risk of cancer, including liver cancer, according to the World Health Organisation.

The oil was made from peanuts, Xinhua said, naming the producers as Fusheng Oil, Manyi Peanut Oil and Mabao Oil.

It was not known if any of the tainted oil had reached consumers, it added.

 

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Recall

Cronobacter: CDC Find No Connection to Infant Formula

Posted on January 1, 2012 by | Leave a comment
There is no evidence linking four ongoing Cronobacter sakazakii infections in infants across four states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in a joint news release Friday.

Based on test results to date, there is no need for a recall of infant formula and parents may continue to use powdered infant formula, following the manufacturer’s directions on the printed label.

The ongoing investigation includes laboratory testing of various types and brands of powdered infant formula, nursery water and, when available, clinical samples from the infants. The investigation also includes the inspection of manufacturing facilities for infant formula and nursery water.

The following results have been confirmed from completed laboratory tests, although additional lab results are pending release:

  • CDC’s laboratory conducted DNA fingerprinting of the bacteria from two recent cases of Cronobacter infection in infants (Missouri and Illinois). The results show that the Cronobacter bacteria differ genetically, suggesting that they are not related. (Bacteria from cases in Oklahoma and Florida are not available for analysis.) 
  • CDC laboratory tests of samples provided by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services found Cronobacter bacteria in an opened container of infant formula, an opened bottle of nursery water and prepared infant formula.  It is unclear how the contamination occurred.
  • The FDA tested factory sealed containers of powdered infant formula and nursery water with the same lot numbers as the opened containers collected from Missouri and no Cronobacter bacteria were found.

The FDA has inspected the facilities that manufactured the infant formula and the nursery water that tested positive for Cronobacter bacteria.  Those manufacturers have programs that test their products before they are distributed.  The lots in question were tested and found negative for Cronobacter. There is currently no evidence to conclude that the infant formula or nursery water was contaminated during manufacturing or shipping.

The FDA, CDC and state agencies continue to investigate the cause of the infections using epidemiological and laboratory methods.  Currently CDC and FDA laboratories are testing infant formula, water and other environmental samples related to the ill infants from Illinois and Oklahoma; the results are pending.  Additional steps include: completion of inspections of manufacturers, additional laboratory testing of samples, and additional DNA fingerprinting investigation.

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Posted in Chronobacter sakazakii, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, outbreak, Recall