Category Archives: foodborne outbreak

Research – How safe is the US food supply?

New Scientist

Food in the US has a bad rap thanks to outbreaks caused by bacteria, plus processing, additives and food dyes, but the food supply is actually much less risky than people think.

Apple sauce containing lead. Onions carrying E. coli. Deli meat spreading listeria. The past year has seen alert after alert from US public health officials warning of contamination in the food supply, both in packaged and prepared foods. Going to the grocery store – or even out to eat – has seemingly become a real gamble.

Sweden suspects sprouts in Salmonella investigation

Food Safety News

A rise in Salmonella infections in Sweden has been linked to the consumption of alfalfa sprouts.

Folkhälsomyndigheten (the Public Health Agency of Sweden) said 92 people from 18 regions have been infected with one of 12 genetically closely related Salmonella Typhimurium sequence type (ST) 36 variants.

Patients fell sick beginning in August. There are 60 women and 32 men who are ill. Cases range in age from 1 to 89 and the median is 44 years old. Most are in the age groups 0 to 10 and 40 to 50 years old.

EU – Outbreak results reported at ECDC conference

Food Safety News

Experts have shared findings from Cryptosporidium, Listeria, Trichinella, and Salmonella outbreaks at an event in Europe.

Among presentations at the European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (ESCAIDE) was one about the Danish perspective on two multi-country outbreaks. These included a Salmonella outbreak linked to chicken meat from Poland and Listeria in fish from a Danish producer.

The meeting organized by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) also discussed a July 2023 botulism outbreak linked to potato omelets (tortilla de patata) eaten in Spain. Italy and Norway had two cases of people who had been to Spain. Potential contamination pathways remain unknown.

USA – FDA – Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

FDA

What’s New

  • A new outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium (ref #1277) linked to a not yet identified product has been added to the table. FDA has initiated traceback.
  • For the outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 (ref #1269) linked to a not yet identified product, the case count has increased from 21 to 25 cases.
  • For the outbreak of E. coli O121:H19 (ref #1273) linked to organic whole and baby carrots supplied by Grimmway Farms, FDA has updated the outbreak advisory. FDA has also initiated an onsite inspection and sample collection.
  • For the outbreak of E. coli O26:H11 (ref #1272) linked to a not yet identified product, the outbreak has ended.

USA – Outbreak Investigation of E. coli O121:H19: Organic Carrots (November 2024)

FDA

Current Update

November 22, 2024

On November 16, 2024, Grimmway Farms initiated a voluntary recall of multiple quantities and brands of bagged, organic whole and baby carrots and contacted their distributing customers. Recalled products were shipped directly to retail distribution centers nationwide in the United States and Puerto Rico. These products should no longer be in grocery stores but may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers.

On November 21, 2024, the recall expanded to include additional bag sizes for organic whole carrots under the following labels:

  • Bunny Luv: 50-lb
  • Cal-Organic: 15-lb and 50-lb
  • Good & Gather: 1-lb

A full list of recalled products is below. These products are likely no longer available for sale in stores but could be in people’s homes.

FDA’s investigation is ongoing and more information will be provided as it becomes available.

USA-CDC says deadly Listeria outbreak traced to Boar’s Head deli meats is over; investigations continue

Food Safety News

The CDC has declared an outbreak of Listeria infections traced to Boar’s Head deli meats to be over.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began investigating the outbreak on July 19. Ultimately the outbreak sickened 59 people across 19 states, killing 10. The company closed its production plant in Jarratt, VA, and permanently stopped liverwurst production nationwide. Boar’s Head recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli meats because of the outbreak.

Even though the outbreak has been declared over, the CDC is continuing to warn against the consumption of deli meats for certain groups of people.

EU – Salmonella Umbilo outbreak due to consumption of beetroot and spinach salad

ACSA

The investigation into an outbreak involving around 200 cases of Salmonella enterica serotype Umbilo (S. Umbilo), published this month in Eurosurveillance, affecting several European countries between July and September 2024, identified rocket salad from an Italian company as the source of infection. Spinach from the same company was also contaminated by S. Umbilo.
Following alert from Austria, on 20 September 2024, through the European Alert Network (RASFF), the Italian food safety authorities took measures to stop the distribution of rocket salad and all products containing rocket salad from certain producers in a region of Italy, as well as ordering the withdrawal of these products from the market.
Salmonella Umbilo serotype is generally rare, with 20 to 32 cases annually reported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in the European Union/European Economic Area (including the United Kingdom until 2019) over the past 10 years.
With some 200 cases across at least nine European countries, the current outbreak is the first reported where S. umbilicus affects people.
Arugula salads have been the cause of numerous outbreaks since 2000: Salmonella Typhimurium in Sweden in 2022, a Salmonella Thompson outbreak in Norway in 2004, Salmonella Napoli cases in Sweden in 2008-2009, an Escherichia coli STEC outbreak in Finland in 2016, and a hepatitis A virus outbreak in Sweden in 2000-2001.
Foodborne outbreaks associated with fresh produce, including leafy green salads, are a challenging public health issue, because these foods are widely promoted as part of a healthy diet and are eaten uncooked. Contamination of fresh produce can occur at different stages of the food production chain, for example when animal manure is used as fertilizer, contaminated water is used for irrigation or for pre-washing of produce.
This outbreak serves as a reminder that salmonella can appear in fresh produce, including leafy green salads, intended for consumption without prior cooking.

