Category Archives: Food Microbiology Research

Research – Simulation and identification of foodborne outbreaks in a large supermarket consumer purchase dataset

Nature.com

Foodborne outbreaks represent a significant public health burden. Outbreak investigations are often challenging and time-consuming, and most outbreak vehicles remain unidentified. The development of alternative investigative strategies is therefore needed. Automated analysis of Consumer Purchase Data (CPD) gathered by retailers represents one such alternative strategy. CPD-aided investigations do not require trawling questionnaires to create a hypothesis and can provide analytical measures of association by direct data analysis. Here, we used anonymized CPD from 920,384 customers enrolled in Norway’s largest supermarket loyalty program to simulate foodborne outbreaks across a range of different parameters and scenarios. We then applied a logistic regression model to calculate an odds ratio for each of the different possible food vehicles. By this method, we were able to identify outbreak vehicles with a 90% accuracy within a median of 6 recorded case-patients. The outbreak vehicle identification rate declined significantly when using data from only one of two retailers involved in a simulated outbreak. Performance was also reduced in simulations that restricted analysis from product ID to the product group levels accessible by trawling questionnaires. Our results show that—assuming agreements are in place with major retailers—CPD collection and analysis can solve foodborne outbreaks originating from supermarkets both more rapidly and accurately than than questionnaire-based methods and might provide a significant enhancement to current outbreak investigation methods.

Belgium – Barry Callebaut Salmonella outbreak: no infected chocolate entered the retail food chain

Confectionary News

UPDATE 4 July 2022: Based on internal investigation, Barry Callebaut said it confirms that no chocolate products affected by the salmonella-positive production entered the retail food chain, after the strain was detected at its factory in Wieze, Belgium, on Monday 27 June.

USA – FDA Core Investigation Table

FDA

What’s New

  • For the Salmonella Braenderup outbreak in a not yet identified food (ref# 1075), the case count has increased from 42 to 59 cases.
  • For the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak (ref# 1057), a product linked to illnesses is ice cream from Big Olaf Creamery, located in Florida.
Date
Posted
Ref
#
Pathogen or
Cause of Illness

Product(s)
Linked to
Illnesses

(if any)
Total
Case Count

Status
6/29/

2022

1076 Not Yet Identified Frozen Food See Outbreak
Advisory
Active
6/22/

2022

1075 Salmonella
Braenderup
Not Yet Identified 59 Active
6/22/

2022

1072 Salmonella
Paratyphi B var. L(+) tartrate+
Not Yet Identified 14 Active
6/15/

2022

1070 Listeria
monocytogenes
Not Yet Identified 12 Active
6/8/

2022

1068 E. coli
O157:H7
Not Yet Identified 10 Active
6/1/

2022

1066 Hepatitis A Virus Strawberries See Outbreak
Advisory
Active
5/25/

2022

1067 Salmonella 
Senftenberg
Peanut Butter See Outbreak Advisory Active
4/20/

2022

1064 Not Yet
Identified
Dry Cereal 558 adverse
event reports
Active
4/13/

2022

1057 Listeria
monocytogenes
Ice Cream See CDC’s Investigation Notice Active
3/30/

2022

1060 None
Identified
Meal Replacement
Drink
6 adverse
event reports
Closed
3/16/

2022

1055 Salmonella
Saintpaul
Not Identified 60 Closed
2/17/

2022

1056 Cronobacter
sakazakii
Powdered
Infant
Formula
See
Advisory
Active (IMG)
2/9/

2022

1040 Listeria
monocytogenes
Not Identified 20 Closed
2/2/

2022

1054 Enteroinvasive
E. coli
O143:H26
Not
Identified
16 Closed
1/10/

2022

1050 E. coli
O121:H19
Romaine 4 Closed

Research – Source of 7-year Listeria outbreak found in Germany

Food Safety News

German officials believe they have solved a seven-year Listeria outbreak that included the death of one man.

