Category Archives: Food Hygiene

USA – Research -The E. coli O157:H7 Bacteria and its Complications

Food Poisoning BulletinEcoli Istock

E. coli O157:H7 is one of hundreds of strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli.[1]  Most strains of E. coli are harmless and live as normal flora in the intestines of healthy humans and animals.[2]  The E. coli bacterium is among the most extensively studied microorganism.[3]  The combination of letters and numbers in the name of the E. coli O157:H7 refers to the specific markers found on its surface and distinguishes it from other types of E. coli.[4]  The testing done to distinguish E. coli O157:H7 from its other E. coli counterparts is called serotyping.[5]  Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (“PFGE”),[6]sometimes also referred to as genetic fingerprinting, is used to compare E. coli O157:H7 isolates to determine if the strains are distinguishable.[7]

USA – CDC New Tool For Food Safety in Restaurants

Food Poisoning BulletinE.coli O157

Almost half of all foodborne illness outbreaks that occur every year in the U.S. are associated with restaurants and delis. The CDC has released new findings and prevention tools to improve food safety in restaurants. Public health officials say that increased awareness and implementation of proper food safety in restaurants and delis may prevent many of the foodborne illness outbreaks reported every year in the U.S.

Education of restaurant workers and public health surveillance are two critical tools necessary in preventing these illnesses. Food preparation and handling practices, worker health policies, and hand-washing practices are some of the factors that are not reported during outbreaks. Carol Selman, head of the CDC’s Environmental Health Specialists Network team said, “inspectors have not had a formal system to capture and report the underlying factors that likely contribute to foodborne outbreaks or a way to inform prevention strategies and implement routine corrective measures to prevent future outbreaks.”

USA – Vibrio Outbreak Raw Oysters

Food Poisoning BulletinVibrio

Vibrio outbreak associated with eating raw oysters and raw clams has sickened at least 104 people in 13 states over the last six months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Six people have been hospitalized.

Public health investigators have traced the source of some of these illnesses to shellfish harvest areas in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia. Massachusetts issued a recall of oysters,  Connecticut issued a recall of oysters and clams. Implicated harvest areas in Virginia were closed in July and remain closed.  In Massachusetts, they were closed in August and remain closed. In New York they were closed in June and reopened in mid-September. In Connecticut, they were closed in August and reopened in mid-September.

USA – Beef and Pork Product Recall E.coli STEC

E.coli BlogShiga_toxin_(Stx)_PDB_1r4q

Cloud’s Meats, Inc. is voluntarily recalling beef and pork products possibly contaminated with E. coli. following positive test results for non-0157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STECs) in samples of items produced mid-November. The samples were taken during routine testing conducted by the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Inspection Program November 14 and analyzed by the Department’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Springfield.

Italy – Alert Over Clostridium botulinum – Olives

IllfattoalimentareClost

The Ministry of Health has launched an alert for botulism involving two lots of olives brand Bel Colle.  The alarm goes back to November 26, 2013 following the emergency admission at the hospital Morgagni Forlì, a patient with severe symptoms due to suspected poisoning from Clostridium botulinum.

UK – FSA – Recall Mussels/Calms – Possible Illness

FSAfood_standards_agency_logo

Following a small number of illness reports in the UK, as a precaution while investigations are taking place, Marks & Spencer has removed from sale and recalled three Marks & Spencer branded mussel-based products.

M&S – Mussels in Garlic
Unique code: 00604819 and 00929189

M&S – Mussels in White Wine
Unique code: 00720618

M&S – Mussels and Clams
Unique code: 00667104

‘Use by’: all date codes

Marks & Spencer has recalled the affected products from consumers. Point-of-sale notices have been displayed in stores advising consumers of the recall and the actions they can take if they have bought an affected product.

A copy of the company’s product recall notice is attached to this notification.

 

RASFF Alerts – E.coli -Clams – Mussels – Bovine Meat

RASFF -too high count of Escherichia coli (490 MPN/100g) in live clams (Venus verrucosa) from Greece in Italy

RASFF -too high count of Escherichia coli (330; 1090 MPN/100g) in live mussels from France

RASFF – shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (presence /25g) in frozen boneless bovine meat (Bos taurus) from Brazil in the Netherlands

RASFF Alerts – Campylobacter – Chicken – Bacillus cereus Toxin – Rocket

RASFF – Campylobacter coli (8 of 12 samples /25g) and Campylobacter jejuni (4 out of 12 samples /25g) in chilled boneless skinless chicken breast fillets from Poland in Denmark

RASFF – Bacillus cereus diarrheal enterotoxin (17000 CFU/g) in packed rocket from the Netherlands in Finland

RASFF Alerts – Listeria monocytogenes – Meat Spread – Chilli Sausage – Speck

RASFF -Listeria monocytogenes (presence /25g) in onion flavoured meat spread from Poland

RASFF -Listeria monocytogenes (presence /25g) in chilled chili sausage from Poland

RASFF -Listeria monocytogenes (>1500 CFU/100g) in chilled speck from Italy in France

 

Australia – 55 Sick Norovirus Outbreak

Consumer Food Safetynorovirus-2(1)

At least 55 children and their teachers became violently ill with nausea, vomiting, dehydration and diarrhea during a three-day stay at the Borambola Sport and Recreation Centre in New South Wales, Australia.

Eleven ambulances from across the region and medical staff from Wagga Base Hospital were called to the center.

Initially the number of those affected was only small, but it quickly became apparent it was highly contagious with about 55 falling ill over the course of just a few hours.