RASFF -shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (stx1+; stx2+; aea+) and Staphylococcus aureus (47000 CFU/g) and high count of Escherichia coli (60000 CFU/g) in soft cheese made from raw milk from France
KSWFoodWorld
Category Archives: Food Hygiene
RASFF Alerts – Norovrius – Bouchot Mussels
RASFF-norovirus in live bouchot mussels (Mytilus edulis) from France in Italy
RASFF Alert – Listeria monocytogenes – Chilled Beef Snippets p VP Black Angus Steak Tartare
Hong Kong -Bacillus cereus in Pasteurised Milk
In June 2018, the Food Surveillance Programme of the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) detected excessive Bacillus cereus at a level of 4.6 million per gram in a packed pasteurised milk collected at a local supermarket. In September, in response to a food complaint, another packed pasteurised milk was found to contain Bacillus cereus at an excessive level of 3.8 million per gram. According to the Microbiological Guidelines for Food of CFS, if a ready-to-eat food contains Bacillus cereus at a level of more than 100 000 per gram, it is considered unsatisfactory. This article discusses Bacillus cereus in milk from the perspective of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and the measures to control its growth during production and storage.
Canada – Salmonella Enteritidis Outbreak in Canada Linked to Frozen Raw Breaded Chicken Updated
The Public Health Agency of Canada is updating its investigation into the Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak linked store frozen raw breaded chicken products. The government is warning consumers that they must follow proper food safety practices when handling, preparing, or eating these products, which include chicken nuggets, chicken strips, chicken burgers, popcorn chicken, and chicken fries.
Canada – Food Recall Warning – Canada Herb brand culantro (Ngò Gai) recalled due to Salmonella
Recall details
Ottawa, October 31, 2018 – Canada Herb is recalling Canada Herb brand culantro (Ngò Gai) 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 | Culantro (Ngò Gai) | Variable weight | None – all packages sold up to and including October 31, 2018 | None |
USA – Fit & Active sandwiches recalled from Aldi stores for bacteria risk – Salmonella and Listeria
Another company is recalling food because it contains ingredients supplied by McCain Foods USA, which has recalled all of the fruit and vegetable products made at its Colton, CA, facility because of bacterial risks.
This time, J&J Snack Foods Handheld Corp. of Holly Ridge, NC, is the recalling company. It has pulled two lots of Fit & Active branded “Southwest Veggie Stuffed Sandwiches” because of potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella, according to a recall notice posted on the Food and Drug Administration’s website.
“Although this product is not ready-to-eat and has baking instructions which, if followed, will reduce consumer risk, there remains some risk that mishandling of this product prior to or without adequate baking may cause illness,” the J&J recall notice states.
“Consumers with affected products are urged to discard or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.”
The Fit & Active “Southwest Veggie Stuffed Sandwiches” affected have production dates of Julian code: 20027230003106:15 BEST BY FEB 09 2019 and Julian code: 20027235003115:13 BEST BY FEB 14 2019.
USA – The CDC reports 1, but the New Mexico Department of Health reports 30 with Salmonella linked to Ground Beef
If the CDC reported 1 as of 10/23 and New Mexico reported 30 today, the CDC’s count of 120 in 22 states sickened with Salmonella is clearly going to spike.
The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on a multi-state cluster of Salmonella infections linked to ground beef.
Since late August, NMDOH has identified 30 New Mexico residents that were diagnosed with Salmonella after preparing ground beef at home. Illness duration has averaged 13 days and 27% of patients were hospitalized.
Europe – Multi-country outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes linked to consumption of salmon products
Ready-to-eat salmon products, such as cold-smoked and marinated salmon, are reported to be the likely source of an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes that has affected Denmark, Germany and France since 2015. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) used whole genome sequencing to identify the multi-country outbreak.
In August 2017, Denmark reported the first cluster of cases linked to the consumption of ready-to-eat smoked salmon produced in Poland and control measures were implemented. In October 2017, France reported the detection of the same strain of Listeria in marinated salmon originating from the same Polish processing company as identified in the Danish outbreak investigation. The most recent case linked to the outbreak was notified in Germany in May 2018. By 8 October 2018, 12 cases, including four deaths, had been reported in the affected countries.
Due to the lack of whole genome sequencing data from the environmental and food samples taken at the Polish processing plant, it is not possible at present to confirm whether the contamination occurred in the suspected plant. Moreover, until information on the Norwegian primary producers of the salmon used in the contaminated batches has been reported and assessed, the possibility of contamination at primary production level cannot be excluded.
The identification of the same Listeria strain in a salmon product in France and a new human case in Germany suggest that the source of contamination may still be active and that contaminated products have been distributed to EU countries other than Denmark.
The report on the findings can be accessed at: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/scientific_output/EN-1496.pdf.
[Source: EFSA, 25 October 2018. http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/181025]
Research – Prevalence and Molecular Characteristics of Clostridium difficile in Retail Meats, Food-Producing and Companion Animals, and Humans in Minnesota
Community-associated Clostridium difficile infection (CA-CDI) now accounts for approximately 50% of CDI cases in central Minnesota; animals and meat products are potential sources. From November 2011 to July 2013, we cultured retail meat products and fecal samples from food-producing and companion animals in central Minnesota for C. difficile by using standard methods. The resulting 51 C. difficile isolates, plus 30 archived local veterinary C. difficile isolates and 208 human CA-CDI case isolates from central Minnesota (from 2012) from the Minnesota Department of Health, were characterized molecularly, and source groups were compared using discriminant analysis. C. difficile was recovered from 0 (0%) of 342 retail meat samples and 51 (9%) of 559 animal fecal samples. Overall, the 81 animal source isolates and 208 human source isolates were highly diverse genetically. Molecular traits segregated extensively in relation to animal versus human origin. Discriminant analysis classified 95% of isolates correctly by source group; only five (2.5%) human source isolates were classified as animal source. These data do not support meat products or food-producing and companion animals as important sources of CA-CDI in the central Minnesota study region.
