Category Archives: Food Inspections

India – Two Die Salmonella – Review of India Foodborne Disease.

Posted on March 14, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Times India

VARANASI: Two children died of food poisoning while more than 30 were admitted to a community health centre in Ghazipur district on Sunday night. The food and civil supply department officials collected samples of food articles while police registered a case against unidentified food vendors in this connection.

British Food Journal

Purpose – To review the nature and extent of foodborne diseases in India due to chemical and microbial agents.

Design/methodology/approach – The scientific investigations/reports on outbreak of foodborne diseases in India for the past 29 (1980-2009) years due to adulteration, chemical, and microbiological contamination has been reviewed. Reported scientific information on foodborne pathogens detected and quantified in Indian foods have also been reviewed.

Findings – A total of 37 outbreaks involving 3485 persons who have been affected due to food poisoning has been reported in India. Although the common forms of foodborne diseases are those due to bacterial contamination of foods, however, higher numbers of deaths have been observed due to chemical contaminants in foods.

Originality/value – A national foodborne disease surveillance system needs to be developed in India in order to enable effective detection, control and prevention of foodborne disease outbreaks.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen

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FSA – Review of the Food Safety (Sampling & Qualifications) Regulations 1990

Posted on March 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FSA

To review and update national legislation on the Food Safety (Sampling & Qualification) Regulations 1990. The primary aim will be to ensure that qualifications listed for food/public analysts and food examiners are up to date and to remove/amend obsolete provisions found within the Regulations.

All comments and reviews to be sent to:

Bhavna Parmar

SMLP Branch, ARD
Food Standards Agency
1st floor Aviation House
125 Kingsway
London
WC2B 6NH

Tel: 0207 276 8307
Fax: 0207 276 8289
E-mail: bhavna.parmar@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

Responses are requested by: Monday 4 June 2012

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Standards Agency, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen

China – Stricter Food Safety Rules

Posted on March 13, 2012 by | 1 comment

CRI English

A Chinese billionaire beverage tycoon said Monday that besides severe punishment, strict management and unified standards are necessary in ensuring food safety in China.

Zong Qinghou, chairman of beverage giant the Wahaha Group and China’s richest person according to the Hurun Global Rich List 2012, said severe punishment is “necessary”, but measures should be taken to prevent food contamination at “the very beginning” by curbing agricultural pollution.

“With polluted water and soil, pesticide and herbicide-tainted farm produces, antibiotics abuse and illegal uses of feed additives, there will be no food safety,” said Zong, a deputy to the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature.

Zong said the lack of unified food-safety standards has undermined China’s food safety efforts, and too many governments or departments are setting different, or even conflicting standards in food production and circulation.

Chinese courts convicted 320 people in 278 cases related to producing and distributing toxic and harmful food and additives, said another report from the Supreme People’s Court.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

Staffordshire School Closed for Another Week – E.coli O157

Posted on March 12, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Staffordshire

 A school at the centre of an E.coli outbreakis unlikely to open until the middle of next week at the earliest.

Officers from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) were at Friarswood Primary School, in Newcastle, today to collect samples from pupils and staff.

All students and workers are being tested for the potentially deadly bacteria after three cases of E.coli were confirmed this week.

A further 10 possible cases have already been identified, although no new cases of the infection, which causes sickness and diarrhoea – and in extreme cases can lead to serious, or even fatal, kidney and blood complications – have been discovered in the last 24 hours.

The HPA, which is overseeing a deep-clean of the 153-pupil school, said there is no date set for when youngsters can return to classes.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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ECDC and EFSA – Food-borne Outbreaks in EU Report 2010

Posted on March 8, 2012 by | Leave a comment

ECDC

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) launched their annual report on zoonoses and food-borne outbreaks.

The report,  providing data on 15 zoonotic diseases in the European Union for 2010, supports the European Commission and EU Member States in their consideration of possible measures to protect citizens from risks related to zoonoses.

