Category Archives: Food Microbiology Blog

France – Round Goat Cheeses – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on April 6, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Gov france

Identification information of the recalled product

  • Product category Feed
  • Product subcategory Milk and dairy products
  • Product brand name Fromagerie Christian BAK
  • Model names or references Round Goat Cheeses
  • Identification of products
    Batch Date
    230320 Date of minimum durability 18/04/2023
  • Marketing start/end date From 03/28/2023 to 04/05/2023
  • Storage temperature Product to be stored in the refrigerator
  • Geographic area of ​​saleat the farm
  • DistributorsThe Fruit Palace in BLERE

Practical information regarding the recall

  • Reason for recall Presence of Listeria monocytogenes
  • Risks incurred by the consumer Listeria monocytogenes (causative agent of listeriosis)

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria in Cheese, Listeria monocytogenes

France – BLUE OF PROVENCE – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on April 6, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Gov france

Identification information of the recalled product

  • Product category Feed
  • Product subcategory Milk and dairy products
  • Product brand name UNBRANDED
  • Model names or references BLUE OF PROVENCE
  • Identification of products
    GTIN Batch Date
    3760007489914 087 Date of minimum durability 04/29/2023
    3760007489914 088 Date of minimum durability 30/04/2023
    3760007489914 089 Date of minimum durability 01/05/2023
    3760007489952 087 Date of minimum durability 04/13/2023
    3760007489952 089 Date of minimum durability 04/15/2023
  • Packaging BREAD 1KG 125 G TRAY
  • Marketing start/end date From 03/28/2023 to 04/03/2023
  • Storage temperature Product to be stored in the refrigerator
  • Health mark FR.26.362.001 CE
  • Further information Layer of sheep’s cheese and cream
  • Geographic area of ​​sale Whole France
  • Distributors GMS WHOLESALE TRADE SEDENTARY/NON-SEDENTARY TRADE

Practical information regarding the recall

  • Reason for recall Presence of listeria monocytogenes
  • Risks incurred by the consumer Listeria monocytogenes (causative agent of listeriosis)

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria in Cheese, Listeria monocytogenes

France – BLEU DE PROVENCE WITH SUMMER TRUFFLES 2.1% – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on April 6, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Gov france

Identification information of the recalled product

  • Product category Feed
  • Product subcategory Milk and dairy products
  • Product brand name UNBRANDED
  • Model names or references BLEU DE PROVENCE WITH SUMMER TRUFFLES 2.1%
  • Identification of products
    GTIN Batch Date
    3760007489822 087 Date of minimum durability 04/29/2023
  • Packaging BREAD 1KG
  • Marketing start/end date From 03/28/2023 to 04/03/2023
  • Storage temperature Product to be stored in the refrigerator
  • Health mark FR.26.362.001 CE
  • Further information Layer of sheep’s cheese and cream with summer truffle
  • Geographic area of ​​sale Whole France
  • Distributors GMS WHOLESALE TRADE SEDENTARY/NON-SEDENTARY TRADE

Practical information regarding the recall

  • Reason for recall Presence of listeria monocytogenes
  • Risks incurred by the consume Listeria monocytogenes (causative agent of listeriosis)

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria in Cheese, Listeria monocytogenes

France – BLEU DE PROVENCE WITH WALNUT – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on April 6, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Gov france

Identification information of the recalled product

  • Product category Feed
  • Product subcategory Milk and dairy products
  • Product brand name UNBRANDED
  • Model names or references BLEU DE PROVENCE WITH WALNUT
  • Identification of products
    GTIN Batch Date
    3760007480485 087 Date of minimum durability 04/29/2023
    3760007480485 088 Date of minimum durability 30/04/2023
  • Packaging BREAD 1KG
  • Marketing start/end date From 03/28/2023 to 04/03/2023
  • Storage temperature Product to be stored in the refrigerator
  • Health mark FR.26.362.001 CE
  • Further information Layer of sheep’s cheese and cream with walnuts
  • Geographic area of ​​sale Whole France
  • Distributors GMS WHOLESALE TRADE SEDENTARY/NON-SEDENTARY TRADE

Practical information regarding the recall

  • Reason for recall Presence of listeria monocytogenes
  • Risks incurred by the consumer Listeria monocytogenes (causative agent of listeriosis)

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria in Cheese, Listeria monocytogenes

Finland – Mold toxins in corn kernels

Posted on April 6, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Epressi

Midsona Finland Oy has announced that it has withdrawn from sale one lot of the product Urtekram Maize grain organic 400 g. The batch to be withdrawn can best be identified by the date before 25.07.2024. The batch in question has been found to contain aflatoxin, which is a mold toxin, exceeding the maximum amount defined in the legislation. In long-term use, it is harmful to health.

The product batch has been delivered this spring for sale to S and K group stores.

More information for consumers can be found on Midsona Finland Oy’s website. The company advises consumers for questions or to obtain possible product refunds to contact the consumer service by email: sättätäpalvelu@midsona.fi : “The email must include a picture of the product and the best before date. We will refund the price of the product, so please also include your contact information in the message.”

The matter is handled at the Food Agency by Chief Inspector Mika Varjonen, firstname.surname@ruokavirasto.fi .

Picture of the product
(Picture: Midsona Finland Oy)

Urtekram Corn grain organic 400 g.

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Aspergillus Toxin, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, mold, Mold Toxin, Mould/Mold, Mycotoxin

UK – FSA and FSS share findings from the evaluation of the recall system

Posted on April 5, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

An updated food recall system in the United Kingdom has improved the situation but there are still areas to develop and things to consider for the future, according to an evaluation.

In 2016 and 2017, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) held a review to improve the way food is recalled. This resulted in changes to the withdrawals and recalls system, including new guidance, a revised point-of-sale notice template for shops, and additional training for food businesses.

RSM UK Consulting was commissioned by FSA and FSS in 2021 to evaluate the development of the new system. This included a desk review, interviews with those who worked on the updated system, case studies of real recalls, looking at hypothetical scenarios, and consumer focus groups.

Those who worked on the new traceability, withdrawals, and recalls guidance said it was an improvement on the old document. However, one concern was that smaller businesses have fewer resources to implement the new processes and understand the legalities behind them. Lack of resources was also discussed as a barrier by local authorities.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, food recall, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Recall

USA – Consumer Reports compiles a list of 10 ‘risky foods’ to watch out for

Posted on April 5, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Consumer Reports is out with a new analysis of what it describes as risky foods consumers should know about.

The list was compiled after the organization looked at data from 2017 through 2022. The researchers focused on widely consumed foods that had recalls during the study period. They did not include recalled food related to allergens or extraneous materials. The report ranked recalls based on how many people died or became ill, as well as how widespread the outbreaks were and how many times a food was recalled.

The 10 foods that made the list are:

  • Leafy greens
  • Deli cheese and meat
  • Ground beef
  • Onions
  • Turkey
  • Chicken
  • Papayas
  • Peaches
  • Cantaloupe
  • Flour

“We aren’t saying people need to avoid these foods entirely, said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, who lead the analysis.

“After all, these foods are usually safe and many of them are in fact import parts of a healthy diet.” Instead, he says, the list underscores the “importance of following best food safety practices with all of your foods, including knowing how to track and respond to food recalls when they happen.”

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

Vanuatu: Dozens of ciguatera cases reported since the beginning of the year

Posted on April 5, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

The Vanuatu Ministry of Health reports that from January 1 to March 19, 27 ciguatera fish poisoning cases were recorded, all were clinically diagnosed.

The cases were distributed as follows: Seventeen (17) cases from Efate, 6 cases from Maewo, 2 cases from Ambrym, 1 from Ambae, 1 from Pentecost and 1 from Santo.

No deaths have been recorded.

From the cases reported, 69% of the cases consumed reef fish – not specified, 16 consumed Snapper and 15% consumed grouper.

More than 400 species of fish, including barracuda, black grouper, blackfin snapper, cubera snapper, dog snapper, greater amberjack, hogfish, horse-eye jack, king mackerel, and yellowfin grouper have been implicated in this food borne illness that’s relatively common in several areas of the world.

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Posted in Algal Toxin, Ciguatera, Ciguatera Poisoning, Decontamination Microbial, Dinoflagellates, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Toxin, Marine Biotoxin, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Toxin

Research – Major pathogens rise in Ireland in 2022

Posted on April 5, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria infections all increased in Ireland in 2022, according to the latest figures.

Data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), which is part of the Health Service Executive (HSE), shows the number of reports for the four pathogens rose compared to 2021.

Notifications of Salmonellosis doubled and the number of E. coli infections passed 1,000.

Full reports on these four pathogens and for outbreaks have not been published since 2018 because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic response and limited capacity at HPSC.

Campylobacter infections went up from 3,147 in 2021 to 3,619 in 2022.

Salmonella cases doubled from 173 in 2021 to 342 in 2022 but this is similar to 2018 and 2019 levels.

More than 1,000 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) notifications were noted. Up from 962 in 2021.

A total of 18 listeriosis cases were recorded, up from 15 in 2021. Fourteen were men and four were women. Fifteen cases were in the over-65 age group while two were less than 1 to 4 years old.

Figures also show three cases of Bacillus cereus foodborne infection or intoxication compared to none in 2021.

The published data, which covers 2018 to 2022, reveals two cases of botulism, although it is unclear if food was the cause. There was also one report of brucellosis in 2022. All other years reported no notifications of these diseases.

There were 17 yersiniosis cases in 2022 compared to 18 in 2021. Cryptosporidiosis declined from 845 in 2021 to 566 in 2022.

Shigellosis went up from 70 in 2021 to 157 in 2022. Norovirus also increased from 439 in 2021 to 990 in 2022.

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Posted in botulism, Brucellosis, Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E.coli, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Listeria, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Norovirus, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia

Denmark – Aflatoxin in pop corn

Posted on April 5, 2023 by | Leave a comment

DVFA

Midsona Danmark A/S is recalling Urtekram Popcorn, as an excessively high content of the fungal toxin aflatoxin B1 has been found in the product. The product should be returned to the store where it was purchased or discarded.

Recalled foods , Published: April 5, 2023

​​​​Which food:

​Urtekram Popcorn ( see a picture of the product here )
Net content: 400g
EAN code: 5765228112533
​​Best before date: 25.07.2024

Sold in: Kvickly, SuperBrugsen, Løvbjerg and Helsam all over the country.

​Why is the food recalled:

​​​​​​An excessively high content of the fungal toxin aflatoxin B1 has been found in the product. A health risk cannot therefore be ruled out if you eat the product. It is important not to have too high an intake of aflatoxin over a long period of time. So it is not the individual meal that is decisive, but rather intake over a longer period of time. Therefore, you will not experience acute symptoms if you have eaten the product.

Read more about aflatoxin here

​What should you do as a consumer:

​The Norwegian Food Agency advises consumers to return the product to the store where it was purchased, or to discard it.

​Who is recalling the product:

Midsona Danmark A/S​

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Aspergillus Toxin, DVFA, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Mold Toxin, Mould Toxin, Mycotoxin, Pet Food Testing