Category Archives: Microbiology

Scotland- Don’t spoil the street party – bring a side of food safety

Posted on May 31, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FSS

As thousands of people across Scotland prepare to host summer street parties, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is reminding people who are planning or attending these events to ensure they are following good food safety practices to minimise the chance of food poisoning.

It is estimated that there are 43,000 cases of foodborne illness annually in Scotland. FSS’s latest ‘Our Food in Scotland’ tracker survey revealed many consumers still admit to risky behaviours that can lead to food poisoning, with more than a quarter (28%) of people surveyed not always washing their hands before preparing/cooking food and over a third (36%) not always storing raw and ready-to-eat foods separately.

Dr Jane Horne, Head of Food Protection Science and Surveillance at FSS, says there are simple steps people can take to safely host events.

“Regardless of whether you’re hosting or attending a street party or event this summer, it is important to keep food safety at the forefront of your mind to keep everyone safe. Thankfully, there is a lot we can do to protect ourselves and those around us.

“Our ‘Food Safety at Community Events’ guidance, which can be downloaded from the FSS website, includes several food safety tips to follow when hosting or preparing for an event – especially when catering for larger numbers.

“It’s important to practise good food safety behaviours and following the ‘4Cs’ of food hygiene – cleaning, chilling, cooking and avoiding cross-contamination – will help you and your friends prepare, make and store food safely.”

Practical tips outlined in the guidance to help people planning or attending street parties this summer include:

  • Wash your hands regularly with soap and water before food preparation and consumption and always after handling raw meat/poultry
  • Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate
  • Do not use food past its use-by date
  • Always read any cooking instructions and make sure food is properly cooked before you serve it – it needs to be steaming hot
  • Plan ahead to keep your food cool until it’s time to eat. Any foods which you would usually keep in the fridge at home also need to be kept cool for your event. You can use a cool box or bag with ice, frozen gel packs or frozen drinks distributed evenly throughout to help keep your food cold.
  • Provide a list of the allergens present in foods for those attending the event.

For more information on how to follow good food safety practices this summer, head to the Food Standards Scotland website and download the guidance: Food Safety at Community Events | Food Standards Scotland

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

Research – Jif Peanut Butter Recall: Make Sure Your Dog’s Favorite Snack Isn’t Tainted With Salmonella

Posted on May 31, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Daily Paws

Some dogs love peanut butter more than we do, so make sure your stash isn’t one of the products potentially contaminated with salmonella.

You probably need to check that jar of peanut butter in your cupboard—both for you and your dog.

On Friday, The J.M. Smucker Company issued a wide recall of its Jif peanut butter products because of potential salmonella contamination. If that’s the brand you like to share with your dog—heck, maybe the peanut butter is only for your dog—you’ll want to make sure you dispose of any potentially tainted spread.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has attributed 14 human illnesses—including two hospitalizations—in 12 states to the salmonella outbreak. The FDA traced its origins to the Smucker Company’s manufacturing facility in Lexington, Ky.

The recalled Jif products were sold in stores nationwide and in Canada, the Dominican Republic, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Honduras, Spain, and Japan. You can check the list at the bottom of this article to see which products were specifically recalled.

Anyone with recalled Jif in their homes should obviously not let anyone consume it and throw it away. If the peanut butter has touched anything, including your hands, you should sanitize those areas immediately. And keep in mind: Other companies have recalled products that contain Jif peanut butter, and you can find that list here. 

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Posted in Animal Feed, Animal Feed Salmonella, Animal Feed Testing, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Pet Food, Pet Food Testing, Salmonella Dog Food

UK – How to safely host a street party

Posted on May 31, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FSA

Official Jubilee Flags Queen Elizabeth Platinum 2022 Official Merchandise

The Platinum Jubilee Weekend takes place from 2 June to 5 June with lots of Big Lunches also taking place during this time. The bank holiday weekend will be a big celebration with many people attending and organising parties or gatherings in their local communities.

Whether you are attending a community party or hosting one of your own, it is important to be aware of food safety and hygiene. Below are some practical tips and advice on best practice so that everyone can trust the food they’re eating.

Selling food at a street party

You do not need a food hygiene training certificate to make and sell food for charity events. However, you need to make sure that you handle food safely.

Handling party food

Warm weather and outdoor cooking are the perfect conditions for bacteria to grow and there are risks when preparing and serving chilled food in these conditions.

