Category Archives: Food Hygiene

Ireland – M&S Recall Mussels/Clams Suspected Illness

Posted on December 2, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FSAI

Following reports of illness in the UK and as a precaution while investigations are taking place, Marks & Spencer are removing from sale and recalling the following own brand products:
Mussels in Garlic – All date codes- Unique Product Code 00604819 and 00929189 Mussels in White – Wine All date codes- Unique Product Code 00720618 Mussels and Clams – All date codes- Unique Product Code 00667104

Consumers are advised not these products. Any customers in possession of these products can return them to their nearest store where a full refund will be given.

No other M&S products are affected.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness

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USA – Cheese Recall Salmonella

Posted on November 29, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Flat Creek Farm & Dairy of Georgia is recalling 200 pounds of Heavenly blue cheese because of possible Salmonella enteritidis contamination. As of yesterday, more than 90% of the product has been collected or destroyed. No illnesses have been reported to date.

The cheese is packed in clear plastic and ranges in sizes from 1/2 pound to whole wheels. The lot code is 130912XHB on the front of the package. It was distributed in certain parts of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida and via three online orders, which have all been notified.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, Salmonella

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Italy – E.coli STEC Outbreak 22 Children Sick

Posted on November 28, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Consumer Food Safety

Twenty-two pre-school children have developed symptoms of shiga-toxin producing E. coli, with 12 confirmed and three hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome.

As for the child discharged yesterday, he went back home with family in the

As yet, there is no word on the source of the outbreak.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall, Shigatoxin, STEC

UK – Salmonella Outbreak at a Nursery Source Unknown

Posted on November 28, 2013 by | Leave a comment

thetele.co.ukSalmonella

An NHS investigation has failed to find the source of a salmonella outbreak that hit Dundee toddlers.

Eight youngsters from the city’s Technotots nursery were struck down with salmonella, with NHS Tayside’s health protection team and city council environmental health officers launching a “wide-ranging” investigation.

However, they were unable to confirm where the Brunel Road nursery’s outbreak stemmed from.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Laboratory, outbreak, Pathogen, Salmonella

USA – Herring Fillet Recall – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on November 28, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning BulletinEurofins Food Testing UK

ZIP International Group is recalling herring fillet in oil because of possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the consumption of this product. The herring is a product of Russia.

The recalled product is herring fillet in oil (FOSFOREL, ATLANTIKA) in 400 gram plastic packages. The best by dates are 18/01/2014 and UPC number is 4607095500208). It was sold in retail grocery stores in New York state beginning on 11/01/2013 and ending on 11/14/2013. Routine sampling by the New York State Department of Agriculture found the pathogenic bacteria

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Laboratory, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Pathogen, Recall

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USA Research – CDC/FDA – Genome Sequencing of Food Pathogens

Posted on November 27, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

In a prior APHLTech blog post (NGS in Action: FDA’s Genome TRAKR Network), Victor Waddell of the Arizona State Public Health Laboratory described the newly formed network of laboratories formed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Known collectively as Genome TRAKR, the member laboratories perform whole genome sequencing (WGS) on bacterial foodborne pathogens isolated primarily from food and environmental sources.

Original Article APHLT

On September 1, 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began a partnership with the FDA GenomeTRAKR network to utilize the network to conduct WGS of all Listeria monocytogenes collected from reported human illness cases in the United States. This effort leverages public health resources to evaluate and potentially move this promising new technology forward for more routine use in public health laboratories nationwide.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Laboratory, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

UK – Research – Livestock Associated with MSRA

Posted on November 27, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety NewsStaphylococcus

The U.K. Department of Health (DH) has identified the presence of livestock-associated MRSA in turkeys and chickens on a farm in East Anglia. (MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.)

The BBC reports that it’s the first case of LA-MRSA in poultry in the U.K., and that two-thirds of the turkeys on the unnamed farm were infected. Hundreds of turkeys may have already been sold to local retail outlets.

GOV.UK

The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) has identified the presence of Livestock-Associated Meticillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) in poultry on a farm in East Anglia.

LA-MRSA is not the same as those that cause the healthcare associated infections that affect people. The risk of getting LA-MRSA from eating poultry meat is very low if the meat is handled hygienically and cooked thoroughly to kill any bacteria. The risk of the general public catching LA-MRSA from an animal is also very low.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Standards Agency, Food Testing, Laboratory, MRSA, Pathogen, Research

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HPA Scotland – Contaminated Water Tanks

Posted on November 27, 2013 by | Leave a comment

HPAS

A recent Estates and Facilities Alert issued by Health Facilities Scotland (HFS) has noted that contamination of water supplies was found in two recent projects within NHS Scotland. Extensive testing traced the source to the cold water storage tanks which gave TVC (Total Viable Count) readings for Pseudomonas in excess of 500cfu/100ml (after 72-hour incubation). TVC readings fell to 0cfu/100ml immediately after disinfecting the tanks but had reverted to high levels at later re-testing.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Testing, Health Protection England, Hygiene, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pseudomonas, Research, Total Viable Count, Water

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RASFF Alerts – Aflatoxin- Dried Figs – Dried Fruit – Ochratoxin – Dried Figs

Posted on November 26, 2013 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 76.0; Total = 130.3 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs from Turkey in France

RASFF -aflatoxins (B1 = 8; Tot. = 21 µg/kg – ppb) in dried fruit mix (fig, date & apricot) from Turkey in Denmark

RASFF -aflatoxins (B1 = 11.09; Tot. = 12.34 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs from Turkey in Germany

RASFF – ochratoxin A (330 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs from Turkey, via Slovakia in Austria

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Moulds, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall

USA – E.coli O157 Report Released 94 Sickened

Posted on November 26, 2013 by | Leave a comment

E.coli BlogEcoli Istock

The Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH)’s report of its investigation of an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak in which 94 ill persons were identified was released today.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Research