Category Archives: Food Microbiology

RASFF Alert – Yeast Growth – Soy Dessert

RASFF

Bulging packaging of soy dessert due to yeast growth in Germany and Denmark

RASFF Alerts – Norovirus – French Oysters

RASFF

Presence of norovirus genogroup I in oyster from France in Spain

RASFF

Presence of Norovirus type I in oysters (Crassostrea gigas) from France in Spain

RASFF Alert- Mycotoxins – Fumonisins – Corn Flour Based Snacks

RASFF

Fumonisins in corn flour-based snack products from Spain with raw material from France in Norway and USA

RASSF Alert- Bacillus cereus – Sprouts

RASFF

High amount of Bacillus cereus in sprouts from Germany in Austria

RASFF Alert- Listeria monocytogenes – Whole Salmon

RASFF

Listeria in whole salmon from Norway in Sweden

Viet Nam – Seventy children hospitalized in Nghe An, food poisoning suspected

Vietnamnet

More than 70 children aged from three to five from a preschool in the central province of Nghe An were rushed to hospitals after eating a snack on the evening of May 9.

Doctors at a general hospital in Do Luong District said the hospital admitted more than 70 children with symptoms of vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea and dehydration.

They suspected that the children were food poisoned and that the yogurt was suspected as the cause of the incident, as many other two-year-old kids who did not eat the yogurt were well, the local media reported.

All of the children are rehydrated and in stable condition, and an investigation into the incident is underway.

India – Two sisters die of suspected food poisoning in Rajasthan

The Print

Jaipur, May 9 (PTI) Two girls died and their parents and a sister fell ill due to suspected food poisoning in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, police said on Monday.

The family members started vomiting after taking dinner on Monday night. When their condition deteriorated, locals took them to a hospital early Tuesday, Station House Officer of Gudha police station Veer Singh said.

Two girls Lakshya (8) and Tanishka (6) were declared brought at the hospital, he said, adding their father Buti Ram Meghwal (35), mother Anita (32) and sister Tanuja (11) are undergoing treatment.

The police officer said food samples have been collected for examination.

The postmortem of bodies has been conducted, he said. PTI SDA AQS AQS

USA – Dave’s Sushi Turns Deadly: “2 have died, and another 30 injuries reported”

Food Poisoning News

Patrons of Dave’s Sushi, who ate at the establishment between March 31 and April 17th, may have been exposed to a deadly pathogen – as yet unidentified – but possibly in the Morel Mushrooms it served. The restaurant has released a statement:

“Upon being contacted by guests on Mon, April 17 about a potential issue, we stopped serving the morel mushrooms which were a specialty food item not on our regular menu and contacted the Gallatin City-County Health Department.”

While not certain, the mushrooms were served only at Dave’s in Montana – the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) stated: “The DPHHS investigation has determined that the morel mushrooms served at the restaurant were not distributed to any other restaurants or businesses in Montana. The mushrooms were cultivated in China, shipped to a distributor in California, and subsequently sent to multiple states. There are no known associated illnesses in other states identified at this time.

As of date, two patrons have passed away due to the exposure, and as many as 30 have become ill – some have required hospitalization. The victims all seem to have become ill within a half hour (30 minutes) to four and one half hours (270 minutes) after consumption of the sushi served with the specialty item Morel Mushrooms.

USA- FDA -Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks Update

FDA

What’s New

  • For the outbreak linked to morel mushrooms (ref #1152), the case count has increased from 30 cases to 41 cases.
  • For the outbreak of hepatitis A virus (ref #1143), cases have increased from 8 to 9. This change has been made on the advisory for this outbreak.
Date
Posted
Ref Pathogen
or
Cause of
Illness
Product(s)
Linked to
Illnesses

(if any)
Total
Case
Count

Status
4/26/2023 1152 Not Yet Identified Morel Mushroom
(suspect)
41 Active
3/29/2023 1141 Salmonella Infantis Raw Flour See
Outbreak
Advisory
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

Dutch farm owner, manager up on charges of selling contaminated eggs; one man died – Salmonella

Food Safety News

Two people in the Netherlands have been accused of knowingly selling eggs contaminated with Salmonella.

The case at Zwolle District Court covers events in 2017 and involves the duo, who were owner and manager of a farm at the time.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) believes Salmonella findings were hidden for financial reasons. The defendants deny knowing about the contamination.