Category Archives: Foodborne Illness

USA – Super Bowl LV Toolkit to Prevent Foodborne Illness

Posted on February 5, 2021 by | Leave a comment

FSIS USDA

Super Bowl Food Safety

Food Safety Playbook

This toolkit is designed to help you get started with your local Super Bowl Food Safety campaign. In this toolkit you will find the materials you can use to promote safe food handling behavior during the Super Bowl.

We have organized this material to help make your outreach informative, helpful and fun. Resources include:

  • Press Release – A general press release that can be personalized by your organization to email to local news outlets, radio, newspapers and blogs
  • Talking Points
  • Blog
  • Social Media – Suggested tweets and Facebook posts are included to help spread the word about food safety during Super Bowl
  • Infographics

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Temperature Abuse, Food Testing, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Research, Uncategorized

India – 1 dead, 170 hospitalised for suspected food poisoning at Assam CM’s event

Posted on February 4, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Hindustan Times

Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who also attended the event, told journalists on Wednesday that he too had suffered from an upset stomach after consuming food at the event.

Over 170 persons have been hospitalised in a case of suspected food poisoning at an event attended by Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal at Karbi Anglong district on Tuesday.

According to media reports, one youth died on Tuesday night after consuming packed food at the ceremonial launch of the first session of the Diphu Medical College Hospital (DMCH). District officials are yet to confirm the exact cause of the death.

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Posted in food death, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Food Poisoning Death, Foodborne Illness, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Poisoning

New Zealand – Annual report concerning Foodborne Diseases in New Zealand 2019

Posted on February 3, 2021 by | Leave a comment

MPI

Annual report concerning Foodborne Diseases in New Zealand 2019

ESR Report FW20013

Human health surveillance and its relationship to foodborne illness is essential for informing the strategic direction that New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) takes and regulatory measures it puts in place to minimise foodborne illness in New Zealand and overseas consumers.

The annual ESR foodborne disease reports are critical, allowing NZFS to monitor trends in foodborne illness in New Zealand by describing in a consistent manner evidence from notifications, case enquiries, outbreak investigations and other epidemiological studies of human enteric diseases.

This report forms part of a series providing a consistent source of data annually to monitor trends on foodborne illness in New Zealand. The series can be found here. The reduction of human cases of foodborne campylobacteriosis is a top priority for NZFS. The current performance target is a reduction of rates of foodborne campylobacteriosis by 10% from 88.4in 2015to 79.6 by the end 2020.

Progress toward this target is reported in the section entitled Reporting against targets. The surveillance data indicates that during the last ten years the rates of foodborne campylobacteriosis are consistently, albeit slowly, decreasing. NZFS underscores that both total numbers of campylobacteriosis cases and rates per 100,000 population notified in 2019 are the lowest since 1992.Since 2015, NZ diagnostic laboratories have started to replace traditional culture-based methods for enteric pathogens by culture-independent diagnostic tests(CIDT)using molecular polymerase chain reaction.

In 2019, about 78% of human faecal samples were tested using CIDT. However, different laboratories are using different CIDT and six DHBs continue to use culture-based testing methods for enteric pathogens. The implication of improved sensitivity and changes in number of tests is well described in the introduction to the 2019 report. Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) remains a focus for NZFS. A continuing sharp increase in notification of STEC infections is evident, despite the absence of evidence that foodborne sources are increasing. The cause of this is likely to be related to implementation of CIDT and an increase in the number of faecal samples tested for STEC as all community faecal specimens are now screened for STEC.

The selection of diseases covered in the report is based on the potential of the disease to be caused by foodborne transmission and availability of national sources of information related to the disease. The enhanced analysis of risk factors and presentation of the information has resulted in an improved description of foodborne outbreaks in the 2019 report.

Although, some outbreaks reported as foodborne with unidentified food source might be attributed to other routes of transmission, such as water, animal contact or person to person. NZFS and ESR will further continue to improve the analysis and presentation of foodborne human illness surveillance and investigation data in future reports.

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Posted in Food Microbiology Research, Food Poisoning, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, Research, STEC, STEC E.coli

Food Safety Website – Stop Foodborne Illness

Posted on January 27, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Stop Foodborne Illness

Incorporated as a not-for-profit in California in 1994, STOP began as a grassroots effort. The U.S. government and non-governmental organizations were not addressing this public safety issue and STOP stepped in to fill the void. The founders knew that increasing awareness about foodborne pathogens had to be a guiding principle.

