Category Archives: Microbiological Risk Assessment

USA – FDA Core Investigation Table

Posted on July 28, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FDA

What’s New

  • For the Salmonella Senftenberg outbreak in Peanut Butter (ref# 1067), the outbreak status has ended and the investigation status is now closed.
  • A new outbreak has been added to the table: Cyclospora in a not yet identified food (ref #1084).
  • For the Salmonella Paratyphi B var. L(+) tartrate+ outbreak (ref# 1072) in a not yet identified food, the outbreak status has ended. FDA’s investigation status is still ongoing.
Date
Posted		 Ref Pathogen or
Cause of Illness
 Product(s)
Linked to
Illnesses
(if any)		 Total
Case Count
Status
7/27/

2022

 1084 Cyclospora Not Yet Identified 51 Active
6/29/

2022

 1076 Not Yet Identified Frozen Food See Outbreak
Advisory		 Active
6/22/

2022

 1075 Salmonella
Braenderup		 Not Yet Identified 70 Active
6/22/

2022

 1072 Salmonella
Paratyphi B var. L(+) tartrate+		 Not Yet Identified 14 Active
6/15/

2022

 1070 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Not Yet Identified 12 Active
6/8/

2022

 1068 E. coli
O157:H7		 Not Identified 10 Closed
6/1/

2022

 1066 Hepatitis A Virus Strawberries See Outbreak
Advisory		 Active
5/25/

2022

 1067 Salmonella 
Senftenberg		 Peanut Butter See Outbreak Advisory Closed
4/20/

2022

 1064 Not Yet
Identified		 Dry Cereal 558 adverse
event reports		 Active
4/13/

2022

 1057 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Ice Cream See Outbreak Advisory Active
3/30/

2022

 1060 None
Identified		 Meal Replacement
Drink		 6 adverse
event reports		 Closed
3/16/

2022

 1055 Salmonella
Saintpaul		 Not Identified 60 Closed
2/17/

2022

 1056 Cronobacter
sakazakii		 Powdered
Infant
Formula		 See
Advisory		 Active (IMG)
2/9/

2022

 1040 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Not Identified 20 Closed
2/2/

2022

 1054 Enteroinvasive
E. coli
O143:H26		 Not
Identified		 16 Closed
1/10/

2022

 1050 E. coli
O121:H19		 Romaine 4 Closed

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Posted in Cronobacter sakazakii, Cyclospora, E.coli O121, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, FDA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Hepatitis A, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, O143:H26, Salmonella

India – 40 students fall sick after mid-day meal in AP

Posted on July 28, 2022 by | Leave a comment

New Indian Express

KURNOOL: As many as 40 students of a Mandal Parishad upper primary school fell sick after reportedly eating mid-day meal on Tuesday. The school is located at Chakrala village in Pathikonda mandal of Kurnool district.All the students were immediately admitted to the Pathikonda government hospital, where the condition of five was stated to be critical.

According to reports, the authorised agency served mid-day meal to the students as usual in the afternoon. Out of the total strength of 220, 160 students had their lunch at the school. Later, they developed stomach ache, vomiting and motions.

Samples of water and food were collected for lab testing.

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Posted in Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Poisoning

Canada – Canada sets regulations for some romaine grown in certain parts of California

Posted on July 27, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced the fall 2022 import requirements for U.S. romaine lettuce with special requirements for certain lettuce produced in California’s Salinas Valley.

Whole-head romaine lettuce and products containing romaine lettuce such as bagged salads that were produced in the four Salinas Valley counties of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito, and Monterey must “submit an attestation form and Certificates of Analysis for each shipment to demonstrate that the romaine lettuce does not contain detectable levels of E. coli O157:H7,” according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

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Posted in CFIA, Decontamination Microbial, E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, STEC, STEC E.coli

Denmark – Denmark searches for source of Salmonella outbreak

Posted on July 27, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

kswfoodworld salmonella

Danish officials are trying to find the source of a Salmonella outbreak that has affected 16 people.

The sick people have been infected with the same type of Salmonella Enteritidis, according to the Statens Serum Institut (SSI).

Patients fell ill between March 31 and June 23. They are 11 men and five women between the ages of 8 to 59 years old with a median of 28.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella

USA – FDA Is Focusing on Safety of Frozen Berries

Posted on July 27, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety Tech

From 1983 to 2018, there were 50 outbreaks globally that were attributed to frozen berries: 36 caused by Norovirus and 14 by Hepatitis A.

On July 22, the FDA announced that it is developing a food safety prevention strategy to enhance the safety of fresh and frozen berries. The move comes in response to multiple hepatitis A (HAV) and norovirus (NoV) outbreaks linked to the consumption of both fresh and frozen berries.

The FDA reports that there have been four HAV outbreaks and three NoV outbreaks linked to frozen berries from 1990 to 2016 in the U.S., and since 2011, there have been three HAV outbreaks linked to fresh berries, including a current outbreak linked to fresh organic strawberries.

In addition, from 1983 to 2018, there were 50 outbreaks globally that were attributed to frozen berries: 36 caused by NoV and 14 by HAV. The FDA noted that although freezing preserves berries it generally does not inactivate viruses that may be introduced at various points in the supply chain, such as by infected workers, contaminated water or contaminated food contact surfaces. In addition, fresh berries are generally eaten raw without a kill-step that could eliminate pathogens.

