RASFF– Norovirus in Clams in Italy sourced in Turkey
RASFF – Norovirus in Oysters in Italy sourced in France
RASFF – Salmonella in Frozen Turkey and Poultry Kebab in Italy sourced in Germany via Poland
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Category Archives: Foodborne Illness
European RASFF Alerts – Norovirus
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Norovirus, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall, Salmonella, Virus, Water
Tagged food, frozen turkey, health, norovirus, rasff
USA – Raw Milk Campylobacter Outbreak
The State Department of Health is investigating an outbreak of a food borne illness linked to raw milk. Officials have confirmed four cases of Campylobacter infection in people who drank raw milk on the Kenai Peninsula. The illness causes diarrhea, vomiting and fever.
Dr. Brian Yablon is a medical epidemiologist with the state. He says the cases have all been identified by the state lab in the last three weeks:
“When they looked at these strains, they found that the four specimens were all exactly the same type, so that is consistent with a cluster of illnesses and when we found out additional information it seemed that all of the people who developed the infection had consumed raw milk or unpasteurized milk in the proceeding several days before they got sick,” Yablon said.
The state is still working to identify the source of the raw milk. A farmer named Kevin Byers in Kasilof distributes raw milk to families around the state. He did not agree to a recorded interview, but said he doesn’t know if his milk is responsible for the outbreak. He says his customers drink his milk for the perceived health benefits. According to a recent newspaper article, Byers has 150 customers as far away as Sitka.
Selling raw milk is illegal in Alaska. But farmers have found ways to do it legally.
USA – CDC Report Salmonella Heidelburg Outbreak 2012
Since June 4, 2012, a total of 124 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Heidelberg have been reported from 12 states.
32% of ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
Most of the ill persons have been reported from two states, Washington (56) and Oregon (38).
State public health officials are interviewing ill persons to obtain information regarding foods they might have eaten and other exposures in the week before illness.
Information available to date indicates that consumption of chicken is the most likely source of infection for many of the ill persons.
Oregon and Washington have identified Foster Farms brand chicken as the most likely source of the infections in their states.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) is currently conducting an investigation to determine the source of infections in this outbreak.
It is not unusual for raw poultry from any producer to have Salmonella. This underscores the importance for consumers to follow food safety tips to help protect themselves and others from foodborne illness.
Research – FDA Risk Assessment of Listeria monocytogenes in Cheese
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a draft quantitative assessment of the risk of listeriosis from soft-ripened cheese consumption in the United States and Canada. The risk assessment is a joint effort between FDA and Health Canada. View the Federal Register Notice for the assessment.
The new FDA/Health Canada draft risk assessment found that the risk of listeriosis from soft-ripened cheeses made with raw milk is estimated to be 50 to 160 times higher than that from soft-ripened cheese made with pasteurized milk. This finding is consistent with the fact that consuming raw milk and raw milk products generally poses a higher risk from pathogens than do pasteurized milk and its products.
While raw milk and raw milk products put all consumers at risk, the bacteria they may contain can be especially dangerous to people with weakened immune systems, older adults, pregnant women and children. View guidelines for avoiding illness by choosing milk and milk products carefully.
FDA invites comments that can help FDA and Health Canada improve:
- the approach used;
- the assumptions made;
- the modeling techniques;
- the data used; and
- the clarity and transparency of the draft quantitative risk assessment documentation.
To submit comments electronically, go to docket FDA-2012-N-1182 on regulations.gov. The comment period opens February 11, 2013 for 75 days.
Israel – Foodborne Illness – Hepatitis A – Market Vegetables
Dozens of hepatitis A cases reported in the Tel Aviv area in Israel since last year may be linked to vegetables health officials say, according to a Haaretz report Friday.
Israeli health officials say since the beginning of 2012, there have been 69 cases of the viral liver disease reported from the area, with the majority reported in the latter half of the year.
This is a dramatic increase from the seven cases reported in all of 2011.
According to the report, Health Ministry officials believe the source may be vegetables sold in open-air markets in the south of the city.
