Category Archives: Microbiology Investigations

USDA-FSIS Surveys Salmonella Rates in NRTE Breaded Stuffed Chicken Products

Posted on June 29, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety.Com

As part of an effort to reduce cases of salmonellosis attributable to poultry products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) conducted a study with the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) laboratories to gather data on not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) breaded stuffed chicken products purchased at retail stores. The release of the survey results follows FSIS’ April 2023 proposed determination to declare Salmonella an adulterant in breaded stuffed raw chicken products.

The survey was intended to gather information on the positive rate of Salmonella in NRTE breaded stuffed chicken products and any differences in laboratory methods used.

Through FERN, 11 geographically dispersed state labs participated in the study. From July 1, 2022—September 30, 2022, the labs purchased locally available NRTE breaded stuffed chicken products at retail stores (approximately 15 samples per month for each product) and tested them for the presence of Salmonella and indicator organisms.

In total, 58 of the 487 samples tested were positive for the presence of Salmonella. A noticeable difference in positivity rates was seen between laboratories that ran methods the same as FSIS (36 of 135, or 27 percent) using larger test portions and laboratories that ran methods different from FSIS (22 of 352, or 6 percent) using smaller test portions. Small amounts of Salmonella present in the product or uneven distribution of Salmonella contamination could account for the lower positivity rates when smaller sample portions were tested.

Total aerobic counts were similar across products tested. Whole genome sequencing detected S. Enteritidis (18 of 58), S. Infantis (22 of 58), S. Kentucky (15 of 58) and S. Typhimurium (3 of 58).

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Posted in 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, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken

USA- FDA – Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

Posted on June 29, 2023 by | Leave a comment

FDA

What’s New

  • For the outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B var. L(+) tartrate+ (ref #1157), FDA initiated an on-site inspection and sample collection and analysis. The case count has increased from 33 to 34 cases.
  • For the outbreak of Cyclospora cayetanensis (ref #1159), the case count has increased from 34 to 36 cases.
Date
Posted		 Ref Pathogen
or
Cause of
Illness		 Product(s)
Linked to
Illnesses
(if any)		 Total
Case
Count
Status
6/14/2023 1157 Salmonella
Paratyphi B
var. L(+)
tartrate+		 Not Yet
Identified		 34 Active
6/14/2023 1159 Cyclospora
cayetanensis		 Not Yet
Identified		 36 Active
5/24/2023 1156 Salmonella
Enteritidis		 Raw
Cookie
Dough		 See
Advisory		 Active
4/26/2023 1152 Not Yet
Identified		 Morel
Mushroom		 See
Advisory		 Active
3/1/2023 1143 Hepatitis
A Virus		 Frozen
Organic
Strawberries		 See
Advisory		 Active

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Posted in Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, FDA, 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, Hepatitis A, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella

USA – Celebrate Your Fourth of July Without Foodborne Illness

Posted on June 29, 2023 by | Leave a comment

USDA

The Fourth of July is a time of celebration, family and of course cookouts. Cooking safely is in your hands and doing so can help keep your family healthy this Independence Day. Control the transfer of bacteria by thoroughly washing your hands before and after touching raw meat, poultry and seafood.

The USDA recommends the following food safety tips for grilling:

Preheat your grill and scrub the grate with a long-handled brush once the grill has fully preheated. Remnants from the last grill session should scrape off.
Remove the meat, poultry or seafood from its container and place on the grill at a safe distance apart. Discard any marinade used to prepare your meat, poultry or seafood.
When grilling your foods, make sure you’ve destroyed dangerous bacteria by cooking to the proper internal temperature.

Beef, pork, lamb: 145 F with a 3-minute rest.
Ground meats: 160 F.
All poultry (whole or ground): 165 F.
Fish (whole or filet): 145 F.

You can’t tell by looking at food whether it is done. Always use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of your food to determine if it is safe to eat. The thermometer should be inserted into the thickest part of the meat and poultry, through the side of burgers and thin filets of fish, for the most accurate temperature reading.

Make sure to pack up any leftovers and refrigerate them within two hours. In hot weather (above 90 F), refrigerate within one hour.

For more food safety information, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, in English or Spanish, or email mphotline@usda.gov. Consumers can also chat live at ask.usda.gov.

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Posted in 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, USDA

UK retailers share Campylobacter in chicken results

Posted on June 28, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Supermarkets in the United Kingdom have reported their Campylobacter in chicken results for late 2022.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) maximum target level is up to 7 percent of birds with more than 1,000 colony-forming units per gram (CFU/g) of Campylobacter.

Data from the retailers covers October to December 2022 on high findings of Campylobacter in fresh, shop-bought, UK-produced chickens.

Results at Waitrose, Morrisons and Lidl went up while Marks and Spencer, Aldi, Asda, and Sainsbury’s recorded lower levels of contamination than the previous quarter. Figures for Co-op stayed the same.

Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial food poisoning in the UK and the dose needed to make people sick can be as low as a few hundred cells.

Tesco has stopped publishing data as it has changed the way it monitors the pathogen in chicken so findings are not comparable with other retailers.

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Posted in Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Decontamination Microbial, 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, Retailer Campylobacter Survey

Catalonia – Cook and preserve egg foods safely

Posted on June 28, 2023 by | Leave a comment

ACSA

Foods made with eggs or egg products appear in Catalonia as the leading cause of food poisoning (diseases transmitted by food). The egg, by its nature, is a food sensitive to contamination and bacterial multiplication.
Foods made with eggs such as tortillas, creams, flans, quiches, etc.:
  • They must be cooked at a temperature that reaches 75°C in the center of the product. You have to curdle the tortillas well. Cooking is the only way to kill dangerous germs, including salmonella. Insufficient cooking does not guarantee the elimination of germs.
  • They should be consumed immediately or kept in the refrigerator.
  • It cannot be kept at room temperature for more than two hours.
Both mayonnaise and other sauces made with raw eggs do not receive any heat treatment that eliminates possible germs, therefore, in the preparation and preparation of these foods it is necessary to strictly respect the following hygiene rules:
  • Just the right amount of sauce should be prepared to be consumed in a single meal. The sauces should not be kept for later days.
  • If we add a few drops of vinegar or lemon, it will improve its conservation.
  • They must be kept in the refrigerator until they are consumed or used in other dishes that we must also refrigerate.
Restaurants, cafeterias, bars, seasonal establishments, central kitchens and collective dining rooms and any other establishment that serves meals may only use pasteurized egg products for the preparation of mayonnaise or other sauces that contain raw eggs.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, 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, Salmonella in Eggs

Armenian Poultry Producer “Mum” on Salmonella Outbreak

Posted on June 28, 2023 by | Leave a comment

HETQ

A leading poultry producer in Armenia remains silent on why salmonella was found in its frozen chickens sold on supermarket shelves.

Hetq, in conjunction with Armenia’s Food Safety Inspectorate (FSI) sent frozen chickens sold by Getamej and the Arax Poultry Factory for lab testing and found the bacteria.

The FSI, on June 15, stated it shut done the Arax Poultry Plant and banned the sale of Getamej products.

Hetq attempted to contact the Arax Poultry Plant to see if the bacteria has killed off some of their birds.

For weeks, company representatives never responded to our inquiries after promising to do so.

Today, the company contacted Hetq, saying they will get back to us when necessary.

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Posted in 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, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken

Wales – E.coli cases being investigated at North Wales school

Posted on June 28, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Daily Post

A North Wales school will be closed to nursery and reception-aged children after two children were diagnosed with an E.coli infection. Children who have been identified as close contacts to the cases are being asked to provide a stool sample as Public Health Wales investigate the infection.

Public Health Wales has confirmed that it is investigating two confirmed cases of E.coli in two children who attend Ysgol Pen Barras in Ruthin. The school will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.

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Posted in E.coli, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

Research – Strategies to Reduce Clostridium botulinum Risk in Fresh-Cut Produce

Posted on June 27, 2023 by | 2 comments

food safety.com

The risks associated with Clostridium botulinum and low-acid canned foods, meats, seafood, and temperature-abused foods are generally well-established. However, there has been increasing consideration toward C. botulinum and its potential as a pathogen of concern for fresh-cut vegetables, fruits, and mushrooms.

For an industry segment beleaguered by recent outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes, consideration of a bacterial pathogen with vastly different growth characteristics—one that is less traditionally associated with fresh produce—may seem burdensome. However, recent incidences of C. botulinum in packaged mushrooms,1 increased characterization of the growth conditions required by nonproteolytic C. botulinum, widespread industry adoption of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), and even increasing fuel costs may necessitate a second look at this pathogen’s association with fresh produce.

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Posted in Clostridium, Clostridium botulinum, Decontamination Microbial, 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

Research – New insights on bacteria that causes food poisoning

Posted on June 27, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Science Daily

A joint research group has clarified how pathogenic genes in some Providencia spp., which have gained attention as causative agents of food poisoning as well as enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. O157 and Salmonella, are transferred within bacterial cells. Their findings are expected to provide new insights into the identification of infection routes of Providencia spp. and the establishment of preventive methods for food poisoning.

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Posted in E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Providencia, Salmonella

Jordan – Six suspected food poisoning cases in Mafraq

Posted on June 26, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Roya News

There are six suspected food poisoning cases in Mafraq, allegedly in relation to a takeaway restaurant, according to a medical source Thursday.

The source told Roya that the people arrived at the Talal Military Hospital, saying that they had eaten food from a restaurant and developed symptoms of food poisoning.

Another source confirmed that a restaurant in the governorate was suspended from operating due to violations.

The source added that if it was found that the food poisoning was caused by the restaurant’s food, legal measures will be taken against the concerned management.

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