The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Canada Safeway Limited are warning the public not to consume The Gourmet Meat Shoppe and The Butcher’s Cut brands of Frozen Beef Burgers described below because these products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall
Tagged food, restaurants, science, transportation
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.
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (February 14) reminded members of the public and management of institutions to maintain personal and environmental hygiene to prevent gastroenteritis.
The appeal was made following the CHP’s investigation into an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis at an elderly home in North District involving 20 female residents and three female staff members.
The affected residents, aged between 77 and 96, together with three staff members, presented with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis, including vomiting, fever and diarrhoea, since February 4.
Two of them were admitted to North District Hospital. All the 23 affected persons are in stable condition.
Rectal swabs of three patients tested positive for norovirus. Investigations are continuing.
Officers of the CHP have visited the institution and provided health advice to the staff concerning proper disinfection, disposal of vomitus, and personal and environmental hygiene.
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.
ZIP International Group LLC is recalling Dry Salted Fish (bream) because the product was found to be uneviscerated, and has the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which can cause life-threatening illness or death. Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled.
Botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning, can cause the following symptoms: general weakness, dizziness, double-vision and trouble with speaking or swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation may also be common symptoms. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.
The recalled product, Dry Salted Fish (bream) was distributed by East Coast Foods Inc. Brooklyn, NY via delivery to retail stores and wholesalers in September 2012.
The recalled product, Dry Salted Fish (bream) is packaged in vacuum sealed packaging labeled “Astrakhansky Lesh” (Dry Salted Fish Eviscerated) weight 14.2oz. Bar Code 835856001228 is located on the top right corner of the package. The recalled product, Dry Salted Fish (bream) is a product of Russia.
No illnesses have been reported to date.
Dry Salted Fish(bream) was sampled by the New York State Department of Agriculture during inspection. Subsequent analysis of the product by New York State Food Laboratory personnel confirmed that the Dry Salted Fish (bream) was not properly eviscerated prior to processing.
The sale of uneviscerated fish is prohibited under New York State Agriculture and Markets regulations because Clostridium botulinum spores are more likely to be concentrated in the viscera than any other portion of the fish. Uneviscerated fish have been linked to outbreaks of botulinum poisioning.
Consumers that have purchased Dry Salted Fish (bream) are advised not to eat it and should return it to the place of purchase or discard for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company East Coast Foods Inc. at (718) 371-1113, Monday-Friday 10am-4pm Eastern Standard Time.
RASFF – Salmonella in Dried Green Pepper in Estonia sourced in India via Germany
RASFF – Salmonella in Beef Trimings in Sweden sourced in Poland via the Netherlands and Germany
RASFF – Norovirus in Chilled Oysters in Italy sourced in France
RASFF – Hepatitis A Virus in Pitted Dates in Netherlands sourced in Algeria via France
Carrefour Recall – Noroviurs in Oysters
RASFF – Aflatoxins in Maize in Cyprus sourced in Greece
RASFF – Aflatoxins in Almone Powder in Belgium sourced in Ghana
RASFF – Salmonella in Frozen Beef in Sweden sourced in Poland
RASFF – Salmonella in Pasteurised Cows Milk Cheese in France
Posted in Aflatoxin, Allergic Reaction, Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Hygiene, Microbiology, Moulds, Mycotoxin, Norovirus, Ochratoxin, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall
Tagged cows milk, food, green pepper, hepatitis a virus, milk cheese
A device developed in Scotland uses ozone to make food safer for consumers and extend the shelf-life of food products by one day.
Dr Declan Diver and Dr Hugh Potts of Glasgow University’s School of Physics and Astronomy have prototyped a system to rapidly, safely and temporarily turn some of the oxygen inside the sealed packaging into ozone, which acts as a germicide.
Plasma generated by a retractable device held briefly against the surface of plastic or glass packaging splits the bonds between oxygen molecules inside the packaging which then reform as ozone.
Abstract
The effects of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatments on Vibrio parahaemolyticus cells were investigated using viability counting, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) in order to determine optimal inactivation conditions and further understand the mechanisms of microorganism inactivation under HHP. The results showed that 300-MPa treatment for 10 min could extensively inactivate V. parahaemolyticus, with the number of viable bacteria decreasing from 109 CFU/mL to no viable bacteria. Damage to the cell wall, cell membrane, and cytoplasmic components by HHP treatments can be observed on scanning as well as transmission electron microscopy images. SDS-PAGE results showed that the protein bands differed between HHP untreated and treated V. parahaemolyticus, whereas HHP decreased protein content and caused partial protein degradation. Therefore, our results indicate that HHP can be applied to inactivate V. parahaemolyticus by inducing morphological changes in internal and external structures in the cell, as well as by causing cell membrane damage, cell wall rupture, and membrane protein degradation.
Posted in Bacteria, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Hygiene, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Vibrio, Vibrio parahaemolyticus
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.
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
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