Last two weeks catch up.
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 9.6; Tot. = 12.2 µg/kg – ppb) in melon seeds powder from Togo in Switzerland
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 10.2; Tot. = 10.5 µg/kg – ppb) in crushed chilli from India in the UK
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 11.4; Tot. = 13.2 / B1 = 10.1; Tot. = 11.3 µg/kg – ppb) in banku mix from Ghana, via the Netherlands in Germany
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 17; Tot. = 21 µg/kg – ppb) in nutmeg from Lebanon in the Netherlands
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 58.7; Tot. = 62.8 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from Nicaragua in Lithuania
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 13.8; Tot. = 17.1 µg/kg – ppb) in organic whole nutmegs from Indonesia in the UK
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 10.9 µg/kg – ppb) and ochratoxin A (38 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs from Turkey in Finland
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 4.2; Tot. = 5 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts in shell from China in the UK
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 4.1; Tot. = 18.9 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from China in Spain
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 5.1 µg/kg – ppb) in peanuts from the United States in the Netherlands
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 78; Tot. = 88 / B1 = 38; Tot. = 44 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from Egypt in the Netherlands
RASFF – aflatoxins (Tot. = 17.9 µg/kg – ppb) in hazelnut kernels from Azerbaijan in Bulgaria
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 52.6; Tot. = 55.3 µg/kg – ppb) in organic chilli peppers from the United Kingdom in the Netherlands
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 7.4; Tot. = 10.9 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted chopped hazelnut kernels from Azerbaijan, dispatched from Georgia in Bulgaria
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 12 µg/kg – ppb) in organic chilli peppers from India, via the United Kingdom in the Netherlands
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 6; Tot. = 6.59 µg/kg – ppb) in organic chilli pepper from the United Kingdom in the Netherlands
General Mills announced today a voluntary national recall of five-pound bags of its Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour with a better if used by date of September 6, 2020. The recall is being issued for the potential presence of E. coli O26 which was discovered during sampling of the five-pound bag product. This recall is being issued out of an abundance of care as General Mills has not received any direct consumer reports of confirmed illnesses related to this product.
This recall only affects this one date code of Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour five-pound bags. All other types of Gold Medal Flour are not affected by this recall.
Consumers are asked to check their pantries and dispose of the product affected by this recall. Consumers who have had to discard products covered by this recall may contact General Mills Consumer Relations at 1-800-230-8103 or visit www.generalmills.com/flourExternal Link Disclaimer.
Guidance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) continues to warn that consumers should refrain from consuming any raw products made with flour. E. coli O26 is killed by heat through baking, frying, sautéing or boiling products made with flour. All surfaces, hands and utensils should be properly cleaned after contact with flour or dough.
This voluntary recall includes the following code date currently in stores or consumers’ pantries:
| Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose 5LB Flour | |
|---|---|
| Package UPC | 016000 196100 |
| Recalled Better if Used by Date | 06SEP2020KC |
Although most strains of E. coli are harmless, others can make you sick. E. coli O26 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. Seniors, the very young, and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.
Any consumers concerned about an illness should contact a physician. Anyone diagnosed by a physician as having an illness related to E. coli O26 is also urged to contact state and local public health authorities.
A Salmonella outbreak associated with steak tartare served at Restore Public House in La Crosse, Wisconsin has sickened 17 people, Jen Rombalski, Health Director of the La Crosse County Health Department told Food Poisoning Bulletin in an email. Steak tartare is made from beef that is finely chopped, mixed with other ingredients, and served raw.
This food is considered “high risk.” The restaurant prepared it properly, according to public health officials. Restaurants can serve these foods, according to Ms. Rombalski, as long as they post an advisory telling consumers that the food is risky to consume.
The FDA is advising consumers to not eat yellowfin tuna steaks from the seafood counter or seasoned yellowfin tuna steaks in store-prepped Styrofoam trays from Kroger retail stores in AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MO, MS, NE, OH, SC, TN, VA and WV with sell by dates from August 29, 2019 and September 14, 2019 because they may cause scombroid poisoning. Consumers of these products who are experiencing symptoms of scombroid poisoning should contact their healthcare provider. Consumers of these products who have recently experienced symptoms of scombroid poisoning should report their symptoms to their local Health Department.
