Category Archives: Food Illness

Kenya – Kebs withdraws 17 maize flour brands over high Aflatoxin

Posted on February 3, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Daily Nation

The Kenya Bureau of Standards has suspended 17 maize flour brands, saying they contain high levels of aflatoxin.

In a statement dated January 29, Kebs said the withdrawal of the products from the market followed surveillance and tests.

Among the affected brands are Dola (Eldoret Grain Millers), African King (African Kings Maize Millers), Unique (Ndosha Limited), ML0 (Bidii), City Corn (Central Afya Bora Millers), Sarafina (Century Millers) and Tosha (Godmesa Foods and Allied Limited).

Also withdrawn from the market are Shiba (Grango Suba Millers), Hakika Best (Halisi Maize Mills), Budget (Karibu Four Mills), Wema (Luma Millers Limited) and Jomba (Machakos Millers).

The rest are Adardere Mupa (Mbaitu Maize Million), Afya (Meru Multipurpose Cooperative Society), Uzima (Sigose Unga Millers), Sungura (Eldoret Grain Millers) and Tetema (Eldoret Grains Limited).

While warning of legal action, Market Surveillance Director Peter Kaigwara asked the manufacturers to ensure their products are removed from supermarkets.

Unga wa Dola has not been withdrawn from the market, the manufacturer Kitui Flour Mills has said.

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Posted in Aflatoxin, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Mould Toxin, Mycotoxin, Uncategorized

USA – Vicksburg restaurant worker exposes customers to Hepatitis A

Posted on February 3, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is investigating a case of hepatitis A in a Warren County restaurant employee that may have led to exposure for customers.  MSDH has set up free hepatitis A vaccinations today and tomorrow  for those who might have been exposed to the virus

An employee of the Gumbo Pot, 3401 Halls Ferry Road #5 in Vicksburg, has been diagnosed with a hepatitis A infection. While infectious, the employee worked at the restaurant on Jan. 17, 18 and 22. Customers who ate at the restaurant on those days may have been exposed to hepatitis A.

Vaccination can prevent hepatitis A only if given within 14 days of exposure. Because those who ate at the restaurant on Jan. 17 and 18 would have been exposed more than 14 days ago, they should watch for any possible symptoms of hepatitis A and see their doctor if they become ill. Those who ate at the restaurant on January 22 should get the hepatitis A vaccination if they have not been previously vaccinated.

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized, Virus, Virus Vaccination

UK – Sixteen people food poisoned after eating ‘runny’ uncooked pate at Essex golf club

Posted on February 3, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Essex Live

Sixteen guests were food poisoned and had “cramps and diarrhoea” after eating “runny” uncooked chicken liver pate at an Essex golf club.

The club’s then-operating company Crown Golf Operators Ltd, have now been fined £60,000, after the guests fell ill after eating at Stapleford Abbots Golf Club in Romford on June 17, 2017.

After playing golf that day around 24-25 guests sat down for a three-course meal, which included the pate as a starter and a carvery for mains from a set menu.

Within a day after this meal, 16 of the guests reported being ill. Some of them were ill for up to two weeks and some had to be hospitalised.

On January 29, Crown Golf Operators Ltd, were sentenced at Basildon Crown Court after pleading guilty to placing food on the market at the Romford club that was unsafe and unfit for human consumption.

The head chef at the club, Chris James, who was a co-defendent and had cooked the chicken liver pate, entered a not-guilty plea. At his trial last year, he was offered a formal caution, which he accepted.

Stapleford Abbots Golf Club is currently under new ownership after it was sold and taken over in February 2019.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Temperature Abuse, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Uncategorized

USA – Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Infections Linked to Raw Turkey Products — United States, 2017–2019

Posted on February 3, 2020 by | Leave a comment

CDC

Summary

What is already known about this topic?

Salmonella Reading is a serotype that is uncommonly associated with human illness. Salmonella outbreaks have previously been associated with ground turkey and turkey burgers.

What is added by this report?

During November 2017–March 2019, a multistate outbreak of S. Reading involving 356 cases in 42 states occurred. Patients reported exposure to various turkey products, suggesting industry-wide contamination, a novel type of outbreak in which contamination is not isolated to a single food or facility.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Interventions should target all parts of the supply chain, including slaughter and processing facilities and upstream farm sources. Public health agencies and industry can take steps to provide more consumer education about food safety.

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Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Hungary – Hungary tries to prevent repeat of Listeria outbreak

Posted on February 3, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

A system in Hungary to prevent a repeat of the deadly Listeria outbreak traced to a frozen vegetable factory in the country in 2018 is working well, according to those involved.

The Hungarian Deep Freezing and Canning Association (MHKSZ) revealed the first-year operational experience of the system was positive.

After the outbreak source was found nearly a year and a half ago, some members of MHKSZ and Campden BRI Hungary Nonprofit Ltd. developed a voluntary audited Listeria Prevention System. It includes Listeria troubleshooting, identifying potential contaminant sources and focal points as well as possible routes of contamination.

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Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes

Research – Come on in: Bile acids open the door to Norovirus infection

Posted on February 2, 2020 by | Leave a comment

BCM

Some people call it the ship cruise virus, but norovirus can be found in many other places. People can catch this very contagious virus from an infected person, contaminated food or water or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes acute gastroenteritis – the stomach and/or the intestines get inflamed, and this leads to stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. Noroviruses are the leading cause of foodborne illness.

“In the Science paper, we showed that bile, a yellowish fluid produced by the liver that helps digest fats in the small intestine, was key to successfully culturing certain strains of norovirus in the lab,” said Victoria R. Tenge, graduate student of molecular virology and microbiology in the Estes’s lab. “The work discussed here (of which Tenge is co-first author) shows the results of our continuing investigations to identify the bile components that are involved in promoting norovirus infection.”

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Virus, Norovirus, Uncategorized, Virus

RASFF Alert – Foodborne Outbreak – Suspected Norovirus in the UK – Oysters

Posted on January 31, 2020 by | Leave a comment

RASFF-Logo

RASFF – foodborne outbreak suspected (norovirus) to be caused by live oysters from the United Kingdom in the UK

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Norovirus, outbreak, RASFF, Uncategorized, Virus

RASFF Alerts – Norovirus – Oysters – Blue Berries

Posted on January 31, 2020 by | Leave a comment

RASFF-Logo

RASFF – norovirus (presence /25g) in frozen blue berries from South America, via the Netherlands in Belgium

RASFF – norovirus in live oysters (Cassostrea gigas) from France in Italy

RASFF – norovirus (suspicion) in live oysters from France in the Netherlands

RASFF – norovirus (GI, GII) in live oysters from France in Italy

RASFF – norovirus (GI, GII /2g) in live oysters from France in Italy

RASFF – foodborne outbreak suspected (norovirus) to be caused by live oysters from the United Kingdom in the UK

RASFF – withdrawal of live bivalve molluscs harvested in France because of possible contamination with norovirus in France

RASFF – norovirus (GII /2g) in live oysters (Crassostrea gigas) from France in Italy

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Norovirus, RASFF, Uncategorized, Virus

Europe -Listeriosis – Annual Epidemiological Report for 2017

Posted on January 31, 2020 by | Leave a comment

ECDC

Listeriosis – Annual Epidemiological Report for 2017

Surveillance report

Publication series: Annual Epidemiological Report on Communicable Diseases in Europe
Time period covered: This report is based on data for 2017 retrieved from The European Surveillance System (TESSy) on 11 September 2018.

For 2017, 30 countries reported 2 502 confirmed listeriosis cases in the EU/EEA. The EU/EEA age-standardised notification rate was 0.42 cases per 100 000 population. The highest rate was detected among people over 64 years of age (1.7 cases per 100 000 population). The annual number of listeriosis cases in the EU/EEA shows an increasing trend.

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Listeriosis – Annual Epidemiological Report for 2017 – EN – [PDF-1 MB]

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Posted in ECDC, food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning Death, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, listeriosis, Research, Uncategorized

Europe -Salmonellosis – Annual Epidemiological Report for 2017

Posted on January 31, 2020 by | Leave a comment

ECDC

Salmonellosis is the second most commonly reported gastrointestinal infection and an important cause of foodborne outbreaks in the EU/EEA. In 2017, 92 649 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported of which 156 were fatal. The EU/EEA notification rate was 19.6 cases per 100 000 population. Salmonellosis notification rates have stabilised in the last five years after a long period marked by a declining trend. The notification rate was highest in young children 0−4 years with 94.1 cases per 100 000 population, eight times higher than in adults 25–64 years.

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Salmonellosis – Annual Epidemiological Report for 2017 – EN – [PDF-642.8 KB]

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Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Research, Salmonella, Uncategorized