Category Archives: Hygiene

US- Chicks and Ducklings Salmonella Cases Increase

Posted on August 22, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The number of people sickened by Salmonella traced to chicks and ducklings from an Ohio mail order hatchery has risen from 123 to 163, according to a report released Monday by the U.S.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   

The illnesses – linked to contact with live baby poultry sold by Mt. Hatchery of Cincinnati, OH – began in March of this year. Three strains of Salmonella – Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Lille and Salmonella Newport – have been associated with animals from the hatchery.

 
The 20 new cases reported since CDC’s last update on July 12 occurred in 10 states, including Illinois (2), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (2), New York (5), North Carolina (1), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (1), Vermont (1) and West Virginia (3).

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

UK – Hospital Sandwiches Report – Listeria

Posted on August 22, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Sun

“HOSPITAL sandwiches were yesterday revealed to have KILLED eight patients.”

The victims died from the listeria bug — which thrives when grub is not chilled properly.

Watchdogs yesterday demanded a crackdown on shoddy handling of food after the grim toll over the past ten years was disclosed by the Health Protection Agency.

Twenty others were also poisoned by listeria but survived.

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

UK Daily Mail – Attack of the Poisoned Lettuces!

Posted on August 20, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Daily Mail Online 

It is there on every packet of salad: ‘wash before eating’. But how many of us will simply rip open the wrapping and empty the contents into a salad bowl, or tear it into a sandwich without a second thought?

Doing so could yield unpleasant results, says the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Government’s advisory body.

Last year, Spanish cucumbers and German beansprouts made headlines worldwide as being possible sources of a deadly outbreak. A variety of the bacterium E.coli that was pathogenic (capable of causing infection) had killed six people and left almost 300 very ill in Germany.

Most of us are aware of the risk of food poisoning from meat and poultry if they’re not properly stored, handled or cooked, but we don’t tend to think of vegetables and fruit as posing a risk to our health.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, Food Hygiene, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

Vibrio Outbreak – Shellfish Areas Closed for the Season

Posted on August 18, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Washington Health

Vibrio bacteria have closed three commercial growing areas and caused 30 confirmed illnesses in Washington this summer, according to the state Department of Health. Totten Inlet near Olympia, North Bay and Dabob Bay in north Hood Canal are closed for the rest of the summer due to these bacteria, which are common in warm weather conditions. Once water temperatures begin to cool in October, these growing areas will reopen.

People get vibriosis from eating raw or undercooked oysters that have Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria in them. Cooking shellfish until the shells just open is not enough to kill Vibrio bacteria. Shellfish should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F for at least 15 seconds. Don’t rinse cooked oysters in seawater, which can re-contaminate them.

Vibriosis symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever, and chills. Symptoms usually appear 12-24 hours after eating infected shellfish, and can last two to seven days. Vibriosis can be life-threatening for people with low immunity or chronic liver disease. Also at greater risk are people who take antacids, heart or diabetes medication, or who’ve had antibiotic or cancer treatments recently.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Vibrio, Vibrio parahaemolyticus

US Alert – Hepatitis A Restaurant Worker

Posted on August 17, 2012 by | Leave a comment

SIPH

Patrons of Tom’s Gyro, 150 N. 3rd Ave., in Pocatello may have been exposed to Hepatitis A during August 2nd-August 14th, as an employee there has been confirmed as having the disease. Currently, there is no evidence of a hepatitis A outbreak associated with Tom’s Gyros. While the risk to public health is low, the possibility exists that Tom’s Gyro patrons could have been exposed to hepatitis A. Tom’s Gyro has cooperated fully with the investigation into the situation. The employee is believed to have practiced good hand hygiene but could have inadvertently contaminated food and drinks at the restaurant. The risk of exposure is considered small, but not zero.

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Posted in Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Virus

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Ireland – Shellfish Posioning Warning

Posted on August 16, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Irish Times

About a dozen people have become ill with suspected food poisoning in recent weeks after gathering mussels and other shellfish from the shoreline in parts of the west and southwest coast.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) warned locals and holidaymakers visiting these areas of dangers of gathering and consuming wild shellfish growing on the seashore.

It said there had been over 10 reports of illness in Galway, Mayo and Sligo in the past number of weeks. It suspects the reports are linked to harmful algal blooms occurring naturally along these parts of the coast.

Bi-valve shellfish such as mussels, oysters, scallops, cockles and clams should only be purchased from reputable suppliers and not gathered in the wild, the authority said.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, FSAI, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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RASFF Alerts – Listeria, Salmonella and Histamine

Posted on August 15, 2012 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – Listeria In Chilled Chicken Pasta in Italy sourced in Romania

RASFF – Salmonella Frozen Chicken in Denmark sourced in Brasil

RASFF – Histamine in Canned Sardines in France from Morocco

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Posted in Allergic Reaction, Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Histamine, Hygiene, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall, Salmonella

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RASFF Alerts – Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, Histamine, STEC, Aflatoxins, Pseudomonas

Posted on August 14, 2012 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – Salmonella in White Pepper in Sweden sourced in Sri Lanka

RASFF – Salmonella in Marinated Pork in Sweden sourced in Denmark

RASFF – Salmonella in Pork Meat in Swede sourced in Germany

RASFF – Histamine Tuna Fillet in Italy sourced in Spain

RASFF – Histamine Tuna Loins in Italy from Spain

RASFF – Listeria in Smoked Salmon in Italy sourced in Spain

RASFF – Listeria in Raw Milk Cheese France

RASFF –  Listeria in Vac Pac Smoked Salmon in Italy sourced in Poland

RASFF – Campylobacter in Chicken Breast Fillet in Denmark sourced in France.

RASFF – Pseudomans aeruginosa in Mineral Water in Cyprus sourced in Greece

RASFF – STEC E.coli in Soyabean Sprouts in Austria sourced in Italy

RASFF –  Aflatoxins in Whole Nutmeg in France souced in Indonesia.

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Bacteria, E.coli, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Histamine, Hygiene, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Pseudomonas, RASFF, Recall, Salmonella, Sprouting Seeds, STEC, Toxin

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Cruise Ship Virus Strikes Again – Norovirus

Posted on August 14, 2012 by | 1 comment

Cruise Law News

A puke fest is underway on the Carnival Glory cruise ship, with passengers taking to the message boards at Cruise Critic to comment that passengers are suffering from diarrhea and other norovirus-like symptoms,

The message board states that Carnival prepared a letter to passengers this weekend that passengers on the prior cruise experienced norovirus sickness. Several passengers are stating that the current cruise has been plagued by norovirus as well.  Some comments mention the strong smell of vomit in public areas of the cruise ship.  

One passenger comments that the Centers for Disease control (CDC) came onto the Glory on August 9th.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Pathogen, Virus

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Finland – Listeria Outbreak

Posted on August 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment

NewFood

Ten listeria cases were detected among patients with febrile diarrhoea in the Vaasa city hospital during the month of July. Two more cases were detected in Eastern Finland, one in Juva and one in Mikkeli. No deaths have occurred. The bacterial strains typed were identical which may imply a common source of infection.

Listeria is a food-borne infection. The exposure period in Vaasa is presumably between July 13th and 17th. The food items consumed by the patients have been identified and are now currently under investigation. The identification of the source of the infection for the cases in Eastern Finland has been initiated.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen