Category Archives: Food Poisoning

RASFF Alert – Bacillus cereus- Chilled Veal Dish

RASFF-Logo

RASFF – Bacillus cereus (1.5x10E6 CFU/g) in chilled veal dish from Austria in Austria

RASFF Alerts – Aflatoxin – Blanched Groundnut Kernels – Hazlenut Paste

RASFF-Logo

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 4.5; Tot. = 5.8 µg/kg – ppb) in blanched groundnut kernels from Argentina in the UK

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 5.7; Tot. = 15 µg/kg – ppb) in hazelnut paste from Turkey in the Netherlands

USA – Outbreak Investigation of E. coli O103: Clover Sprouts (February 2020) – Completed

FDA

Case Counts

Total Illnesses: 51
Hospitalizations: 3
Deaths: 0
Last illness onset: March 15, 2020

Recommendation

Chicago Indoor Garden recalled all products containing Red Clover sprouts. FDA recommends that consumers not eat the following recalled items with “Best By” dates between 12/1/2019 and 3/12/2020 that were distributed to Coosemans Chicago Inc., Battaglia Distributing, Living Waters Farms, and Whole Foods throughout the Midwest:

  • Red Clover 4oz. clamshell
  • Red Clover 2lb. boxes
  • Sprout Salad 6oz. clamshell
  • Mixed Greens 4oz. clamshell
  • Spring Salad 6oz. clamshell

Recalled products are now past their “Best By” dates and should be thrown away.

Sample Labels of Chicago Indoor Garden Sprout Products

(PDF: 849 KB)

Raw and lightly cooked sprouts are a known source of foodborne illness. We recommend that consumers, restaurants, and other retailers always follow food safety practices to avoid illness from eating sprouts.Generally, it is recommended that children, the elderly, pregnant women, and persons with weakened immune systems should avoid eating raw sprouts of any kind.

Background

FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, investigated an outbreak of 51 illnesses caused by E. coli O103 in Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, New York, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming linked to clover sprouts.

FDA’s investigation is now complete, and CDC has declared this outbreak over.

The FDA’s analysis of a sample of Chicago Indoor Garden’s sprouts identified the presence of E. coli O103. Whole Genome Sequencing of this bacteria showed that it matches the current outbreak strain. The sample also matches the outbreak strain from the November-December 2019 outbreak in Iowa, which was associated with sprouts from various Jimmy John’s restaurants.

USA – Chipotle hit with $25 Million Food Safety Fine for Norovirus, Clostridium Perfringens Outbreaks

Food Poison Journal

“Although there is no intentional criminal behavior like there was in the Peanut Corporation of America case that sickened several hundred, killing nine, this hefty food safety fine for negligence, should clearly send a message to the restaurant industry,” said Marler Clark attorney, William Marler.

According to a US Attorney press release today, Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. will pay $25 million to resolve criminal charges related to the company’s involvement in foodborne illness outbreaks that sickened more than 1,100 people between 2015 and 2018.

The $25 million criminal fine, the largest ever in a food safety case.

Chipotle was implicated in at least five foodborne illness outbreaks between 2015 and 2018 connected to restaurants in the Los Angeles area, Boston, Virginia, and Ohio.  These incidents primarily stemmed from store-level employees’ failure to follow company food safety protocols at company-owned restaurants, including a Chipotle policy requiring the exclusion of employees who were sick or recently had been sick.

Singapore – Fruit juice product from Australia recalled due to exceeded level of a mycotoxin

Straits Times

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has recalled a fruit juice product originating from Australia after the level of patulin, a mycotoxin, had exceeded the maximum limit in fruit juice.

The affected product, Pure Tassie Organic Apple and Blackcurrant Juice, is imported by Cold Storage Singapore, which has been told to recall the product.

This is a result of the patulin levels exceeding the action level as detected by the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, and was subsequently recalled in Hong Kong.

The detected patulin in the juice was at 260 parts per billion (ppb), which exceeded the maximum limit of 50 ppb for fruit juice as stated by SFA.

