Category Archives: Food Testing

RASFF Alert – Foodborne Outbreak – Suspected Norovirus in the UK – Oysters

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RASFF – foodborne outbreak suspected (norovirus) to be caused by live oysters from the United Kingdom in the UK

RASFF Alerts – Norovirus – Oysters – Blue Berries

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RASFF – norovirus (presence /25g) in frozen blue berries from South America, via the Netherlands in Belgium

RASFF – norovirus in live oysters (Cassostrea gigas) from France in Italy

RASFF – norovirus (suspicion) in live oysters from France in the Netherlands

RASFF – norovirus (GI, GII) in live oysters from France in Italy

RASFF – norovirus (GI, GII /2g) in live oysters from France in Italy

RASFF – foodborne outbreak suspected (norovirus) to be caused by live oysters from the United Kingdom in the UK

RASFF – withdrawal of live bivalve molluscs harvested in France because of possible contamination with norovirus in France

RASFF – norovirus (GII /2g) in live oysters (Crassostrea gigas) from France in Italy

Europe – Yersiniosis – Annual Epidemiological Report for 2017

ECDC

kswfoodworld.com

Image CDC

For 2017, 28 countries reported 6 890 confirmed yersiniosis cases in the EU/EEA. The overall notification rate was 1.8 per 100 000 population and remained stable from 2013–2017. The highest rate was detected in 0–4 year-old children (7.7 per 100 000 population). The highest rates were reported by Finland, Lithuania and the Czech Republic.

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India – 200 Children Fall Ill After Eating Sweets ‘Infected With Fungus’ Distributed During School Celebration

IBTimes

At least 200 students fell ill after eating contaminated sweets distributed during the Republic Day celebrations at a school in the southern Indian state of Telangana on Sunday,

According to local reports, several students complained of vomiting and uneasiness after consuming sweets distributed by the school authorities during the celebration. The students were immediately rushed to local hospitals for treatments.

Confirming the incident, the school authorities said, “We immediately shifted 140 students to government hospital in Makthal for treatment as they had complained of vomiting and stomach ache. While about 40 students are being treated at local primary healthcare in Karni village, others are given first aid and were sent home.”

Speaking to local media, an unidentified student said the sweets were contaminated.

“The sweets distributed were of poor quality and were infected with fungus because of which many students had fallen ill,” the student said.

Canada – Duck rillettes sold in Montreal butcher shop may be contaminated by Listeria bacteria

CTV News listeria

MONTREAL — “Homemade style” duck rillettes produced and sold at Boucherie du Marche (224 Place du Marche-du-Nord) are being recalled due to possible contamination by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.

Anyone who has purchased the product – sold in a 175-g container with a best-before date of Jan. 29, 2020 and containing a label that also reads “Boucherie du Marche – Depuis 1994” – is being warned not to consume it, but to either return it to the shop or throw it away, even if it does not smell or appear suspicious.

The rillettes in question were sold up to Jan. 28, 2020, inclusively.

The recall notes that no cases of listeriosis have been linked to the product being recalled.

 

Kenya – Police arrest Embu man over Aflatoxin-laced flour

Daily Nation

  • Acting on a tip-off, the officers raided the trader’s factory at Kianjokoma market and arrested him.
  • Officers also confiscated some flour which will be tested by the Government Chemist in Nairobi.

Argentina/ Iceland -Botulism suspected in Argentina, confirmed in Iceland

Food Safety News

Authorities in Argentina are investigating two suspected cases of foodborne botulism linked to a brand of pickled wild boar.

The National Administration of Drugs, Foods and Medical Devices (ANMAT) reported those ill are associated with eating “Escabeche de jabalí” 400-gram of the “Fatto in casa” brand with a date of July 1, 2020, produced by Norma Coatti.

A 27-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man are affected and both needed hospital treatment.

Meanwhile, a case of botulism has been confirmed in Iceland for the first time since 1983.

The Public Health Institute of Iceland (Landlaeknir) revealed an adult began experiencing symptoms on 12 January with poisoning confirmed a week later.

Local health authorities, the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authrority (Matvælastofnun) and Matis, a government owned, non-profit, research company, are trying to find the source of the poisoning with no evidence as yet pointing toward food available on the market.

USA -New York company recalls cheese in five states after tests find E. coli

Food Safety News

Random testing by state officials has found E. coli contamination in cotija cheese, spurring a recall in five states.

The New York company Quesos La Ricura Ltd. is recalling an undisclosed number of packages of the cheese because they may be contaminated with Shiga toxin producing E. coli bacteria, according to test results from Florida inspectors.

Quesos La Ricura Ltd. reported distributing the cheese to retail stores in New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Florida, according to the company’s recall notice posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The notice did not include any product photographs.

The cheese is packaged on yellow foam trays wrapped in plastic with labels with the following information: “Quesos La Ricura Queso Cotija, Cotija Cheese aged over 60 days” UPC: 7 69087 00933 6 and a weight of 12 oz. “Sell By” date May 20, 2020-3/ May 20, 2020-4.

No illnesses had been confirmed in relation to consumption of this cheese as of the posting of the recall notice.

 

Philippines – 6 youth performers for Sinulog sa Naga downed by suspected food poisoning

Cebu Daily News

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Six young persons who were expected to perform for the Sinulog sa Naga on Sunday, January 26, landed in the hospital after they reportedly complained of having symptoms of food poisoning.

 The City of Naga Disaster and Rescue Unit (DRU) confirmed this in a phone interview with Cebu Daily News Digital this Sunday afternoon.

They said they received the alert at around 4 p.m. and immediately deployed ambulances to transport the patients from Barangay Uling to a hospital in Barangay East Poblacion of City of Naga, which is about 24 kilometers south of Cebu City.

 The six persons, all from Barangay Uling of the city, got sick after eating a lunch viand made of pork, reports from the city’s response unit said.

Italy – Salmonella-contaminated eggs

Poultry Med

 

The fear for salmonella contaminated eggs in Italy is rising while the number of recalls in the sector is increasing. Some suspected cases of Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritids that have registered in France have been linked to organic eggs from Italy. Analysis of other cases in Norway is still ongoing, but the source may be expected to be the same. According to RASFF, the multi-nation outbreak could be traced back to an egg packing center in Italy. The Rapid Community Alert System (RASFF) reported that two countries have reported cases of Salmonella Enteritidis on 09-01-2020, but until now it has not been possible to link individual cases to possible sources. The French authorities and those of other EU Member States have now blocked the distribution of eggs from that Italian center.