A local caterer has been fined following a spate of food poisoning cases in 2023 that affected 37 people at four nursing homes in Singapore.
Robert Catering Services Pte Ltd was fined S$2,100 for the food safety lapses on Jul. 31, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said in a release.
Almost 70 cases of a serious condition that develops after an E. coli infection have been reported in the past year in Italy.
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a severe complication associated with E. coli infections that causes kidney failure.
Italian data shows that between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, 68 cases of HUS were recorded.
According to the European Environment Agency, increasing global sea surface temperature (SST) is one of the main physical impacts of climate change. SST in European coastal seas has increased 4–7 times faster than in the oceans over the past decades. This local increase in SST has been linked to outbreaks of Vibrio -associated human illness caused by non-O1/non-O1 Vibrio cholerae39 , V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus in several European countries.
Climate change has also created new ocean currents that favour the spread of vibrios. Inadequate transport and storage of fish and fishery products over long distances, the same sea waters used by ships as ballast and aquaculture all contribute to their expansion. Travellers and animals also play a role. For example, migratory birds can act as vectors for the intercontinental transport of V. cholerae . Once introduced into a new region, they become endemic. Vibrio spp. and mainly the species V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus , have been identified by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as biological hazards with a high probability of becoming emerging in the near future in Europe.
Read more at the link above.
Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Research
In this study levels and types of microbial contaminants were investigated in 88 different plant-based ingredients including many that are used to manufacture dairy alternatives. Studied ingredients encompassed samples of pulses (pea, faba bean, chickpea, and mung bean), cereals/pseudocereals (oat, rice, amaranth and quinoa) and drupes (coconut, almond and cashew). The microbial analysis included: i) total viable count (TVC), ii) total aerobic mesophilic spore count (TMS), iii) heat resistant aerobic thermophilic spore count (HRTS), iv) anaerobic sulfite reducing Clostridium spore count (SRCS), and v) Bacillus cereus spore count (BCES). Microorganisms isolated from the counting plates with the highest sample dilutions were identified using 16S rRNA and MALDI-TOF MS analyses.
Many of the investigated ingredients showed a high proportion of spores as part of their total aerobic mesophilic counts. In 63 % of the samples, the difference between TVC and TMS counts was 1 Log10 unit or less. This was particularly the case for the majority of pea isolates and concentrates, faba bean isolates, oat kernels and flakes, and for single samples of chickpea isolate, almond, amaranth, rice, quinoa, and coconut flours. Concentrations of TVC ranged between <1.0 and 5.3 Log10 CFU/g in different samples, and TMS varied between <1.0 and 4.1 Log10 CFU/g. Levels of HTRS, BCES and SRCS were generally low, typically around or below the LOD of 1.0 Log10 CFU/g.
In total, 845 individual bacterial colonies were isolated belonging to 33 different genera. Bacillus licheniformis and B. cereus group strains were most frequently detected among Bacillus isolates, and these species originated primarily from pea and oat samples. Geobacillus stearothermophilus was the main species encountered as part of the HRTS. Among the Clostridium isolates, Clostridum sporogenes/tepidum were predominant species, which were mostly found in pea and almond samples. Strains with potential to cause foodborne infection or intoxication were typed using the PCR-based method for toxin genes detection. In the B. cereus group, 9 % of isolates contained the ces gene, 28 % contained hbl, 42 % cytK, and 69 % were positive for the nhe gene. Absence of the boNT-A and -B genes was confirmed for all isolated C. sporogenes/tepidum strains. Nearly all (98 %) B. licheniformis isolates were positive for the lchAA gene.
Insight into the occurrence of microbial contaminants in plant-based ingredients, combined with knowledge of their key inactivation and growth characteristics, can be used for the microbial risk assessment and effective design of plant-based food processing conditions and formulations to ensure food safety and prevent spoilage.
