Category Archives: food contamination

UK – UPDATED: Greenyard Frozen UK Ltd recalls various frozen vegetable products due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on July 12, 2018 by | Leave a comment

FSA

11 July 2018

Greenyard Frozen UK Ltd has taken the precautionary step of voluntarily recalling various frozen vegetable products because they might contain Listeria monocytogenes.
Please use the information below as the most recent, replacing product information for this product in earlier versions.

Product details

Lidl Frozen Green Grocer’s Supersweet Corn
Pack size 1kg
Batch code all
Best before all codes to July 2020 inclusive

Leave a comment

Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, outbreak, Uncategorized

New Zealand – Various frozen vegetable products 10 July 2018 (Pinguin product added 11 July 2018): Greenyard Group is recalling all batches of Bell Farms brand Steam Veggies carrot, corn, and broccoli and Pinguin brand 4 mixed vegetables due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes.

Posted on July 11, 2018 by | Leave a comment

MPI

Product identification

Product type Frozen vegetables
Name of product
  • Bell Farms brand Steam Veggies carrot, corn, and broccoli (450g)
  • Pinguin brand 4 mixed vegetables (1kg, appears as 1,000g)
Batch marking All batches
Date marking All dates
Package size and description Bell Farms brand Steam Veggies carrot, corn, and broccoli are sold frozen in a 450g plastic bag.

Pinguin brand 4 mixed vegetables are sold frozen in a 1kg plastic bag (appears as 1,000g)
Distribution The product is imported from Belgium and the UK

Bell Farms brand Steam Veggies carrot, corn, and broccoli is sold in Countdown, SuperValue and FreshChoice supermarkets throughout New Zealand.

Leave a comment

Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, outbreak, Uncategorized

Kuwait – Salmonella, other bacteria found in Hawally restaurant food samples

Posted on July 11, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Kuwait Times 

 

KUWAIT: Test results on samples taken from a Hawally restaurant where nearly 300 customers were recently hospitalized with food poisoning came positive for contamination with salmonella and other types of bacteria, said sources familiar with the results.

The Public Authority for Food and Nutrition (PAFN) had received samples of the food served by the popular falafel joint, and tests revealed traces of salmonella and other bacteria which makes the food completely inedible, the sources noted.

Other sources said meanwhile that the owner, who is currently detained with his staff members pending investigations, accused his former partner, a Syrian man, of conspiring with one of the restaurant’s staff members, and had him contaminate the falafel, which resulted in poisoning a large number of customers. The sources added that the former partner would be summoned for interrogation as well.

On a related concern, PAFN urged Kuwait Municipality to hand over authority of the main food lab to it, said the capital food and nutrition department’s manager Abdul Rahman Al-Fares. He noted that food inspectors are incapable of detecting food contamination by virtual inspection, adding that samples have to be collected and examined in labs, which would enable routine inspection rounds to examine food and prevent any further poisoning cases.

Leave a comment

Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Sweden – Thirteen infected with Hepatitis A virus from frozen strawberries

Posted on July 11, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Thirteen people in Sweden have been infected by Hepatitis A virus linked to frozen strawberries from Poland.

Eleven confirmed and two suspected cases come are reported from four Swedish counties, Skåne, Blekinge, Kalmar and Gävleborg. 

Nine women and four men aged 11 to 92 are affected. The most recent person to fall ill had symptoms begin on June 18.

The Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten), the National Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) and local authorities are involved in the investigation. They traced the source of Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection to frozen strawberries from Poland and informed Polish authorities of their findings.

All of the cases had smoothies or a dessert containing frozen imported strawberries that were not heated prior to consumption. The strawberries were not sold directly to consumers.

Leave a comment

Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized

Australia – Frozen vegetables pulled from shelves in Woolworths, ALDI, IGA amid Listeria monocytogenes fears

Posted on July 11, 2018 by | Leave a comment

9News

Fears over the deadly listeria strain of bacteria have sparked a recall of popular frozen vegetable products from supermarket shelves across Australia.

Belgium-based company Greenyard Frozen Belgium NV has recalled the frozen vegetables – which include frozen corn, carrot, broccoli and mixed vegetable bags – from Woolworths, IGA and ALDI stores.

The recall comes after a number of listeria deaths in Europe in the past three years.

The European Food Safety Authority said there had been nine deaths among 47 cases of listeria since an outbreak in 2015, the ABC reported.

Leave a comment

Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Uncategorized

USA – Restaurant closed after 39 cases of suspected Salmonella

Posted on July 11, 2018 by | Leave a comment

ABC News 

 

A Massachusetts restaurant has been shut down until further notice after nearly 40 people reported getting sick during a suspected salmonella outbreak.

The North Reading Board of Health says the state Public Health Department received complaints from 39 people who said they got sick at Kitty’s last month. The state confirmed nine cases of salmonella and 30 suspected cases.

The source of the outbreak was traced to the antipasto salad and possibly the house salad dressing.

