Category Archives: Food Toxin

USA – Raw pet food blamed for human E. coli outbreak

Posted on June 16, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Public health officials continue to investigate an E. coli outbreak linked to raw pet food sold under the Carnivora brand.

Of four sick people identified so far, all had the same strain of E. coli O157 infection and all had been exposed to the raw pet food for dogs who had been fed it, according to an outbreak notice posted by Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

Riveriene Farm Ltd. operating as Carnivora Pet Foods of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, recalled six varieties of the Carnivora brand raw food. All were manufactured in Canada and widely distributed, possibly nationwide, according to a recall notice posted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

“The individuals became sick between early March and mid-May 2020. Two individuals have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Individuals who became ill are between 3 and 43 years of age,” the outbreak notice states.

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Posted in E.coli, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Pet Food, Pet Food Testing, raw pet food, Uncategorized

Netherlands – Ciguatera poisoning from imported fish suspected in the Netherlands

Posted on June 15, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Five people in the Netherlands have been affected by ciguatera poisoning likely caused by frozen red snapper steaks from India.

Those sick had a meal together in mid-May and developed symptoms including gastroenteritis and neurological complaints within three hours. None of them needed hospital treatment.

Tjitte Mastenbroek, a press officer at the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), said probable ciguatoxin poisoning was established.

“One original sealed package of the fish was still available in the household and is currently being analyzed for neurotoxins. Outcome of this analysis of the red snapper fish is expected next week. Currently it is unknown if this case is related to a point source (e.g. a single fish) within the batch, which could have been contaminated with ciguatoxins,” he said.

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Posted in Algal Toxin, Biotoxin, Ciguatera, Ciguatera Poisoning, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Toxin, Uncategorized

Norway – Norway investigates source of Yersinia increase

Posted on June 15, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

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Officials in Norway are investigating an increase in Yersinia infections in the past month.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Folkehelseinstituttet) reported a Yersinia enterocolitica O3 infection has been detected in 13 people living in several counties.

Outbreak investigations to find the source of infection have been started with local authorities, the Veterinary Institute and Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet).

Patients are between 2 and 57 years old and most are women. They live in Agder, Oslo, Rogaland and Trøndelag.

Bacteria with similar DNA profiles have been found in all 13 people and samples were taken during the last two weeks of May and first week of June.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Research, Uncategorized, Yersinia, yersinia enterocolitica

USA – Consumers urged to check homes for beef implicated in illness – STEC E.coli

Posted on June 15, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Ecoli Istock

Image CDC

Illinois officials have issued a public alert regarding certain ground beef because product testing following a reported illnesses showed E. coli contamination.

Testing showed the non-O157 E. coli was present in beef prepared by a “custom exempt” establishment, David B’s Custom Meats in Carlinville, IL, in Macoupin County, according to a notice from the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA). 

There is concern that consumers may still have unused portions of the implicated beef in their homes. The ground beef has been sold since the beginning if this year and was still on sale as of yesterday. Freezing does not kill E. coli bacteria, so consumers are urged to check their freezers and refrigerators for the implicated beef.

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Posted in E.coli, food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, STEC E.coli, Uncategorized

USA – David B’s Custom Meats recalls ground beef after E. coli illness and positive test – STEC E.coli

Posted on June 15, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) is issuing a public health alert due to an undetermined amount of ground beef product prepared under custom exemption that may be contaminated with Non-O157 Shiga toxin E. coli (STEC), a bacteria commonly known as “E. coli”. That product was prepared at a Type II Establishment (custom exempt), David B’s Custom Meats, located in Carlinville Illinois, in Macoupin County at the beginning of 2020 to current. Custom exempt meat products are not inspected and cannot be offered for sale; because of this, a recall of the affected product was not requested.

The problem was discovered when a resident of Macoupin County notified local public health officials about sickness after consuming ground beef. The sample collected from the remaining product tested positive for presence of NON-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E.coli.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, STEC E.coli, Uncategorized

USA – 43 Thousand Pounds of Hamburger recalled over E. coli O157

Posted on June 15, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

Lakeside Refrigerated Services, a Swedesboro, N.J. establishment, is recalling approximately 42,922 pounds of ground 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 ground beef items were produced on June 1, 2020.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, STEC, STEC E.coli, Uncategorized

Viet Nam – 22 die of food poisoning in first five months, authority to inspect food safety

Posted on June 13, 2020 by | Leave a comment

SGGP News

According to the administration’s report at a meeting “ Prevention of food poisoning from company kitchens” in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday, the country has recorded 48 food poisoning cases killing 22 people infecting 872 people and driving 824 people into hospitals.
Food poisoning cases are caused by Microorganism (with 8.7 percent), by natural toxic ( with 28.4 percent), by chemicals ( with 4.2 percent) and unidentified causes( 28.7 percent).
In addition to concern of unsafe food in kitchen in industrial parks and export processing zones in Ho Chi Minh City, unsafe food in schools is the most concern.

 

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Posted in food contamination, food death, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Poisoning Death, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Poisoning, Uncategorized

UK – Tesco’s chicken Campylobacter results above FSA target

Posted on June 12, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

 

The mega-supermarket chain Tesco has reported 9 percent of chickens tested in the first quarter this year had the highest level of Campylobacter contamination.

This is above the Food Standards Agency (FSA) target of 7 percent and Tesco’s own benchmark of 5 percent of birds with more than 1,000 colony forming units per gram (cfu/g) of Campylobacter.

Tesco data shows 9 percent of 132 samples from January to March had the top level of contamination. It is double the percentage reported in the previous quarter.

“The safety and quality of the food we sell remains our top priority. The results this quarter were affected by a reduced sample size compared to previous tests, and we believe we’ll see levels return to within our expected range in future,” said a Tesco spokesperson.

Another large retailer Asda has not yet provided 1Q figures for 2020 and did not respond to a request for comment.

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Posted in Campylobacter, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Research, Uncategorized

China – Over 100 Kids in Henan Hospitalized for Suspected Food Poisoning

Posted on June 12, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Sixth Tone

More than 100 students in central China’s Henan province were rushed to the hospital Wednesday afternoon to be treated for suspected food poisoning, The Beijing News reported.

Several students from multiple schools in Yucheng County had complained of stomachaches and diarrhea just after lunch, at around 12:30 p.m., according to local authorities. The hospitalized children are from three towns, though the number of schools affected remains unclear.

While a majority of the children have been discharged from hospitals, five are still receiving treatment, local officials said.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Poisoning, Uncategorized

RASFF Alerts – Aflatoxin – Shelled Peanuts – Pistachios – Organic Peanut Kernels – Groundnuts – Whole Dried Chillies – Shelled Hazlenuts

Posted on June 12, 2020 by | Leave a comment

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RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 69; Tot. = 76 µg/kg – ppb) in shelled peanuts from the United States in the Netherlands

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 35.6; Tot. = 39.8 / B1 = 70.3; Tot. = 74.7 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios in shell from the United States, dispatched from Turkey in Bulgaria

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 21; Tot. = 24 µg/kg – ppb) in organic peanut kernels from China in the Netherlands

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 88.5; Tot. = 102.5 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios from Iran, dispatched from Turkey in Italy

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 6.8; Tot. = 7.5) in groundnuts in shell from China in the UK

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 9.9 µg/kg – ppb) in dried whole chillies from India in the UK

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 7.9 µg/kg – ppb) in shelled hazelnuts from Georgia in Italy

 

 

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Mould Toxin, Mycotoxin, RASFF, Toxin, Uncategorized