Daily Harvest has identified tara flour as the apparent culprit in the illnesses that may be linked to that company’s French Lentil + Leeks Crumbles. The FDA reports that there have been 277 adverse event complaints received so far, and that 96 people have been hospitalized because they are so ill; some have had their gall bladders removed. There have been almost 500 anecdotal reports of illness. The FDA has not commented on this new information as of July 19, 2022.
But there is no indication of just what it is about the tara flour that has made people sick. The product is not inherently toxic. And considering that the crumbles have been tested for everything from E. coli bacteria to Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, gluten, pesticides, heavy metals, and other chemicals, it’s surprising that no specific compound has been identified.
Sausage Roll has been the cause of a disease outbreak with listeria. This shows a large-scale investigation work, which has been carried out in close collaboration between the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, the Statens Serum Institut and the DTU Food Institute, assisted by Danish Crown. The sausage has been recalled and is no longer in stores.
Since the New Year, we in Denmark have registered significantly more patients infected with listeria than usual.
Laboratory analyzes have shown that it is due to two simultaneous disease outbreaks, where patients have become ill from two different types of listeria. The source of infection for one outbreak has now been identified.
A total of eight people had been infected in the outbreak, of which one has died as a result of the infection.
“We have just found a match between eight cases of disease and listeria from a Danish Crown company in Oldenburg, Germany, which produces rolled sausage. Seven of the eight patients were interviewed and they had all eaten sausage rolls. When we have subsequently been in contact with the supermarkets in which the patients had shopped, we have found that rolled sausage from Danish Crown in Oldenburg went again in several places, ”says Annette Perge, section manager at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.
All sausages rolled back
A little over a week ago, Danish Crown recalled all sausage products produced after 1 June from the market. It happened because the company had found listeria in the production at the company in Oldenburg. The company has assisted with the clarification work with samples from the company.
”DTU Fødevareinstituttet, SSI and Fødevarestyrelsen have analyzed and compared the listeria bacteria found in the patients and in sausage rolls from the company in Oldenburg, using DNA typing. The bacteria turned out to be exactly the same, and compared with the patients having stated that they have eaten sausage, you can be sure that the infection has come from the sausage, ”says Steen Ethelberg, senior researcher at the Statens Serum Institut.
The detective work continues
Although no new cases of the disease have been recorded in the two outbreaks in the past month, work continues to find the source of the infection for the second outbreak.
“We test to locate the source of the second outbreak and work continuously to guide companies on preventive measures in food production to avoid getting listeria in cold cuts,” says senior researcher and research group leader Marianne Sandberg, DTU Food Institute.
A total of 48 people have been admitted to the hospital on Monday suffering from severe food poisoning after attending a wedding on Saturday in an event hall operating without a license.
After attending a wedding in Zarzir in northern Israel earlier this week, multiple guests began experiencing symptoms of a form of food poisoning known as Shigella and were treated at Haemek Medical Center.
Poor practices by the food handler can result in the ice-cream becoming unsafe to eat and this can lead to food poisoning. Food poisoning is an unpleasant illness.
For young children, pregnant women, the elderly and the sick, it can be serious and sometimes fatal. Typical symptoms of food poisoning include:
• Nausea/vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Stomach pains
• Headaches
All food businesses have a legal obligation to:
• Produce food in a hygienic manner
• Implement a food safety management system based on the principles of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point)
• Implement a traceability and recall system
• Ensure that staff are supervised and instructed in food hygiene matters
Nearly 500 students of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), Basara, were taken ill on Friday due to suspected food poisoning.
The students were treated locally, while some were shifted to Nizamabad for better treatment. It is suspected that fried rice made with rotten eggs could have led to food poisoning. However, officials have not revealed the exact reason.
More than 200 students from IIIT Basar have fallen ill due to alleged food poisoning on Friday. The students fell ill after consuming fried rice served to them at their mess. The college authorities immediately rushed the students to a nearby hospital where they are undergoing treatment. According to the sources, some students at the institute started vomiting soon after lunch on Friday. It has been suspected that contaminated fried rice may have caused the illness on the campus. As per the latest reports, the condition of five students is said to be critical.
On coming to know of the incident, the Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy has instructed IIIT- Basar Director to extend best treatment to the students. An inquriy will be conducted into the incident and stringent action will be taken against the responsible, she said.
The number of foodborne outbreaks almost tripled in Switzerland in 2021 compared to the year before.
This past year, 37 outbreaks were reported with 540 people sick and 40 hospitalized versus 13 outbreaks in 2020.
Officials at the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office said the increase could be random, it could be due to better reporting and data collection or it could show the food safety situation has gotten worse, possibly because of the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges facing businesses.
The agent was unknown in 17 outbreaks but Salmonella caused seven, norovirus four, Campylobacter three, two were due to Bacillus cereus and one each because of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Clostridium perfringens and hepatitis E.