One dead in EU-wide Salmonella outbreak

Food Safety News

One person has died in a multi-country Salmonella outbreak linked to salad from Italy.

A foodborne outbreak with about 200 Salmonella Umbilo cases occurred between July and September 2024 in nine European countries. Germany was the most affected with 118 infections.

Salmonella Umbilo was detected in rocket salad (also known as arugula or rucola), and later in baby spinach. According to a study published in the journal Eurosurveillance, both food items came from the same company in Italy.

USA – Grimmway Farms Expands Recall to Include Additional Bag Sizes Due to Potential STEC 0121 E. coli Contamination

FDA

Grimmway Farms announced the addition of four bag sizes of organic whole carrots to its November 16, 2024, recall. All dates associated with the recall remain unchanged.

These products may have been contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) O121:H19. For more information on E. coli 0121:H19 and to read the initial recall notice, please visit Grimmway’s websiteExternal Link Disclaimer.

“As a part of our ongoing review of internal processes associated with the voluntary recall, we determined that four bag sizes needed to be added to our initial recall announcement,” said Jeff Huckaby, President & CEO of Grimmway Farms. “We then began the process to notify the FDA and update the consumer. The health of our consumers and the integrity of our products are our highest priorities, and we will not rest until this issue is fully resolved.”

Retailers who received the affected product were appropriately notified of all correct bag sizes when the company initiated the recall on November 16.

The recalled carrots should not be available for purchase in stores but may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. The table below shows the additional bag sizes in bold and underlined font.

Grimmway Farms Firm-Initiated Recall
The bag sizes underlined and bolded

below reflect additions

to the existing November 16, 2024 voluntary recall

Organic WHOLE Carrots
available
 for purchase at retail

from August 14 through October 23, 2024

Label Bag Sizes These organic whole carrots were available for purchase at retail stores from August 14 through October 23, 2024. No best-if-used-by-dates are on the bags of organic whole carrots.
Bunny Luv 1lb, 2lb, 5lb, 10lb, 25lb, 50lb
Cal-Organic 1lb, 2lb, 5lb, 6lb, 10lb,

15lb, 25lb, 50lb

Good & Gather 1lb, 2lb

E.coli O121:H19 is a bacterium that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people, and those with a weakened immune system. Some infections can cause severe bloody diarrhea conditions, such as a hemolytic uremic syndrome, or the development of high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and neurologic problems. Symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting. The incubation period for E. coli O121:H19 in humans can range from 24 hours to as much as ten days. The average incubation period is 3 to 4 days.

Consumers: The recalled carrots should no longer be available for purchase but may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. Consumers who purchased carrots specified in the original recall noticeExternal Link Disclaimer (and in the table above) who still have them in their refrigerator or freezer should not consume them; the carrots should be destroyed or discarded so they cannot be consumed. If you have these products in your home, do not eat or use them, throw them away, and clean and sanitize surfaces they touched. Consumers concerned about an illness should contact a medical professional.

“We would also like to apologize to consumers who have been unable to reach our company due to technical issues and high call volume,” stated Huckaby. “We have been working around the clock with our third-party vendors to address these challenges and have made a direct telephone number available to consumers (1-866- 912-9552).”

Consumers with questions or products in their possession may contact our customer services desk at 1-866-912- 9552, Sun-Sat, 8 am – 8 pm ET or visit www.grimmway.comExternal Link Disclaimer.

Original Press Release

FDA Advisory

CDC Advisory

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SALMONELLA DURING AN OUTBREAK

Food Poison Journal

There are two Salmonella species: Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) and Salmonella bongori (S. bongori). S. bongori strains predominantly colonize cold-blooded reptiles, whereas S. enterica strains are capable of infecting both humans and mammals.[1] Based on factors such as morphology, structure, mode of reproduction, and other criteria, the two species are further classified into subgroups called serotypes or serovars. More than 2,600 serotypes have been described for Salmonella, and they are characterized by the type(s) of animal they are found in or by the clinical symptoms they cause.[2] Of these, less than 100 are responsible for most human Salmonella infections.[3]

Read More at the link above