Category Archives: Food Hygiene

Canada – No Name recalls all raw, frozen chicken products ‘out of an abundance of caution’ – Salmonella

Kelownanow News

There have been several recalls around frozen chicken products due to an outbreak of salmonella contamination in Canada.

Out of an abundance of caution, the brand No Name is voluntarily recalling all breaded frozen chicken products.

he company also announced that they will only be producing cooked chicken products from now on.

“Understanding the potential risk of illness associated with frozen raw chicken products, moving forward No Name® will introduce only 100% fully cooked frozen chicken nuggets, strips and burgers,” said the company.

This voluntary recall includes all lot codes, sold on or before February 8, 2019 from the following products:

  • No Name Chicken Nuggets: 907g, 2.0kg, and 3.0kg boxes
  • No Name Chicken Strips: 907g and 2.0kg boxes
  • No Name Chicken Burgers: 1.0kg, 2.0kg, and 3.0kg boxes
  • $10 Chicken Fries: 1.8kg bags

USA – Hepatitis A Diagnosed In Employee at Crescent City Tavern in Dalton, GA

Food Poisoning Bulletin

An employee at the Crescent City Tavern in downtown Dalton, Georgia has been diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to the Whitfield County Health Department. That employee, a food handler, worked while infectious during the time period of December 28, 2018 through January 31, 2019. That means that anyone who ate food or drank beverages during that time may have been exposed to the pathogenic virus.

USA – FDA Investigating a Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Concord Linked to Tahini Produced by Achdut Ltd.

FDA

Update: February 08, 2019

United States Food and Drug Administration, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local partners, is investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Concord illnesses linked to tahini imported from an Israeli manufacturer, Achdut Ltd., located in Ari’el, Israel.

On November 28, 2018, in response to the on-going investigation, Soom Foods voluntarily recalled the following additional products:

  • 12 oz. Chocolate Sweet Tahini Halva Spread 071318CH. Packed from tahini lot 18-123.

And tahini in the following sizes and types:

  • 40 lb. Organic Tahini.
  • 40 lb. Premium Tahini.
  • 16 oz. Premium Tahini.
  • 16 oz. Organic Tahini.
  • 11 oz. Premium Tahini.

The tahini product lot codes range from 18-097 through 18-141.

Some of the above listed products were included in the original voluntary recall by Achdut Ltd. on November 27, 2018. The FDA is posting this information to ensure the widest possible dissemination to the public.

Recommendations

The FDA is advising consumers not to eat recalled Achva, Achdut, Soom, S&F, and Pepperwood brand tahini and Soom brand Chocolate Sweet Tahini Halva Spread (lot code 071318CH) with expiration dates ranging from April 7, 2020 to May 21, 2020 and Baron’s brand tahini with the expiration date of May 5, 2021. The product lot codes range from 18-097 to 18-141. Consumers should discard the product or return the product to the store for a refund.

Some brands of tahini manufactured by Achdut Ltd. may lack specific dates or may have labels that are written in Hebrew. Consumers who have purchased a tahini product and are uncertain of where the product was manufactured or cannot identify the brand by lot codes or expiration dates should discard the product or return the food to the store for a refund. More product information and pictures of the recalled product labels can be found in Achdut ‘s recall announcement. View Soom Foods’ recall announcement.

Retailers and restaurants should not use any of the recalled tahini manufactured by Achdut Ltd. at their establishments. Retailers and restaurants should throw the product out.

Firms that may have used the recalled tahini (either repacked or used as an ingredient in a food without a kill step) should consider recalling their products. Recalls should be reported to your local FDA office. View a list of FDA recall coordinators.

Research – Listeria monocytogenes Associated with Pasteurized Chocolate Milk, Ontario, Canada

CDC

Abstract

In an investigation of a listeriosis outbreak in Ontario, Canada, during November 2015–June 2016, Public Health Ontario identified pasteurized chocolate milk as the source. Because listeriosis outbreaks associated with pasteurized milk are rare in North America, these findings highlight that dairy products can be contaminated after pasteurization.

Listeria monocytogenes is a formidable pathogen acquired primarily through contaminated food. Invasive listeriosis is a reportable disease in Ontario, Canada; ≈50 case-patients (0.4 cases/100,000 persons) have been reported annually since 2005 (1). Recent outbreaks of listeriosis in North America have been associated with delicatessen meats, soft cheeses, raw produce, and unpasteurized dairy products (2–4). However, listeriosis outbreaks linked to pasteurized fluid milk are rare.

