Category Archives: Foodborne Illness

Canada – Cheese Recall – Possible Listeria Contamination

Posted on April 4, 2012 by | Leave a comment

BCCDC

The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is warning the public not to consume Tomme d’Or cheese manufactured by Moonstruck Organic Cheese located on Saltspring Island. Other types of cheeses produced by Moonstruck Organic Cheese are not affected by this advisory.

 This health alert is the result of a routine sampling program by the BCCDC and further investigation by the manufacturer which revealed that samples of the finished products contained the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Affected products include all lot numbers of Tomme d’Or cheese. In order to ensure the health and safety of consumers, a photo of the product is provided below so the public can easily identify the product. The manufacturer is fully cooperating and assisting with the investigation.

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Posted in Bacteria, CIFA, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

US – Another Raw Milk Recall – Salmonella

Posted on April 3, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Pennsylvania Fox News 

The state departments of Agriculture and Health Monday advised consumers and retailers who purchased raw milk and raw milk cheese from Norman Z. and Edith B. Sauder in Kutztown, Berks County, to discard or return the products immediately. Raw milk and raw milk cheese are products that have not been pasteurized.  

On April 1, an independent lab confirmed the products tested positive for Salmonella. It was found in raw milk sold in a plastic bottle and raw milk cheese with a date code of March 25, 2012

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Recall, Salmonella

UK – Vets – E.coli Superbug – Caution

Posted on April 3, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Meat Info UK 

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has questioned the Soil Association’s (SA) assertion that there is “overwhelming evidence” that the use of antibiotics in UK livestock farms is contributing to an “epidemic” of E.coli infections in humans.

It said that leading scientitic opinion suggests there is no evidence to draw this conclusion and that the claims risked a “kneejerk reaction” of blanket restrictions on the use of these medicines by veterinary surgeons.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen

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US – FSIS Food Safety Video

Posted on April 3, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has released a new video today to demonstrate safe food handling for spring celebrations.

The three problematic foods for Easter and Passover are eggs, brisket, and ham.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Foodborne Illness, FSIS, Microbiology, Pathogen

Climate Change – Influences Pathogen Outbreaks?

Posted on April 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News 

To me this seems to be a reasonably logical assumption and this report attempts to back that up.

The transmission of foodborne pathogens may be impacted by the effects of climate change, according to a report released March 28 by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Studying hundreds of peer-reviewed publications on six different food- and waterborne pathogens, the report’s authors observed 1,653 “key facts” that link the viability of those pathogens to a range of climatic variables such as air temperature, water temperature and precipitation. The pathogens under study included Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella, Norovirus, Cryptosporidium and non-cholera Vibrio.

Link to Report : Free Report

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Posted in Bacteria, ECDC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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China – Food Poisoning Incidents Hit Rural Schools

Posted on April 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

China Daily

Seven students at a primary school in Southwest China remain in the hospital after they had eaten a free meal provided by the government and got sick, according to a local official.

The rest of the 79 students, who all attend the Babuzhen Central Primary School, in Bijie city’s Zhijin county, Guizhou province, have been discharged, according to Chen Guangshi, director of the county’s publicity department.

Eighty-six students at the school began to vomit and suffer abdominal pains after they had eaten the free breakfast on March 29.

 

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen

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Japan – Raw Beef Liver – E.coli O157

Posted on April 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Japan Times

A health ministry panel on Friday proposed banning all raw beef liver served at restaurants, after it was discovered that it contains the O-157 strain of E. coli bacteria.

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will swiftly refer the matter to the Food Safety Commission under the Cabinet Office. Once the commission compiles a report, the new ban could be incorporated in the Food Sanitation Law and come into effect as early as June.

Violations regarding raw liver, considered a delicacy, would be punishable by up to two years in prison or a maximum fine of ¥2 million.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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Cananda – Cured Sausage Recall – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on April 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CIFA

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume the La Vecchia Fattoria brand Cacciatore Dry Cured Sausages described below because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The affected product, La Vecchia Fattoria brand Cacciatore Dry Cured Sausages, is sold in packages of 2 units each (approximately 300g), bearing UPC 8 81248 33336 1 and a Best Before date of 12 23 JL.

This product has been distributed in Quebec.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

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Posted in Bacteria, CIFA, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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Norovirus Epidemiology Review

Posted on March 31, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Cambridge Journals Online 

Food Safety Review

Norovirus – a bug that causes gastrointestinal illness – is responsible for 12 percent of all diarrheal disease worldwide and is estimated to cause 218,000 deaths among children under 5 each year. 
 
Now a clearer picture of how this virus spreads and where it originates is being drawn by a review published this week in Epidemiology & Infection.
 
Norovirus is derived from fecal matter, and can infect people via 4 routes: contaminated water, contaminated food, contaminated environmental surfaces or contact with an infected person. 
 
Researchers from Emory University and the University of Michigan looked at 902 Norovirus (NoV) outbreaks documented between 1993 and 2011, finding that most were associated with transmission through food or in a food service setting.
 
 

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Norovirus, outbreak, Pathogen, Research

US – Tofu In New York Linked to Botulism Cases

Posted on March 31, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal 

New York City Health Department is currently investigating two cases of foodborne Botulism linked to fresh bulk tofu sold at a store in Flushing.  As reported by WABC, New York City has reported only one other foodborne-linked botulism over the past 15 years.

The two reported cases are Chinese-speaking residents of Queens who recently purchased the unrefrigerated bulk tofu from the same store.  According to reports, the tofu was not made at the store and its source is under investigation.

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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