Category Archives: Foodborne Illness

Japanese boxed meal maker banned from operations over food poisoning

English News

TOKYO, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) — A boxed meal maker in northeastern Japan has been banned by public health authorities from operating due to hundreds of food poisoning cases caused by its products, local media reported.

Yoshidaya, a local maker of boxed meals, commonly known as “bento” in Japanese, voluntarily suspended operations starting Sunday, after being banned from operations on Saturday by public health authorities in Aomori Prefecture.

Nearly 300 people from 24 prefectures in the country, more than half the number of prefectures across Japan, reported symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting after eating bento meals supplied by the company based in Hachinohe city, Aomori Prefecture.

The number of patients might further increase, a public health official in Hachinohe said.

Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, which cause food poisoning, were detected in the feces of the patients who ate bento meals as well as unopened products made by the company, Japan’s Jiji Press reported, citing Hachinohe public health officials.

Research – Detection and Control of Foodborne Pathogens

MDPI

The globalization of food trade and the emergence of disease outbreaks involving several foodborne pathogens and foods has focused the attention of both the research community and consumers on food safety. Microbial contamination can involve different stages of food processing and distribution, with a potentially dramatic impact on human health and food business. Several methods, involving culture-dependent and -independent techniques, were developed to detect foodborne pathogens in the food supply chain. In this respect, gold-standard reference methods are currently available for most pathogens, but some of them are time-consuming and expensive. Moreover, routine controls carried out by manufacturers and food safety authorities are normally focused on bacteria and not on viruses and fungi, which can have a significant impact on food safety. In the European Union, the number of human cases caused by Noroviruses and other Caliciviruses increased sharply in 2021 [1]. Therefore, based on the evidence given by an increasing amount of research, control strategies show a clear trend towards molecular techniques, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), multiplex PCR, real-time PCR (qPCR), reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), DNA microarrays, nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA), isothermal DNA amplification techniques, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) [2]. Moreover, to expand the knowledge on the behaviour of pathogens in food environments, proteome profiling and biosensors shed light on how these microorganisms interact and prevail in food systems [3].

Viet Nam – Salmonella poisons Hoi An banh mi shop

VN Express

Salmonella bacterial contamination gave 313 people food poisoning after eating food from a banh mi eatery in Hoi An Town, the Quang Nam health department announced Saturday.

Mai Van Muoi, director of the Quang Nam Department of Health, said the food poisoning came from the char siu (BBQ pork) and the various herbs and vegetables in banh mi samples taken from Ms. Phuong, a famous eatery in Hoi An. The results came from the analysis of food samples and fecal samples of patients at the Nha Trang Pasteur Institute.

The department said a total of 3,600 people bought banh mi from the eatery on September 11 and September 12. Later, 313 of said customers suffered the symptoms of food poisoning. The number included 103 foreigners. And 273 people had to be hospitalized, all of whom have since been discharged. There were no deaths associated with the incident.

USA – CrackleMi Café Salmonella Outbreak in Seattle, WA Sickens Three

Food Poisoning Bulletin

A CrackleMi Café Salmonella outbreak in Seattle, Washington has sickened at least three people, according to the King County Public Health Department. The illnesses occurred in August, but the investigation into the outbreak was announced on September 21, 2023. That restaurant is located at 709 North 35th Street in Seattle.

Turkey – Hundreds of workers suffer from food poisoning at Turkey’s Akkuyu nuclear plant

Bianet

About 300 workers working for the construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Mersin, southern Turkey, were poisoned during their lunch break due to contaminated chicken soup, a worker has revealed.

The worker reached out to Labor Party (EMEP) deputy Sevda Karaca, explaining the incident that took place on September 14.

Providing details about the poisoning incidents, the worker also noted that those who dared to speak about these violations were terminated from their jobs.

USA – Kumo Japanese Steakhouse announces closure following foodborne illness incident

Long Island News 12

The Stony Brook Japanese restaurant at the center of a foodborne illness investigation announced Saturday that it is closing.

Suffolk County officials said Kumo Japanese Steakhouse was cited for 15 violations after 28 customers got sick from eating improperly stored cooked rice on Sept. 9.

