Category Archives: Food Toxin

RASFF Alerts – Aflatoxin – Groundnuts – Almonds – Hazlenuts

Posted on May 10, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 20; Tot. = 38 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from Argentina in the Netherlands

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 7.5; Tot. = 10 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnut kernels from Argentina in the Netherlands

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 7.0; Tot. = 10.8 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from Argentina in the UK

RASFF – aflatoxins (Tot. = >24 µg/kg – ppb) in almonds from the United States in Spain

RASFF – aflatoxins (Tot. = 16.0 µg/kg – ppb) in hazelnut kernels from Georgia in Bulgaria

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 23.1 / B1 = 20.0 µg/kg – ppb) in hazelnut kernels from Georgia in Bulgaria

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 11.7 µg/kg – ppb) in blanched hazelnut kernels from Georgia in Bulgaria

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 51.5 µg/kg – ppb) in blanched groundnuts from China in the UK

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 15; Tot. = 34 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnut kernels from Argentina in the Netherlands

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

RASFF Alert – Ochratoxin A – Ground Nutmeg

Posted on May 10, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

RASFF – ochratoxin A (67.6 µg/kg – ppb) in ground nutmeg from Czech Republic, with raw material from Indonesia, via Poland in the Czech Republic

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Posted in Food Toxin, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, RASFF, Toxin, Uncategorized

RASFF Alert – Histamine – Frozen Tuna

Posted on May 10, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

RASFF – histamine (740 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen tuna from Vietnam in the Netherlands

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

RASFF Alert – STEC E.coli – Soft Cheese

Posted on May 10, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

RASFF – shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (vtx1, eae+) in soft cheese (Chaource) from France in Belgium

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Posted in E.coli, eae, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, RASFF, STEC, STX 1, STX 2, Uncategorized

USA – Cargill Conducts Voluntary Recall of Select Southern States® Feed Due to High/Excessive/or Elevated Aflatoxin Levels

Posted on May 9, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

FDA

Company Announcement

Cargill’s animal nutrition business is conducting a voluntary recall of select Southern States® feed due to aflatoxin levels that exceed FDA’s action levels. The affected products, which were manufactured and sold in the eastern United States, were removed from retail shelves throughout February, March, and April 2019. Livestock, horses, and poultry exposed to aflatoxin are at risk of exposure to several health hazards.

Aflatoxicosis has the same acute and chronic adverse effects and health consequences across all species and age classes (immature and mature). Immature animals are more sensitive to aflatoxins. Acute aflatoxicosis may result in generalized hemorrhage, bloody diarrhea and death in 1-3 days. In addition, aflatoxin toxicity can cause reduced feed intake, reduced weight gain, liver damage, jaundice, and eventually death.

No adverse health effects to animals have been reported to date. Nonetheless, Cargill is taking this voluntary step out of an abundance of caution. The affected products were manufactured at Cargill’s Cleveland, North Carolina, facility. Cargill first learned of the issue when it received a notification from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture of test results showing that a single lot of a specific Southern States product contained elevated levels of aflatoxin. Cargill has identified and corrected the root cause.

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USA – Vibrio Shigella E. coli Outbreak Linked to Raw Oysters in California

Posted on May 9, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

A Vibrio Shigella E. coli and norovirus outbreak linked to raw oysters from Baja California Sur, Mexico has sickened at least 12 people in California, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Those twelve patients reported illnesses in February, March, and April 2019 after consuming raw oysters that were sold by restaurants and retailers in Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara, and San Diego counties. The raw oysters were sold throughout the state.

Lab testing was performed on isolates from eight cases. Officials identified Vibrio parahaemolyticus in three patients, Vibrio albensis in one, an unidentified species of Vibrio in one patient, Shigella flexneri serotype 1 in two patients, and norovirus. In addition, one of the people infected with Vibrio parahaemolyticus cases was co-infected with non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria.

Traceback evidence has shown that the oysters were harvested from Estero El Cardon. Authorities in Mexico have been notified about this outbreak and are investigating.

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Posted in E.coli, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Norovirus, Shigatoxin, Shigella, Uncategorized, Vibrio, Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Information – Advice CDC – Do not rinse chicken!

Posted on May 9, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

CDC

Americans eat more chicken every year than any other meat. Chicken can be a nutritious choice, but raw chicken is often contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria and sometimes with Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens bacteria. If you eat undercooked chicken or other foods or beverages contaminated by raw chicken or its juices, you can get a foodborne illness, which is also called food poisoning.

That’s why it’s important to take special care when handling and preparing chicken.

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Posted in Campylobacter, Clostridium perfringens, food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Toxin, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Research – Effects of Package Atmosphere and Storage Conditions on Minimizing Risk of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Packaged Fresh Baby Spinach

Posted on May 7, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

ABSTRACT

Packaged fresh spinach has been associated with outbreaks of illness caused by Escherichia coli O157:H7. The purpose of this study was to assess the behavior of E. coli O157:H7 in packaged baby spinach in response to storage conditions of temperature and package atmosphere and including effects of inoculation level, spinach leaf damage (cut leaves), internalized or leaf surface contamination, exposure to hypochlorite sanitizer, and package size. Behavior of E. coli O157:H7 inoculated at 2 and 4 log CFU/g on spinach packaged in polymer bags composed of a two-layer laminate (polypropylene and polyethylene) and stored under atmospheres of 20% O₂–3% CO₂ and 0% O₂–15% CO₂ (aerobic and anaerobic, respectively) was assessed at 5, 7, 12, and 15°C for up to 14 days. Growth kinetics were calculated using DMFit software. Temperature decreases progressively diminished growth or survival of the pathogen, and an aerobic package atmosphere resulted in longer lag times (4 to 6 days) and lower population levels (0.2 to 1.4 log CFU/g) compared with the anaerobic atmosphere at 15°C. Internalized contamination, leaf cuts, or exposure to 100 ppm of hypochlorite did not result in changes in pathogen behavior compared with controls; however, a growth minimization trend consisting of longer lag times and lower population levels was repeatedly observed in the aerobic compared with the anaerobic package atmospheres. In contrast, growth of indigenous mesophiles and Enterobacteriaceae was unaffected by package atmosphere. Spinach stored at 5 to 7°C in two sizes (5 and 16 oz) of polyethylene terephthalate clamshell packages with ambient air atmospheres was more likely to progress to lower-oxygen conditions in 16-oz compared with 5-oz packages after 7 days of storage (P < 0.05). Practices to maintain aerobic conditions within the package, as well as storage of the package at low temperature, are ways to limit growth of E. coli O157:H7 in packaged spinach.

HIGHLIGHTS

Cold aerobic conditions limited survival of E. coli O157:H7 in packaged spinach.
Low-oxygen atmosphere increased pathogen risk in temperature-abused packages.
Internalization, leaf cuts, and hypochlorite stress did not increase pathogen risk.
Large spinach packages trended toward lower-oxygen conditions more than small packages.
Maintaining cold aerobic conditions can limit pathogen risk in packaged spinach.