36 out of 100 residents at the Dror sheltered housing community in Ra’anana are experiencing symptoms of food poisoning (three with an added fever), according to a Friday morning statement from the Israeli Health Ministry.
The Dror housing community serves adults facing severe mental illness who are regaining independence after discharge from psychiatric hospitalization.
Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Poisoning
The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, investigated a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to Brie and Camembert soft cheese products, including baked Brie cheeses, manufactured by Old Europe Cheese, Inc. of Benton Harbor, MI, and sold at various retailers under multiple labels and brands.
As of December 9, 2022, CDC announced that the outbreak is over with a total of six illnesses in six states.
On September 30, 2022, Old Europe Cheese, Inc. voluntarily recalled multiple brands of Brie and Camembert cheeses produced at their Michigan facility and on October 5, 2022 expanded their recall to include multiple brands of baked Brie products. On November 4, 2022, the firm’s recall notification was updated to include an expanded list of retail establishments that received recalled bulk Brie and Camembert cheese from Old Europe Cheese, Inc. The list of recalled products and stores that potentially sold these products is available below and on the firm’s recall.
Recalled products are no longer available for sale, but the recalled baked Brie products may have been sold frozen or purchased and later frozen by consumers, so consumers should check their freezers for any recalled Old Europe Cheese, Inc. products, including baked brie, with Best By Dates ranging from September 28, 2022, to December 14, 2022. If you have recalled frozen Old Europe Cheese products in your freezer, do not eat or serve them and throw them away.
Follow FDA’s safe handling and cleaning advice and use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination, including retailers who repackaged bulk recalled cheese. Listeria can survive in refrigerated temperatures and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.
Total Illnesses: 6
Hospitalizations: 5
Deaths: 0
Last illness onset: August 5, 2022
States with Cases: CA, GA, MA, MI, NJ, TX
Product Distribution: Nationwide
Posted in Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Uncategorized
The Food Safety Information Council today released their food safety tips for Christmas and Summer entertaining especially warning about the risk of raw or minimally cooked foods.
Cathy Moir, Council Chair, said that we are all looking forward this Summer to getting together with multi-generations of family and friends which will include those most at risk if they get food poisoning: the elderly, pregnant, and people with poor immune systems.
‘With an estimated 4.67 million cases of food poisoning a year in Australia we all want to keep our family and friends safe, which we can do by following some simple tips.
‘Firstly, cook your meat and poultry to a safe temperature. Our recent consumer survey found that 4% surveyed said they had eaten rare meat or offal with 0.2% eating raw meat or offal in the last six months. This is a risk for food poisoning, including parasitic infections such as toxoplasmosis. You can protect your guests by using a digital meat thermometer and cook your foods safely to these temperatures measured in the centre of the food:
‘Eggs and egg dishes such as quiche, can also be a food safety risk and should be cooked to 72°C in the centre (or until the white is firm and the yolk thickens). Raw eggs in eggnog and health shakes, raw egg mayonnaise and aioli, or fancy desserts made with raw eggs like tiramisu are a real risk for food poisoning.
‘Don’t forget to wash your hands with soap and water before preparing and cooking food, and after handling shell eggs, seafood, raw meat and poultry, burgers and sausages.
‘Here are some more key Christmas and Summer entertaining food safety tips which may also help reduce the cost of food and waste less:
Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, food safety training, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Uncategorized
Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Pseudomonas, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Technology
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that each year in the United States, 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases.
Illingworth is spreading the word that our nation’s food system is in crisis, and it’s time for people to understand where and how their food was grown.
“That lettuce on your plate may have come from thousands of miles away, picked way ahead of its peak flavor and nutritional value, and may have been exposed to pathogens in dozens of ways during its voyage from seedling to your table,” he said.
According to the CDC, “Germs can contaminate leafy greens at many points before they reach your plate. For example, germs from animal poop can get in irrigation water or fields where vegetables grow. Germs can also get on leafy greens in packing and processing facilities, in trucks used for shipping, from the unwashed hands of food handlers, and in the kitchen.”
Read more at the link above.
Posted in Decontamination Microbial, food death, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning Death, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Pathogen, pathogenic
On the 27 October 2022, the Court of Justice of the EU (“CJEU”) issued a preliminary ruling regarding the definition of foods for special medical purposes (“FSMP”). The CJEU held that for a food product to be classified as an FSMP, it must cover the increased or specific nutritional requirements caused by the disease. It is not sufficient that the product counteracts the disease or alleviates its symptoms, as that would blur the lines between foods and medicinal products.
Posted in Cronobacter sakazakii, Decontamination Microbial, 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
Checks on spices as part of a food fraud project in Finland didn’t find any authenticity issues but did uncover Salmonella contamination.
Monitoring was targeted at operators whose batches were found to have been non-compliant in the past. Of 24 spices investigated, 11 received a reprimand for minor labeling and microbial issues, and five products were blocked but no prohibited dyes were found.
Curry, chili, paprika, and turmeric samples were tested for 20 banned food dyes in the lab with a focus on Sudan dyes but were all negative.
One of the rejected spices contained Salmonella and four had high levels of pesticide residues. One of the spices had incorrect labeling.
All five blocked products came from Asian countries, but three had been imported to Finland via another EU member state.
Steve Ardagh, chief executive officer for Eagle Protect, is known as “The Glove Guy.” Food Safety News met him at the International Association for Food Protection’s 2021 trade show. It was then we learned about his multi-year microbial analysis of potential pathogenic glove contamination.
Eagle Protect, which started out in New Zealand before moving to California, is now out with the results of that five-year study revealing the widespread risk of contamination in the disposable glove industry. In collaboration with the B. Michaels Group, the findings were presented at the 2022 International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) annual meeting,
Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, food safety training, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Pathogen, pathogenic
Salmonella spp in pet food from Belgium in Italy
Posted in Animal Feed, Animal Feed Salmonella, Animal Feed Testing, Decontamination Microbial, 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, Pet Food Salmonella, Salmonella, salmonellosis
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