USA – Confirmed STEC E. coli Outbreak at Huntley High School –Increases to 7 Sickened

Food Poison Journal

HUNTLEY, IL – The McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) and Huntley Community School District 158 are working collaboratively to respond to a recent outbreak of Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli (STEC) at Huntley High School. There are currently seven confirmed cases of STEC, all of which involve students. The first case was identified on Sunday, September 17. At this time, there is insufficient evidence to indicate the source of the illness. The MCDH is actively monitoring for potential cases; there are no other known McHenry County STEC cases outside of this outbreak.

Increased Number of Cases – 55 with Salmonella linked to Carniceria Guanajuato in Avondale

Food Poison Journal

Chicago’s Department of Public Health had identified 55 confirmed infections stemming from the outbreak at an Avondale taqueria, Carniceria Guanajuato, at 3140 N. California Ave., up from 20 last week.

At least 17 people have been hospitalized as of Friday.

An investigation into the source of the bacteria is ongoing. The restaurant remains closed as owners work with public officials to bring the eatery up to safety standards.

Carniceria Guanajuato was inspected September 8th after reports of food poisoning. City health inspectors found raw beef and raw shelled eggs stored above ready-to-eat lettuce and improper storage of hot and cold foods, among other violations. City officials gave guidance on safe food handling practice and proper cleaning to stop the spread, officials said. The restaurant was inspected again September 14th. Inspectors instructed restaurant owners to clean and sanitize certain food preparation areas, install working thermometers inside restaurant coolers, and correct labeling of prepared foods.

Anyone who bought food from the taqueria or from the prepared food section of the grocery store should throw it away and not eat it. People who ate at the taqueria or bought prepared food from the grocery since August 29th could also be exposed.

USA – A Nebraska wedding reception with a side of Salmonella

Food Poison Journal

According to press reports, the Two Rivers Public Health Department and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (NDHHS) are working to investigate potential cases of Salmonella illness among people who attended a wedding reception near the Holdrege/Elm Creek area on Saturday, September 9.

Individuals should speak with their healthcare provider about any concerns they may have.

USA – Life Raft Treats has Expanded their Recalls of Ice Cream Products, Not Fried Chicken And Life Is Peachy, Due to Possible Listeria Monocytogenes Contamination – Expanded Recall

FDA

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC – September 19, 2023 – Life Raft Treats is expanding their recall of their Not Fried Chicken 64 oz bucket, Not Fried Chicken 2.5 oz bar UPC 8 60006 18210 6 and Life Is Peachy 6 count box ice cream products, to include the BEST BY DATES up to and including AUG 08282024 due to a potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenesListeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, a Listeria monocytogenes infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

On September 18, 2023, the firm was notified by South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) that they needed to include an additional lot of their Not Fried Chicken ice cream treat which also test positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The firm also decided to recall their Life Is Peachy Ice Cream treats because both products were manufactured in the same room.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

Products affected are:

Product Product UPC Use By Dates
LIFE RAFT TREATS
LIFE IS PEACHY
6 COUNT NO UPC CODE Up to and
including
BEST BY
AUG 08282024
LIFE RAFT TREATS
NOT FRIED CHICKEN
ICE CREAM
64 OZ BUCKET NO UPC CODE Up to and
including
BEST BY
AUG 08282024
LIFE RAFT TREATS
NOT FRIED CHICKEN
ICE CREAM
2.5 OZ BAR 8 60006 18210 6 Up to and
including
BEST BY
AUG 08282024

See attached photos for product identification.

The recalling firm began shipping recalled products on 8/28/2023. These products were packaged in laminated buckets and plastic wrap and shipped via www.Goldbelly.comExternal Link Disclaimer online directly to consumers located in AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA & WI.

Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them and to return the products to the place of purchase for a full refund or they may discard the product. Consumers with questions may contact the firm via email recall@liferafttreats.com or telephone us at (843) 695-9806 M-F 9:00 am – 5:00 pm EST.

This recall is being made with the knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration.

Original Press Release