Category Archives: food bourne outbreak

RASFF Alert – Foodborne Outbreak Salmonella Enteritidis- Eggs

RASFF-Logo

RASFF – foodborne outbreak suspected (Salmonella Enteritidis) to be caused by eggs from France in France

USA – Same Fresh Express processing plant in Streamwood, Illinois implicated in 2020 and 2018 Cyclospora Outbreaks

Food Poison Journal

In 2018, CDC was notified of 511 laboratory-confirmed cases of Cyclospora infections in people from 15 states and New York City who reported consuming a variety of salads from McDonald’s restaurants in the Midwest.

On July 26, 2018, the FDA completed final analysis of an unused package of romaine lettuce and carrot mix distributed to McDonald’s by the Fresh Express processor in Streamwood, IL. The analysis confirmed the presence of Cyclospora in that sample.

UK -Salmonella outbreak linked to British eggs

Food Safety News

 

Almost 40 people are part of a Salmonella outbreak traced to eggs from the United Kingdom.

A spokesman for Public Health England told Food Safety News that it does not hold information on the date of onset of illness for all the patients.

“There have been 38 reported cases linked to this incident through analysis of whole genome sequencing data. Cases range in age from 6 months to 85 years; 19 are female and 19 are male. We are aware of two cases having been hospitalized,” the spokesman said.

A notification on the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) portal from early July shows that eggs contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis were subjected to physical or chemical treatment in the Netherlands, which was a commercial decision by the producer.

Finland -Finland searches for source of Listeria outbreak

Food Safety News

Authorities in Finland are investigating a Listeria outbreak that has affected eight people.

All patients have been hospitalized but no deaths have been recorded. The age range of those sick is 60 to 93 years old, five are female and they live in different parts of the country.

Ruska Rimhanen-Finne, a veterinary epidemiologist at the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), said all illnesses occurred within a month in May and June.

 

Norway – Yersinia enterocolitica outbreak linked to pre-washed spinach product

Outbreak News Today 

In a follow-up on the Yersinia enterocolitica O3 outbreak that started in mid-May in Norway, health officials are now saying based on an analysis of patient interviews and purchase information show that 22 of 23 cases (96%) state that they have eaten a pre-washed spinach product the week prior to illness. In one case, it has not been possible to conduct an interview.

RASFF Alert – Foodborne Outbreak – Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis – Eggs

RASFF-Logo

RASFF – foodborne outbreak suspected to be caused by Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis in eggs from the United Kingdom in the UK

USA – Outbreak of Cyclospora Infections in the Midwestern U.S. Linked to Bagged Salad Mix

CDC

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationexternal icon (FDA) are investigating a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora infections linked to bagged salad mix containing iceberg lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage produced by Fresh Express and purchased at ALDI, Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco, and Walmart stores in the Midwestern United States.

Advice to Consumers, Restaurants, Retailers, and Suppliers/Distributors

CDC has important advice for consumers and retailers in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin:

  • Do not eat, sell, or serve:
    • Recalled Marketside brand Classic Iceberg Salad
      • Sold at Walmart stores in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
      • 12-ounce and 24-ounce bags
      • Use-by dates of 05/19/2020 through 07/04/2020
    • Recalled Little Salad Bar brand Garden Salad
      • Sold at ALDI stores in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin
      • 12-ounce bags
      • Use-by dates of 05/01/2020 through 06/29/2020
    • Recalled Hy-Vee brand Garden Salad
      • Sold at Hy-Vee stores in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
      • 12-ounce bags
      • Any use-by date
    • Recalled Jewel-Osco Signature Farms brand Garden Salad
      • Sold at Jewel-Osco stores in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa
      • 12-ounce bags
      • Use-by dates of 05/16/2020 through 07/04/2020
  • Check your home for any of these recalled salads. Throw any remaining salad away, even if some of it has been eaten and no one has gotten sick.
  • If you live in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin and don’t know whether the bagged salad mix you have in your home is one of these recalled salads, do not eat it. Throw it away.

