Category Archives: Food Pathogen

France – BRIE DE MEAUX PDO ANDRE COLLET – Listeria monocytogenes

Gov france

Identifying information for the recalled product

  • Product category Food
  • Product sub-category Milk and dairy products
  • Product brand name ANDRE COLLET
  • Names of models or references BRIE DE MEAUX AOP AFFINE
  • Product identification
    Lot Dated
    3041 6140 FR55-442-001
    Use-by date 01/01/2022
  • Products List BRIE_DE_MEAUX_A.pdf Attachment
  • Packaging PACKAGING
  • Start date / End of marketing From 12/10/2021 to 01/01/2022
  • Storage temperature Product to be stored in the refrigerator
  • Further information AFFINE BRIE DE MEAUX FROM THE ANDRE COLLET BRAND
  • Geographical sales area Whole France
  • Distributors Intermarket

Practical information regarding the recall

  • Reason for recallListeria
  • Risks incurred by the consumerListeria monocytogenes (causative agent of listeriosis)

USA – Interstate Meat Dist. Inc., Recalls Ground Beef Products Due To Possible E. Coli O157:H7 Contamination

FSIS USDA

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2022 – Interstate Meat Dist. Inc., a Clackamas, Ore., establishment, is recalling approximately 28,356 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The raw, ground beef items were produced on Dec. 20, 2021. The products subject to recall and the labels can be viewed here.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 965” inside the USDA mark of inspection or printed next to the time stamp and use or freeze by date. These items were shipped to retail locations in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

The issue was reported to FSIS after a retail package of ground beef was purchased and submitted to a third-party laboratory for microbiological analysis and the sample tested positive for E. coli O157:H7.  FSIS conducted an assessment of the third-party laboratory’s accreditation and methodologies and determined the results were actionable.

Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider. E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps 2–8 days (3–4 days, on average) after exposure the organism. While most people recover within a week, some develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). This condition can occur among persons of any age but is most common in children under 5-years old and older adults. It is marked by easy bruising, pallor, and decreased urine output. Persons who experience these symptoms should seek emergency medical care immediately.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160 °F. The only way to confirm that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/safetempchart.

Consumers and members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Sales Manager Mike Sinner and Quality Assurance Manager Rodolfo Mendoza, Interstate Meat Dist., Inc., at (503) 656-6168.

Click to access recall-001-2022-labels.pdf

USA – Outbreak Investigation of E. Coli O157:H7 – Spinach (November 2021) – FDA’s investigation is complete. CDC declares outbreak over.

FDA

Outbreak Investigation of E. Coli O157:H7 in Spinach (November 2021): Sample Image of Josie's Organics Baby Spinach

The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, investigated illnesses in a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. As of January 6, 2022, CDC declared this outbreak over.

FDA traced the supply chain for this positive product sample and deployed investigators to three farms in two separate states: California and Oregon. FDA conducted inspections, including sample collection and analysis, but inspections were limited because at the time the fields were fallow and no production activities were being conducted for spinach at any of the three farms. All samples collected were reported negative and no source or direct routes of contamination to the suspected spinach were found during the inspections. Investigators did report that one location processes product and sometimes uses product from multiple growers in one production run. This type of product co-mingling is not uncommon; but continues to present challenges for traceback investigations of foodborne outbreaks.

Recommendation

CDC announced the outbreak is over. There are no recommendations for consumers, retailers, or suppliers.


Case Count Map Provided by CDC

Outbreak Investigation of E. Coli O157:H7 in Spinach: Case Count Map Provided by CDC (January 6, 2022)

Case Counts

Total Illnesses: 15
Hospitalizations: 4
Deaths: 0
Last Illness Onset: November 8, 2021
States with Cases: CA (1), IA (1), IN (4), MI (1), MN (2), MO (1), NE (1), OH (1), PA (1) SD (2)

USA – Outbreak Investigation of E. coli O157:H7: Power Greens Packaged Salad (January 2022)

FDA

The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating illnesses in a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. According to the CDC, as of January 6, 2022, 10 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from four states. Consumer purchase data indicate that seven people purchased Nature’s Basket Power Greens or Simple Truth Organic Power Greens at grocery stores before becoming sick. Based on those purchase dates, the latest “best if used by” date is estimated to be December 20, 2021. These two salad blends consist of organic spinach, mizuna, kale, and chard; both brands were manufactured by the same processor.

