Consultation seeking stakeholders’ views on the proposed rationalisation of biotoxin and phytoplankton monitoring in Carlingford Lough and the implementation of Representative Monitoring Points (RMPs) and Associated Harvesting Areas (AHAs).
Who will this consultation be of most interest to?
Carlingford Lough shellfish harvesters, enforcement authorities, official control sampling officers, official control testing laboratories and other interested stakeholders.
Consultation subject
A proposal by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to rationalise the number of official control monitoring points for biotoxin and phytoplankton monitoring in Carlingford Lough and introduce Representative Monitoring Points (RMPs) and Associated Harvesting Areas (AHAs) .
Purpose of the consultation
To seek comments from industry, enforcement authorities, and other interested stakeholders on the proposed rationalisation of biotoxin and phytoplankton monitoring in Carlingford Lough and the implementation of RMPs and AHAs.
Do not consume and return to the point of sale for reimbursement.
Aflatoxins are mycotoxins that can be present in different products such as grains, coffee, rice, raisins and dried fruits. Only a large quantity of contaminated products can lead to health problems.
People with hepatitis are sensitive to aflatoxins.
FURTHER INFORMATION
▸ Barcode 3560070837984
▸ Lot L HH: MM 02/05/2023
▸ DLC 02/05/2023
▸ Packaging 1kg bag
▸ Consumer service contact For any further information, you can contact the Carrefour consumer service by dialing N ° Cristal 09 69 39 7000 – non-surcharged call from Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm.
The main pathogenic bacteria in food are Campylobacter and Salmonella. But Listeria in cheese and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (ECEH) bacteria in young shoots have also made headlines in recent years.
Current
Smoked fish, what are the health risks?
04/16/2021 – Smoked fish are popular specialties in Switzerland. Consumed without cooking, they can become a food safety concern if hygiene rules are not respected during processing.
An assessment of the dietary risks associated with smoked fish was carried out as part of a pilot study in collaboration with the Office for Consumer Affairs of the canton of Vaud.
The study did not reveal any major risk, but follow-up should be ensured in order to maintain a high level of food safety and quality. The cantonal authorities concerned will keep this topic in their monitoring program and the FSVO plans to carry out a more detailed assessment.
Likewise, it is very important to wash your hands after coming into contact with animal products, as Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria and EHEC are transmitted from animals to humans. These diseases are called zoonoses.
Campylobacter
Infection with Campylobacter bacteria is the most common zoonosis in Switzerland, as in other European countries. It is the cause of gastrointestinal diseases in humans. The illness can last for about a week and in some circumstances may require hospitalization.
Campylobacter infection is characterized by abdominal pain, watery or bloody diarrhea, and an increase in temperature. Vomiting and high fever can also occur.
Infection is caused by contaminated food that has not been sufficiently cooked before consumption or that has come into direct contact with animals. In southern countries, contaminated water sources also represent a significant risk. The main source of infection, however, remains poultry meat.
According to data from the Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP), there are around 1,000 cases of Campylobacter infections each year. All patients do not consult their doctor, this figure is actually much higher. Overall, the number of cases has grown steadily over the past few years to reach around 7,500 during the year 2014.
Prevent Campylobacter infections
Campylobacter bacteria can survive in food, but cannot multiply there. Since contamination by Campylobacter does not affect foodstuffs, it is not possible to identify their presence by smell or appearance.
Campylobacter can be safely eliminated by thoroughly cooking the food at 70 ° C for at least 2 minutes by roasting, cooking or pasteurization. Freezing the food reduces the number of Campylobacter, without eliminating them completely.
Salmonella
Salmonella infection is most often manifested by inflammatory bowel disease with sudden onset of diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, headache and abdominal pain. Salmonella infections are subject to notification .
They usually occur by ingesting contaminated food. The danger comes mainly from poultry, eggs, egg preparations, unpasteurized milk and meat products. Contamination through other animal products, utensils used, water, humans, etc. can occur throughout the food manufacturing process.
Prevent salmonellosis
Salmonella infections are fought on two levels:
the number of infected domestic animals should be reduced;
contamination of food with salmonella must be avoided and their multiplication stopped.
