High count of Escherichia coli (100; 430; 420 CFU/g) in chilled cocksomb mint from Vietnam.
High count of Escherichia coli (140; 180; 250 CFU/g) in chilled houttuynia from Vietnam
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Category Archives: Food Inspections
Norway – Vietnamese Products Recall High E.coli Levels
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall
Tagged escherichia coli
FDA Recall – Ready Meals – Uncooked Chicken Liver -Salmonella
H-E-B has issued a voluntary and precautionary recall for certain Asian Ready-to-Eat meals due to the possibility of undercooked chicken in those meals. There have been no confirmed illnesses reported related to this precautionary recall. However, undercooked chicken has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
USDA – New Traceback Policy for Ground Beef
Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, USDA’s Under Secretary for Food Safety, announced in a press conference on May 2, 2012 that the government is changing its traceback policy for contaminated beef that test positive for shiga-toxin producing E. colibacteria (STEC).
“Our keys goals are to strengthen our ability to protect consumers and to bolster prevention-based public safeguards,” she said. “We are going to use traceback policies as a proactive measure, launching the investigations earlier to identify contaminated products before they reach consumers.”
258 Cases in the US Sushi Salmonella Outbreak to Date
- Based on an epidemiologic link and results of laboratory testing, CDC has combined this Salmonella Bareilly investigation with an ongoing multistate outbreak investigation of Salmonella serotype Nchanga infections. The two associated PFGE patterns have been grouped together as the “outbreak strains.”
- A total of 258 persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Bareilly (247 persons) or SalmonellaNchanga (11 persons) have been reported from 24 states and the District of Columbia.
- 32 ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
- Collaborative investigation efforts of state, local, and federal public health agencies indicate that a frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, known as Nakaochi Scrape, from Moon Marine USA Corporation is the likely source of this outbreak.
- Consumers should not eat the recalled product, and retailers should not serve the recalled raw Nakaochi Scrape tuna product from Moon Marine USA Corporation.
- This investigation is ongoing. CDC and state and local public health partners are continuing surveillance to identify new cases.
US Unpasteurised Soybean Tempeh – Salmonella Recall
Smiling Hara of Asheville is voluntarily recalling 12-ounce packages of unpasteurized soybean tempeh because of possible contamination with salmonella.
The company is recalling tempeh manufactured this year between Jan. 11 and April 11. The containers are marked with a best-by date of 7/11/12 through 10/25/12. Tempeh is used as a meat substitute in vegetarian cuisine.
The company is directing consumers to return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers wanting more information can contact Smiling Hara at 828-242-1300.
“Anyone with this product in their possession should not eat it,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Smiling Hara launched the recall after samples collected by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services during a routine inspection tested positive for salmonella.”
Additional tests will be conducted by the N.C. Division of Public Health to determine whether the salmonella detected in the tempeh matches the strain found in an outbreak that has sickened 37 people. Cases appear to have been associated with residence or travel to Buncombe County since Feb. 28.
US – Kent County Jail – Clostridium perfringens Poisoning
According to Lisa LaPlante, Communications and Marketing Manager of the Kent County Department of Health, the source of the April 15, 2012 food poisoning outbreak at the Kent County Jail has been discovered.
Laboratory tests have revealed that there was Clostridium perfringens, a spore-producing bacteria, in a rice and cheese product. The food was prepared, chilled, and then reheated and served to the inmates.
All 250 inmates who were sickened have recovered. No one was hospitalised during this outbreak. Other food samples have been sent to the lab for testing because this was such a large outbreak. Officials expect it will be another month or two before the investigation is complete.
Mexico Over 300 Sick Food Poisoning
ACAPULCO, Mexico — The toll of those sickened by apparent food poisoning at a Children’s Day festival in a Mexican village has risen to 302 children and 15 adults. The health department in southern Guerrero state says 47 children and one adult remain hospitalized. The others have been released.
The department said Monday that all of those who fell ill ate spaghetti, beef, salsa and cake at a grade school celebration in the hamlet of Los Organos, on the outskirts of the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco. The adults who fell ill were teachers, parents and school staff.
State health authorities are analysing food served at the party to determine exactly what caused the food poisoning.
England and Wales Restaurant Risks Research
The food service sector continues to be the most common setting for reported foodborne disease outbreaks in England and Wales. Using restaurant-associated foodborne outbreaks reported in England and Wales from 1992 to 2009, cuisine-specific risk factors were examined. Of 677 restaurant outbreaks, there were 11 795 people affected, 491 hospitalizations, and seven deaths; and Chinese, Indian, British and Italian cuisines were the most commonly implicated (26%, 16%, 13% and 10%, respectively). Salmonella spp. accounted for most outbreaks of all cuisine types, and particularly Chinese (76%, 133/175) and Italian (55%, 38/69). Poultry meat was the most frequently implicated food vehicle in outbreaks associated with Indian (30%), Chinese (21%), and British (18%) cuisines while for Italian cuisine, desserts and cakes were more frequently implicated (33%). Rice dishes were also a common outbreak food vehicle in those restaurants serving Chinese (22%) and Indian (16%) cuisine. Cross-contamination was the biggest contributory factor associated with Chinese (46%), British (33%) and Indian (30%) cuisines whereas inadequate cooking (38%) and use of raw shell eggs in lightly cooked or uncooked food (35%) were more often associated with Italian cuisine. Over the surveillance period, the proportion of Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 outbreaks in restaurants serving Chinese cuisine significantly decreased (P<0·0001) and this was mirrored by an increase in S. Enteritidis non-PT4 outbreaks (P<0·0001). Despite this change in proportion, contributory factors such as cross-contamination have continued to cause outbreaks throughout the 18 years. The results show that by stratifying the risks associated with restaurants by cuisine type, specific evidence of food control failures can be used to target foodborne illness reduction strategies.
US Salmonella paratyphi Outbreak
More than two dozen people have become ill in a salmonella outbreak in Western North Carolina, according to the Buncombe County Department of Health.
The Department of Health is investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B infection in Buncombe County.
Communicable disease nurses and environmental health specialists are conducting interviews with people who currently have or have had the infection, reviewing laboratory reports and inspecting food sources that may be linked to the outbreak.
Communicable disease experts from the North Carolina Division of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as food specialists from the N.C. Department of Agriculture, are assisting with the investigations.
Soya Bean Sprouts Recall Listeria monocytogenes
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) announced today that Henry’s Farm Inc. of Woodford, VA is recalling all packages of Soybean Sprouts because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections to individuals with weakened immune systems.
No illness has been reported to date.
