Category Archives: Food Microbiology Testing

USA – FDA Core Investigation Table Update

FDA

What’s New

  • A new outbreak of Salmonella Infantis (ref #1141) linked to a not yet identified product has been added to the table. FDA has initiated traceback. This investigation is ongoing and additional information will be provided as it becomes available.
  • For the Salmonella Hartford outbreak in a not yet identified food, the case count has increased from 50 to 53 cases.
Date
Posted
Ref Pathogen
or
Cause of
Illness
Product(s)
Linked to
Illnesses

(if any)
Total
Case
Count

Status
3/29/2023 1141 Salmonella Infantis Not Yet
Identified
12 Active
3/8/2023 1144 Salmonella Hartford Not Yet
Identified
53 Active
3/1/2023 1143 Hepatitis A Virus Frozen Organic
Strawberries
See
Outbreak
Advisory
Active
2/15/2023 1123 Listeria
monocytogenes
Not Yet
Identified
See
CDC
Investigation
Notice
Active
11/9/2022 1127 Listeria
monocytogenes
Enoki
Mushrooms
See
Outbreak
Advisory
Active

Singapore – Recall of Eu Yan Sang’s Brown Rice Si Shen powder due to aflatoxin and arsenic exceeding permissible levels

SFA

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has detected aflatoxin B1 and arsenic in samples of Eu Yan Sang’s Brown Rice Si Shen powder at levels exceeding the maximum limit stated in the Singapore Food Regulations.2 SFA has directed the manufacturer, Eu Yan Sang (Singapore) Pte Ltd, to recall two affected batches of the product.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has detected aflatoxin B1 and arsenic in samples of Eu Yan Sang’s Brown Rice Si Shen powder at levels exceeding the maximum limit stated in the Singapore Food Regulations.

2 SFA has directed the manufacturer, Eu Yan Sang (Singapore) Pte Ltd, to recall two affected batches of the product.

USA – Stewart Parnell looks for better Habeas in Atlanta than he just had in Mid-Georgia – Peanut Butter Salmonella Outbreak

Food Safety News

A decade after his indictment and a year after United States Magistrate Judge Thomas Q. Langstaff denied his petition for early release, one-time peanut butter mogul Stewart Parnell still has one more card to play.

Parnell, 68, has 15 years to run on his sentence imposed after a 2014 jury conviction for numerous federal felonies associated with the deadly 2008-09 multistate Salmonella outbreak traced to his Peanut Corporation of America peanut processing facility in Blakely, GA. He is serving his time at the federal correctional facility at Hazelton, WV.

Parnell begins this year with a new appeal of his Habeas corpus petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th U.S. Circuit in Atlanta. A Habeas petition claims unlawful detention or imprisonment because of constitutional infractions. It can open cell doors,

France – Minced steak on demand in the traditional butcher department – Listeria monocytogenes

Gov france

Identification information of the recalled product

  • Product category Feed
  • Product subcategory Meats
  • Product brand name UNBRANDED
  • Model names or references GROUND STEACK ON DEMAND
  • Identification of products
    Batch
    0919065071852
  • Packaging BULK
  • Marketing start/end date From 03/20/2023 to 03/24/2023
  • Storage temperature Product to be stored in the refrigerator
  • Further information BOAT PAD BEEF MEAT FRANCE XV SVA
  • Geographic area of ​​sale MARMANDE
  • Distributors INTERMARCHE MARMANDE

Practical information regarding the recall

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

France – BUT POPCORN – Aflatoxin

Gov france

Identification information of the recalled product

  • Product category Feed
  • Product subcategory Cereals and baked goods
  • Product brand name NATURALINE
  • Model names or references CORN POPCORN 500G Nat AB
  • Identification of products
    GTIN Batch Date
    3347432001555 06723 Date of minimum durability 08/03/2026
  • Marketing start/end date From 08/03/2023 to 23/03/2023
  • Storage temperature Product to be stored at room temperature
  • Geographic area of ​​sale Whole France
  • Distributors Intermarché, Super U, Hyper U, Leclerc, Cora, Match supermarkets, Auchan

Practical information regarding the recall

  • Reason for recall Aflatoxin detection
  • Risks incurred by the consumer Aflatoxins

USA – FDA and Stop Foodborne Illness to Co-Host Webinar on Assessing Food Safety Culture

FDA

Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the seventh in the ongoing series of webinars exploring food safety culture will take place on May 11, 2023, from 3:45 pm 5:00 pm ET. The webinar series Collaborating on Culture in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety is in partnership with Stop Foodborne IllnessExternal Link Disclaimer, a non-profit public health organization.

The upcoming webinar “Live from the Food Safety Summit: Measure What You Treasure”, will focus on the importance of assessing food safety culture in an organization.

Guest speakers on May 11, include:

  • Donald A. Prater, DVM, Acting Director, Office of Food Policy and Response, FDA
  • Conrad Choiniere, PhD, Director, Office of Analytics and Outreach, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA
  • Lone Jespersen, Principal and Founder, Cultivate SA
  • Vanessa Coffman, Director, Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness
  • Brian Perry, Executive Food Safety & Quality Leader, TreeHouse Foods, Inc
  • Karleigh Bacon, Director of U.S. Supply Chain Food Safety, Science & Regulatory, McDonald’s Corporation
  • Philip Bronstein, Ph.D., Assistant Administrator, Office of Field Operations, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA

The webinar series engages experts from the public and private sectors in a collaborative exchange of ideas and experiences related to the importance of a robust food safety culture in helping to ensure safe food production.

Food safety culture is one of the core elements in FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety blueprint, which states that dramatic improvements in reducing the burden of foodborne illness cannot be made without doing more to influence the beliefs, attitudes, and, most importantly, the behaviors of people and the actions of organizations.

Register for Session 7External Link Disclaimer

To learn more about this webinar series and to listen to recordings, visit Collaborating on Culture in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety.

For More Information 

France – PISTACHIO ROLL HEAD 2 SLICES – Listeria monocytogenes

Gov france

Identification information of the recalled product

  • Product category Feed
  • Product subcategory Meats
  • Product brand name GAST
  • Model names or references PISTACHIO ROLL HEAD 2 SLICES TRAY
  • Identification of products
    GTIN Batch Date
    3411320111654 23074 Use-by date 07/04/2023
    3411320111654 23074 Use-by date 08/04/2023
    3411320111654 23074 Use-by date 04/10/2023
    3411320503114 23074 Use-by date 04/11/2023
    3411320503114 23074 Use-by date 04/10/2023
    3411320111654 23074 Use-by date 04/11/2023
  • Marketing start/end date From 03/17/2023 to 03/21/2023
  • Storage temperature Product to be stored in the refrigerator
  • Health mark FR69273009CE
  • Geographic area of ​​sale Whole France
  • Distributors CARREFOUR COMPTOIR MODERNE CARREFOUR VILLEURBANNE CASINO SHOP COLIGNY AUCHAN ST PRIEST AUCHAN ST GENIS AUCHAN SUPERMARKET MASSIEUX SUPER U BOILEAU CHAZAL
  • List of points of sale address_distributor.pdf

Practical information regarding the recall

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

France – DRY SAUSAGE WITH HAZELNUTS – Listeria monocytogenes

Gov france

Identification information of the recalled product

  • Product category Feed
  • Product subcategory Others
  • Product brand name CLEAR LIFE
  • Model names or references DRY SAUSAGE WITH HAZELNUTS
  • Identification of products
    GTIN Batch Date
    3266191054216 123066233 Use-by date 06/05/2023
  • Packaging Kraft bag with transparent window
  • Marketing start/end date From 03/11/2023 to 03/22/2023
  • Storage temperature Product to be stored in the refrigerator
  • Health mark EN 42.334.001 CE
  • Geographic area of ​​sale Whole France
  • Distributors La Vie Claire stores

Practical information regarding the recall

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

Ireland – Mayo’s Clare Island Hit with Cryptosporidium in Public Water Supply

Afloat.ie

Mayo’s Clare island has been hit with a “boil water” notice after the detection of cryptosporidium in the public water supply.

The “boil water” notice takes immediate effect, Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) and Mayo Council have said.

This follows consultation with the Health Service Executive (HSE) to protect the health of approximately 160 people on the island’s public water supply scheme.

The two bodies have said they are “working to implement solutions to lift the notice as quickly and as safely as possible in consultation with the HSE”.

Hong Kong – Not to consume a batch of prepackaged frozen suckling pig ham suspected to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes

CFS

Issue Date 28.3.2023
Source of Information Centre for Food Safety – Routine Food Surveillance Programme.
Food Product Prepackaged frozen suckling pig ham
Product Name and Description Product name: German Suckling Pig Cured Ham Cooked (Sliced)
Brand: BECK
Place of origin: Germany
Packer: Galleon International Limited
Net weight: 180 grams
Best-before date: May 1, 2024
Reason For Issuing Alert
  • The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) collected the above-mentioned prepackaged frozen suckling pig ham sample from a retail outlet in Jordan for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that the sample contained Listeria monocytogenes at a level of 120 per gram. According to the Microbiological Guidelines for Food, if relevant ready-to-eat food contains Listeria monocytogenes at a level of more than 100 per gram, it is considered unsatisfactory
Action Taken by the Centre for Food Safety
  • According to the CFS’s instructions, the packer concerned has initiated a recall of the affected batch of the product.
  • For the sake of prudence, the CFS has also instructed the packer to suspend the ready-to-eat food production line to carry out thorough cleaning and disinfection. The CFS also collected food and environmental samples for testing, and gave health advice to the operators and staff of the food factory concerned.
  • The CFS will alert the trade to the incident, and will continue to follow up and take appropriate action.
Advice to the Trade
  • The trade should stop using or selling the product concerned immediately if they possess it.
Advice to Consumers
  • Do not consume the affected product if they have bought any.
Further Information The CFS press release

Members of the public may call its hotline at 3643 0174 during office hours for enquiries about the product recall.

Centre for Food Safety
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department
2023-3-28