Following the 4Cs of food hygiene will help you prepare, make and store food safely. You can do this by:

  • cleaning effectively removes the bacteria on hands, equipment and surfaces. This helps to stop harmful bacteria and viruses from spreading onto food.
  • chilling your food below 8 degrees will stop or significantly slow the growth of bacteria. This temperature must be maintained and foods that need to be chilled like sandwich fillings should not be left out of the fridge for more than four hours.
  • cooking food correctly by following the guidance on time and temperature
  • avoiding cross-contamination which might lead to bacteria passing from raw foods to ready-to-eat foods via things like re-usable shopping bags, knives and chopping boards.
  • good personal hygiene is also essential when you’re preparing food. This will help ensure that bacteria you may have come into contact with isn’t passed to your friends, family and neighbours in their food.

Best practice

Here are some practical tips to help keep food you prepare and eat safe during your Jubilee celebrations:

  • wash your hands regularly with soap and water before food preparation and consumption
  • always wash fresh fruit and vegetables
  • keep raw and ready-to-eat foods apart
  • do not use food past its use-by date
  • always read any cooking instructions and make sure food is properly cooked before you serve it – it needs to be piping hot
  • ensure that food preparation areas are cleaned and sanitised before and after use and ensure equipment is washed in hot soapy water
  • plan ahead to keep your food cool until you’re ready to eat. Any foods which you would usually keep in the fridge at home also need to be kept cool on your picnic. This includes; any food with a use-by-date, cooked dishes, salads and dairy products
  • place these foods in a cool box or cool bag with ice or frozen gel packs. Distribute these throughout the box or bag, not all at the bottom. You can also use frozen drinks to help keep your cool box cold. Store cold food below 5 degrees to prevent bacteria from growing.

If food isn’t handled properly people are at risk of food poisoning from:

  • campylobacter – spreads through the cross-contamination from raw chicken
  • listeria – is most commonly associated with chilled, ready-to-eat foods like cured meats, pre-prepared sandwiches and salads
  • salmonella – is most often found in undercooked poultry, raw meat, eggs or unpasteurised milk
  • E.coli – it is often found on raw and undercooked meats

Read our Providing food at community and charity events for specific advice about making and serving cakes at community events.

Our picnic advice contains more tips on how to keep food cold and safe.

If you are hosting a BBQ then please read our BBQ food safety information.

Bear in mind that on hot days you need to be extra vigilant. 

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Posted in Campylobacter, Decontamination Microbial, E.coli, 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, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Salmonella

UK – Research – A survey of Salmonella, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and antimicrobial resistance in frozen, part-cooked, breaded or battered poultry products on retail sale in the United Kingdom

Posted on May 31, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FSA

A survey of Salmonella, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and antimicrobial resistance in frozen, part-cooked, breaded or battered poultry products on retail sale in the United Kingdom

In this study we estimated how frequently Salmonella spp. were present in frozen, breaded or battered chicken products, intended to be cooked before consumption, on retail sale in the UK between April and July 2021.

Frozen, breaded, ready-to-cook chicken products have been implicated in outbreaks of salmonellosis. Some of these outbreaks can be large. For example, one outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis involved 193 people in nine countries between 2018 and 2020, of which 122 cases were in the UK. These ready-to-cook products have a browned, cooked external appearance, which may be perceived as ready-to-eat, leading to mishandling or undercooking by consumers. Continuing concerns about these products led FSA to initiate a short-term (four month), cross-sectional surveillance study undertaken in 2021 to determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in frozen, breaded or battered chicken products on retail sale in the UK.

This study sought to obtain data on AMR levels in Salmonella and E. coli in these products, in line with a number of other FSA instigated studies of the incidence and nature of AMR in the UK food chain, for example, the systematic review (2016).

Between the beginning of April and the end of July 2021, 310 samples of frozen, breaded or battered chicken products containing either raw or partly cooked chicken, were collected using representative sampling of retailers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland based on market share data. Samples included domestically produced and imported chicken products and were tested for E. coli (including extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing, colistin-resistant and carbapenem-resistant E. coli) and Salmonella spp. One isolate of each bacterial type from each contaminated sample was randomly selected for additional AMR testing to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for a range of antimicrobials. More detailed analysis based on Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) data was used to further characterise Salmonella spp. isolates and allow the identification of potential links with human isolates.

