At least 27 Floridians have been sickened this year – and nine have died– from infections of Vibrio vulnificus, a deadly bacterium that lives in warm seawater and is commonly associated with eating raw oysters and other shellfish. The figure came from a news release published last week by the Florida Department of Health.
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall
Tagged deadly bacterium, Florida Department of Health, food safety news, Vibrio vulnificus
With the harvest underway, it’s important to keep a watchful eye out for mycotoxin-producing molds. These species include Aspergillus flavus, which causes Aspergillus ear rot and produces the carcinogenic toxin aflatoxin, as well as species of Fusarium molds. These toxins can lead to production losses as grain may be rejected, as well as leading to illness in humans or animals that consume the toxin in significant quantities. Here’s a quick primer on some molds of concern and the toxins they produce. For more information and regulatory thresholds for toxins, please see Neogen’s Mycotoxin Handbook.
Posted in Aflatoxin, Animal Feed, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Spoilage, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, Moulds, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, Pathogen, Poisoning, Toxin
Tagged climate, environment, health, science
The Public Health Agency of Canada says that now fourteen cases of E. coli O157:H7 are associated with contaminated raw milk cheese products manufactured by Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm in Salmon Arm, British Columbia. There are four people who are ill in British Columbia; eight in Alberta; one in Saskatchewan; and one in Quebec. One person in British Columbia has died as a result of this infection.
Ill persons started getting sick between mid-July and early September. Some of Gort’s raw milk cheeses have been recalled as a result of this outbreak. The statement said that “there is currently no indication of widespread risk to Canadians. However, E. coli O157:H7 can pose a serious public health risk. Additional cases of illness may be identified and linked to this outbreak in the future.”
Salmonella outbreak in Hopkins County, Kentucky, has killed one person and caused another seven confirmed illnesses.
The cause of the outbreak is still unknown, according to county health officials. Investigators have begun interviewing victims to see where or what they might have eaten in the days leading up to their illnesses.
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Salmonella
Tagged climate, county health officials, environment, food safety news, hopkins county kentucky
The bacteria, which cause severe gastrointestinal illness and even death in humans, are spread by consuming contaminated food and water, or by contact with livestock faeces in the environment. Cattle are the main reservoir for the bacterium. The vaccines that are available for cattle are rarely used, but the latest study suggests the public health benefits could be significant.
The research was lead by a team of researchers at the University of Glasgow in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, the Royal Veterinary College, Scotland’s Rural College, Health Protection Scotland, and the Scottish E. coli O157/VTEC Reference Laboratory.
The study, published in the online journal PNAS, used veterinary, human and molecular data to examine the risks of E. coli O157 transmission from cattle to humans, and to estimate the impact of vaccinating cattle.
The city of Ovalle in Chile’s Coquimbo region suffered a massive outbreak of norovirus in the first week of September, infecting 3,000-plus residents, due to insufficient chlorine levels in the potable water supplied by water utility Aguas del Valle, according to a release by the regional health authority Seremi.
Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Spoilage, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Laboratory, Norovirus, Pathogen, Toxin, Virus, Water
Tagged chlorine levels, coquimbo region, massive outbreak, norovirus, regional health authority
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is an EU agency [1] with a mandate to operate surveillance networks and to identify, assess, and communicate current and emerging threats to human health from communicable diseases. The agency became operational in 2005. Initially, data were collected for 49 diseases (2008), with three more added in 2012. All data are entered in ECDC’s database system, known as the European Surveillance System (TESSy). Epidemiological overviews of all diseases are provided in the ECDC’s Annual Epidemiological Report. The surveillance of salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis and Shiga toxin/verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC/VTEC) infection was carried out until 2007 by an EU-funded dedicated surveillance network, Enter-net, which was hosted by the Health Protection Agency in the United Kingdom. In October 2007, the coordination of Enter-net was transferred to ECDC and Enter-net is now under the auspices of the Programme of Food- and Waterborne Diseases and Zoonoses (FWD). After the transfer, the scope was broadened to also cover listeriosis, yersiniosis and shigellosis. For the six priority diseases, surveillance was developed further in close collaboration with nominated disease experts, epidemiologists and microbiologists. This report is the first dedicated epidemiological report on these six diseases, offering a detailed analysis for the years 2006 to 2009. The intended readership includes public health and food safety professionals, policymakers, scientists, and the general public.
Posted in ECDC, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning, Research, Uncategorized
Tagged food safety professionals, health protection agency, surveillance networks, waterborne diseases
Food Alert – Not to Consume Milk Formula Produced from Ingredients Suspected of Contamination with Clostridium Botulinum
| Issue Date | 2013-08-06 | |
| Source of Information | The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) | |
| Food Product | Growing up formula [Updated on 17 September 2013: Recall Completed] | |
| Name of Importer | ||
| Product name and Description | Product name: Cow & Gate Happy Kid 3 (growing up formula for 1 to 3 years old) Importer: Danone Baby Nutrition (HK) Limited Package: 900 grammes Place of origin: New Zealand Batch: 3178 and 3179 Best before date: 27 June 2015 and 28 June 2015
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| Reason For Issuing Alert |
The concerned milk formula was produced from ingredients suspected to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum | |
| Action Taken by the Centre for Food Safety |
– The concerned importer has taken the initiative to recall the relevant product. The CFS will monitor closely the recall. – The CFS will continue to keep close liaison with the New Zealand authority and the local trade, keep an eye on the latest development, and take appropriate actions whenever necessary. The CFS will also report the latest situation to the public to keep them abreast of the most updated situation. |
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| Advice to the Trade |
– The trade should stop sale of the product. | |
| Advice to Consumers | – Members of the public who had purchased the product should immediately stop feeding it to their young children. | |
| Further Information | – The CFS press release – Members of the public can call CFS’ designated hotline 3978 0600 operating between 9am and 9pm today (6 August) should they have any enquiries about the affected product. It will operate between 9am and 6pm from 7 to 9 August. – The Department of Health has set up a hotline 2125 1111 for public enquiries. Operating hours are from 9am to 9pm today (6 August), and 9am to 6pm from 7 to 9 August. |
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Partnership for Food Safety Education
This is website that may interest some of you;
For 5 years, we’ve been busting common food safety myths to help you protect your family from foodborne illness. From leftovers to lemon juice, you might think there’s nothing left to cover!
For National Food Safety Education Month 2013, we’re going where Home Food Safety Mythbusters has not gone before — to the kids!
Kids are more likely to get food poisoning than most adults are. Knowing fact from fiction when it comes to food safety risks could mean the difference between safe kids and sick kids.
Know what is fact and what is fiction. Check out this year’s myths and facts, and free downloads, here.
FoodWorld 