Research – CLIMATE CHANGE: UNPACKING THE BURDEN ON FOOD SAFETY

Click to access CA8185EN.pdf

While the impacts of climate change on global food production and food security
are well known, the effects of climate change on food safety are much less so.
Since, the relationship between climate change and food safety hazards is not always
easy to see, this publication, Climate change: Unpacking the burden on food safety,
attempts to provide some clarity. Changes in global food systems and the increased
globalization of the food supply means that populations worldwide are at risk of
exposure to various food safety hazards. This can affect public health, food security,
national economies and international trade. In this already complicated scenario,
the challenges posed by climate change have additional implications that need to be
understood and addressed. This publication is aimed at a broad audience and it is
hoped that everyone who reads this comes away with a realization of the complexity
of the issues at stake and an appreciation of the work that lay in front of us.

USA -What Is Happening to FDA and USDA Food Recalls?

Food Poisoning Bulletin

If you have been a longtime reader of Food Poisoning Bulletin, you may have noticed that food recalls have decreased substantially in the past few months. The USDA has issued three recalls since January 24, 2020: One was issued on February 8, 2020, and two were issued on April 10, 2020. The FDA has had more recalls, with seven in the month of April 2020(including three recalls for enoki mushrooms as part of a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak), but that is far below normal. What is happening to FDA and USDA food recalls?

Interestingly RASFF  Alerts in Europe are also down?

 

Hong Kong – Not to consume a kind of bottled fruit juice drink contaminated with patulin

CFS

Food Product A sample of a bottled fruit juice drink imported from Australia
Product Name and Description Product name: Organic Apple & Blackcurrant Juice
Brand: Pure Tassie
Country of origin: Australia
Importer/Distributor: PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited
Volume: 1.5 litre per bottle
Best-before date: October 6, 2020
Reason For Issuing Alert
  • The test result showed that the sample contained patulin at a level of 260 parts per billion (ppb), exceeding the action level of 50 ppb adopted by the CFS.
  • Patulin mostly occurs in rotten apple and its products. Animal studies showed that ingesting high doses of patulin can induce liver, spleen and kidney damage, as well as toxicity to the immune system. For humans, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances and vomiting have been reported.
Action Taken by the Centre for Food Safety
  • The CFS has informed the importer/distributor concerned of the irregularity. The importer/distributor has stopped sale and removed from shelves all batches of the affected product and initiated a recall according to the CFS’ instructions.
  • Prosecution will be instituted should there be sufficient evidence.
  •  The CFS will alert the trade, continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health.
Advice to the Trade
  • Stop using or selling the affected products immediately if they possess them.
Advice to Consumers
  • Not to consume the affected products.
Further Information The CFS press release

Members of the public may call the importer/distributor’s hotline at 2606 8658 for enquiries about the recall during office hours.

Centre for Food Safety

New Zealand – Shellfish biotoxin alert – Croisilles Harbour in the Marlborough Sounds

MPI

he Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) today issued a public health warning advising the public not to collect or consume shellfish harvested in Croisilles Harbour in the Marlborough Sounds.

Routine tests on shellfish samples taken from this region have shown levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins above the safe limit of 0.8 mg/kg set by MPI. Anyone eating shellfish from this area is potentially at risk of illness.

Pāua, crab and crayfish may still be eaten if the gut has been completely removed prior to cooking, as toxins accumulate in the gut. If the gut is not removed its contents could contaminate the meat during the cooking process.

Symptoms typically appear between 10 minutes and 3 hours after ingestion and may include:

  • numbness and a tingling (prickly feeling) around the mouth, face, and extremities (hands and feet)
  • difficulty swallowing or breathing
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • diarrhoea
  • paralysis and respiratory failure and in severe cases, death.

If anyone becomes ill after eating shellfish from an area where a public health warning has been issued, phone Healthline for advice on 0800 61 11 16, or seek medical attention immediately. You are also advised to contact your nearest public health unit and keep any leftover shellfish in case it can be tested.

Monitoring of toxin levels will continue and any changes will be communicated accordingly. Commercially harvested shellfish – sold in shops and supermarkets, or exported – is subject to strict water and flesh monitoring programmes by MPI to ensure they are safe to eat.

 

Research – Too much salt weakens the immune system and makes you susceptible to Food Poisoning

Uni Bonn

A high-salt diet is not only bad for one’s blood pressure, but also for the immune system. This is the conclusion of a current study under the leadership of the University Hospital Bonn. Mice fed a high-salt diet were found to suffer from much more severe bacterial infections. Human volunteers who consumed an additional six grams of salt per day also showed pronounced immune deficiencies. This amount corresponds to the salt content of two fast food meals. The results are published in the journal “Science Translational Medicine”.