Category Archives: Microbiological Risk Assessment

Quebec – Notice not to consume various Montefino cheeses prepared and sold by Ferme Diodati SENC – Food Safety

Posted on January 27, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Quebec

QUEBEC CITY , Jan. 27, 2023 /CNW Telbec/ – The Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ), advises the population not to consume the products indicated in the table below, because pasteurization was not carried out in such a way as to ensure their safety.

Product name

Format

Affected batch

“Montefino cheese – fresh cranberries”

VARIABLE

11/23/22 (made on)

11/23/25 (best before)

“Montefino cheese – natural fresh”

VARIABLE

11/23/22 (made on)

11/23/25 (best before)

“Montefino cheese – fresh with fine herbs”

VARIABLE

11/23/22 (made on)

11/23/25 (best before)

“Montefino cheese – fresh hot pepper”

VARIABLE

11/23/22 (made on)

11/23/25 (best before)

“Montefino cheese – fresh cracked black pepper”

VARIABLE

11/23/22 (made on)

11/23/25 (best before)

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

USA – $14 million settlement reached in Famous Anthony’s Hepatitis A outbreak

Posted on January 27, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Roanoke

A $14 million settlement has been reached in lawsuits filed by more than 40 people who claimed they or their loved ones were exposed to a deadly viral outbreak while dining at two Famous Anthony’s restaurants.

Details of the agreement — reached on behalf of four patrons who died and others who were sickened when an employee unknowingly spread hepatitis A — became public during a hearing late Thursday in Roanoke’s federal court

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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, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Virus

USA – Woman’s estate wins big award from Big Olaf in wrongful Listeria death lawsuit – $4 Million

Posted on January 27, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Herald Tribune

SARASOTA — The estate of a 79-year-old Illinois woman who died after eating listeria-tainted ice cream from a Sarasota creamery was awarded $4 million by a U.S. District Court judge in Tampa this week.

The ruling came Tuesday in the wrongful death suit filed last year by Bill Marler, a nationally known foodborne illness attorney who represented the estate of Mary Billman. Marler was retained following Billman’s death on Jan. 29, 2022, and the listeria outbreak identified by federal and state regulators last summer that gained national attention.

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Posted in Death, food bourne outbreak, food death, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

Research – French Salmonella outbreak study reveals dual contamination

Posted on January 27, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Two Salmonella outbreaks were linked to dried sausages produced around the same time by one company in France, according to a study.

The outbreaks affected 44 people who consumed dried pork sausages contaminated by two different types of Salmonella.

Salmonella Bovismorbificans infected a total of 33 people from September to November 2020 and 11 patients with monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium from October to December 2020.

Epidemiological investigations by Santé publique France linked the outbreaks to dried pork sausages from the manufacturer France Salaison produced between September and November 2020. Three recalls of dried pork products were issued in November, affecting eight supermarkets.

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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, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella

Research UK – FSA annual reports shows rise in incidents and recalls

Posted on January 27, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The number of food incidents, recalls and cases of four pathogens went up over a 12-month period, according to the latest published data.

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) annual report and accounts covers performance and activities in 2021/22 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland at a cost of £130.5 million ($160.2 million).

In 2021, cases of Campylobacter and Listeria reported in the UK returned to pre-COVID-19 levels but Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157 stayed lower than pre-pandemic figures. Data for all four pathogens showed an increase compared to more than 49,000 Campylobacter, 566 E. coli, 4,442 Salmonella and 136 Listeria cases in 2020.

A series of related Salmonella outbreaks in 2020 and 2021 were linked to breaded chicken products from Poland and affected more than 1,000 people.

Nine emerging risks were identified including Listeria in enoki mushrooms from Asia which had a 90 percent non-compliance rate.

Food, animal feed and environmental contamination incidents went up by almost 20 percent to 2,336. Pathogenic microorganisms were the leading cause of incidents, allergens were second and pesticide residues third, driven by the Europe-wide incident relating to non-permitted ethylene oxide in sesame products and items containing locust bean gum.

Notifications published in 2021/22 rose to 150 from 136 in the previous period. This included 84 allergy alerts and 66 product recall information notices.

