Sainsbury’s is recalling all of its bagged watercress and salads containing watercress as a precautionary measure, due to a possible association with an outbreak of E.coli O157 that has made 15 people ill.
KSWFoodWorld
Category Archives: Foodborne Illness
UK – FSA Salmonella Outbreak investigation
An outbreak of an unusual type of salmonella infection, Salmonella Typhimurium, across England and Wales is being investigated by Public Health England, Public Health Wales, the FSA and local authority environmental health officers.
A total of 21 confirmed cases in Wales and 30 in England have been reported, with 9 cases known to have required hospitalisation. Other potential cases are being investigated in both countries.
The outbreak was first detected in Wales in August and centred mainly in North Wales (Conwy and Gwynedd), with additional clusters being investigated in England in the Thames Valley, Leeds, Cumbria and Stafford areas.
Cases are widely geographically distributed in patients aged 7 months to 87 years.
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Standards Agency, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Laboratory, Microbiology, outbreak, Salmonella
Tagged climate, environmental health officers, research, salmonella infection, salmonella typhimurium, science
USA – Cyclospora Outbreak Still Continues
At least 646 people have now fallen ill with Cyclospora infections in connection with an outbreak that hit 24 states between June and August, according to the latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At least 44 of those individuals have been hospitalized. Those ill range in age from less than one year to 92 years old, with a median age of 52.
USA – Chicken Jerky Dog Chews – Salmonella 21 Cases
At least 21 people in New Hampshire have fallen ill with Salmonella in an outbreak connected to Joey’s Jerky brand chicken jerky, a product made for dogs. The product has been voluntarily recalled by the manufacturer, Kritters Kitchen Kreations.
The contaminated jerky was sold at the following six stores in New Hampshire: America’s Pet in Hudson, Blue Seal in Bow, K9 Kaos in Dover, Osborne’s Agway in Concord, Sandy’s Pet Food Center in Concord and The Yellow Dogs Barn in Barrington.
USA – Salmonella Outbreak – Guinea Pig Meat!
Salmonella was confirmed in a number of people hospitalized earlier this month after consuming a traditional Ecuadorean dish containing guinea pig at a Minneapolis street fair. However, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Wednesday that some of the 81 people sickened had not eaten the dish.
The report quoted a city spokesman saying that while the food vendor had a city permit, he sold unapproved food which had been improperly handled.
USA – Cyclospora Cases Still Building
In addition to battling an outbreak of Cyclospora infections and a Salmonella outbreak, the state of Iowa is reported increased Cryptosporidiosis cases this summer. That parasite is usually spread through people with diarrhea swimming in pools, lakes, and rivers. The parasite gets into the water and people contract the illness when they swallow swimming water.
There have been at least 358 cases of Cryptosporidiosis reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health this year; 272 reported since June 1, 2013. An additional 138 cases are under investigation.
Posted in Cyclospora, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, outbreak, Parasite, Pathogen
Tagged department of public health, iowa department of public health, salmonella outbreak
USA – Norovirus Restaurant Outbreak ?
Grant County Health Department officials are waiting on state lab test results to determine whether norovirus was behind the outbreak of more than two dozen people who were sickened in John Day, OR, this past week.
According to an Aug. 5 story in the Blue Mountain Eagle, health officials suspected that the illness could have been transmitted between July 27 and Aug. 3 at the Snaffle Bit Restaurant. The owner of the restaurant was reportedly cooperating with the county and taking steps to prevent any other illness outbreaks.
USA – E.coli Outbreak at an Arizona Restaurant
As of August 6, 2013, at least 33 people who ate at the Federico’s Mexican Restaurant in the West Valley outside of Phoenix, Arizona have fallen ill with E. coli infections. According to news reports, 15 cases were hospitalised.
