The Ministry for Primary Industries today removed the public health warning against collecting shellfish from the North Island West Coast.
This warning was from South Head (Manukau Harbour) to Tirua Point (South of Kawhia) – North Island. Further sampling of shellfish along this coastline has shown that Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins are now at safe levels.
Other warnings remain in place for West Coast – Waipapakauri to Kaipara – North Island
Salmonella enterica ser. Agona (presence /25g) in frozen doner kebab from Poland in Croatia
Salmonella in chilled chicken legs from Poland in Poland
Salmonella enterica ser. Infantis (presence /25g) in frozen skinless and boneless chicken drumsticks from Slovakia in Lithuania
Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (presence /25g) in egg yolk powder from Ukraine in Latvia
Salmonella in cooked shrimps from the Netherlands in the Netherlands
Salmonella enterica ser. Newport (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in frozen chicken breast from Poland in Denmark
Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium (presence /25g) in organic whole chicken from France in Denmark
Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (presence /25g) in frozen chicken sleeves from Poland in France
Posted in Bacteria, bacterial contamination, food contamination, Food Hygiene, 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, microbial contamination, Microbiology, RASFF, Salmonella in Chicken, Salmonella in Eggs
aflatoxins (B1 = 15.1 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs from Turkey in Spain
aflatoxins (B1 = 8.5; Tot. = 29.3 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs from Turkey in Denmark
aflatoxins (B1 = 11; Tot. = 13 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from South Africa in Netherlands
aflatoxins (Tot. = 50.2 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachio kernels from Iran in Germany
aflatoxins (B1 = 19; Tot. = 20 µg/kg – ppb) in dried organic figs from Turkey in Germany
Listeria monocytogenes (910 CFU/g) in chilled beef from Poland in Germany
suspicion of Listeria monocytogenes in organic goat cheese from the Netherlands in Germany
suspicion of Listeria monocytogenes in goat’s cheese from the Netherlands in the UK
The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Stanley infections linked to wood ear mushrooms imported by Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. of Santa Fe Springs, CA. Wood ear mushrooms are a dried mushroom, also commonly labelled or referred to as Kikurage, Dried Black Fungus, Dried Fungus, or Mu’er/Mu Er/Mu-Err.
Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. acted quickly upon being notified of the positive test result and recalled all wood ear mushrooms within shelf life on September 23, 2020.
Wood ear mushrooms imported by Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. were only sold to restaurants and were not available directly to consumers. Although these items have been recalled, restaurants that received recalled products should use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces that may have come in contact with the recalled product, to reduce the risk of cross contamination. All recalled product should be thrown out.
November 4, 2020
As of November 4, 2020, the CDC declared that this outbreak is over.
General Food Safety Tips for Dried Mushrooms
Dried mushrooms, that have not been recalled due to potential contamination, should always be reconstituted using boiling water to kill any pathogens. This advice does not apply to recalled products, which should be thrown out.
On September 23, 2020, Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. recalled Shirakiku brand imported dried fungus. This product was labeled as Shirakiku brand Black Fungus (Kikurage) with UPC Code 00074410604305, imported from China. Product was distributed in six packs of five-pound bags to restaurants in AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, and WI.
Posted in Bacteria, bacterial contamination, FDA, food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food handler, 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, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Salmonella
Norovirus food poisoning outbreaks in Korea (South) appeared in 2000s and have been increasing since then. We aimed to investigate the epidemiological features of norovirus food poisoning outbreaks in Korea over the past years (2002 ~ 2017), based on official food poisoning statistics and available reports, and to find their association with climate factors. Norovirus was the most common cause of food poisoning among known causative substances in Korea during the study period. More than one-third of the incidents occurred in group meal-service facilities, including school lunch programs. A few of these facilities used groundwater contaminated with noroviruses to wash / cook food, which contributed to outbreaks. Norovirus occurrences showed strong seasonality; cold and relatively dry winter air may help norovirus to flourish. Both norovirus genotypes GI and GII infectious to humans were detected, with GII becoming more prevalent than GI. According to our correlation analysis in connection with climate factors, average temperatures, the highest and lowest temperatures, precipitation, the number of rain days, and humidity showed a significant negative correlation with a monthly norovirus occurrence (p < 0.05). The lowest temperature and average temperature had higher coefficients of correlation, -0.377 and -0.376, respectively. The norovirus outbreaks in Korea showed complex etiological characteristics, although it more prevailed in wintertime, and are now considered as a major public health problem. The use of groundwater in group meal-service settings has a public health impact as well as norovirus concern, therefore groundwater used in food service facilities / business should be treated for safety.
Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Virus, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Norovirus, outbreak, Poisoning, Research, Virus
Prosecutors have relaunched an investigation of McDonald’s in South Korea for its alleged connection to a recent case of the haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)—a life-threatening condition, dubbed the “hamburger disease”, caused by a strain of E.coli.
The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has notified us through the SCIRI of the presence of the bacterium Escherichia coli producing Shiga toxins in the cheese product Brie 100 g, made in France, marketed from Germany by the JERMI company and sold in supermarkets of the Lidl chain.
The German company JERMI, which packs and markets the product, has detected Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in the course of its self-checks and has informed the competent authorities and its customers.
The company Lidl has communicated the information to consumers requesting the return of the product.
The affected product is:
The product has been distributed in Andalusia, Catalonia , the Basque Country, Madrid, Murcia and the Valencian Community.
The AESAN became aware of this through the RASFF alert and reported the same in all regions through the SCIRI in order to continue the withdrawal of the affected product marketing channels.
The presence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in food can pose health risks to people who consume it.
With the information available, no case associated with this alert has been confirmed in Spain.
People who have products affected by this alert at home are advised to refrain from consuming them and return them to the point of purchase.
Posted in Bacteria, bacterial contamination, food contamination, Food Hygiene, 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, STEC, STEC E.coli
| Issue Date | 2.11.2020 |
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| Source of Information | Centre for Food Safety |
| Food Product | Cheese |
| Product Name and Description | Product name: FONTINA D.O.P.
Place of origin: Italy Producer: COOPERATIVA PRODUTTORI LATTE E FONTINA SOC. COOP.A.R.L. Importer: Bravo Fine Foods Limitedand New Food Project Limited Lot: LOTTO C261 Best-before date: November 19, 2020 |
| Reason For Issuing Alert |
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| Action Taken by the Centre for Food Safety |
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| Advice to the Trade |
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| Advice to Consumers |
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| Further Information | The CFS press release |
Posted in Bacteria, bacterial contamination, CFS, food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, 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, STEC, STEC E.coli
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