The restaurant was closed July 5 and allowed to reopen Friday after sanitization.

Leave a comment

Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Salmonella, Uncategorized

USA – More than 200 people ill from parasite in Del Monte vegetable tray recall

Posted on July 9, 2018 by | Leave a comment

CNN

An outbreak of cyclosporiasis has sickened 212 people in four states since May, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. Seven of those individuals have been hospitalized.

 Illnesses linked to Del Monte vegetable trays have been reported in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The outbreak is linked to Del Monte vegetable trays with fresh broccoli, cauliflower, celery sticks, carrots and dill dip. A recall of these 6-,12- and 28-ounce trays in clear, plastic clamshell packaging that contain these items was issued on June 15. The trays have a “Best if used by” date of June 17, 2018 and were sold at Kwik Trip, Kwik Star, Demond’s, Sentry, Potash, Meehan’s, Country Market, FoodMax Supermarket, and Peapod stores in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

 

CDC – 

Multistate Outbreak of Cyclosporiasis Linked to Del Monte Fresh Produce Vegetable Trays — United States, 2018

 

Leave a comment

Posted in CDC, Cyclospora, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Uncategorized

Ireland – Recall of Dunnes Stores and Spar Pesto Due to the Possible Presence of Salmonella

Posted on July 9, 2018 by | Leave a comment

FSAI

Summary
Category 2: For Information
Alert Notification: 2018.24
Product: Please refer to below table
Batch Code: Please refer to below table
Country Of Origin: Belgium

Message:

As a precautionary measure, Dunnes Stores and Spar are initiating a recall of their own brand pestos, due to the possible presence of Salmonella. Consumers who have bought the implicated batches should dispose of the product or return it to the place of purchase.

Table for Pesto Alert
DS Basil Pesto

Leave a comment

Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, FSAI, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Hong Kong – Not to consume prepackaged frozen vegetable products suspected to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on July 9, 2018 by | Leave a comment

CFS logo

Issue Date 7.7.2018
Source of Information The United Kingdom Food Standards Agency
Food Product Several kinds of prepackaged frozen vegetable products produced by the Greenyard Frozen UK Ltd
Product Name and Description 1. Product name : Sainsbury’s Mixed Vegetables

Packing: one kilogram per pack

Importer: The Dairy Farm Company Limited

Best before date: All codes to January 2020 inclusive

 

2. Product name : Waitrose Love Life Vegetable Medley Steamers

Packing: four small packs of 160 grams each per pack

Importer: PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited

Best before date: May, July, September 2018

 

3. Product name : Growers Pride Mixed Vegetables

Packing: 450 grams per pack

Importer: PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited

Best before date: All codes to July 2021 inclusive

 

4. Product name : Ross Mixed Vegetables

Packing: one kilogram per pack

Importer: PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited

Best before date: All codes to July 2020 inclusive

 

5. Product name : Ross Sweetcorn

Packing: 450 grams per pack

Importer: PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited

Best before date: All codes to July 2021 inclusive
Reason For Issuing Alert
  • The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) through its Food Incident Surveillance System, learned of a notice issued by the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency that the Greenyard Frozen UK Limited is recalling several kinds of frozen vegetable products as they might have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Action Taken by the Centre for Food Safety
  • The CFS immediately contacted major local importers and retailers for follow-up. Preliminary investigation found that two local importers, The Dairy Farm Company Limited and PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited, had imported the above affected products into Hong Kong for sale at their chain supermarkets. The importers concerned have already stopped sale and removed from shelves the affected products and initiated a recall.
  •  The CFS will alert the trade to the incident, and will continue to monitor the case and take appropriate follow-up action. Investigation is ongoing.
Advice to the Trade
  • Stop using or selling the product concerned immediately if they possess them.
Advice to Consumers
  • Not to consume the affected products if they have bought any.
  • Members of the public can contact the importers and the supermarkets concerned for enquiries about the recall.
Further Information

Leave a comment

Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Uncategorized

Australia – Consumer alert: frozen vegetable product recalls – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on July 9, 2018 by | Leave a comment

FSANZ 

 

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today warned vulnerable people to check their freezers for recalled frozen vegetable products that are possibly contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Acting FSANZ CEO Peter May said pregnant women, people whose immune systems are compromised (e.g. cancer patients) and elderly people, are at a much greater risk from Listeria infection.
 
“The products affected contain a particularly dangerous strain of Listeria and are being recalled as a precautionary measure to ensure consumers are protected, but particularly vulnerable populations,” Mr May said.
 
“While many people will follow cooking instructions properly (which should kill Listeria bacteria) we are aware that some people eat frozen vegetables straight from the freezer and there is a risk of some people not cooking produce properly.
 
Consumers who have the product in their freezer should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund or dispose of it. Consumers who have eaten the product and feel unwell should see a health professional.
 

Leave a comment

Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, FSANZ, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Uncategorized