Listeria
In people without weakened immune systems, a Listeria infection is usually accompanied by mild symptoms or even no symptoms at all. People who are immunocompromised can experience a variety of serious symptoms, the outcome of which can be fatal. During pregnancy, a Listeria infection can lead to miscarriage or cause a child to have sepsis or meningitis when it is born.
Listeria transmission is caused by the ingestion of contaminated raw food, mainly of animal origin: meat, smoked fish, cold cuts, soft cheese. Transmission through contact with infected animals is rarer.
Prevent listeriosis
In the first place, the general rules of hygiene should be observed when in contact with food and animals. Pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems should in particular avoid raw vegetables, raw or undercooked meat as well as raw fish and seafood, soft cheese and cheese made from unpasteurized milk. .
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC)
The majority of people infected with EHEC have abdominal pain accompanied by cramping, a short-term fever followed by intestinal colic which becomes violent, and slightly bloody hemorrhagic diarrhea. In a minority of people, only watery diarrhea is observed. Cases of EHEC infections are very rare in Switzerland. The mortality rate reaches 3 to 5%.
Escherichia coli bacteria naturally belong to our intestinal flora. EHECs are a pathogenic line of these generally harmless bacteria. Infection occurs first by consuming contaminated animal foods, mainly undercooked ground beef and unpasteurized dairy products. Contaminated drinking water, young shoots, potatoes and unpasteurized apple juice can, for example, also contain EHEC. More rarely, cases of transmission of EHEC are observed through contact with animals or animal faeces.
Prevent EHEC infections
Since a very small number of infectious agents is enough to get sick, it is important to follow the general rules of hygiene. It is therefore strongly recommended to wash your hands thoroughly after having been in contact with animals and to cook the meat thoroughly when preparing meals. Raw food should always be stored in the refrigerator.
Leksands Knäckebröd recalls a limited batch of breads Brown-baked Crispy Round, Brown-saved Crackle Triangle, Mini-square Brown-baked, Round-shaped Normal-baked and Round-browned. Sampling has shown a content of the mold toxin ochratoxin that exceeds the limit value.
Leksands Knäckebröd recalls a limited batch of Brown-saved Crack Round, Brown-saved Crack Triangle, Minirut Brown-saved, Round-Normal-baked and Round-brown-saved.
During sampling, it has emerged that Brown-saved Knäcke Rund, Brown-saved Knäcke Trekant, Minirut Brown-saved, Rundrut Normal-baked and Rundrut Brown-saved from Leksands Knäckebröd with best before-date 2022-01-09 and 2022-01-10 contain Ochratoxin which exceeds the limit value. Ochratoxin is a substance that comes from molds and can occur in cereals, dried fruit, red wine and coffee.
Leksands Knäckebröd encourages all customers who have bought the mentioned products with expiration dates 2022-01-09 and 2022-01-10 to throw away the crispbread and contact customer service on the website for compensation. Other best-before dates or other products from Leksands Knäckebröd are not affected.
Leksands Knäckebröd apologizes and takes what happened seriously.
Product safety and consumer confidence are of the highest priority and measurements are made continuously. Leksands Knäckebröd cooperates with the National Food Administration to ensure that precautionary measures are followed. Similar cases have not been detected before. Leksands Knäckebröd has taken further measures to ensure that we continue to have a high level of product safety.
JBS USA Food Company, a Greeley, Colo. firm and Importer of Record, is recalling approximately 4,860 pounds of imported boneless beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The raw, frozen, boneless beef products were imported on or around Nov. 10, 2020 and distributed for further processing. The following products are subject to recall [View Label (PDF Only)]:
60-lb. cardboard boxes containing “95CL BONELESS BEEF PRODUCT OF AUSTRALIA” with “PACKED ON: 02-SEP-20” and Australian “EST. 4” on the packaging label.
The products were shipped to distributors and further processors in New York and Pennsylvania.
The problem was discovered when FSIS collected a routine product sample that confirmed positive for the presence of E. coli O157:H7. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.
Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider. E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps 2–8 days (3–4 days, on average) after exposure the organism. While most people recover within a week, some develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). This condition can occur among persons of any age but is most common in children under 5-years old and older adults. It is marked by easy bruising, pallor, and decreased urine output. Persons who experience these symptoms should seek emergency medical care immediately.
FSIS is concerned that some product may be frozen and in cold storage at distributor or further processor locations. Distributors and further processors who received these products are urged not to utilize them.
FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify theircustomers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.
FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume whole cuts of beef that have been cooked to a temperature of 145 °F with a 3-minute rest time and ground beef to 160 °F. The only way to confirm that beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/safetempchart.
Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Mr. Kim Holzner, Head of JBS Imports, at Kim.Holzner@jbssa.com. Members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Ms. Nikki Richardson, Director of Communications for JBS USA Food Company, at Nikki.Richardson@jbssa.com.
The growth and hemolysin production of two V. alginolyticus strains (HY9901 and ATCC17749T) at 30 °C in briny tilapia, shrimp, scallop, oyster, pork, chicken, freshwater fish and egg fried rice were investigated. Bacterial counts were enumerated by plate counting. Hemolysin production was evaluated by blood agar and hemolytic titer tests. The two V. alginolyticus strains displayed similar growth and hemolysin production patterns in the foods. Based on the goodness of fit primary model statistics (R 2 , MSE, BF, AF), the modified Gompertz model was a better fit to V. alginolyticus growth in foods than the logistic model. Growth kinetic parameters of V. alginolyticus displayed a higher μ max and shorter λ in briny tilapia > shrimp > freshwater fish > egg fried rice > scallop > oyster > chicken > pork. It was notable that the V. alginolyticus counts were similar at the stationary phase, with no significant growth behavior difference between raw and cooked foods. Significantly higher (p < 0.05) thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) activity was produced by V. alginolyticus in briny tilapia > freshwater fish > shrimp > chicken > egg fried rice > scallop > oyster > pork. But the hemolytic titer was not consistent with the TDH activity, being significantly higher (p < 0.05) in briny tilapia > egg fried rice > shrimp > freshwater fish > chicken > scallop > oyster > pork. Contrary to current belief, V. alginolyticus displayed a higher hemolysin production in some non-seafoods (freshwater fish, egg fried rice and chicken) than in scallop or oyster. This is the first report of growth and toxicity of V. alginolyticus in different food matrices and confirmation that some non-seafood contaminated with V. alginolyticus can be even more pathogenic. This study will enhance the awareness of non-seafood safety and improve the V. alginolyticus risk assessment accuracy.
Leafy greens contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) have continued to cause foodborne illness outbreaks in recent years and present a threat to public health. An important component of foodborne illness outbreak investigations is determining the source of the outbreak vehicle through traceback investigations. The Food and Drug Administration is home to traceback investigation experts that employ a standardized process to initiate, execute, and interpret the results of traceback investigations in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local partners. Traceback investigations of three outbreaks of STEC infections linked to romaine lettuce in 2018 and 2019 were examined to demonstrate challenges, limitations, and opportunities for improvement. The three outbreaks resulted in a total of 474 illnesses, 215 hospitalizations, and five deaths. These illnesses were linked to the consumption of romaine lettuce from three distinct growing regions in Arizona and California. Some of the challenges encountered included the time it took to initiate a traceback, limited product-identifying information throughout the supply chain, lack of interoperability in record keeping systems, and co-mingling of product from multiple suppliers. These challenges led to time delays in the identification of the farm source of the leafy greens and the inability to identify the root cause of contamination. Implementation of technology enabled traceability systems, testing of these systems, and future regulations to incentivize adoption of traceability systems are some of the initiatives that will help address these challenges by improving traceback investigations and ultimately preventing foodborne illnesses and future outbreaks from occurring.
In a recently published study, investigators from Norwich and Surrey have more than doubled the number of microbial species known to live in the chicken gut. As the health and wealth of humans is tied to the health and productivity of chickens, this lays down a key resource for all future studies on the gut microbiome of this important food animal.
With three times as many chickens as people on our planet, this ubiquitous food animal underpins human nutrition and health across the globe—whether through subsistence farming or intensive production, chickens supply more of our food than any other animal. Chicken meat is surging in popularity as a lower-carbon alternative to meat from other livestock, whilst eggs remain an important and affordable source of nutrition worldwide. However, poultry are also a source of antimicrobial resistance and of pathogens such as Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli that threaten human health.
FoodWorld 