Reducing the risk of contamination with foodborne pathogens is paramount in maintaining safety of produce. The raspberry industry uses chlorine spray as a control measure before conveying freshly picked red raspberries into individually quick frozen units. However, the efficacy of sanitizer spray treatment to inactivate norovirus, hepatitis A virus (HAV), and Listeria monocytogenes on raspberries has not been characterized. In this study, a laboratory-scale spray bar device was fabricated to simulate industrial settings. Fresh raspberries were spot inoculated with murine norovirus (MNV, a norovirus surrogate), HAV, or L. monocytogenes and sprayed with 50 ppm of chlorine or 80 ppm of peroxyacetic acid (PAA). Surviving pathogens were enumerated after spray or postspray frozen storage at −20°C for 1 and 24 h. Chlorine and PAA spray treatments reduced MNV and L. monocytogenes from raspberries by 0.2 and 0.6 log but had no effect on HAV. During frozen storage after spray treatment, the residual PAA on the fruit surfaces further reduced MNV and L. monocytogenes, achieving a total reduction of approximately 0.6 and 3.0 log, respectively. HAV levels were not affected by frozen storage after PAA or chlorine spray treatment. The findings were supported by the sanitizer decay results showing that PAA decayed more slowly than active chlorine on raspberry surfaces. Submerging washes conducted as comparisons showed higher reduction of pathogens from raspberry surfaces than similar respective sanitizer spray treatments. The results suggest that PAA could contribute to raspberry postharvest sanitation, aiding in risk reduction of pathogen contamination prior to entering an individually quick frozen un
Asda has taken the precautionary step of recalling its Peanut and Almond Cereal Bars in addition to its Cranberry and Nut Cereal Bars (packs of 4) because the products might contain salmonella.
Product details
| Pack size | 4x35g |
| Best before | end: September 2019 |
| Pack size | 4x35g |
| Best before | end: September 2019 |
No other Asda products are known to be affected.
Risk statement
The products listed above might be contaminated with salmonella. Symptoms caused by salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps.
Action taken by the company
Asda is recalling the above products. Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling these products. These notices explain to customers why the products have been recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought them. Please see the attached notices.