To investigate the possible contamination of raw flour and raw flour-based products, such as pancake/batter mixes, with Salmonella, generic Escherichia coli, and Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). Samples included flours available for sale in the UK over a period of four months (January to April 2020). The Bread and Flour regulations, 1998 state the permitted ingredients in flour and bread but it does not specify the regular monitoring of the microbiological quality of flour and flour-based products.
Samples of raw flour were collected by local authority sampling officers in accordance with current guidance on microbiological food sampling then transported to the laboratory for examination. Microbiological testing was performed to detect Salmonella spp., generic E. coli, and STEC characterized for the presence of STEC virulence genes: stx1, stx2, and subtypes, eae, ipah, aggR, lt, sth, and stp, using molecular methods Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Of the 882 flours sampled, the incidence of Salmonella was 0.1% (a single positive sample that contained multiple ingredients such as flour, dried egg, and dried milk, milled in the UK), and 68 samples (7.7%) contained generic E. coli at a level of >20 CFU/g. Molecular characterization of flour samples revealed the presence of the Shiga-toxin (stx) gene in 10 samples (5 imported and 5 from the UK) (1.1%), from which STEC was isolated from 7 samples (0.8%). Salmonella and STEC isolates were sequenced to provide further characterization of genotypes and to compare to sequences of human clinical isolates held in the UKHSA archive. Using our interpretive criteria based on genetic similarity, none of the STEC flour isolates correlated with previously observed human cases, while the singular Salmonella serotype Newport isolate from the mixed ingredient product was similar to a human case in 2019, from the UK, of S. Newport. Although there have been no reported human cases of STEC matching the isolates from these flour samples, some of the same serotypes and stx subtypes detected are known to have caused illness in other contexts.
Results indicate that while the incidence was low, there is a potential for the presence of Salmonella and STEC in flour, and a genetic link was demonstrated between a Salmonella isolate from a flour-based product and a human case of salmonellosis.
Posted in Food Microbiology Research, Research, Salmonella, STEC, STEC E.coli, STX 1, STX 2
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today would like to remind consumers of its advice that duck eggs should only be eaten after they have been thoroughly cooked. Consumers should not use raw duck eggs in any dishes that will not be cooked thoroughly before eating. The FSAI, together with the National Health Protection Office of the HSE, are currently investigating an outbreak of illness involving five human cases of Salmonellosis within the last 12 months and linked to the consumption of duck eggs. The investigation is ongoing.
Duck eggs are legitimately available on the Irish retail market and are used by some people instead of hens’ eggs in cooking and baking. Producers are responsible for ensuring the safety of food placed on the market. However, from time-to-time, Salmonella occurs in duck eggs. Salmonella can cause serious illness. The risk is greatest for people who are very young, for older people, and for people who have a suppressed immune system.
The FSAI advises consumers to only eat duck eggs that have been thoroughly cooked and to only use raw duck eggs in dishes that will be cooked thoroughly before eating. Maintaining stringent hygiene practices, such as washing hands and preparation surfaces, is important when handling or breaking raw duck eggs. Therefore, duck eggs should always be handled and cooked carefully.
Specifically, it is advised that:
The investigation into the outbreak is ongoing and the FSAI will provide further updates, as necessary.
For more information, see our Q&A advice for consumers and Health Protection Surveillance Centre Factsheet on Salmonella.
| Date | Time | Venue | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/8 | 10am – 4pm | Tsz Wan Shan Shopping Centre | 5 Keys for Food Safety, Control of Food Temperature; Natural Toxins |
| 14/8 | 10am – 4pm | Scenic View | Nutrition Labelling, Prevention of Cross-contamination; Natural Toxins |
| 16/8 | 10am – 4pm | Trade and Industry Tower | 5 Keys for Food Safety, Veterinary Drug Residues; Trans Fats |
| 21/8 | 10am – 4pm | To Kwa Wan Market | Nutrition Labelling, Genetically Modified Food; Trans Fats |
| 28/8 | 10am – 4pm | Lockhart Road Market | Nutrition Labelling, Control of Food Temperature; Prevention of Cross-contamination |
Posted in CFS, Food Microbiology Research, Research
FoodWorld 