Ramar Foods of Pittsburg, CA, is recalling its 14 ounce packages of Peekaboo branded Mint Chocolate Chip with Hidden Spinach Ice Cream product out of an abundance of caution because of the potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenes
Overuse of antibiotics, high animal numbers and low genetic diversity caused by intensive farming techniques increase the likelihood of pathogens becoming a major public health risk, according to new research led by UK scientists.
An international team of researchers led by the Universities of Bath and Sheffield, investigated the evolution of Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterium carried by cattle which is the leading cause of gastroenteritis in high income countries.
Campylobacter facts:
The researchers, publishing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, studied the genetic evolution of the pathogen and found that cattle-specific strains of the bacterium emerged at the same time as a dramatic rise in cattle numbers in the 20th Century.
The authors of the study suggest that changes in cattle diet, anatomy and physiology triggered gene transfer between general and cattle-specific strains with significant gene gain and loss. This helped the bacterium to cross the species barrier and infect humans, triggering a major public health problem.
Combine this with the increased movement of animals globally, intensive farming practices have provided the perfect environment in which to spread globally through trade networks.
Professor Sam Sheppard from the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, said: “There are an estimated 1.5 billion cattle on Earth, each producing around 30 kg of manure each day; if roughly 20 per cent of these are carrying Campylobacter, that amounts to a huge potential public health risk.
“Over the past few decades, there have been several viruses and pathogenic bacteria that have switched species from wild animals to humans: HIV started in monkeys; H5N1 came from birds; now Covid-19 is suspected to have come from bats.
“Our work shows that environmental change and increased contact with farm animals has caused bacterial infections to cross over to humans too.
“I think this is a wake-up call to be more responsible about farming methods, so we can reduce the risk of outbreaks of problematic pathogens in the future.”
Professor Dave Kelly from the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Sheffield said: “Human pathogens carried in animals are an increasing threat and our findings highlight how their adaptability can allow them to switch hosts and exploit intensive farming practices.”
The researchers hope that their study can help scientists predict potential problems in the future so they can be prevented before they turn into another epidemic.
Thirty people in Sweden fell ill with scombroid poisoning after eating tuna from Vietnam earlier this month.
The histamine poisoning foodborne outbreak was linked to frozen tuna loins from Vietnam, via the Netherlands.
Local authorities were responsible for the outbreak investigation and tracing of food batches. The Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) is the national contact point for Europe’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).
Mats Lindblad, from the Swedish Food Agency, said about 30 people were sick but no deaths were reported.
“Symptoms were typical for histamine poisoning and included swelling, hives, irregular heartbeat, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting,” he told Food Safety News.
Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Histamine, Scombroid, scombroid poisoning, Uncategorized
Ramar Meals of Pittsburg, CA, is recalling its 14 ounce packages of Peekaboo branded Mint Chocolate Chip with Hidden Spinach Ice Cream product out of an abundance of warning due to the potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which might trigger severe and generally deadly infe
RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes (1700 CFU/g) in frozen smoked turkey from France in France
RASFF – high count of Escherichia coli (up to 400 CFU/g) in betel leaves from Sri Lanka in the UK
RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in liquid egg white from Belgium in Belgium
RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in chilled chicken broiler thigh from Poland in Lithuania
RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium (4,5:i:- in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled turkey meat and poultry sausages from France in France
RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled chicken quarters from Poland in the Czech Republic
RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in black pepper from Brazil in the Netherlands
RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in frozen mechanically separated (MSM) turkey meat from Belgium in Belgium
RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Infantis (present /25g) in frozen boneless chicken thighs from Romania in Lithuania
RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Infantis (in 3 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled chicken breasts from Poland in the Czech Republic
RASFF – Salmonella (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in betel leaves from Sri Lanka in the UK
RASFF – Salmonella (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in betel leaves from Thailand in the UK
RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (presence /25g) in chilled chicken (thighs, wings, fillet) from Poland in Lithuania
RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled chicken breast fillet from Poland in Italy
Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, RASFF, Salmonella, Salmonella Betel Leaves, Salmonella in Black Pepper, Salmonella in Chicken, Salmonella in Eggs, Salmonella Sesame Seeds, Uncategorized
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At least 11 people in Switzerland have been infected by Listeria and two have died after eating contaminated cheese.
