Category Archives: Food Illness

Northern Ireland – Listeria Outbreak – Pensioner Dies

The Press Association 

An elderly patient has died in an outbreak of listeria in two Northern Ireland hospitals. The pensioner was one of two patients in the Antrim Area Hospital that contracted the food-borne bacteria. Another acquired the bug in the Causeway Hospital on the region’s north coast.

The patient who died was already ill but listeria has been confirmed as a contributory cause of death. Both hospitals are managed by the Northern Trust, which has declared an outbreak.

The trust’s Director of Nursing Olive MacLeod said: “The person who died was a frail, elderly patient who had other illnesses but this listeria infection did contribute to their death.”

Yet Another Raw Milk Poisoning -Oregon – E.coli

Food Poisoning Bulletin 

A raw milk  E.coli outbreak has sickened four children in Oregon. Three of them are hospitalised and two have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which causes kidney failure, according to a press release from health officials in Oregon obtained by Food Poisoning Bulletin.

The children, who are all under the age of 15, drank raw milk from Foundation Farm in Clackamas County before they became sick as did other customers of the dairy who have not had diagnostic testing to confirm E. coli 0157:H7 infections.

The farm has voluntarily halted distribution. Customers are being notified and told not to drink any milk from the farm. their milk. Officials from Oregon Public Health Division, the Oregon Department of Agriculture and several local health departments are collaborating on an ongoing investigation.

US Salmonella Bareilly Outbreak Source Found – Yellow Fin Tuna

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The months-long search for the origin of the multi-state Salmonella outbreak ended yesterday with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) announcement that frozen, raw, yellowfin tuna product from Moon Marine USA Corporation of Cupertino, Calif. is the source of the outbreak.

Food Safety News

Yellowfin tuna product is the likely source of the Salmonella Bareilly outbreak that has sickened 116 across 21 states and has been linked to sushi, health officials announced Friday evening.

Cupertino, CA based Moon Marine USA Corporation is voluntarily recalling 58,828 pounds of its “Nakaochi Scrape” – tuna backmeat scraped off the bones of the fish and sold in a frozen, ground state – after investigators pinpointed the product as a common food source among outbreak victims. 
 
The implicated food is not sold directly to consumers, but is usually served by retailers in sushi, sashimi, ceviche or similar dishes containing raw fish.
 
Of the 53 outbreak victims interviewed, 43 (81 percent) reported eating sushi in the week preceding their illnesses. Of the 43 who recalled eating sushi, 39 (91 percent) ate sushi that contained tuna, and 36 (84 percent) specifically recalled eating a product that contained “spicy tuna.”  
 

 

US – Imported Fish Recall – Clostridium botulinum Spores

Food Safety 

H.C. Foods Co. of Commerce, CA is recalling frozen dried mackerel and dried round scad after U.S. Food and Drug Administration personnel found that the fish imported from the Philippines was not properly eviscerated prior to processing.
 
The dried fish may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum spores, which can cause botulism, a serious and potentially fatal foodborne illness.
 
No illnesses have been reported. 
 
The sale of improperly eviscerated fish, 5 inches in length or greater, is prohibited because Clostridium botulinum spores are more likely to be concentrated in the viscera than any other portion of the fish. Uneviscerated fish has been linked to outbreaks of botulism poisoning which may pose a potentially life-threatening health hazard. 

CIFA – Recall Sanwiches – Listeria monocytogenes

CIFA

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Les Aliments Deli Chef are warning the public not to consume certain “Super Loaded Sub” Deli Chef brand sandwiches because the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The “Super Loaded Sub” Deli Chef brand sandwiches affected by this alert are sold in a 330 g package bearing the UPC 0 56040 37452 6, an Exp/Best Before date MAY 18 and the Establishment number (EST) 318.

This product has been distributed in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

“Hypervirulent” Salmonella Research

EcoliBlog

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara, Michael Mahan and Douglas Heithoff, have published a new paper in the science journal, PLoS Pathogens, detailing their findings from a study of “hypervirulent” Salmonella bacteria.  Given the recently announced nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly associated with consumption of spicy tuna sushi, the publication of their paper could not be any more timely.

The paper, titled “Intraspecies Variation in the Emergence of Hyperinfectious Bacterial Strains in Nature,” focuses on the researchers’ efforts to seek out and locate hypervirulent strains that present a potential risk to food safety and the livestock industry.

Toxoplasma Research Link to Severe Illness in Newborns

Eurek Alert

Although this may not at first appear to be food linked, it is estimated that in the USA and Europe 50% of Toxoplamsma infections are via food.

Scientists have identified which strains of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, the cause of toxoplasmosis, are most strongly associated with premature births and severe birth defects in the United States. The researchers used a new blood test developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, to pinpoint T. gondii strains that children acquire from their acutely infected mothers while in the womb.

Pregnant women can become infected with T. gondii through contact with cat feces that contain infectious forms of the parasite or by eating undercooked meat. Women who become infected while pregnant may miscarry, give birth prematurely, or have babies with eye or brain damage.

US Recall E.coli O157 – Tenderised Beef

USDA Recall 

Town and Country Foods Inc., a Greene, Maine establishment, is recalling approximately 2,057 pounds of ground and tenderised beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The problem was discovered through company lab testing which confirmed a positive result for E.coli O157:H7. The company did not hold product pending test results, resulting in this recall. FSIS and the company have received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.

It will be interesting to see if in the future both in the USA and UK if more testing for STEC E.coli will result in raw meat withdrawals.

US Recall Uneviscerated Fish – Clostridium botulinum

FDA Recall

April 10, 2012 – Import Foods Wholesale Inc. in St. Paul, MN is recalling: Smoked Croaker, Smoked Barracuda, Smoked Big Eye, and Smoked Red Snapper after it was discovered by the Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture Laboratory personnel who confirmed that the product was not properly eviscerated prior to processing.

This product may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum spores, which can cause botulism, a serious and potentially fatal food–borne illness.

The sale of improperly eviscerated fish, 5 inches in length or greater, is prohibited because Clostridium botulinum spores are more likely to be concentrated in the viscera than any other portion of the fish. Uneviscerated fish has been linked to outbreaks of botulism poisoning which may pose a potentially life-threatening health hazard. Symptoms of botulism include blurred or double vision, general weakness, poor reflexes, difficulty swallowing and respiratory paralysis which may lead to death. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.

The following recalled products were sold to retail stores in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa.

  • Smoked Croaker comes in a 10lb cardboard box with a code: 298/11 and is a product of Guyana
  • Smoked Barracuda comes in a 10lb cardboard box with a code: 0282/011 and is a product of Guyana.
  • Smoked Big Eye comes in a 10lb cardboard box with a code: 287L10 and is product of Guyana.
  • Smoked Red Snapper comes in a 10lb cardboard box with a code: 298-11 is a product of Guyana.

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem. Consumers who have Smoked Croaker, Smoked Barracuda, Smoked Big Eye, and Smoked Red Snapper are advised not to eat it, but should return it to the place of purchase.

Import Foods Wholesale Inc. intend to provide safe quality foods. Consumer with questions may contact the company at 612-876-5412.

 

Two Food Poisoning Incidents in India – 300 Cases +

Food Safety 

JEWAR (GREATER NOIDA): More than 150 people, including women and children, were taken ill due to suspected food poisoning after eating at a ‘shraddh’ ceremony at Chiroli village near Jewar on Monday. District authorities said the food served for lunch might have caused the food poisoning. An investigation has been ordered into the matter. Locals state that as many as 300 were taken ill.

PUNE: Barring 12 children, 120 students of the municipal school at Janata Vasahat in Parvati, who suffered food poisoning on Saturday, were discharged on Sunday. A total of 132 students were admitted to different hospitals on Saturday after they complained of vomiting and nausea after they ate food served under the mid-day meal scheme.