Take action if you have symptoms of a Cyclospora infection:

  • Talk to your healthcare provider.
  • Write down what you ate in the two weeks before you started to get sick.
  • Report your illness to the health department.
  • Assist public health investigators by answering questions about your illness.

Latest Outbreak Information

  • 206 people with laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections and who reported eating bagged salad mix before getting sick have been reported from 8 Midwestern states (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wisconsin).
    • Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 11, 2020 to June 17, 2020.
    • 23 people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
  • Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicates that bagged salad mix containing iceberg lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage produced by Fresh Express is a likely source of this outbreak.
  • Bagged salad mixes purchased at ALDI, Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco, and Walmart do not explain all of the illnesses in this outbreak. CDC and FDA continue to investigate to determine whether other products are a source of illnesses.
  • CDC will provide updates when more information is available.

Investigation Details

June 26, 2020

Since the last update on June 23, 2020, 84 new laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections have been reported, including 6 from a new state, North Dakota.

Health officials in North Dakota interviewed ill people in their state. In interviews, all six ill people reported eating a salad purchased from a single restaurant location in North Dakota. Health officials determined that the restaurant used Marketside brand bagged garden salad mix purchased from Walmart.

On June 25, 2020, Fresh Express recalled Marketside brand Classic Iceberg Salad sold in 12-ounce and 24-ounce bags at Walmart stores in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

As of June 25, 2020, a total of 206 people with laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections associated with this outbreak have been reported from 8 states: Illinois (57), Iowa (74), Kansas (1), Minnesota (25), Missouri (10) Nebraska (20), North Dakota (6), and Wisconsin (13).

Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 11, 2020 to June 17, 2020. Ill people range in age from 16 to 92 years with a median age of 60 and 57% are female. Of 198 people with available information, 23 people (12%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of 4 to 6 weeks. If the number of cases reported by CDC is different from the number reported by state or local health officials, data reported by local jurisdictions should be considered the most up to date. Any differences may be due to the timing of reporting and website updates.

There are typically multiple clusters of Cyclospora infections that occur each summer. CDC is working to determine if other recent cases of Cyclospora infection are linked to contaminated ingredients in these bagged salad mixes. This investigation is ongoing.

Finland – Decline in foodborne outbreaks likely due to COVID-19 measures

Food Safety News

More than four times fewer suspected food and waterborne epidemics have been reported in Finland in the past few months.

Between March and May, four suspected foodborne outbreaks were reported, compared with an average of 18 in previous years, according to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

The agency believes this is because of the coronavirus pandemic and associated limitations and recommendations. When hands are washed diligently and food is prepared for smaller groups, there are fewer epidemics, the THL reported.

Suspected pathogens in the four outbreaks are Campylobacter, Yersinia, and norovirus.

 

Denmark – Campylobacter outbreak linked to milk sickens more than 100

Food Safety News

More than 100 people are sick in a Campylobacter outbreak in Denmark linked to a local dairy.

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen), DTU Food Institute and Statens Serum Institut (SSI) are investigating illnesses that began in Bornholm in late May.

Patient interviews point toward pasteurized milk from Bornholms Andelsmejeri (Bornholm Dairy) as the source of infection but product testing has been negative for Campylobacter. Bornholm Dairy is a cooperative owned by Bornholm milk producers.

Denmark -DTU is helping to investigate outbreaks of disease on Bornholm – Campylobacter

DTU

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, DTU The Danish Food Institute and the Swedish Serum Institute, SSI, have jointly investigated an ongoing disease outbreak on Bornholm since June 2, 2020. Currently, there are reports of up to 100 people with symptoms similar to a campylobacter infection.

So far, 54 people aged 9 months to 97 years have tested positive for campylobacter and several patient samples are being investigated. The sick live on Bornholm or have visited the island recently. SSI is also investigating whether it is the same type of campylobacter that has made patients sick.

The goal of the collaboration is to identify the source of infection. At present, there is no trace of a particular source, but one suspects a locally produced food – presumably a ready-to-eat product.

Read more

The details of the outbreak and the work on finding the source of infection are described in more detail in a news from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration: Several sufferers of campylobacter on Bornholm . The news also provides good advice on how consumers best avoid getting infected with campylobacter.