Category Archives: Food Illness

New Zealand – Poorly Cooked Liver Two Dozen Food Poisoning Cases

Stuff.co.nz

Health officials are warning liver lovers to cook their offal properly, after more than two dozen cases of food poisoning in Wellington.

Twenty-six cases of campylobacter, linked to eating liver, had been reported to public health officials in the past year.

Cook liver in small batches for at least five minutes until juices are clear. Use separate cutting boards for raw meat, clean boards with hot soapy water and thoroughly clean kitchen utensils. Store raw liver products separately and well covered to prevent cross-contamination of other foods.

Orkney 3 Cases of E.coli in Children Source Unknown

BBC News

Two more cases of E. coli have been confirmed in Orkney, with a third suspected case currently being investigated. All three cases are children who attend the same nursery in Kirkwall. NHS Orkney said there was no evidence to suggest transmission of the infection had taken place at the premises.

Health officials will now screen children and staff from the nursery concerned as a precaution.

There have already been six other confirmed cases of E. coli infection in Orkney since August.

German Norovirus Outbreak – Chinese Strawberry’s Implicated

Business Insider

It started on September 19. In the East German states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Berlin, Thuringia, and Saxony-Anhalt, a lot of children and adolescents as well as a few adults suddenly fell ill with vomiting and diarrhea.

Turns out, a wholesaler had sold contaminated frozen strawberries to commercial kitchens of three companies that made cafeteria food for schools and kindergartens, among them Sodexo. Sources among the food investigators stated that the strawberries had most likely come from China.

When the strawberries were thawed to be used in desserts, they weren’t always fully heated, and the noroviruses, which are particularly resistant to cold and heat, survived. The different thawing processes used in various facilities could explain why infections occurred in some schools but not in others, though all used the strawberries from the same shipment.

Taipai Costco Recall (Foppen) Salmon – Salmonella

The China Post

TAIPEI–Costco Wholesale Corp. has pulled all smoked salmon processed by Dutch company Foppen from its chain stores in Taiwan, following foreign news reports stating salmonella-tainted smoked salmon supplied by Foppen has sickened hundreds of people in the United States and Holland, a health official said yesterday.

The smoked salmon in question is imported under the name of Costco’s store brand Kirkland, but has been processed by Foppen, said Tsai Shu-chen, division head of the Food and Drug Administration under the Cabinet-level Department of Health.

Whole Foods – Ricotta Salata – Listeria monocytogenes

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Whole Foods Market is recalling ricotta salata sold in 21 states and Washington D.C. because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. This is an update of a previous recall. There is a nationwide outbreak caused by that bacteria that has sickened at least 18 people in 12 states and D.C

Further Peanut Butter Product Recalls -Salmonella

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Gretchen’s Shoebox is recalling products because they were made with Justin’s Nut Butter that has been recalled for possible Salmonella contamination. The Justin’s product was made with Sunland ingredients that have been recalled and linked to a Salmonella Bredeney outbreak in the United States.

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Xan Confections is recalling 13 of its gourmet peanut butter chocolate products because they may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. The products were made with Sunland ingredients, which have been recalled and linked to a Salmonella Bredeney outbreak in the U.S.

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Late July Snacks, LLC, is recalling Organic Mini Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers becasue they were made with Sunland peanut butter, which has been recalled for possible Salmonella contamination. One of Sunland’s products, Trader Joe’s Valencia Peanut Butter, has been linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney in the United States that has sickened at least 30 people.

More Mango Products Recalled – Salmonella

Food Safety News

Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A.  recalled some of its fresh-cut fruit packages containing mangoes from Mexico’s Agricola Daniella because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.
 
Dell Monte said its recalled was associated with Coast Distributors Inc., one of four importers supplying the Mexican grown Agricola Daniella brand mangoes to customers in the U.S.
 
Del Monte in turn distributed the recalled mangoes to retailers in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee.  
 
The recalled fresh cut fruit packages are in clear plastic bowls.  
 
Splendid Products of Burlingame, CA first recalled Daniella brand mangoes in the U.S. because they were associated with 25 Salmonella Braenderup illnesses in 25 states.  Three other distributors have now joined the recall.

European Recalls – Salmonella, Virus Update

Denmark – Salmonella in Salad with Salmon

France – The company Asselot Andouille de Vire recalls Andouilles brand Andouille Asselot – Salmonella

Germany Virus Update – Now 8,365 Cases English Translation

 

 

German Foodborne Virus Outbreak 6,500 Cases

Reuters

More than 6,500 German children and teenagers have fallen ill with diarrhea and vomiting that health authorities say has likely been caused by a food-borne virus in meals delivered to schools and day care centers.

Regional health ministries and a top health research institute said youngsters from five of Germany’s 16 states had been affected by the acute gastroenteritis, with the first cases registered on Tuesday. So far, those affected had not suffered any complications.

“All the institutions which have registered cases of the illness so far are probably being provided by the same caterer,” wrote the Robert Koch Institute, which researches and advises the German health ministry on infectious diseases. “This suggests that it is an outbreak caused by food.”

The German government and affected states have established a task force charged with looking for the reason for the illness in order to prevent it spreading any further.

(Reporting By Thorsten Severin, Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

Extra Peanut Butter Recalls – Salmonella

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Justin’s has announced a recall of some lots of its peanut butters because they were made with Sunland products that have been recalled for Salmonella. Other Justin’s products are not involved in this recall. Fresca Foods in Colorado notified Justin’s that Sunland peanuts were used to make their products in the past, so the company is voluntarily participating in the recall.

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Fairytale Brownies is recalling Peanut Butter Sprites and Peanut Butter Cookies because they were made with recalled products from Sunland, Inc. and may be contaminated with Salmonella. The products were mainly sold through mail order, although some were sold at retail outlets. These products have not been associated with any illnesses, although there is a Salmonella Bredeney outbreak associated with Sunland Products and Trader Joe’s peanut butter that has sickened 30 people in 19 states.