Category Archives: Food Illness

UK – Dynamo sues KFC for £200,000 over ‘uncooked chicken’ he claims gave him food poisoning

Evening Standard

TV magician Dynamo is suing the owners of a north London KFC for more than £200,000 over an alleged bout of food poisoning that left him in hospital.

The 37-year-old Magician Impossible star says he was left doubled over in pain and needing urgent treatment after eating a meal at the Belsize Park eatery in summer 2017.

New Zealand – Hello Fresh food poisoning: 20 more people report symptoms after eating spoiled fish

New Zealand Herald

At least 20 people have now reported symptoms of food poisoning to health authorities after eating spoiled fish from food delivery service Hello Fresh.

An Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) spokesperson said that in the last 24 hours it has received around 20 calls from people who ate the food provided by the meal kit company.

When fish isn’t chilled properly, it can produce histamine that can be toxic to humans leading to scombroid poisoning, according to the New Zealand Food Safety website.

Canada – More than 180 people have had Salmonella symptoms after eating at a Sarnia restaurant

CBC

Dozens of people have contracted salmonella after eating at a restaurant in Sarnia and food truck in Corunna last month, according to Lambton Public Health.

On Monday, the local health unit confirmed that 41 people have now been diagnosed with salmonella after eating at the Barakat restaurant in Sarnia and the Barakat Food Truck in Corunna between Oct. 19 and Oct. 29. In total, the health unit said that more than 180 people have had symptoms consistent with the illness and nine people have been hospitalized.

On Oct. 30, the health unit put out its first news release, stating that they were looking into the situation. Days later on Nov. 5, they said there were 33 cases related to the outbreak in people between nine months and 73 years old.

Now the health unit has added several more infected individuals to the list.

Majority of the exposures took place between Oct. 21 and Oct. 25.

For anyone else who may have symptoms of salmonella, including diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps or vomiting, public health said they are advised to report the illness to Lambton Public Health and contact their health care provider as needed if symptomatic.

Research – Reporting delay likely impacted size of sandwich Listeria outbreak

Food Safety News

Later infections in a deadly Listeria outbreak traced to sandwiches served in hospitals in England could have been prevented, according to an investigation into the incident.

The first outbreak patient in April 2019 was not confirmed for almost two months because Public Health England did not get the isolate for typing from the hospital until early June.

Officials said it was “conceivable” that earlier receipt of the isolate would have raised the possibility of a wider problem sooner and may have led to earlier intervention and prevention of some further cases in the outbreak. Referral of clinical isolates is voluntary. Experts say making such action mandatory should be considered.

USA – Fresh Express Inc – Div of Chiquita Brands – FDA Warning Letter

FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA ) inspected your bagged salad operation located at 1109 East Lake Street, Streamwood, IL 60107, from June 25, 2020 through July 23, 2020. The inspection was initiated as part of an investigation of a multistate foodborne outbreak of cyclosporiasis (human infections with the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis). As of September 23, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that at least 701 people from 14 states have been infected with Cyclospora cayetanensis. Based on epidemiological and traceback evidence, CDC and FDA have determined that bagged salad mixes containing iceberg lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage manufactured at your Streamwood, IL facility were the source of this multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak. On June 19, 2020, you recalled bagged salad mix containing iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, and carrots, because they had the potential to be contaminated with Cyclospora. The Public Health Agency of Canada is also investigating an outbreak of cyclosporiasis infections occurring in three Canadian provinces in which Fresh Express brand salad products containing iceberg lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage have been identified as the likely source of the outbreak. This is the second outbreak of cyclosporiasis linked to Fresh Express product. In 2018, a multistate foodborne outbreak of cyclosporiasis involving 511 confirmed cases from 15 states was linked to salads sold at a fast food restaurant and manufactured at your Streamwood, IL facility.

Zimbabwe – Boy (12) dies of food poisoning

Nehanda Radio

In a case of suspected food poisoning, a 12-year-old boy died on Tuesday after consuming food at a birthday party which was held at their house in Highfield over the weekend.

At least 24 people, who attended the same function on Saturday, also complained of stomach pains after consuming the food.

Police are still carrying out investigations.

France – Product recall: Duo of roasted fillet and brisket from Le Porc de nos villages – Listeria monocytogenes

Oulah

Product recall: Duo of roasted fillet and brisket from Le Porc de nos villages

ENCOUNTERED PROBLEM

Presence of Listeria monocytogenes

PROPOSED SOLUTION

Those in possession of this product are asked not to consume it and to return it to the point of sale where it was purchased.