FDA has initiated a traceback investigation on the products of interest. To date, no single production code has been identified by the traceback. For the estimated production code range that may have been available for purchase to ill consumers, records collected indicate that leafy greens used in these products were sourced from Salinas and Imperial Valley, CA, and Yuma, AZ. FDA continues to evaluate the available information to determine if a single source, such as a farm or ranch, can be identified. Some challenges encountered in this traceback are those often seen in tracing back leafy greens. These include multiple consumer purchases of the same product on different days, lack of product lot codes tracked to retail stores from distribution centers, and the inability to directly link product lot codes to consumer purchase data. Additionally, the range of possible production dates falls into the harvest transition period from central and northern CA to southern CA and AZ growing regions, and as this product has multiple components, some production days of the product include ingredients co-mingled from multiple growing regions.

At this time, the available evidence does not indicate that there are implicated products currently on the market. FDA and state partners are continuing to work with firms of interest to determine if there are additional or unexpired products that could potentially be affected. This is an ongoing investigation and additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

Recommendation

Although this product is past expiration and should no longer be available for purchase, if consumers froze Nature’s Basket or Simple Truth Power Greens salad blend with a “Best if Used By” date through December 20, 2021, they should discard it.


Case Count Map Provided by CDC

Outbreak Investigation of E. coli O157:H7: Packaged Salad - CDC Case Count Map (January 6, 2022)

Case Counts

Total Illnesses: 10
Hospitalizations: 4
Deaths: 0
Last Illness Onset: December 19, 2021
States with Cases: AK (2), OH (1), OR (1), WA (6)

Luxembourg – QUESO IBERICO Cheese OF THE DELHAIZE BRAND – Listeria monocytogenes

SAP

Danger  : Presence of Listeria monocytogenes

Last name Queso Iberico
Brand Delhaize
Bar code 2205613000000
Date of Minimum Durability (DDM) 05/01/2022; 07/01/2022; 01/09/2022
Sale period from 23/12/2021 to 04/01/2022 included

Click to access Communique-de-presse-Recall-Delhaize-Luxembourg-fromage.pdf

RASFF Alert – Listeria monocytogenes – Cheese

RASFF

Listeria monocytogenes in cheese from Spain via The Netherlands in Belgium and Luxembourg

RASFF Alerts – Salmonella – Polish Chicken Products – Black Pepper from Brazil

RASFF

Salmonella in Brazilian black pepper in the Netherlands

RASFF

Salmonella (presence /25g) in black pepper from Brazil in the Netherlands

RASFF

Salmonella (presence /25g) in black pepper from Brazil in the Netherlands

RASFF

Salmonella Grumpensis in black pepper from Brazil in Germany

RASFF

Salmonella (presence /25g) in black pepper from Brazil in France and the Netherlands

RASFF

Salmonella enteritidis in chicken neck skin samples from Poland in France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland and UK

RASFF

Salmonella Oranienburg in black pepper from Brazil in Germany

RASFF

Salmonella Javiana and Salmonella Poona in black pepper from Brazil in Germany

RASFF

Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Infantis in poultry meat from Poland in Hungary and Poland

RASFF

Salmonella Infantis in chicken neck skin samples from Poland in Czech Republic, Austria, Poland and Slovakia

RASFF

Salmonella Javiana in black pepper from Brazil in Germany and the Netherlands

RASFF

Salmonella Infantis and Salmonella Albany in black pepper from Brazil in Germany

UK – Estimating deaths from foodborne disease in the UK for 11 key pathogens

NCBI

Objective

To estimate the number of deaths from foodborne disease in the UK from 11 key pathogens.

Design

Four different models were developed using data from a range of sources. These included enhanced surveillance, outbreaks, death certificates and hospital episode statistics data. For each model, median estimates were produced with 95% credible intervals (CrI). The results from the different models were compared.

