Category Archives: Food Hygiene

USA – Flour Recalled over Salmonella concern

Food Poison Journal Salmonella

General Mills announced today a voluntary national recall of five-pound bags of its Gold Medal Unbleached Flour with a better if used by date of April 20, 2020.

The recall is being issued for the potential presence of Salmonella which was discovered during sampling of the five-pound bag product. This recall is being issued out of an abundance of care as General Mills has not received any direct consumer reports of confirmed illnesses related to this product.

This recall only affects this one date code of Gold Medal Unbleached Flour five-pound bags. All other types of Gold Medal Flour are not affected by this recall.

Consumers are asked to check their pantries and dispose of the product affected by this recall.

France – France reports Salmonella Poona cases in infants, maybe linked to powdered milk

Outbreak News Today

Salmonella kswfoodworld

Image CDC

Health officials in France are reporting four Salmonella Poona cases in infants whose strains are genetically linked.

The babies, two months to ten months in age, were sickened between the end of August 2018 and the end of December 2018. Three babies were hospitalized for their salmonellosis and all have been released.

Early investigations reveal a common food source with the four infants–powdered milk of the same brand produced by the same factory in Spain.

No other common food or drink has been reported.

Investigations are currently being conducted with the Spanish authorities and the manufacturer to define the management measures to be put in place.

Canada – Veg-Pak is recalling Veg-Pak brand Hot Peppers Red Thai and Longo’s brand Hot Red Thai Chili Peppers due to Salmonella

CFIA

Recall details

Ottawa, January 23, 2019 – The food recall warning issued on January 20, 2019 has been updated to include additional product information. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.

Veg-Pak is recalling Veg-Pak brand Hot Peppers Red Thai and Longo’s brand Hot Red Thai Chili Peppers from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.

Recalled products

Brand Name Common Name Size Code(s) on Product UPC
Veg-Pak Hot Peppers
Red Thai
75 g B2401801 015
C2401801 016
D2407801 017
D2401801 017
E2407801 018
E2401801 018
0 59559 00021 4
Longo’s Hot Red Thai Chili Peppers Variable 017 2401801
017 2407801
Starts with 0200175 60

Background

This recall was triggered by the company. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.

The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing recalled product from the marketplace.

Illnesses

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

Australia – Child hospitalised in Salmonella outbreak; source unknown

Food Safety News

A child has been hospitalised in Southern Australia as part of a Salmonella outbreak.

The outbreak has been traced to an early learning center and seven children aged up to four years are affected.

The Whyalla City Council said the cause and origin of the incident is currently unknown. Whyalla is in the Australian state of South Australia (SA).

“The City of Whyalla is working with SA Health to help identify the cause of a localized Salmonella outbreak involving children that attend a Whyalla early learning center,” according to a council statement.

“There have been no reported cases of Salmonella at the Council-run Whyalla Child Care Centre. Council health officers conduct regular checks of commercial and community food outlets and uphold a stringent set of regulations that all food outlets must abide by.”

Indonesia – Palu earthquake victims suffer food poisoning at shelter

The Jakarta Post

Dozens of people from Kabonena and Tipo subdistricts in Palu, Central Sulawesi, who were displaced by a recent earthquake, have been hospitalized for reported food poisoning after consuming donated food on Saturday.

Badrun, one of the food poisoning victims, said the food was distributed to the shelter at around 11 a.m. local time. The displaced people did not feel anything strange as they ate the food but an hour later they started to feel dizzy and nauseous, he said.

The victims – mostly children – were rushed to Anutapura Palu Hospital.

Anutapura Palu Hospital deputy director for medical services Herry Mulyadi said his office had recorded that at least 38 people had been admitted to the hospital, while others were taken to other hospitals.

Canada – Red Chili Ingredient included in certain Hello Fresh brand and Chefs Plate brand Meal Kits recalled due to Salmonella

CFIA

kswfoodworld Salmonella

Image CDC

Recall details

Ottawa, January 21, 2019 – Hello Fresh Canada Inc. is recalling the red chili ingredient included in certain Hello Fresh brand and Chefs Plate brand meal kits from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination of that ingredient. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.

Recalled products

Brand Name Common Name Size Code(s) on Product UPC
Hello Fresh Red chili 1 (included in the 902 g kit) Included in Hello Fresh brand Coconut Dal meal kit coded as
Best Before 19 JA 29
WK19041920
2P
None
Hello Fresh Red chili 1 (included in the 1804 g kit) Included in Hello Fresh brand Coconut Dal meal kit coded as
Best Before 19 JA 29
WK19041920
4P
None
Chefs Plate Red chili 1 (included in the 856 g kit) Included in Chefs Plate brand Beef Chow Mein meal kit coded as January 19, 2019 (A2) None
Chefs Plate Red chili 1 (included in the 856 g kit) Included in Chefs Plate brand Beef Chow Mein meal kit coded as January 22, 2019 (A2) None
Chefs Plate Red chili 1 (included in the 1712 g kit) Included in Chefs Plate brand Beef Chow Mein meal kit coded as January 19, 2019 (A4) None
Chefs Plate Red chili 1 (included in the 1712 g kit) Included in Chefs Plate brand Beef Chow Mein meal kit coded as January 22, 2019 (A4) None

What you should do

If you think you became sick from consuming a recalled product, call your doctor.

Check to see if you have recalled products in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.

Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may contract serious and sometimes deadly infections. Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

Background

This recall was triggered by the company. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.

The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing recalled product from the marketplace.

Illnesses

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

Europe – Cholera – Annual Epidemiological Report for 2017

Publication series: Annual Epidemiological Report on Communicable Diseases in Europe
Time period covered: This report is based on data for 2017 retrieved from The European Surveillance System (TESSy) on 11 September 2018.
In 2017, five EU/EEA countries reported 17 laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera, which was in the range of previous years. All cases were infected outside of Europe.

USA – Recalls of hazardous meat and poultry up 83 percent since 2013, report finds

CBS

Recalls of hazardous meat and poultry have gone up by more than 80 percent in the last six years, according to a new report out Thursday morning. One in six Americans get sick every year from eating contaminated food leading to at least 3,000 deaths per year – 450 from salmonella alone.

“Something is rotten in our slaughterhouses and our fields, and so common sense protections from farm to fork can help prevent that,” said Adam Garber, a researcher for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, the organization behind the report.

It found recalls of produce and processed food by the FDA increased about two percent from 2013 to 2018 and the most hazardous meat and poultry recalls by the USDA increased by 83 percent.

The report recommends the FDA require testing “water used for irrigation or watering of produce for hazardous pathogens” like E. coli and for meat and poultry products, declare when “antibiotic resistant strains of salmonella as an adulterant” are found.

Canada – Canada Herb brand Red Chili recalled due to Salmonella

CFIA CIFA

Recall details

Ottawa, January 20, 2019 – Canada Herb is recalling Canada Herb brand Red Chili from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.

Recalled products

Brand Name Common Name Size Code(s) on Product UPC
Canada Herb Red Chili Variable weight None – all packages sold up to and including January 20, 2019 None

Canada – Certain Salmon Village brand Hot Smoked Atlantic Salmon Nuggets recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes

CFIA

Recall details

Ottawa, January 17, 2019 – Delta Pacific Seafoods is recalling certain Salmon Village brand Hot Smoked Atlantic Salmon Nuggets from the marketplace due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.

Recalled products

Brand Name Common Name Size Code(s) on Product UPC
Salmon Village Hot Smoked Atlantic Salmon Nuggets – Maple 150 g 1227.18 F26.18 and all Best Before codes 8 28684 00108 9