Research – Listeria monocytogenes – Inhibition – Prevalence
The objective of this study was to identify ingredients that inhibit Listeria monocytogenes in natural, organic, or clean-label ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. Fourteen ingredients were screened in uncured (no-nitrate-or-nitrite-added), traditional-cured (156 ppm of purified sodium nitrite), cultured (alternative cured, natural nitrate source, and Staphylococcus carnosus), or preconverted (alternative cured, natural nitrite source) turkey slurries. Slurries were cooked, cooled, inoculated to yield 3 log CFU/ml L. monocytogenes, stored at 4°C, and tested weekly for 4 weeks. Three antimicrobial ingredients, 1.5 % vinegar-lemon-cherry powder blend, 2.5 % buffered vinegar, and 3.0 % cultured sugar-vinegar blend, were incorporated into alternative-cured ham and uncured roast beef and deli-style turkey breast. Controls included all three meat products without antimicrobial ingredients and a traditional-cured ham with 2.8 % sodium lactate-diacetate. Cooked, sliced products were inoculated with 3 log CFU/g L. monocytogenes, vacuum packed, and stored at 4 or 7°C, for up to 12 weeks. For control products without antimicrobial agents stored at 4°C, a 2-log L. monocytogenes increase was observed at 2 weeks for ham and turkey and at 4 weeks for roast beef. Growth (>1-log increase) in the sodium lactate-diacetate was delayed until week 6. Compared with the control, the addition of either vinegar-lemon-cherry powder blend or buffered vinegar delayed L. monocytogenes growth for an additional 2 weeks, while the addition of cultured sugar-vinegar blend delayed growth for an additional 4 weeks for both ham and turkey. The greatest L. monocytogenes delay was observed in roast beef containing any of the three antimicrobial ingredients, with no growth detected through 12 weeks at 4°C for all the treatments. As expected, L. monocytogenes grew substantially faster in products stored at 7°C than at 4°C. These data suggest that antimicrobial ingredients from a natural source can enhance the safety of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, but their efficacy is improved in products containing nitrite and with lower moisture and pH.
The aim of this study was to obtain data from refrigerated ready-to-eat seafood products at retail in Spain (young eels, crabstick and smoked salmon), regarding prevalence and levels of Listeria monocytogenes, storage temperatures and the impact of transport conditions (type of bag) on the temperature of the product. The one-year surveillance period was carried out according to the EC Regulation No. 2073/2005, taking 5 units/batch and analyzing 250 samples following ISO 11290-1/A1 and ISO 11290-2/A methodologies. Low prevalence of L. monocytogenes was observed in surimi products, while 4.8% of smoked salmon samples were positive for Listeria with low levels (<10 cfu/g) and uneven pathogen distribution. A single company was responsible for 80% of the positive lots. All purchased products showed values higher than 4 °C at retail and an average increase of 2.5 °C or up to 6.2 °C was recorded when isothermal or plastic shopping bags were used for transport, respectively. To avoid noncompliance of the Food Safety Objective for L. monocytogenes in seafood RTE products more efforts from all stakeholders are needed, with special attention so as to improve control and maintenance of refrigerators at retail and to enhance consumer education regarding food safety practices.
USA – Cyclospora Updates – Salad Mix the Source
Taylor Farms de Mexico food service salad served at Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants is the source of the Cyclospora outbreak that sickened at least 232 people in Iowa and Nebraska. Health officials from those states announced July 30 that a salad mix containing iceberg and romaine lettuces, carrots and red cabbage was the source of the illnesses, but did not release the name of the company that produced it as the tainted salad was no longer in circulation in those states.
Cyclospora illnesses that have sickened more than 400 people across the country in an outbreak have been linked to packaged salad greens. These products have been linked to many outbreaks over the years.
In fact, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released in January of this year, said that leafy greens were responsible for the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks from 1998 to 2008. Last year, the seventh largest food poisoning outbreak in the U.S. was linked to a spinach and spring mix.
On July 30, 2013, the states of Iowa1 
2 and Nebraska3 announced that their analysis indicated that the outbreak in those states was linked to a salad mix. In follow-up to that announcement, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an update on its investigation.
The FDA traceback investigation has confirmed that the salad mix identified by Iowa and Nebraska as being linked to the outbreak of cyclosporiasis in those states was supplied to restaurants in those states by Taylor Farms de Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V., a processor of foodservice salads. The FDA traceback investigation found that illness clusters at restaurants were traced to a common supplier, Taylor Farms de Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V. The restaurants in Iowa and Nebraska include Olive Garden and Red Lobster, both of which are owned by Darden Restaurants.
FDA’s investigation has not implicated consumer packages sold in grocery stores.
FoodWorld 