In August, the FDA plans to resume an assignment to collect and test frozen berries that it paused at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The assignment seeks to estimate the prevalence of HAV and NoV in frozen strawberries, raspberries and blackberries and help the FDA identify sites where practices or conditions may exist that constitute safety vulnerabilities.

The FDA also plans to work collaboratively with industry, academia and regulatory partners in the development of a food safety prevention strategy to identify measures that can be taken to limit or prevent contamination from occurring throughout the berry supply chain, approaches to re-enforce control measures and their application as well as areas where additional research is needed.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Hepatitis A, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Norovirus, outbreak, Research, Uncategorized, Virus

France – French E. coli outbreak linked to dairy

Posted on July 26, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

At least a dozen children have been sickened in France with officials linking illnesses to a dairy company.

Since early June, 12 cases of haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) have been reported in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Occitanie regions. HUS is a severe complication associated with E. coli infection that causes kidney failure and sometimes death.

Seven boys and five girls aged 11 months to 9 years old are sick. They fell ill from June 4 to July 18.

In France, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) surveillance is only based on HUS in children younger than 15, so it only catches the most severe cases.

Santé publique France, the Directorate General for Food (DGAL) and Directorate General for Health (DGS) are part of the investigation.

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Posted in E.coli, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome, HUS, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, STEC, STEC E.coli

USA – FDA Shares Updates on Cyclospora Action Plan

Posted on July 26, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety Magazine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently updated its constituents about the agency’s ongoing Cyclospora cayetanensis prevention and research efforts. In 2021, FDA released its “Cyclospora Prevention, Response and Research Action Plan.” The action plan was developed by the agency’s Cyclospora Task Force and details FDA’s strategy for reducing the public health burden of foodborne cyclosporiasis in the U.S. It also defines the agency’s priorities for Cyclospora food safety research and supports ongoing efforts to combat foodborne illness in alignment with FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative.

Since releasing the Cyclospora action plan, FDA has made progress on several goals. The agency’s activities related to the Cyclospora action plan include:

  • Collaboration with the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods to develop a charge document that will inform FDA’s prioritization of Cyclospora research and propose novel food safety research projects in collaboration with stakeholders
  • Implementation of a genotyping approach for Cyclospora in environmental and food samples based on the same method published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Implementation of a distance learning plan and a series of Cyclospora methodology training webinars on the “Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) Chapter 19b – Detection of C. cayetanensis in Fresh Produce” using a real-time PCR-analytical method in Spanish for regulatory lab personnel at food safety authorities in Mexico through the FDA-SENASICA-Cofepris Food Safety Partnership
  • Collaborated with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to publish an article in Food Safety Magazine summarizing the data on all cyclosporiasis outbreaks from 2013 to 2020
  • Delivered eight webinars directed to the fresh produce industry, regulators, and other stakeholders for Cyclospora outreach and educational purposes
  • Completed a microbial survey of fresh herbs that included over 800 samples tested for C. cayetanensis.

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Posted in Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, FDA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, food safety training, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

Canada – Magnesium Citrate Oral Solution; Microbial contamination

Posted on July 26, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Gov Canada

Summary

Product
Magnesium Citrate Oral Solution
Issue
Health products – Product quality
What to do
  • Stop using the products listed. Consult your health care professional if you have used these products and have health concerns, and for advice on which health products are best for you and your family.
  • Report any health product adverse events or complaints to Health Canada.

Affected products

Issue

Presence of Gluconacetobacter liquefaciens in affected lots.

What you should do

  • Stop using the products listed. Consult your health care professional if you have used these products and have health concerns, and for advice on which health products are best for you and your family.
  • Report any health product adverse events or complaints to Health Canada.

Similar recalls or alerts

Equate (lemon flavour), Personnelle (lemon flavour) and Life Brand (lemon and cherry flavours) Magnesium citrate oral solution saline laxatives recalled due to potential microbial contamination

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Gluconacetobacter liquefaciens, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Uncategorized

Research – Incidents remain stable for international food safety network

Posted on July 25, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The number of food safety incidents involving an international network has stayed almost the same in the second quarter of 2022.

The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) was part of 46 alerts from April through June this year compared to 47 in the first quarter of 2022.

A total of 22 incidents involved a biological hazard with Listeria monocytogenes behind eight and Salmonella causing seven. Norovirus was responsible for three and hepatitis A for one. The hazard has not yet been identified in two cases.

Seventeen alerts were because of an undeclared allergen or ingredient such as milk, shellfish, peanuts, almonds, egg, gluten, hazelnuts, mustard, sesame or soy.

Five were because of a chemical hazard such as aflatoxin, chlorpyriphos, histamine and alkaloids and two involved a physical hazard; one for metal and one for plastic.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

India – Karnataka: 40 students fall sick after eating midday meal

Posted on July 25, 2022 by | Leave a comment

India Express

Forty students of Government Higher Primary School in Gollarahatti, in Chitradurga district, fell sick and 26 of them had to be hospitalised after eating the midday meal served at the school on Thursday afternoon.

Doddappa MC, headmaster of the school, said, “On Thursday afternoon I received calls from villagers and teachers who complained that students are falling unconscious and are vomiting. By the time I reached the school, some students had been admitted to the hospital. However, all students are okay.”

He added that food samples have been sent to the laboratory to ascertain if it was a case of food poisoning.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Poisoning