Australia – Third Death Linked to Listeria monocytogenes in Cheese
A LISTERIA outbreak linked to a Victorian cheese factory has claimed a third life. A 68-year-old NSW man died from the infection last month, a Victorian health department spokesman confirmed on Sunday.
A Tasmanian man, 44, and a Victorian man, 88, have also died of the illness.
A total of 26 cases, including the three fatal cases and one miscarriage, have now been linked to the Jindi cheese factory in Gippsland.
Some soft cheeses produced by Jindi were pulled from supermarket shelves last year but the Victorian health department spokesman said the bacteria had a long incubation period.
European Epdiemiological Report into the Salmonella Stanley Outbreak 2012
In July 2012, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) initiated a Europe-wide investigation on a Salmonella Stanley outbreak, together with the affected Member States, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Reference Laboratory for Salmonella (EURL Salmonella). Cases were associated with strains showing an indistinguishable PFGE pattern not previously reported in Europe.
Between July and September 2012, ECDC encouraged European Union (EU) and other European Economic Area (EEA) Member States to perform Xbal-PFGE typing on all S. Stanley human isolates. The image profile of the outbreak strain was shared with all EU countries. ECDC collected and analysed molecular typing data on S. Stanley from EU/EEA Member States to explore potential sources of infection within the food production chain in this multi-country outbreak.
Full report at the link above.
Posted in Bacteria, ECDC, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hand Washing, Hygiene, Illness, Methods, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Salmonella
Tagged european food safety authority, food production chain, food safety authority, science
USA – Walmart Cheese Recall – Salmonella
Walmart is recalling Stallings Head Cheese which has been linked to a cluster of Salmonella Uganda illnesses in Louisiana. Stallings, which is based in Houston, issued a recall for 4,700 pounds of the product on January 24 after health officials had discovered the link to the illnesses.
Research – China’s Foodborne Illness Statistics
Abstract
To understand the general trends and status of China’s food safety, we analyzed 2387 individual incidents of acute foodborne illnesses that had been reported by medical professionals in published journal papers during the last decade. As a result, 99,487 illnesses and 380 deaths were found in these 2387 incidents. In our analysis, we tried to understand the risks of acute foodborne illnesses and deaths corresponding to food pathogens, food location and settings, implicated food vehicles, sources of contamination and human causes. Based on our analysis, we made recommendations for risk communication, risk management and future research in regard to foodborne illnesses in China.
Highlights
► We analyze China’s food safety problem in the case of acute foodborne illness. ► Data were extracted from detailed reports on 2387 incidents of foodborne illness. ► Risk factors are discussed from multiple perspectives. ► Recommendation for policies and strategies towards food safety are provided. ► This is so far the most comprehensive analysis of acute foodborne illness in China.
Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Chemistry, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Methods, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Research
Tagged climate, food safety problem, food vehicles, foodborne illnesses, illness data, research
UK – East Midlands Free Listeria Seminar for SME’s
East Midlands food businesses that make, distribute and sell chilled, ready-to-eat products are to be given help and advice to help them keep their products safe from Listeria.
According to data from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) serious cases of laboratory-confirmed Listeria infection in the UK almost doubled between 2000 and 2009. In 2010 numbers decreased but were still higher than during the 1990s.
The Food and Drink iNet, which is run by trade organisation The Food and Drink Forum, is funding a six-month collaborative research and development project at The University of Nottingham working with the food hygiene specialists Diversey, to turn the spotlight on the issue.
As part of the project, a seminar is being run to give small and medium-sized businesses in the chilled food sector, guidance and advice about how to manage the risk of Listeria. The seminar will be held in the Plant Sciences Building at the University’s Sutton Bonington campus between 4 pm and 6.45 pm on Wednesday February 13.
The Food and Drink iNet, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is managed by a consortium, led by the Food and Drink Forum and including Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and The University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region to offer a range of support to small and medium-sized enterprises that work in the sector.
To book places at the seminar email iNet advisor Jo Murphy at jo.murphy@foodanddrink-inet.org.uk and for more information visit www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk
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