Scombroid poisoning is caused by eating fish that has not been properly refrigerated or preserved and therefore contains high levels of histamine. Scombroid poisoning is most commonly caused by fish that have naturally high levels of the amino acid histidine, which bacteria convert to histamine when the fish is not correctly stored.
Scombroid symptoms usually develop within a few minutes to an hour after eating contaminated fish. They usually resemble an allergic reaction, such as flushing of the face, headache, heart palpitations, itching, blurred vision, cramps, and diarrhea. Symptoms can be treated with antihistamines. Even without treatment, people usually get better within 12 hours.
If you suspect you have symptoms of scombroid poisoning, contact a health professional.
On September 4, 2019, the FDA became aware of multiple scombroid poisoning cases in individuals who consumed tuna steaks purchased from three separate Kroger retail locations in Ohio. On September 5, 2019, Kroger agreed to remove all yellowfin tuna steaks from their stores in AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MO, MS, NE, OH, SC, TN, VA and WV as well as begin notifying consumers who had purchased this product to dispose of or return the product to the store.
The FDA is also working with the distributor to remove any additional product from the market.
Consumers who have symptoms of scombroid poisoning should contact their health care provider to report their symptoms and receive care.
To report a complaint or adverse event (illness or serious allergic reaction), you can
Visit www.fda.gov/fcic for additional consumer and industry assistance.
The FDA will continue to work with Kroger, the distributor, and state and local partners to remove all contaminated product from the market.
The Safety Reporting Portal (SRP) streamlines the process of reporting product safety issues to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Whatever your role, (manufacturer, health care professional, researcher, public health official, or concerned citizen), when you submit a safety report through this Portal, you make a vital contribution to the safety of America’s food supply, medicines, and other products that touch us all.
Parts of this website have been translated from English to Spanish. Pages that have been translated have an “En Espanol” link in the upper right part of the page. Click this link to see the page in Spanish (Espanol). Click “In English” to see the page in English. In the case of any discrepancy in meaning, the English version is considered official. Currently, report questions are only in English and reports should only be submitted in English. Thank you for using the FDA Safety Reporting Portal.
A Philadelphia E. coli outbreak has sickened at least 14 people, according to a Health Alert issued by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Public health officials “have identified a few shared restaurant exposures,” in their ongoing case investigation, but no one restaurant or food has been named so far.
Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Uncategorized
The Dragon Sushi restaurant in Palma, which was at the centre of the recent foodborne disease outbreak, had received a warning from the health ministry in June.
On that occasion, there was evidence of three people having become ill after eating at the restaurant; all three were found to have salmonella poisoning.
Food safety inspectors went to the restaurant in June and found a number of deficiencies.
These didn’t lead to the restaurant’s closure. The owners were given a warning and instructed to remedy the deficiencies.
Ten days later, the inspectors returned and were satisfied that the issues had been addressed. Sanctioning procedures were initiated against the restaurant. These have yet to be brought to a conclusion. The maximum fine is 5,000 euros.
There are now 94 people who have been affected by the recent outbreak. The number confirmed with having had salmonella poisoning has risen to 26.
The source of the outbreak is still being investigated. When the three cases arose in June, it was apparently not possible to find the source of the poisoning.
The restaurant, which remains closed, faces a second fine of up to 20,000 euros.
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 4.09 µg/kg – ppb) in par boiled brown rice from Myanmar in Poland
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 5 / B1 = 8.6; Tot. = 18 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnut kernels from Argentina in the Netherlands
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 9.4 µg/kg – ppb) in hazelnut flour from Georgia in Bulgaria
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 20; Tot. = 23 µg/kg – ppb) in peanuts from Egypt in the Netherlands
RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 6.5 µg/kg – ppb) in peanuts from the United States in the Netherlands
FoodWorld 