People who have consumed this product and who have a fever, isolated or accompanied by headaches, are invited to consult their doctor, notifying him of this consumption.
Pregnant women should pay special attention to these symptoms, as well as immunocompromised people and the elderly. These symptoms may suggest listeriosis, a disease that can be serious and can take up to eight weeks to incubate.

FURTHER INFORMATION

▸ Type of product
Duo of roasted fillet and brisket made from label rouge pork sold in trays of 4 slices in the pre-packed shelf.

▸ Health
stamp FR 29.004.023 CE

▸ Barcode
3268680037700

▸ Lot and DLC
• lot 02028007 for DLC on 03/11/2020
• lot 02028106 for DLC on 04/11/2020 EAN

▸ Lot and DLC
The company “TALLEC” is at the disposal of consumers to answer their questions on the telephone number: “07-63-20-05-03” from Monday to Sunday from 8 am to 8 pm.

▸ Source
https://www.auchan.fr/

Russia – Suspected Salmonella outbreak linked to Makhachkala café sickens 39

Outbreak News Today

The Ministry of Health of Dagestan, Russia (computer translated) are reporting that 39 people have been hospitalized with acute intestinal infection.

Officials note that 39 people were hospitalized, including 12 children. The patient’s condition is assessed as moderate. The main clinical symptoms include fever up to 38–39 degrees, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and frequent loose stools.

According to the results of the survey of the sick, a single factor of transmission of infection was established, they all bought food in the Kazan-Kebab café in Makhachkala.

USA – Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Stanley: Wood Ear Mushrooms – Dried Fungus (September 2020)

FDA

The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Stanley infections linked to wood ear mushrooms imported by Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. of Santa Fe Springs, CA. Wood ear mushrooms are a dried mushroom, also commonly labelled or referred to as Kikurage, Dried Black Fungus, Dried Fungus, or Mu’er/Mu Er/Mu-Err.

Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. acted quickly upon being notified of the positive test result and recalled all wood ear mushrooms within shelf life on September 23, 2020.

Recommendation

Wood ear mushrooms imported by Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. were only sold to restaurants and were not available directly to consumers. Although these items have been recalled, restaurants that received recalled products should use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces that may have come in contact with the recalled product, to reduce the risk of cross contamination. All recalled product should be thrown out.


Investigation Update

November 4, 2020

As of November 4, 2020, the CDC declared that this outbreak is over.

General Food Safety Tips for Dried Mushrooms

Dried mushrooms, that have not been recalled due to potential contamination, should always be reconstituted using boiling water to kill any pathogens. This advice does not apply to recalled products, which should be thrown out.

Product Images

Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Stanley in Wood Ear Mushrooms (September 2020) - Photos of Recalled Shirakiku Dried Fungus

Recall Information

On September 23, 2020, Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. recalled Shirakiku brand imported dried fungus. This product was labeled as Shirakiku brand Black Fungus (Kikurage) with UPC Code 00074410604305, imported from China. Product was distributed in six packs of five-pound bags to restaurants in AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, and WI.

Research – Characteristics of Norovirus Food Poisoning Outbreaks in Korea in the 2000s

Journal of Food Protection

Eurofins

Norovirus food poisoning outbreaks in Korea (South) appeared in 2000s and have been increasing since then. We aimed to investigate the epidemiological features of norovirus food poisoning outbreaks in Korea over the past years (2002 ~ 2017), based on official food poisoning statistics and available reports, and to find their association with climate factors. Norovirus was the most common cause of food poisoning among known causative substances in Korea during the study period. More than one-third of the incidents occurred in group meal-service facilities, including school lunch programs. A few of these facilities used groundwater contaminated with noroviruses to wash / cook food, which contributed to outbreaks. Norovirus occurrences showed strong seasonality; cold and relatively dry winter air may help norovirus to flourish. Both norovirus genotypes GI and GII infectious to humans were detected, with GII becoming more prevalent than GI. According to our correlation analysis in connection with climate factors, average temperatures, the highest and lowest temperatures, precipitation, the number of rain days, and humidity showed a significant negative correlation with a monthly norovirus occurrence (p < 0.05). The lowest temperature and average temperature had higher coefficients of correlation, -0.377 and -0.376, respectively. The norovirus outbreaks in Korea showed complex etiological characteristics, although it more prevailed in wintertime, and are now considered as a major public health problem. The use of groundwater in group meal-service settings has a public health impact as well as norovirus concern, therefore groundwater used in food service facilities / business should be treated for safety.