Foodborne disease made up 17 percent of FSA spend on research and evidence programs. PATH-SAFE, a £19 million ($23.5 million) project was started to look at novel methods to improve foodborne disease and antimicrobial resistance surveillance.

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Posted in Campylobacter, Decontamination Microbial, E.coli, food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken

Quebec – Notice not to consume DOM brand smoked salmon sold by Val-Mont – Food Safety

Posted on January 27, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Quebec

QUEBEC CITY , Jan. 26, 2023 /CNW Telbec/ – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ), in collaboration with the Food Inspection Division of the City of Montreal and the company Val-Mont, located at 3930, rue Ontario Est, in Montreal, advises the public not to consume the product indicated in the table below, because its safety is no longer assured. Indeed, the company did not respect the preservation requirements of the manufacturer.

Product name

Format

Affected lot

“Smoked Steelhead Salmon”

70g

Units sold until January 25, 2023

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

USA -CDC – Food Safety for Buffets and Parties

Posted on January 26, 2023 by | Leave a comment

CDC

What You Need to Know

  • Separate raw meat, chicken and other poultry, seafood, and eggs from ready-to-eat foods.
  • Use a food thermometer to make sure foods are cooked to a temperature hot enough to kill germs.
  • Germs that can make you sick grow quickly when food is in the “Danger Zone,” between 40°F and 140°F.
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. Divide leftovers into smaller portions to cool faster.

Gathering friends and family is fun, but beware of uninvited party guests. Foodborne germs can crash your buffet and make people sick with food poisoning. When cooking, preparing, or serving food for large groups, it’s important to keep food safe. Follow these steps to keep foodborne germs from spoiling your party.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, food safety training, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

Research shows Listeria species developing resistance to disinfectants used in food industry

Posted on January 26, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety Africa

SOUTH AFRICA – A study conducted in South Africa and recently published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum has concluded that Listeria innocua strains are developing resistance to temperature, pH, dehydration, and other stresses. 

Listeria monocytogenes is extensively monitored in the food processing business since it can be fatal to people.

The infection not only has the potential to make people very ill, but it is also now known to be building resistance to many food safety measures globally.

The study used whole-genome sequencing to provide insights into two species of presumed nonpathogenic Listeria—L. innocua and L. welshimeri.

Some of the L. innocua and L. welshimeri strains tested for the study exhibited three genes for resistance to a common disinfectant from the class of chemicals known as quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC or QUAT).

The study included 258 isolates from butcheries, abbatoirs, retail establishments, cold storage facilities, and processing facilities located throughout South Africa.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Disinfection Resistance, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

India – Norovirus Outbreak: 62 Students Infected in Kerala

Posted on January 26, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Zee News

norovirus-1080x655

The Kerala Health Department on Monday (January 24) confirmed two cases of the gastrointestinal infection norovirus in class 1 students in Ernakulam district. The two samples were tested after 62 persons — students and their parents — developed symptoms such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, a high temperature, headache, and body aches.

The school authorities said that they have the results of drinking water testing for the last four months. The virus infected the children of the E division of the first class. Immediately upon noticing the incident, the health department informed the authorities and once again sent the water for testing. Officials said that the school is completely closed and online classes are being offered.

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Posted in Contaminated water, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Virus, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Norovirus, Virus, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

USA – FDA – Warning Letter – Gold Coast Distributors Inc. dba Shah Distributors

Posted on January 26, 2023 by | Leave a comment

FDA

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected your ambient and frozen warehouse and re-packing facility, located at 2325 W. Charter Way, Stockton, CA 95206, from May 09-27, 2022. During our inspection of your facility, the FDA investigators observed serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food rule (CGMP & PC rule), Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 117 (21 CFR Part 117). At the conclusion of the inspection, the FDA investigators issued a Form FDA 483 (FDA-483), Inspectional Observations, listing the deviations found at your firm. In addition, during the inspection, FDA collected filth samples from various areas within your warehouse facility, and the analytical results revealed rodent, insect, or cat filth present all throughout your facility.

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