Initially, STOP learned that there is not a singular government agency – there are many – that oversee food safety in the U.S. We also identified the lack of effective communication at all levels of governmental hierarchy – federal, state and local. It was clear that we weren’t the only organization seeking answers. As STOP became more knowledgeable of how food becomes contaminated, the weaknesses of the system and the complexity of the challenge of preventing foodborne illness became very apparent.

Learning that the United States government — our government — had known about emerging foodborne pathogens but lacked a comprehensive plan to combat them was disheartening. It was identified that as early as 1982, scientists and pathologists had been quietly warning the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Congress, and the media that a failure to inspect meat and poultry for bacteria would lead to a food safety disaster.

Time was of the essence and although there was significant resistance at every turn, STOP knew it held the truth.

STOP added its strong voice to the Safe Food Coalition, a group of consumer, public health and labor organizations which has advocated for improvements to the food safety system, particularly with respect to meat and poultry, since 1986. Industry held power, influence, and money. Victims’ families and survivors held onto lives that had been irreparably altered by foodborne illness. Families continued to tell their stories through the advocacy of STOP and its coalition partners.

STOP’s voices became a clarion call for change and eventually STOP was invited to participate in policy making. After countless hours spent educating the USDA and the meat industry about the devastation caused by E. coli, STOP became a key element in facilitating the first meat and poultry reforms since 1906. In 1996, STOP founders Roni and Nancy, were invited to witness this historic overhaul being signed into law by President Clinton.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Poisoning Death, Food Safety, Food Testing, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak

Research – Monitoring online posts by consumers could help improve food safety

Posted on January 27, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Phys Org

An estimated 48 million cases of foodborne illness are contracted in the United States every year, causing about 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In some instances, the source is well known, such as a batch of tainted ground beef that infected 209 people with E. Coli in 2019. But 80 percent of food poisoning cases are of unknown origin, making it impossible to inform consumers of hazardous food items.

David Goldberg, assistant professor of management information systems at San Diego State University, wants to improve the traceability and communication of risky  products. In a new study published by the journal Risk Analysis, his research team proposes a new Food Safety Monitoring System (FSMS) that utilizes consumer comments posted on websites to identify products associated with food-related illnesses.

The researchers utilized an AI technology called text mining to analyze comments and reviews from two websites: Amazon.com, the world’s largest e-commerce retailer, and IWasPoisoned.com, a site where consumers alert others to cases of food poisoning. The database consisted of 11,190 randomly selected Amazon reviews of “grocery and canned food” items purchased between 2000 and 2018, along with 8,596 reviews of food products posted on IWasPoisoned.com. These two datasets allowed the researchers to test the text mining tools before analyzing 4.4 million more Amazon reviews.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Research

Research – Evaluation of foodborne pathogen die-off in back-sweetened wine and apple cider models

Posted on January 24, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

Wine and alcoholic apple cider are commonly back-sweetened with unpasteurized juice to produce fresh, natural, and palatable sweetened alcoholic beverages. Foodborne pathogens may be introduced from unpasteurized juice into alcoholic beverages through this back-sweetening process. Although pathogens generally do not survive under low pH conditions or high alcohol environment, the die-off of these pathogens has not been established to ensure the safety of the products. To determine the safety of these back-sweetened beverages, we evaluated the survival of three common foodborne pathogens, E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica , and Listeria monocytogenes in modified white grape juice and apple juice models. White grape juice and apple juice were modified with hydrochloric acid/sodium hydroxide and ethanol to achieve conditions that are similar to the back-sweetened white wine and alcoholic apple cider. Pathogen cocktails were inoculated separately into modified juice models and their survival in the juice models were recorded over a 96-hour period. Our results show that a combination of low pH and high ethanol content resulted in a faster pathogen die-off compared to higher pH and lower ethanol conditions. The holding times required for different combinations of pH and ethanol concentration for each juice model to achieve 5-log reduction were reported. This research provides data to validate pathogen die-off to comply with Juice HACCP 5-log pathogen inactivation requirements for back-sweetened wine and alcoholic apple cider.

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Posted in E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, Listeria, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Pathogen, pathogenic, Research, Salmonella

USA – Hearings set on motions to vacate convictions and sentences of Parnell brothers in deadly Salmonella outbreak

Posted on January 15, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Brothers Stewart Parnell, 66, and Michael Parnell, 62, have, respectively, another 18 and 11 years to serve in federal prisons for their 2014 jury convictions involving Peanut Corporation of America (PCA).

But with so-called “2255” evidentiary hearings now scheduled, on April 20  for Michal and on May 25 for Stewart, the early release of both men is a possible outcome. Their trial was in relation to a deadly Salmonella outbreak traced to their peanut products.

By getting evidentiary hearings on their motions to “Vacate, Set Aside, or Correct” their sentences, the Parnells have secured something many others do not get.

United States Magistrate Judge Thomas Q. Langstaff has agreed to hear the motions in the same Albany, GA, courthouse where the Parnells were convicted and sentenced.

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Posted in Death, food contamination, food death, food handler, Food Hazard, 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 Temperature Abuse, Food Testing, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Uncategorized

Research – Exploring food safety perceptions and self-reported practices of pet owners, providing raw meat-based diets to pets.

Posted on January 13, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

The growing popularity of raw meat-based diets for pets is accompanied by an increasing concern regarding possible health implications of this practice to pet owners, due to the storage and preparation of raw meat. This study aimed to explore pet owners’ knowledge and perceptions about safety of raw meat-based feeding and determine self-reported food safety practices during raw meat-based pet food preparation. An online questionnaire was distributed via social media platforms was completed by pet owners practicing raw meat-based feeding ( n =174). Almost all participants (95%) reported confidence that their pets’ raw meat-based food is safe. Two thirds of respondents (67%) reported to have researched food safety information, regarding raw meat-based feeding, however only 8% asked a veterinarian for food safety advice. Respondents were aware of pathogens that may be present in raw meat-based diets, and of food safety practices, however, they did not report implementation of appropriate food safety practices consistently. Malpractices, such as rinsing raw meat (27%) and lack of segregation (52%) were reported. The risk of foodborne illness to pet owners associated with raw meat-based feeding was perceived to be ‘low’ by 89% of pet owners. Participants perceived low susceptibility to foodborne illness, but high self-efficacy, which may be an indication of ‘optimistic bias’. This study has identified the need for increasing pet owners’ awareness of the possible risks associated with raw meat-based feeding to human health. The provision of comprehensive food safety information, intended to target the perceptions of pet owners identified in this study, is needed to improve pet owners’ food safety practices, to reduce the potential food safety risks associated with raw meat preparation and storage in the domestic environment.

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Posted in Animal Feed, Animal Feed Testing, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Safety, Foodborne Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Pet Food, Pet Food Testing, raw pet food, Research

Research – Evolution of a killer: How African Salmonella made the leap from gut to bloodstream

Posted on December 23, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Science Daily

kswfoodworld.com

Image CDC

University of Liverpool scientists have exploited the combined power of genomics and epidemiology to understand how a type of Salmonella bacteria evolved to kill hundreds of thousands of immunocompromised people in Africa.

Bloodstream infections caused by a drug-resistant type of Salmonella Typhimurium called ST313 are a major public health concern in Africa, where the disease is endemic and causes ~50,000 deaths each year. What was missing was an understanding of the timing of the major evolutionary events that equipped African Salmonella to cause bloodstream infections in humans.

In a new paper published in Nature Microbiology, a team of researchers from the UK, France and Malawi, sampled two comprehensive collections of Salmonella isolates from African patients with bloodstream infections, spanning 1966 to 2018, to piece together the evolutionary journey of the Salmonella over 50 years of human infections in Africa, including the discovery of a new lineage of antibiotic-susceptible ST313.

The study was led by Professor Jay Hinton at the University of Liverpool, who has been researching Salmonella for more than 30 years and leads the 10,000 Salmonella Genomes Project — a worldwide effort to understand the epidemiology, transmission and virulence of invasive non-Typhoidal Salmonellosis.

Professor Hinton said: “Through a remarkable team effort we have removed some of the mystery about the evolution of African Salmonella. We hope that by learning how these pathogens became able to infect the human bloodstream we will be better prepared to tackle future bacterial epidemics.”

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Posted in Death, food death, Food Illness, Food Microbiology Research, Food Poisoning Death, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Immunosuppressed, Research, Salmonella

South Africa – Father shares how life changed after son’s Listeria infection

Posted on December 15, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The father of a boy who fell sick during the Listeria outbreak in South Africa in 2017 and 2018 has told how the family is still dealing with the consequences.

James Nsayi is now 5 years old. He was diagnosed with listeriosis during the outbreak and suffers from epilepsy.

The outbreak was linked to ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products and caused at least 1,050 illnesses and 218 deaths. It was traced in March 2018 to an RTE processed meat product called polony made at a factory in Polokwane run by Enterprise Foods, then owned by Tiger Brands. In August this year, Tiger Brands agreed to sell its processed meats division, which includes Enterprise Foods.

Mario Nsayi, James’s father, said before becoming sick the youngster never had a problem with health and was a normal child.

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Posted in Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiology