Category Archives: Food Inspections

RASFF – Alerts – Aflatoxins – Histamine – Almonds – Dried Figs – Pistachios – Tuna

RASFF -Aflatoxins (B1 = 15.9; Tot. = 17.8 / B1 = 4.9; Tot. = 5.8 µg/kg – ppb) in shelled almonds from the United States in Spain

RASFF– Aflatoxins (Tot. = 60.6 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs from Turkey in the Czech Republic

RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 26; Tot. = 29 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell from Iran in France

RASFF – Histamine (500 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen yellowfin tuna loins (Thunnus albacares) from Indonesia in Italy

RASFF – Histamine (2690; 2740; 2481 mg/kg – ppm) in canned tuna in olive oil from France, with raw material from Côte d’Ivoire in Italy

USA – FDA – Recall Pet Food – Salmonella

FDASalm

Bravo! is voluntarily recalling three of its raw diet frozen foods for dogs and cats: 5 lb tubes of Bravo! Chicken Balance product item code 21-405 with “best used by” dates of 3_6_15 and 3_12_15; 2 lb Bravo! Chicken Blend product item code 21-102 with the “best used by” date of 3_21_15 and 5 lb. bags of Bravo! Beef Blend Burgers product item code 51-508 with the “best used by” dates of 3_21_15 and 3_22_15, because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

This recall is being issued out of an abundance of caution, as while these products tested negative for pathogens by an independent third party prior to distribution, they were run on the same day or an adjacent day to a product that tested positive for pathogens. The product that tested positive has been 100 percent contained and is not subject to this recall.

The recall involves only:

  • 5 lb. Bravo! Chicken Balance frozen raw diet chubs (tubes) with “best used by” dates of 3_6_15 and 3_12_15 imprinted on the side of the plastic casing. Only 26 cases with the 3_6_15 date were distributed nationally and 36 cases with 3_12_15 date were distributed nationally.
  • 2 lb. Bravo! Chicken Blend frozen raw diet chubs (tubes) with the “best used by” date of 3_21_15 imprinted on the side of the plastic casing. Only 67 cases with 3_21_15 date were distributed nationally.
  • 5 lb. Bravo! Beef Blend Burgers bags with the “best used by” dates of 3_21_15 and 3_22_15 imprinted on the back panel of the plastic bag. Only 47 cases with the 3_21_15 date were distributed nationally and 55 cases with the 3_22_15 date were distributed nationally.

No other products or sizes are affected.

The recalled product should not be sold or fed to pets. The company has received no reports of illness in either people or animals associated with this product.

Egypt – Cairo University 479 Students with Food Poisoning

Food Safety News

Food poisoning has sent at least 479 students at Cairo’s al-Azhar university to hospitals and sent hundreds of others into the streets to demand the resignation of the school’s president.

The outbreak is so politically charged that Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi took a page out of the West’s political playbook by visiting one of the hospitals where the sickened students are being treated.

Egypt’s Health Ministry said that while hundreds were ill, there have been no deaths recorded among the patients. Those suffering from food poisoning were divided among several Cairo hospitals so they could receive medical attention more promptly. The Health Ministry said all the cases were stabilized.

“Basic hygiene standards are not always observed at Egyptian universities, but this incident is one of the largest cases of food poisoning in recent years,” said BBC, reporting from Cairo.

BBC News

 

USA – Walmart Recall Pizza – Possible E.coli Contamination

Food Safety News

Walmart is recalling Farm Rich Pizza Slices from its stores nationwide because they may be contaminated with E.coli. The frozen pepperoni pizza slices were sold in 7.2 oz cartons and 22 oz cartons with “EST. 27232″ or “P-27233″ stamped inside the USDA mark of inspection. The “best by” dates for both sizes under recall is May 15 or May 16, 2014.

The products under recall contain cheese, pepperoni, sauce and dough, according to information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which, along with Farm Rich, has posted the recall on its website. The pizza slices are among several Farm Rich items being recalled for potential E. coli contamination including: mini chicken and cheese quesadillas, mini mozzarella bites and cheesesteak sandwiches.

Research – Caffeine Addicted E.coli – Measurement of Caffeine Levels

ACS Publications

The widespread use of caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) and other methylxanthines in beverages and pharmaceuticals has led to significant environmental pollution. We have developed a portable caffeine degradation operon by refactoring the alkylxanthine degradation (Alx) gene cluster from Pseudomonas putida CBB5 to function in Escherichia coli. In the process, we discovered that adding a glutathione S-transferase from Janthinobacterium sp. Marseille was necessary to achieve N7-demethylation activity. E. coli cells with the synthetic operon degrade caffeine to the guanine precursor, xanthine. Cells deficient in de novo guanine biosynthesis that contain the refactored operon are ″addicted″ to caffeine: their growth density is limited by the availability of caffeine or other xanthines. We show that the addicted strain can be used as a biosensor to measure the caffeine content of common beverages. The synthetic N-demethylation operon could be useful for reclaiming nutrient-rich byproducts of coffee bean processing and for the cost-effective bioproduction of methylxanthine drugs.

 

RASFF Alerts – Aflatoxins in Pistachio Nuts

RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 24; Tot. = 27 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted pistachio nuts from Turkey in France

RASFF Alerts – E.coli – Enterobacteria – Aflatoxins – Mussels – Beef – Duck Meal – Maize

RASFF – High count of Escherichia coli (330 MPN/100g) in chilled mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis from Spain in italy

RASFF – Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli in chilled boneless beef (Bos taurus) from Argentina in Germany

RASFF – Too high count of Enterobacteriaceae (<10; <10; <10; 5000;<10 CFU/g) in duck meal from France in Belgium

RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 32.1 µg/kg – ppb) in maize from Ukraine in the Netherlands

RASFF Alerts – Salmonella – Frozen Turkey – Duck Legs

RASFF – Salmonella Hadar (presence /25g) in frozen turkey breast with white pepper from Brazil in Sweden

RASFF – Salmonella Newport (present /25g) and Salmonella Saint Paul (present /25g) in frozen turkey meat preparation from Poland in Estonia

RASFF – Salmonella spp. in frozen duck legs from France in Finland

USA – Natura Pet Food Expanded Recall – Salmonella

FDASalm

Natura Pet Products is voluntarily expanding its recall of dry pet food because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. No Salmonella-related illnesses have been confirmed to date.

Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

Sampling conducted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of Salmonella in additional dry cat food and a cat pet treat. In an abundance of caution, Natura is also recalling product made in the surrounding timeframe. This affects dry foods only; no canned wet food is affected by this announcement.

The affected products are sold through veterinary clinics and select pet specialty retailers nationwide and in Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Costa Rica, as well as online. The dry cat food expiration dates for this expanded recall range from 1/1/2014 to 3/24/2014. The dry cat treats have expiration dates from 7/1/13 to 9/27/13.

Consumers who have purchased these pet foods should discard them. For additional information, consumers may visit www.naturapet.com2. For further information or a product replacement or refund call Natura toll-free at 800-224-6123. (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM CST).

The included lot codes are: Expiration Date: 12/14/13 thru 3/24/14

USA – CDC Confirms Multistates E.coli O121 Outbreak

Food Safety NewsEcoli Istock

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service has posted a distribution list of where affected products were sent. That list includes Wal Mart stores nationwide, Winn-Dixie stores in Florida, and a variety of retailers in Michigan.

At least 24 people in 15 states have fallen ill with E. coli O121 in an outbreak traced back to Farm Rich brand frozen pizzas, quesadillas, philly cheese steaks and mozzarella bites, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed, following initial reports Thursday evening.

Seven people have been hospitalized in connection to the products, which were sold nationwide. One patient has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome.

CDC

  • A total of 24 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Shiga       toxin-producing Escherichia coli O121 (STEC O121) have been       reported from 15 states.
    • 78% of ill persons are 21 years of age or younger.
    • 33% of ill persons have been hospitalized. One ill        person developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney        failure, and no deaths have been reported.
  • CDC and state public health officials are interviewing ill persons to       obtain information regarding foods they might have eaten and other       exposures in the week before illness.
    • Information available to date indicates that        consumption of Farm Rich brand frozen food products is one likely source        of infection for the ill persons in this outbreak.
  • Testing conducted by the New York State Department of Health,       Wadsworth Center Laboratory, identified the outbreak strain of STEC O121       in an open package of Farm Rich brand frozen chicken quesadillas       from an ill person’s home.