Category Archives: Food Micro Blog

RASFF Alerts – E.coli – Cheese

RASFF

E.coli detected on a cheese from France in Belgium

RASFF Alert – Aflatoxins – Pistachios – Maize – Peanuts – Dried Figs – Marsala Spice Mix

RASFF

Presence of aflatoxins above legal limits in shelled pistachios from United States via Romania in Italy

RASFF

Aflatoxin B1 in maize from France in the Netherlands

RASFF

Aflatoxins above the permited limit in peanuts from China in Spain

RASFF

Aflatoxins in dried figs from Turkey in Germany

RASFF

Presence of aflatoxins above legal limits in shelled pistachios from United States via Turkey in Italy

RASFF

Aflatoxins in pistachios from the United States, via Türkiye in Italy

RASFF

Level of aflatoxins exceeding limits in dried figs from Turkey in France

RASFF

Exceedance of maximum limits of aflatoxins in masala spice mix from Pakistan in France

RASFF Alert – Clostridium perfringens – Dried Natural Casings

RASFF

Detection of Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens in dried natural casings from Portugal in France

RASFF Alerts – Salmonella – Pistachios – Polish Chicken – Minced Thigh Broiler Chickens – Black Pepper – Dried Natural Casings – Live Razor Clams – Milano Salami

RASFF

Salmonella Worthington in pistachios from USA via Lithuania in Finland

RASFF

Salmonella Infantis (in 2 out of 5 units) in fresh chicken quarters from Poland in Latvia

RASFF

Salmonella Enteritidis (in 2 out of 5 units) in chicken quarters from Poland in Lithuania and Latvia

RASFF

Salmonella (in 2 out of 5 samples) in chilled minced thigh meat of broiler chickens from Poland in Lithuania

RASFF

Salmonella spp. in black pepper from Brazil in Germany

RASFF

Salmonella C1 in chicken neck skin from Poland and France

RASFF

Detection of Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens in dried natural casings from Portugal in France

RASFF

Detection of Salmonella in Live Razor Clams (Ensis spp.)from Ireland in Hong Kong

RASFF

Salmonella spp in salami Milano from Italy in Croatia and Slovenia

RASFF Alerts – Animal Feed – Salmonella – Fish Meal – Turkey Processed Protein – Rapeseed Meal

RASFF

Salmonella in fish meal from Poland in Lithuania

RASFF

Salmonella Muenster and Salmonella Rissen in turkey processed animal protein from Spain in Belgium

RASFF

Salmonella spp. in rapeseed meal from Germany in Finland, Denmark and Sweden

Composition-Based Risk Estimation of Mycotoxins in Dry Dog Foods

MDPI

Abstract

The risk of mycotoxins co-occurrence in extrusion-produced dry foods increases due to their composition based on various grains and vegetables. This study aimed to validate a risk estimation for the association between ingredients and the ELISA-detected levels of DON, FUM, ZEA, AFs, T2, and OTA in 34 dry dog food products. The main ingredients were corn, beet, and oil of different origins (of equal frequency, 79.41%), rice (67.6%), and wheat (50%). DON and FUM had the strongest positive correlation (0.635, p = 0.001). The presence of corn in the sample composition increased the median DON and ZEA levels, respectively, by 99.45 μg/kg and 65.64 μg/kg, p = 0.011. In addition to DON and ZEA levels, integral corn presence increased the FUM median levels by 886.61 μg/kg, p = 0.005. For corn gluten flour-containing samples, DON, FUM, and ZEA median differences still existed, and OTA levels also differed by 1.99 μg/kg, p < 0.001. Corn gluten flour presence was strongly associated with DON levels >403.06 μg/kg (OR = 38.4, RR = 9.90, p = 0.002), FUM levels >1097.56 μg/kg (OR = 5.56, RR = 1.45, p = 0.048), ZEA levels >136.88 μg/kg (OR = 23.00, RR = 3.09, p = 0.002), and OTA levels >3.93 μg/kg (OR = 24.00, RR = 3.09, p = 0.002). Our results suggest that some ingredients or combinations should be avoided due to their risk of increasing mycotoxin levels.

USA – FDA Warning Letter – Bainbridge Beverage West, LLC- Microbial Risk

FDA

The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected your juice manufacturing facility, located at 2335 Del Monte Street, West Sacramento, CA 95691 on June 9, 10, 22, 24, and 29, 2022. We found that you have serious violations of the FDA’s juice Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 120 (21 CFR Part 120). In accordance with 21 CFR 120.9, failure of a processor to have and implement a HACCP plan that complies with the requirements of 21 CFR Part 120 renders the juice products adulterated within the meaning of Section 402(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (the Act) [21 U.S.C. § 342(a)(4)]. Accordingly, your juice products are adulterated in that they have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have been contaminated with filth, or whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health. You may find the Act, FDA’s juice HACCP regulations and the Juice HACCP Hazards and Controls Guidance through links in FDA’s home page at www.fda.gov.External Link Disclaimer

To date, the agency has not received a written response from your firm regarding the violations noted on the Form FDA-483, Inspectional Observations, which was issued to your firm at the conclusion of the inspection.

USA – FDA Warning Letter Big Olaf Creamery LLC dba Big Olaf – Listeria monocytogenes

FDA

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected your ready-to-eat (RTE) ice cream manufacturing facility, located at 2001 Cattlemen Rd Unit 123, Sarasota, Florida, from July 19 to September 01, 2022. The inspection was initiated as part of a joint investigation with the Florida Department of Health (FL DOH) and Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (FDACS) of a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) infections linked to ice cream supplied by your facility. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 28 ill people from 11 states were infected with the outbreak strain of L. monocytogenes. On July 13, 2022, your firm recalled all ice cream products, lots, and expiration dates of Big Olaf brand ice cream through June 30, 2022, because they had the potential of being contaminated with L. monocytogenes. CDC and FDA have determined, based upon the epidemiological data and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) matches between clinical and FDACS environmental and finished product samples that ice cream manufactured at this facility was the source of this multistate L. monocytogenes outbreak.

During the inspection of your facility, FDA found serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventative Controls for Human Food regulation (CGMP & PC rule), Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 117 (21 CFR Part 117).

Research – Concept about the Virulence Factor of Legionella

MDPI

Abstract

Pathogenic species of Legionella can infect human alveolar macrophages through Legionella-containing aerosols to cause a disease called Legionellosis, which has two forms: a flu-like Pontiac fever and severe pneumonia named Legionnaires’ disease (LD). Legionella is an opportunistic pathogen that frequently presents in aquatic environments as a biofilm or protozoa parasite. Long-term interaction and extensive co-evolution with various genera of amoebae render Legionellae pathogenic to infect humans and also generate virulence differentiation and heterogeneity. Conventionally, the proteins involved in initiating replication processes and human macrophage infections have been regarded as virulence factors and linked to pathogenicity. However, because some of the virulence factors are associated with the infection of protozoa and macrophages, it would be more accurate to classify them as survival factors rather than virulence factors. Given that the molecular basis of virulence variations among non-pathogenic, pathogenic, and highly pathogenic Legionella has not yet been elaborated from the perspective of virulence factors, a comprehensive explanation of how Legionella infects its natural hosts, protozoans, and accidental hosts, humans is essential to show a novel concept regarding the virulence factor of Legionella. In this review, we overviewed the pathogenic development of Legionella from protozoa, the function of conventional virulence factors in the infections of protozoa and macrophages, the host’s innate immune system, and factors involved in regulating the host immune response, before discussing a probably new definition for the virulence factors of Legionella.

USA – Food Code 2022

FDA

Food Code 2022

The Food Code is a model for safeguarding public health and ensuring food is unadulterated and honestly presented when offered to the consumer. It represents FDA’s best advice for a uniform system of provisions that address the safety and protection of food offered at retail and in food service.

This model is offered for adoption by local, state, and federal governmental jurisdictions for administration by the various departments, agencies, bureaus, divisions, and other units within each jurisdiction that have been delegated compliance responsibilities for food service, retail food stores, or food vending operations. Alternatives that offer an equivalent level of public health protection to ensure that food at retail and foodservice is safe are recognized in this model.

The 2022 Food Code (10th edition) reflects the agency’s continued commitment to maintaining cooperative programs with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.

The 2022 edition reflects the input of regulatory officials, industry, academia, and consumers that participated in the 2020 biennial meeting of the Conference for Food Protection (CFP) (held in 2021).

Members of FDA’s National Retail Food Team are available to assist regulatory officials, educators, and the industry in their efforts to adopt, implement, and understand the provisions of the FDA Food Code and the Retail Program Standards. Inquiries may be sent to retailfoodprotectionteam@fda.hhs.gov or directly to a Retail Food Specialist located in one of FDA’s three Retail Food Protection Branches across the country.

Food Code 2022 (PDF: 4.68MB)

Summary of Changes in the 2022 FDA Food Code