Results

The estimates for foodborne deaths for each pathogen from the different models were consistent, with CrIs largely overlapping. Based on the preferred model for each pathogen, foodborne norovirus is estimated to cause 56 deaths per year (95% CrI 32 to 92), foodborne Salmonella 33 deaths (95% CrI 7 to 159), foodborne Listeria monocytogenes 26 deaths (95% CrI 24 to 28), foodborne Clostridium perfringens 25 deaths (95% CrI 1 to 163) and foodborne Campylobacter 21 deaths (95% CrI 8 to 47). The considerable overlap in the CrIs means it is not possible to make any firm conclusions on ranking. Most of these deaths occur in those aged over 75 years. Foodborne deaths from Shigella, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, adenovirus, astrovirus and rotavirus are all rare.

Conclusions

We estimate that there are 180 deaths per year in the UK (95% CrI 113 to 359) caused by foodborne disease based on these 11 pathogens. While this is a small fraction of the estimated 2.4 million cases of foodborne illness per year it still illustrates the potential severity of these illnesses demonstrating the importance in continuing efforts to reduce these infections.

Keywords: infectious disease, Campylobacter, Salmonella

Summary box

What is already known about this subject?

  • Foodborne disease is a common illness in the UK.

  • Previous research has estimated that there are 566 000 cases, 74 000 general practitioner presentations and 7600 hospital admissions related to foodborne disease from 13 known pathogens in UK; no estimate was made for deaths.

  • Campylobacter and norovirus are the most common foodborne pathogens in the UK.

  • Other common foodborne pathogens include Clostridium perfringens and Salmonella.

What are the new findings?

  • This study provides updated estimates of deaths for each of the 11 key foodborne pathogens considered; in total, these 11 pathogens cause 180 deaths per year in the UK (95% credible interval (CrI) 113 to 359).

  • Among them, Campylobacter, C. perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and norovirus pathogens are responsible for over 98% of these deaths.

  • Ranking between these five is difficult due to overlapping CrIs.

How might it impact on clinical practice in the foreseeable future?

  • This highlights the potential severity of Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, C. perfringens, Campylobacter and norovirus, particularly in comparison with other infectious intestinal diseases that have a food source.

USA – Dangerous E. Coli O157 Found in Ground Beef Sold at Kroger and Fred Meyer Supermarkets

Consumer Reports

Kroger-brand ground beef purchased at a Fred Meyer supermarket in Seattle and tested by Consumer Reports was found to have a deadly strain of E. coli called O157:H7. The tested package of 93 percent lean ground beef is marked with an “Establishment” (EST) number of 965, representing the plant where the meat was processed, and a “use or freeze by date” of 1/11/2022. (See the product label below.)

At this time, there is no recall of this ground beef, and no illnesses have been linked to the product. But CR’s food-safety experts warn consumers who might have purchased Kroger-branded 93 percent lean ground beef from any Kroger-owned grocery store to check their packages and to throw away the product if it contains that establishment number and “use or freeze by” date. Those stores include Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, Ralphs, Dillons, and several other supermarkets. (See a complete list of Kroger-owned grocery stores.) Consumers also should not buy ground beef with those markings from any of those stores.

USA – Hepatitis A outbreak linked to unnamed Italian restaurant in Montgomery County Pennsylvania – 8 cases with 1 death – Hepatitis A scare tied to Russellville Arkansas Wendy’s

Food Poison Journal

Food Safety News reports that State officials are reporting a hepatitis A outbreak among patrons of an unnamed Italian restaurant in Pennsylvania. One death is being investigated as part of the outbreak.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Montgomery County Office of Public Health are investigating the outbreak in southeast Pennsylvania.

Health officials report that there are eight confirmed patients among Pennsylvania residents in Montgomery County. Of seven people with information available, six have been so sick they had to be admitted to hospitals.

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable, liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus ranging in severity from mild infection lasting a few weeks to severe disease lasting several months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The virus usually spreads when a person unknowingly ingests microscopic amounts of it from objects, food or drinks contaminated by an infected person.