Officials from the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) told Food Safety News that analysis is pending for a further 10 infections to see if they belong to the outbreak cluster. A total of 28 cases of listeriosis have been reported in the country since early this year.
Of the 11 confirmed outbreak cases, five are men and six are women aged 66 to 86 years old. Infections have occurred in seven cantons, or regions, of the country.
The first patient related to the outbreak cluster showed symptoms at the end of January. In the most recent related infection reported to date, symptoms began in mid-April.
Following a notification via the RASFF system (European Food and Feed rapid alert system), the presence of Salmonella was detected in poultry meat from the Carrefour and Maître Coq brands.
The FASFC therefore ordered the withdrawal of these products and their recall to consumers.
The FASFC asks not to consume these products and to bring them back to the point of sale in which they were purchased.
Product description
| Product picture | Product Description | Expiration date (DLC) | Points of sale in Belgium |
 |
Carrefour brand turkey legs (4 pieces) | 05/16/2020 | CARREFOUR AND CARREFOUR MARKET SUPERMARKETS |
 |
Carrefour turkey drumsticks (4 pieces) | 05/16/2020 | CARREFOUR SUPERMARKETS |
 |
Maître Coq “Giant Grill” | 05/14/2020 | GB PARTNER VIEUX TILLEUIL BOENDAEL (1050 IXELLES) |
|
Maître Coq poultry sausages | 05/18/2020 | GB PARTNER VIEUX TILLEUIL BOENDAEL (1050 IXELLES) |
 |
Maître Coq turkey cutlet | 05/14/2020 | BOUCHERIE DUFRAIS, SUPER GB BEN AHIN (4500 BEN AHIN)
CARREFOUR NIVELLES (Grand Place, 1400 NIVELLES) |
Consumer Information:
The possible symptoms of an infection caused by salmonella are: fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, within 6 to 72 hours after consuming the contaminated food. The risk of infection is higher in the elderly, children, pregnant women and immunocompromised people.
People who have consumed these products and who present this type of symptoms are invited to immediately consult their doctor by reporting this consumption.
For any further information, you can contact the AFSCA contact point for consumers: 0800 / 13.550 or pointdecontact@afsca.be .
Listeria monocytogenes, a resilient and ubiquitous foodborne pathogen, is associated with a high case-fatality rate in humans. This study investigated the culturable microbiota of low-moisture foods (LMFs) imported into Canada to see how well bacteria isolated from these foods could inhibit or inactivate the growth of L. monocytogenes. Imported LMFs were acquired from various supermarkets in the Greater Toronto Area (Ontario, Canada). The foods included dried apples, bee pollen, cumin seeds, date fruits, fennel seeds, pistachios, raisins, and seaweed. Bacterial strains were isolated from the foods using blood agar and then screened using an in-house-designed growth inhibition plate assay against L. monocytogenes. The inhibitory strains detected were then identified using 16S rRNA sequencing. Diverse bacteria were recovered from the foods; 236 isolates belonging to 122 observed phenotypes were obtained. From the inhibition plate assays, 10 of the 11 imported LMFs harbored inhibitory strains against L. monocytogenes, whereby 48 of the collected isolates (20%) were found to produce a zone of inhibition against this pathogen. The inhibitory strains belonged to six genera (Acinetobacter, Aerococcus, Bacillus, Lysinibacillus, Paenibacillus, and Sporosarcina) and 15 unique species. Among all foods tested, the date fruit microbiota displayed the greatest number and diversity of anti–L. monocytogenes inhibitory strains. Overall, it was found that the culturable microbiota of LMFs, imported into Canada, possess bacterial members that can inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes. These results could lead to the discovery of either novel antimicrobial metabolites or beneficial anti–L. monocytogenes bacteria that could be added to foods to inactivate and/or control L. monocytogenes.