A study in the United States reviewed 83 fluid milk-associated disease outbreaks during 1990–2006; however, only 1 outbreak was attributed to L. monocytogenes (5). We report an outbreak of listeriosis associated with pasteurized chocolate milk in Ontario, Canada.

Research – Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in Select Ready-to-Eat Foods—Deli Meat, Soft Cheese, and Packaged Salad: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Journal of Food Protection

Listeria monocytogenes is the cause of listeriosis, an important foodborne disease. Contaminated ready-to-eat foods are common sources of L. monocytogenes, yet no global estimates exist for prevalence and levels in high-risk ready-to-eat foods. Our objective was to estimate the prevalence and levels of L. monocytogenes in deli meat, soft cheese, and packaged salad. We searched Medline, Web of Science, Agricola, Conference Proceedings Citation Index-Science, Science.gov, ScienceResearch.com, and OpenGREY for studies on L. monocytogenes prevalence and/or levels, with no restriction on publication date. We used a priori study selection, data extraction, and risk of biases processes. Results were synthesized with random-effects meta-analyses and meta-regressions to evaluate heterogeneity between studies. We included in the review 100 studies with a sample size restriction of ≥100, and we estimated L. monocytogenes prevalence in deli meat at 2.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3 to 3.6%), in soft cheese at 2.4% (95% CI, 1.6 to 3.6%), and in packaged salad at 2.0% (95% CI, 1.2 to 3.1%). High heterogeneity was present in all food groups, and meta-regressions did not reveal consistent explanations for heterogeneity. Pathogen level was not reported consistently or in the format required for synthesis, so meta-analyses of this variable were not performed. The high heterogeneity between studies indicates that use of global summary prevalence estimates for risk assessments are not advisable, but awareness of risk and the heterogeneity of the risk is relevant for education and further risk assessment.

RASFF Alerts – Aflatoxin – Groundnuts – Hazlenut Kernels – Nutmegs – Pistachios – Ground Ginger – Almonds

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RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 23.1; Tot. = 25.6 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts with shell from Egypt in Germany

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 19.2; Tot. = 28.8 µg/kg – ppb) in hazelnut kernels from Georgia in Bulgaria

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 5.6 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from Argentina in the Netherlands

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 10; Tot. = 11 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from the United States in the Netherlands

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 2.59 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from Argentina in the Netherlands

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 4.4; Tot. = 5.1 µg/kg – ppb) in blanched groundnut kernels from Argentina in Italy

RASFF – aflatoxins (Tot. = 16.4 µg/kg – ppb) in nutmegs from Indonesia in Germany

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 17.75 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios from the United States, processed in Turkey in Italy

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 23; Tot. = 34 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnut paste from Senegal in France

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 47; Tot. = 81 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnut powder from Senegal in France

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 17.19 µg/kg – ppb) in ground ginger from Germany in Germany

RASFF – aflatoxins (Tot. = 102 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted and salted pistachios from Turkey in the UK

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = >24; Tot. = >24 µg/kg – ppb) in shelled almonds from Australia, manufactured in Vietnam in Spain

RASFF Alert – Ochratoxin – Dried Grapes – Sultana – Sultana Raisins

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RASFF – ochratoxin A (19.3 µg/kg – ppb) in dried grapes from Turkey in France

RASFF – ochratoxin A (19.1 µg/kg – ppb) in dried grapes from Turkey in France

RASFF – ochratoxin A (20 µg/kg – ppb) in sultanas from Turkey in France

RASFF – ochratoxin A (22 µg/kg – ppb) in sultana raisins from Turkey in France

RASFF Alert – Moulds – Jabuticaba

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RASFF – jabuticaba from Brazil infested with moulds in Portugal

RASFF Alerts – Listeria monocytogenes – Organic Tartare Meat – Chilled Smoked Salmon

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RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes (present /25g) in organic tartare meat from Austria in the Netherlands

RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes (<10 CFU/100g) in chilled smoked salmon from Denmark in Italy

 

 

RASFF Alert – Bacillus cereus – Chilli Bean Curd

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RASFF – Bacillus cereus (960000 CFU/g) in chili bean curd from China in the UK