RASFF -aflatoxins (B1 = 6.0; Tot. = 7.0 µg/kg – ppb) in peanut bar from Ukraine in Germany
RASFF -ochratoxin A (12.7 µg/kg – ppb) in dried halve figs from Turkey in Germany
RASFF -aflatoxins (B1 = 9.0; Tot. = 11.7 µg/kg – ppb) in peanuts from Madagascar in Belgium
RASFF -aflatoxins (B1 = 81.1; Tot. = 102 µg/kg – ppb) in peanut butter from Benin in Belgium
RASFF -aflatoxins (B1 = 47; Tot. = 55.3 / B1 = 0.8; Tot. = 2.3 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs from Turkey in Germany
Posted in Aflatoxin, Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Laboratory, Microbiology, Moulds, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall
Tagged aflatoxins, ppb, rasff
RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in soybean meel from Argentina in Latvia
American Society for Microbiology
Human norovirus (huNoV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) have been involved in several produce-associated outbreaks and identified as major food-borne viral etiologies. In this study, the survival of huNoV surrogates (murine norovirus [MNV] and Tulane virus [TV]) and HAV was investigated on alfalfa seeds during storage and postgermination. Alfalfa seeds were inoculated with MNV, TV, or HAV with titers of 6.46 ± 0.06 log PFU/g, 3.87 ± 0.38 log PFU/g, or 7.01 ± 0.07 log 50% tissue culture infectious doses (TCID50)/g, respectively. Inoculated seeds were stored for up to 50 days at 22°C and sampled during that storage period on days 0, 2, 5, 10, and 15. Following storage, virus presence was monitored over a 1-week germination period. Viruses remained infectious after 50 days, with titers of 1.61 ± 0.19 log PFU/g, 0.85 ± 0.21 log PFU/g, and 3.43 ± 0.21 log TCID50/g for MNV, TV, and HAV, respectively. HAV demonstrated greater persistence than MNV and TV, without a statistically significant reduction over 20 days (<1 log TCID50/g); however, relatively high levels of genomic copies of all viruses persisted over the testing time period. Low titers of viruses were found on sprouts and were located in all tissues as well as in sprout-spent water sampled on days 1, 3, and 6 following seed planting. Results revealed the persistence of viruses in seeds for a prolonged period of time, and perhaps of greater importance these data suggest the ease of which virus may transfer from seeds to sprouts and spent water during germination. These findings highlight the importance of sanitation and prevention procedures before and during germination.
Listeria bacterium in a ricotta product in Italy has caused the death of an elderly man aged 74 of Poggio Mirteto, while three other people were severely intoxicated, including a man of 45 years of Casperia. The four people’s place of residence, Lower Sabina, and they consumed the product at the beginning of the month, cheese and dairy products by a famous dairy company which has not yet been named.
Posted in Death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Laboratory, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen
Tagged Italian Daily Mail Listeria bacterium, Poggio Mirteto
Salmonella is naturally occurring. In the wake of outbreaks, like the one linked to Foster Farms chicken, it’s an often-repeated phrase meant to assuage consumer fears and absolve corporate responsibility. But the phrase leaves out a key piece of information, where Salmonella naturally occurs.
Salmonella lives in the intestines of humans and other animals. It doesn’t “naturally occur” on the boneless, skinless chicken breasts or the wings and drumsticks you buy at the store. It gets there through a process of contamination. People can only get Salmonella infections when they eat or drink foods that have microscopic amounts of human or animal fecal matter on them.
The mishandling or undercooking of raw chicken meat associated with the recent Foster Farms Salmonella outbreak has sickened nearly 340 people across 20 states and Puerto Rico since March and has caused concern among consumers, consumer groups, and food-safety advocates about the safety of our food system and the efficacy of testing systems designed to keep our nation’s food supply safe.
Currently, federal law under USDA allows for 7.5 percent of whole chicken carcasses to be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. This means that products contaminated with Salmonella and Campylobacter have become common and are frequently shipped from production facilities to stores. It is up to the consumer to follow safe handling and cooking practices to avoid being sickened.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service guidelines require microbiological sampling to monitor raw poultry for harmful pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, but the regulations are not necessarily enforceable because no strains of Salmonella and Campylobacter are classified as adulterants.
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall, Research, Salmonella
Tagged Food Poisoning Bulletin Salmonella, salmonella infections
The public warning issued on October 24, 2013 has been updated to include additional products and Best Before dates.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Reser’s Fine Foods Inc. are warning the public not to consume the salad products described in the link above, because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.
The manufacturer, Reser’s Fine Foods Inc., Beaverton, Oregon, USA, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.
As of September 20, 2013 (5pm EDT), CDC has been notified of 643 ill persons with of Cyclospora infection from 25 states: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York (including New York City), Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Most of the illness onset dates have ranged from mid-June through mid-July.
Public health officials in Iowa and Nebraska performed investigations within their states and concluded that restaurant-associated cases of cyclosporiasis in their states were linked to a salad mix produced by Taylor Farms de Mexico.
Epidemiologic and traceback investigations conducted in Texas by state and local public health and regulatory officials, the FDA, and CDC indicated that some illnesses among Texas residents were linked to fresh cilantro from Puebla, Mexico.
RASFF – Salmonella Lexington (present /25g) in sweet basil from Laos in Norway
RASFF -Salmonella Mbandaka (in 2 out of 5 samples) in ground sweet pepper with raw material from Spain, packaged in Slovakia
RASFF -Salmonella enteritidis (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled chicken wings from Poland in Czech Republic
RASFF -Salmonella enteritidis (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in chilled chicken breast fillets from Poland
RASFF -Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in clams (Tapes semidecussatus) from Italy
RASFF -Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen cooked clams from Vietnam
RASFF -Salmonella enteritidis (presence /25g) in cheese from the Czech Republic, with raw material from Poland
RASFF -Salmonella enteritidis (presence /25g) in chilled chicken filet from Poland in the Czech Republic
RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen chicken meat preparations (Gallus domesticus) from Brazil in the Netherlands
RASFF -Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) toxins – okadaic acid (203 µg/kg – ppb) in live mussels (Mytillus galloprovincialis) from Spain in Italy
RASFF -Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) toxins – okadaic acid (287 µg/kg – ppb) in live mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from Spain in Italy
RASFF -Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) toxins – okadaic acid (494 µg/kg – ppb) in live mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from Spain in Italy
– The public warning issued on October 8, 2013 has been updated to include an additional product.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Belmont Meats Ltd. (Est. 112) are warning the public not to consume the uncooked lean ground beef in the link above because it may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
This recall is the result of an ongoing food safety investigation initiated as a result of a recent outbreak investigation. There may be recalls of additional products or best before dates as the food safety investigation at this facility continues.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
The manufacturer, Belmont Meats Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, is voluntarily recalling all affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.
The public warning issued on October 5, 2013 has been updated to include an additional product.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Reser’s Fine Foods Inc. are warning the public not to consume certain Reser’s Fine Foods brand Cheesy Macaroni salad, in the link above, because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
This product has been distributed in Walmart stores.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
The manufacturer, Reser’s Fine Foods Inc., Beaverton, Oregon, USA, is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.
Posted in Bacteria, CFIA, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Laboratory, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, Uncategorized
Tagged Belmont Meats Ltd., cfia, The Canadian Food Inspection Agency
FoodWorld 