Category Archives: Food Poisoning

USA – CDC Vital Signs Website – Listeria Information

Posted on June 10, 2013 by | 3 comments

CDC Vital SignsE.coli O157

Many germs can be spread through food. Some, like Listeria, can be deadly. Listeria strikes hard at pregnant women and their newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. Listeria can cause miscarriage and meningitis. Most people found to have Listeria infection require hospital care and about 1 in 5 people with the infection die. Outbreak investigations tell us what foods make people sick and what needs to change to make food safer and save lives. We have made some progress against Listeria, which is the third leading cause of death from food poisoning. However, we can do more to protect people at higher risk for food poisoning and make food safer for everyone.

If you, or someone you make food for, are pregnant, 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system, you must be especially careful when selecting, preparing, and storing foods.

  • Know your risk of food poisoning.
  • Select, prepare, and store food safely.
  • Follow the safe food guidelines – Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill – at www.FoodSafety.gov

CDC

New CDC Vital Signs: Listeria Food Poisoning Striking Hard at Nation’s Most Vulnerable

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Posted in Bacteria, CDC, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Research

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New Zealand – Listeria Deaths – Charges Brought

Posted on June 10, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety Newslisteria-hp

Bay Cuisine, a New Zealand food company, will face charges in the Napier District Court for a Listeria outbreak last year that killed one woman and contributed to the death of another, the Dominion Post reports.

Bay Cuisine was the sole supplier of ready-to-eat meats to Hawke’s Bay Hospital, where the two victims were patients. The outbreak strain of Listeria was isolated from the meats and found at Bay Cuisine’s facilities.

The outbreak sickened four. A 60 year-old woman died as a direct result of her infection, while the bacteria contributed to the death of an 81 year-old woman.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new report finding that Listeria monocytogenes killed roughly one in five Americans infected in recent years.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, FSANZ, Hygiene, Laboratory, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen

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USA – Frozen Berries Outbreak – 79 Cases – Hepatitis A Virus

Posted on June 10, 2013 by | 1 comment

Food Safety News

The hepatitis A outbreak linked to a frozen berry mix sold at Costco and Harris Teeter stores has now sickened 79 people, 30 of whom were hospitalized, federal health officials reported Friday.

Cases have been reported in eight western states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Washington, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The illnesses have been linked to an organic mix of frozen berries and pomegranate seeds distributed by Oregon’s Townsend Farms. The berry blend was sold at Costco under the Townsend Farms brand and at Harris Teeter under the Harris Teeter brand.

To date, no cases have been reported on the East Coast, where Harris Teeter stores are located. CDC confirms that no cases have been linked to berries bought at Harris Teeter.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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FDA – Reportable Food Registry Annual Report Third Annual Report: September 8, 2011 – September 7, 2012

Posted on June 7, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FDA

This is the third annual report that measures our success in receiving early warning on problems with food and feed. The Reportable Food Registry (RFR) has already proven itself an invaluable tool to help prevent contaminated food from reaching the public.

By providing early warning about potential public-health risks from reportable foods, the Registry increases the speed with which the FDA, its state- and local-level partners, and industry can remove hazards from the marketplace.

The RFR data also is providing valuable data to help meet requirements under the Food Safety Modernization Act. For example, we can use the data to identify hazards associated with products for which we have not previously made such an association and thus identify foods for which preventive controls may be needed. The data are also being used to help target inspections, plan work, identify and prioritize risks and develop guidance for industry. The FDA will continue working closely with the food and feed industries to enhance this important and beneficial tool.
Michael R. Taylor Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine

FDA

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Allergens, Allergic Reaction, Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Laboratory, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Mycotoxin, Norovirus, Pathogen, Recall, Research

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Canada – Research Into E.coli O157 XL Outbreak 2012

Posted on June 6, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety

The Panel members were appointed by the Governor in Council to undertake an independent review of the beef recall that occurred at XL Foods Inc.‘s plant at Brooks, Alberta between September and October 2012, and to submit a report to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

We were asked to establish how the contamination occurred and, moreover, how the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA, or Agency), its food safety partners, and XL Foods Inc. responded to the situation. Lastly, we were tasked with providing recommendations that would address any findings or conclusions that we had made regarding these matters. We note that such findings or conclusions do not address civil or criminal liability; the standards that we are applying are not legal ones.

Over the course of several weeks, the Panel met with dozens of stakeholders. These included beef producers and processors, health authorities and academics, the retail industry, and union representatives for both the company and the Agency.

In this regard, we were left with a single overarching impression: everyone we interviewed expressed a keen desire to ensure that the food Canadians eat is safe. And they all wanted to be considered partners in the pursuit of that goal.

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Posted in Bacteria, CFIA, E.coli, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Research

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Research – Listeria monocytogenes Biofilm Formation

Posted on June 6, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

The foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes has the ability to produce biofilms in food-processing environments and then contaminate food products, which is a major concern for food safety. The biofilm forming behaviour of 143 L. monocytogenes strains was determined in four different media that were rich, moderate or poor in nutrients at 12°C, 20°C, 30°C and 37°C. The biofilm formation was mostly influenced by temperature, resulting in decreased biofilm formation with decreasing temperature. Biofilm formation was enhanced in nutrient-poor medium rather than in nutrient-rich medium, and especially in nutrient-poor medium significantly enhanced biofilm production was observed early in biofilm maturation underlining the effect of medium on biofilm formation rate. Also serotype had a significant effect on biofilm formation and was influenced by medium used because strains from both serotype 1/2b and 1/2a formed more biofilm than serotype 4b strains in nutrient-rich medium at 20°C, 30°C and 37°C, whereas in nutrient-poor medium the biofilm production levels of serotype 1/2a and 4b strains were rather similar and lower than serotype 1/2b strains. The strains used originated from various origins, including dairy, meat, industrial environment, human and animal, and the level of biofilm formation was not significantly affected by the origin of isolation, irrespective of medium used and temperature tested. A linear model was used to correlate crystal violet staining of biofilm production to the number of viable cells within the biofilm. This showed that crystal violet staining was poorly correlated to the number of viable cells in nutrient-poor medium, and LIVE/DEAD staining and DNase I treatment revealed that this could be attributed to the presence of non-viable cells and extracellular DNA in the biofilm matrix. The significant impact of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on biofilm production of L. monocytogenes underlined that niche-specific features determine the levels of biofilm produced, and insights in biofilm formation characteristics will allow us to further optimize strategies to control the biofilm formation of L. monocytogenes.

 

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Posted in Biofilm, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Research, Water

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USA – CDC Report on Listeria 2009-2011

Posted on June 6, 2013 by | Leave a comment

CDCE.coli O157

This report details the epidemiology of invasive listeriosis, which often leads to bacteremia, meningitis, hospitalization, fetal loss, and death, and calls for actions that could protect the most vulnerable populations. Older adults and pregnant women, particularly pregnant Hispanic women, are at much higher risk than the population at large, as are persons with weakened immunity (2). Preventing infections in these populations can have substantial impact in averting these outcomes. Older adults and persons with weakened immunity, as well as infants and young children, are also prone to many other foodborne illnesses, including campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, and Shiga toxin–producing E. coli infections (4). Accounting for underdiagnosis and underreporting, an estimated 1,662 cases of listeriosis occur each year (5). No progress in reducing the overall incidence of listeriosis has occurred in over a decade (3,4); renewed prevention efforts are needed from farm to table.

 

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Posted in CDC, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Methods, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall, Research

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RASFF Alerts – Histamine – Canned Tuna – Listeria monocytogenes – Raw Milk Cheese – Staph Toxin in Tuna

Posted on June 5, 2013 by | Leave a comment

RASFF -Histamine (1524 mg/kg – ppm) in cannned tuna in olive oil from Spain in Italy

RASFF -Listeria monocytogenes (100 CFU/g) in chilled raw milk cheese from France

RASFF – Staphylococcal enterotoxin (presence /25g) in chilled tuna from Suriname, via the Netherlands in Sweden

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Posted in Allergens, Allergic Reaction, Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Hygiene, Laboratory, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall, Staphylococcus aureus, Toxin

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Research – Norovirus – Ozone – Hard Surface Disinfection

Posted on June 5, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Ingenta ConnectNorwalk_Caspid

Human norovirus is the leading cause of epidemic gastroenteritis, especially in semiclosed settings such as daycares, nursing homes, hospitals, schools and on cruise ships. Outbreaks are often accompanied by contamination of environmental surfaces and commonly handled items. Surface disinfection of norovirus surrogates, feline calicivirus and murine norovirus, by 20 parts per million atmospheric ozone in a chamber maintaining 80% relative humidity was investigated. After treatment, neither virus could be detected on glass surfaces, but >5 log infectious virus was recovered from untreated controls. Ozone chambers used to decontaminate small, hand-contact items could be an important tool for controlling norovirus outbreaks

Ingenta Connect

Norovirus (NoV) infections are the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States. Effective disinfection is important for controlling outbreaks caused by this highly infectious virus but can be difficult to achieve because NoV is very resistant to many common disinfection protocols. The inability of human NoV to replicate in tissue culture complicates NoV research, generally necessitating genome copy quantification, the use of surrogate viruses, or the use of other substitutes such as virus-like particles. To date, comprehensive comparisons among NoV surrogates and between surrogates and human NoV are missing, and it is not clear how best to extrapolate information from surrogate data. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparisons of NoV surrogates with regard to their susceptibility to disinfection on hard surfaces or in suspension. Restricting our analysis to those studies in which two or more virus surrogates were compared allowed us to improve the signal-to-noise ratio in our analysis, similar to the epidemiological concept of matching. Using meta-analysis methods, our results indicate that hepatitis A virus, murine norovirus 1, and phage MS2 are significantly more resistant to disinfection than is feline calicivirus, but average differences in viral titer reduction appeared to be modest, 1.5 log PFU or less in all cases. None of the studies that compared surrogates and human NoV met our inclusion criteria, precluding a direct comparison between human NoV and NoV surrogates in this study. For all surrogates with sufficient data available to permit subgroup analyses, we detected strong evidence that the type of disinfectant impacted the relative susceptibility of the surrogates. Therefore, extrapolation of results between surrogates or from surrogates to human NoV must consider the type of disinfectant studied.

 

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, Norovirus, Pathogen, Research

USA – Recall Cereal Product – Salmonella

Posted on June 5, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning BulletinSalmonella

General Mills is voluntarily recalling a small quantity of Cinnamon Toast Crunch “bowlpaks” after a supplier recalled an ingredient due to possible Salmonella contamination. The recall is a precaution.

The recall is for 168 cases of the product with “Better if Used by” dates of August 31 and September 2, 2013, written as 13AUG2013 and 02SEP2013. No illnesses have been reported to date. Salmonella can cause serious infections, especially in those in high risk groups, such as children, the elderly, those with chronic illnesses and those with weakened immune systems.

If you purchased this product, dispose of it and contact General Mills at 1-800-328-1144 for a replacement. No other package sizes or varieties are affected.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, Salmonella