Category Archives: Food Hygiene

USA – Norovirus Outbreak Deli

Posted on February 1, 2013 by KSW | Leave a comment

A Concord deli has been closed by Contra Costa County environmental health officials due to norovirus contamination.

Marilyn Underwood, environmental health department director, said the North Park Deli on Nelson Avenue was shut down late Tuesday afternoon. It’s uncertain when the eatery will re-open.

Underwood said two employees at the deli have tested positive for the virus.

She said her department was first notified of the illness when 15 people who were at an event catered by North Park Deli on Friday evening became sick over the weekend.

It usually takes 36 to 48 hours after exposure for norovirus symptoms to appear.

Underwood said anyone who visited the deli late last week or early this week and becomes sick should avoid contact with other people. In addition, surfaces and other contaminated items should be cleaned with bleach.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, Norovirus, outbreak, Pathogen

Tagged environmental health department, environmental health officials, health department director, science

Research – Raw Flour can cause Foodborne Illness

Posted on January 31, 2013 by KSW | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Most savvy cooks know that raw eggs, meat, poultry, and shellfish should be handled with care because they most likely contain pathogenic bacteria. So they wash their hands after handling these products, take care to avoid cross-contamination, and sanitize surfaces after cooking. Cooking those foods will kill the pathogenic bacteria.

But did you know that uncooked flour can also be contaminated with pathogens? A study published in Foodborne Pathogens and Disease found that a cluster of Salmonella cases occurred in New Zealand in October 2008 linked to wheat-based poultry feed raw material. And raw flour caused an E. coli outbreak in the U.S. in 2009 that sickened 77 people in 30 states. In that case, the flour was in raw refrigerated,prepackaged cookie dough.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

USDA – Recall Veal Trimmings – E.coli O157:H7

Posted on January 31, 2013 by KSW | Leave a comment

USDA

San Jose Valley Veal, a Santa Clara, Calif. establishment, is recalling
approximately 1,260 pounds of veal trimmings that may be contaminated with
E. Coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, USDA

Tagged environment, food safety and inspection service, science

RASFF – Alerts – Salmonella – Ochratoxin A

Posted on January 29, 2013 by KSW | Leave a comment

RASFF – Salmonella in Dog Chews in Germany sourced in Argentina

RASFF – Ochratoxin A in Coffee in Belgium

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Ochratoxin, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall, Salmonella

Tagged dog chews, nature, transportation

Canada – CFIA – Recall Spouted Seeds – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on January 29, 2013 by KSW | Leave a comment

CFIA

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Canada Safeway Limited are warning the public not to consume the LifeForce Foods brand Sprouts described below because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

All codes of the following LifeForce Foods brand sprouts, product of USA, packaged in plastic clamshell containers of 85 grams, are affected by this alert:

Product	UPC
Brocco Sprouts	8 51042 00400 2
Spicy sprouts	8 51042 00401 9
Alfalfa sprouts	8 51042 00402 6

These products have been distributed through Canada Safeway stores in British Columbia only.

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

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Posted in Bacteria, CFIA, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

Tagged environment, nature, science, water

USA – FDA Recall Alfalfa Sprouts – Listeria monocyotgenes

Posted on January 29, 2013 by KSW | 4 comments

FDA

Sprouters Northwest of Kent, Washington is recalling 1953 pounds of alfalfa, clover, brocco sandwich sprouts, and spicy sprouts due to the potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Products were distributed from 1/10/13 to 1/18/13 in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and British Columbia, Canada through retail stores and food service distribution chain.

The affected products are sold under the Sprouters Northwest brand and are packaged in plastic clamshell containers and plastic 1 lb bags.

The problem was identified through a surveillance sampling and two samples collected at retail locations were tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA).

The firm is working with WSDA and the Food & Drug Administration on this recall.

Consumers should not consume the recalled sprouts products and are advised to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-253-872-0577 from 7AM to 2PM PST.

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Posted in Bacteria, FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

Tagged health, nature, science

USA – Ground Beef – Salmonella Typhimurium – Outbreaks

Posted on January 27, 2013 by KSW | Leave a comment

Food Safety News – First Outbreak Update

An emerging outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium has expanded to five states with 16 people infected with the outbreak strain, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta said Friday.

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)– just 24 hours earlier– announced the existence of the outbreak with seven illnesses in two states, Michigan and Arizona.

CDC said the states and the number of persons infected in the outbreak now includes: Arizona (!), Illinois (2), Iowa (1), Michigan (9), and Wisconsin (3). No deaths have been reported, but 53 percent of the ill persons have required hospitalization.

Food Safety News – Second Outbreak

A second Michigan retail store has recalled about 550 pounds of ground beef products that may be associated with a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to a Macomb County restaurant.

Troy-based Gab Halal Foods recalled various size bags of ground beef, wrapped in clear plastic. The recalled product was produced between Dec. 4, and Dec. 10, 2012 and distributed to the Macomb County restaurant and directly to consumers.

The beef products were sold without labels.

According to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the second recall was initiated out of concern for a cluster of Salmonella Typhimurium illnesses that may be caused by eating a raw ground beef product at a restaurant in Michigan’s Macomb County.

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Posted in Bacteria, CDC, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall, Salmonella, USDA

Tagged ground beef products, science

UK – FSA Warning About Campylobacter in Chicken

Posted on January 27, 2013 by KSW | Leave a comment

Daily Telegraph

The Food Standards Agency warned that around two thirds of all raw, shop-bought chicken in the UK is contaminated by campylobacter, which affects an estimated 500,000 people a year and kills around 100.

It said not enough was being done by manufacturers to prevent the spread of the bacteria and has called a “summit” meeting of food retail leaders at which it will ask them to plough more money into fighting the problem, rather than treating the current contamination levels as acceptable.