State officials have ordered Big Olaf Creamery to stop use of processing equipment in a plant associated with a deadly outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections.
The Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (FDACS) is still waiting for results of product sampling, but the evidence of Listeria in the production plant is enough for the state to take action.
Twenty-three people have been infected with Listeria and one has died. One pregnant women suffered a miscarriage.
A spokesman with the Florida Department of Health told Food Safety News today that the agency has been investigating the outbreak for a year.
The agriculture and consumers services department took more than 100 samples at the manufacturing plant of Big Olaf Creamery and nine came back positive, including one from a transfer pipe from pre mix to an ice cream machine.
“FDACS has issued a stop use order of the processing equipment where the Listeria monocytogenes was found. This will effectively shut down all operations at this processing facility, which had already been done voluntarily by the company,” according to a statement today from the department.
Big Olaf Creamery of Sarasota, Florida is recalling all flavors and all lots of Big Olaf brand ice cream products because it has the potential to be contaminated 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.
The product was sold at Big Olaf retailers in Florida as well as to consumers in restaurants and senior homes, and one location in Fredericksburg, Ohio.
The Big Olaf brand ice cream was sold to consumers in plastic pint size containers, plastic ½ gallon containers, and plastic 2.5-gallon tubs, scoopable are sold to the independent retail stores. All flavors, lots, codes, and all expiration dates through 6/30/2022 are included in this recall.
Based on epidemiological information shared by the CDC and State Officials, Big Olaf may be a potential source of illness in an ongoing Listeria monocytogenes outbreak.
On Friday July 1, 2022, Big Olaf Creamery was informed of an outbreak investigation by the Florida Department of Health and Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and immediately ceased production and distribution of the ice cream product.
As of Friday, July 8th, 2022, the CDC reported that a total of 23 people were infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes from 10 states. Eighteen people interviewed reported eating ice cream, 10 reported eating Big Olaf Creamery brand ice cream or eating at locations that might have been supplied by Big Olaf Creamery. This is an ongoing investigation and other ice cream brands not related to Big Olaf were mentioned as a possible source as well.
Big Olaf Creamery and all retailers supplied did not receive any complaints regarding product defect or sickness. No formal complaints were filed with the Florida Department of Health as of July 1st, 2022.
Based on the information provided and upon the ongoing investigation, the company has ceased production and distribution of the ice cream product and is currently working with FDA by voluntarily recalling the product.
Big Olaf is cooperating fully with regulatory authorities to successfully return all suspected products and has requested retailers to stop sales and dispose of product. Consumers who have purchased Big Olaf Ice Cream Products should not consume these products and dispose of them immediately. Any areas, containers, and serving utensils that may have touched the ice cream should be cleaned.
Consumers that may have any questions about the recall may call 941-365-7483, Monday – Saturday from 8:00am – 5:00 pm EST.
The FDA, along with CDC, is assisting the Florida Department of Health (FL DOH) and Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (FDACS) in investigating an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to ice cream supplied by Big Olaf Creamery of Sarasota, Florida.
Based on epidemiological information collected by CDC and the FL DOH, Big Olaf ice cream products are a likely source of illness in this outbreak. A total of 23 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported from 10 states. Of the 18 people interviewed, all (100%) reported eating ice cream. Among 18 people who remembered details about the type of ice cream they ate, 10 reported eating Big Olaf Creamery brand ice cream or eating ice cream at locations that might have been supplied by Big Olaf Creamery. Twelve sick people are residents of Florida and nine reported traveling to Florida before getting sick.
FDA is concerned that retailers may still be selling Big Olaf ice cream products. Retailers should not sell or serve Big Olaf ice cream products and should throw them away. Consumers who may still have these products in their freezers should not eat or serve any Big Olaf ice cream products and should also throw the product away.
This is an ongoing investigation, and the firm has initiated a voluntary recall of its ice cream products. The FDA is continuing to work with the FL DOH and FDACS to investigate and will update this advisory should additional consumer safety information become available.
Recommendation
Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve any Big Olaf ice cream products and should throw the product away, regardless of the “Best By” or expiration date.
Call your healthcare provider right away if you have these symptoms after eating Big Olaf ice cream products:
Pregnant people typically experience only fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. However, Listeria infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
People who are not pregnant may experience headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, in addition to fever and muscle aches.
Consumers, restaurants, and retailers who purchased or received any Big Olaf ice cream products should throw the products away, follow FDA’s safe handling and cleaning advice and use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Listeria can survive in refrigerated temperatures and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.
Case Counts
Total Illnesses: 23
Hospitalizations: 22
Deaths: 1
Fetal Loss: 1
Last illness onset: 6/12/2022
States with Cases: CO (1), FL (12), GA (1), IL (1), KS (1), MA (2), MN (1), NJ (1), NY (2), PA (1)
Product Distribution*: FL
*Distribution has been confirmed for states listed, but product could have been distributed further, reaching additional states
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