Using next generation sequencing (NGS) methods, the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) helped identify a likely connection between Listeria infections in Lower Bavaria and in the district of Altötting since 2015 and a food company.

The company was not named by authorities but they described it as a small businesses in the district of Passau that had various customers in the region. Local media reported it was a produce company that supplied canteens and care homes but not retailers.

Alongside the results from the NGS analysis, there are indications of an epidemiological connection to those sick based on the sales area.

Spain – Establishment of the safe shelf life of certain ready-to-eat, sliced ​​​​and prepacked foods in the retail trade, in relation to the risk of Listeria monocytogenes

ACSA

Report

EditorCatalan Food Safety Agency
pages37
Year2022

Czech Republic – Officials warn of increase in E. coli infections

Food Safety News

A rise in Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections has prompted a warning by health officials in the Czech Republic.

The National Institute of Public Health (SZU) reported that in the first six months of this year 25 cases have been recorded and 15 of them occurred in the past two months.

Eight were reported in May and seven in June. That is more than half of all cases so far in 2022. The majority of those sick are children under the age of five. In 2021, 46 cases were recorded.

Sick people come from across the country but mostly Prague, the South Moravian and South Bohemian regions. Twelve infections were caused by E. coli O26 and six by E. coli O157.

People can become infected by contact with animals, eating insufficiently cooked meat, drinking unpasteurized milk, or by contact with an infected person.

Research – Is Our Ground Meat Safe to Eat?

Consumer Reports

Americans love meat—especially ground meat.

We shape it into burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf; stir it into chili and pasta sauce; and stuff it into peppers, lasagna, and tacos. Americans like it so much that in 2021 alone, we purchased more than $13 billion worth of ground beef, turkey, pork, and chicken.

But our love of ground meat comes at a price: It’s a leading cause of food poisoning. Since 2018, 11 outbreaks of illness have been traced back to raw meat, sickening a reported 1,264 people—and at least eight of them involved ground meat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To assess the current state of the nation’s ground meat supply, Consumer Reports recently tested 351 packages of ground beef, pork, chicken, and turkey purchased at stores throughout the country. (Read more about how we tested (PDF).) What we found was alarming.

Almost a third of the ground chicken packages we tested contained salmonella. We also found those bacteria in a few samples of ground beef, pork, and turkey. Particularly worrisome: Every single strain of salmonella was resistant to at least one antibiotic (see “Why Superbugs Are in Your Meat,” below).

CR also found a strain of E. coli in a sample of ground beef that is so dangerous that we immediately alerted the Department of Agriculture to our findings, triggering a recall of more than 28,000 pounds of the meat from major grocery chains in seven Western states.

India – Bihar: Over 24 students contract food poisoning after consuming mid-day meal

Times Now News

Bhagalpur: Over two dozen students in Jhallu Das Tola Middle School contracted food poisoning after consuming mid-day meals in Bihar‘s Bhagalpur district, reported IANS.
Following the incident, the district civil surgeon, sub-divisional officer, district education officer, block development officer, and police personnel of Naugachia reached the hospital and took stock of the situation.
According to officials, the school administration had prepared rice, pulses, and vegetables inside the school premises. After consuming the meal and entering the classroom, more than two dozen students between the age group of 10 to 14 complained about vomiting and loose motion, reported IANS.

USA – Investigation of Adverse Event Reports: French Lentil & Leek Crumbles (June 2022)

FDA

The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, is investigating consumer complaints of gastrointestinal illness and abnormal liver function that may be attributable to eating Daily Harvest French Lentil & Leek Crumbles frozen product.

On June 17, 2022, in response to consumer complaints submitted to the company, Daily Harvest voluntarily initiated a recall of their French Lentil & Leek Crumbles. In response to Consumer Adverse Event Reports (CAERS) and Consumer Complaints submitted to the FDA, the FDA has initiated an investigation, including an inspection and sample collection in an effort to determine the cause of illnesses. As of June 28, the FDA has received 133 CAERS reports and Consumer Complaints related to this product.

From April 28 to June 17, 2022, approximately 28,000 units of the recalled product were distributed to consumers in the continental United States through online sales and direct delivery, as well as through retail sales at the Daily Harvest store in Chicago, IL, and a “pop-up” store in Los Angeles, CA. Samples were also provided to a small number of consumers.

Daily Harvest emailed consumers who were shipped the affected product, and other consumers for whom the company had contact information and consumers were issued a credit for the recalled product. Consumers who may still have the recalled product in their freezers should immediately dispose of it.

FDA’s investigation is ongoing, and more information will be provided as it becomes available.

Recommendation
Consumers should not eat, sell, or serve recalled products. Consumers who may still have the recalled product in their freezers should throw it away.

Product was sold through online sales and in two retail locations; the Daily Harvest store in Chicago, IL, and a “pop-up” store in Los Angeles, CA. French Lentil + Leek Crumbles is a frozen product packaged in a 12oz white pouch with the words “Daily Harvest” at the top, a large “CRUMBLES” immediately below the top and the words “French Lentil + Leek” in bold, as shown below. All lot codes of the French Lentil + Leek Crumbles are affected. At this time, no other Daily Harvest products are affected or part of this recall.

If you experience symptoms including yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, itching with no rash, gastrointestinal illness, nausea, fatigue, body aches, severe abdominal pain and/or fever after consuming this product, please consult with your healthcare provider. Let your healthcare provider know you have recently consumed the recalled Daily Harvest French Lentil & Leek Crumbles. Healthcare providers should report these illnesses to their health department.

Product Images
Daily Harvest French Lentil and Leek Crumbles
Case Counts
Total Adverse Illness Events: 133 *
Hospitalizations: 42 *
Deaths: 0
Last illness onset: June 21, 2022 *
States with Adverse Illness Events: CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, IA, IN, MA, MD, MI, MO, MT, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, RI, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI
Product Distribution: Nationwide
* estimate based on consumer complaint and CAERs reports

Useful Links
Recall Announcement
Who to Contact
Who to Contact
Consumers who have symptoms should contact their health care provider to report their symptoms and receive care.

To report a complaint or adverse event (illness or serious allergic reaction), you can

Call an FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator if you wish to speak directly to a person about your problem.
Complete an electronic Voluntary MedWatch form online.
Complete a paper Voluntary MedWatch form that can be mailed to FDA.

USA – CDC Investigation Notice: CDC Investigates New Listeria Outbreak

CDC

A CDC Investigation Notice regarding a multistate outbreak of Listeria infections has been posted: Listeria Outbreak | CDC.Listeria Outbreak | CDC

Key points:

  • 23 people infected with the outbreak strain have been reported from 10 states. Nearly all the people live in or traveled to Florida about a month before they got sick, although the significance of this is not yet known.
  • 22 people have been hospitalized and one death has been reported from Illinois.
  • Five people got sick during their pregnancy, and one illness resulted in a fetal loss.
  • A specific food item has not yet been identified as the source of this outbreak.
  • Pregnant people and their newborns, adults aged 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe Listeria
  • CDC is advising people at high risk who have symptoms of a Listeria infection, especially those who have recently traveled to Florida, to talk to their healthcare provider. Healthcare providers should report listeriosis illnesses to their health department. This information may help investigators solve this outbreak.

About Listeria:

  • Listeria can cause severe illness (known as invasive listeriosis) when the bacteria spread beyond the gut to other parts of the body.
  • Pregnant people typically experience only fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. However, Listeria infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
  • People who are not pregnant may experience headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, in addition to fever and muscle aches.
  • Symptoms of severe illness usually start within two weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria but may start as early as the same day or as late as 70 days after.

If you have questions about cases in a particular state, please call that state’s health department.

Thank you,

CDC News Media Branch
404-639-3286
media@cdc.gov