The report highlights a positive progress in the reduction of reported human cases of salmonellosis by almost 9% in 2010, as well as decreases in other zoonoses such as infections caused by Yersinia enterocolitica, Trichinella and Listeria monocytogenes. “Decreases in human cases of salmonellosis and other zoonotic diseases show that EU level control measures, resulting from surveillance of disease in humans with information from food and animals, are effective”, states Johan Giesecke, Chief Scientist at ECDC.

On the other hand, the number of cases of  campylobacteriosis has been increasing over the last five years, and human cases of Shiga toxin/verotoxin -producing Escherichia coli (STEC/VTEC) are also increasing. These trends “highlight the need of further joint efforts”, continues Prof. Gieseke. “For this, ECDC will continue to strengthen its links with all important partners and foster collaboration in order to decrease the occurrence of these diseases in the EU”.

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Posted in Bacillus, Campylobacter, E.coli, E.coli O157, EFSA, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella, STEC

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45% Food Firms in Ireland – Food Safety Laws Too Tough

Posted on March 7, 2012 by | Leave a comment

RTE News

A third of small food businesses find food safety regulations the most demanding and onerous tasks. However, nearly three in four believe that these regulations help their business by building consumer confidence.The findings are the results of a survey for the Food Safety Authority among small to medium sized food businesses. The survey showed that 45% of small food businesses believe that the food safety standards are stricter than they need to be. It found that 19% of small food businesses are encountering difficulties in complying with food safety regulations. The survey showed that 97% of small food businesses that had been inspected for the first time understood what they needed to do and 87% felt they had access to all the information they required. It showed 80% of these businesses trusting the Food Safety Authority to deal with businesses fairly.

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Inspections, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology

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French Cattle Not a Reservoir For E.coli O104

Posted on March 7, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

After the 2011 outbreak of E.coli O104 :H4 in Europe this study investigated the theory that cattle could be the reservoir for the organism but non of the cattle tested showed positive for the markers they searched for.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O104, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, STEC

Medical Fitness Test for Food Handlers in India

Posted on March 6, 2012 by | 1 comment

Food Navigator Asia

The sick and unfit will have to pass medical tests under a new order passed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). This is interesting but I am not convinced that a yearly check would have any massive effect on Food Safety.

The order asks manufacturers to ensure that these food-handlers, regardless of the safety precautions they take at work, undergo a mandatory medical examination for ratifying their physical fitness in order to pursue their trade.

On clearing the medical fitness test with a registered medical practitioner, the food handler gains a medical fitness certificate from the practitioner, as well as the local representative of the FSSAI.

Form Issued

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen

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Resistant Bacteria Remains Problem for Meat

Posted on March 6, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Antibiotic resistance remains common among meat-borne pathogens, according to the annual National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System report released late last week.
From January to December 2010, samples of retail chicken breast, ground turkey, ground beef, and pork chops were collected and tested for Salmonella. Poultry samples were also cultured for Campylobacter. Some labs also pulled samples of meat and poultry to test for E. coli and Enterococcus.
The report highlighted a number of findings that may reinforce what many public health advocates have been arguing for years: that antibiotic use in agriculture is contributing to drug resistance in bacteria.  The NARMS report pointed out that third-generation cephalosporin resistance rose in chicken breasts (10 to 34.5 percent) and ground turkey (8.1 to 16.3 percent) isolates from 2002 to 2010.

NARMS Report
 

 

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Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, Campylobacter, E.coli, Enterobacteriaceae, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella

Canada – Further Charcuterie La Tour Eiffel – Recalled

Posted on March 4, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

On February 22, 2012 Charcuterie La Tour Eiffel recalled Parisian Cooked Ham because it may have been contaminated with what the recall said were “dangerous bacteria or parasites.”

Another recall was issued Wednesday for more products from the same company. This time, the recall was issued because the products may be contaminated with Clostridium perfingens. This bacteria can cause serious illness. The products were supplied to retailers, hotels, restaurants, and institutions in Quebec.

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium perfringens, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, outbreak, Parasite, Pathogen, Recall

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