Salmonella spp. were detected in 5 (1.6%) of the 310 samples and identified as Salmonella Infantis (in three samples) and S. Java (in two samples). One of the S. Infantis isolates fell into the same genetic cluster as S. Infantis isolates from three recent human cases of infection; the second fell into another cluster containing two recent cases of infection. Countries of origin recorded on the packaging of the five Salmonella contaminated samples were Hungary (n=1), Ireland (n=2) and the UK (n=2). One S. Infantis isolate was multi-drug resistant (i.e. resistant to three different classes of antimicrobials), while the other Salmonella isolates were each resistant to at least one of the classes of antimicrobials tested. E. coli was detected in 113 samples (36.4%), with counts ranging from ❤ to >1100 MPN (Most Probable Number)/g. Almost half of the E. coli isolates (44.5%) were susceptible to all antimicrobials tested. Multi-drug resistance was detected in 20.0% of E. coli isolates. E. coli isolates demonstrating the ESBL (but not AmpC) phenotype were detected in 15 of the 310 samples (4.8%) and the AmpC phenotype alone was detected in two of the 310 samples (0.6%) of chicken samples. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing showed that five of the 15 (33.3%) ESBL-producing E. coli carried blaCTX-M genes (CTX-M-1, CTX-M-55 or CTX-M-15), which confer resistance to third generation cephalosporin antimicrobials. One E. coli isolate demonstrated resistance to colistin and was found to possess the mcr-1 gene.

The five Salmonella-positive samples recovered from this study, and 20 similar Salmonella-positive samples from a previous UKHSA (2020/2021) study (which had been stored frozen), were subjected to the cooking procedures described on the sample product packaging for fan assisted ovens. No Salmonella were detected in any of these 25 samples after cooking.

The current survey provides evidence of the presence of Salmonella in frozen, breaded and battered chicken products in the UK food chain, although at a considerably lower incidence than reported in an earlier (2020/2021) study carried out by PHE/UKHSA as part of an outbreak investigation where Salmonella prevalence was found to be 8.8%.

The current survey also provides data on the prevalence of specified AMR bacteria found in the tested chicken products on retail sale in the UK. It will contribute to monitoring trends in AMR prevalence over time within the UK, support comparisons with data from other countries, and provide a baseline against which to monitor the impact of future interventions. While AMR activity was observed in some of the E. coli and Salmonella spp. examined in this study, the risk of acquiring AMR bacteria from consumption of these processed chicken products is low if the products are cooked thoroughly and handled hygienically.

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Posted in AMR, Decontamination Microbial, 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, fsa, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken, UKHSA

Research – How Does Peanut Butter Get Contaminated With Salmonella, Anyway?

Posted on May 30, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Health

Manufacturing Issues May Lead to Salmonella in Peanut Butter

To understand the link between peanut butter and Salmonella, it’s important to go over how peanut butter is made. The process of making peanut butter starts with raw, shelled peanuts that are roasted and cooled, Vijaya Surampudi, MD, clinical nutrition specialist at UCLA Health, told Health. The peanuts are then ground, and heated again during the grinding, she added.

Heating the peanuts and keeping them dry is a hugely important step in keeping your peanut butter safe from contamination, Darin Detwiler, LPD, a professor of food policy and corporate social responsibility at Northeastern University and author of Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions, told Health.

“Peanut butter is made from shelled and ground peanuts that are typically left sitting in unprotected piles until ready for the next stage of food manufacturing or for delivery to another company,” said Detwiler. “Most cases of Salmonella in peanuts are caused by the presence of rain water bringing feces onto the product, or animals—birds, or more likely rodents—[coming] directly] into contact with the product.”

Roasting the contaminated peanuts can help kill the Salmonella “if the food is heated to a high enough temperature, held at that temperature for enough time, and cooked throughout,” said Detwiler. But then the peanut butter has to keep that sanitized status after heating and grinding. “Roasted peanut butter can become contaminated in the processing plant if proper sanitation protocols are not followed.”

However, in some cases roasting contaminated peanuts can actually cause a type of heat-tolerant bacteria. “That’s why cleaning and sanitizing of the equipment and the facility is so important in addition to ensuring that the facility is well maintained,” Ellen Shumaker, PhD, food safety extension associate at North Carolina State University, told Health.

Peanut Butter Is an Ideal Place for Salmonella to Survive

According to Detwiler, Salmonella may not be able to grow in peanut butter, but it can survive for “many months” if it gets into the product.

“Peanut butter is a low-moisture food, meaning there is not enough available water to support the growth of microbial pathogens like Salmonella,” Abby Snyder, PhD, assistant professor of food science at the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, told Health. “However, while Salmonella can’t grow, it can survive for extended periods of time in low-moisture foods like peanut butter.”

The high fat content of peanut butter may even act like a layer of protection for the bacteria, according to Shumaker. She pointed to a 2000 study in the Journal of Applied Microbiology which found that the bacteria could survive for up to 24 weeks in peanut butter jars.

Another large issue: Peanut butter is considered a “ready to eat” food, meaning people typically eat it without cooking it—which then raises the risk of contracting Salmonella, if the jar is contaminated, said Snyder.

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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, Research, Salmonella, Salmonella Peanut Butter

India – 97 people in MP contract food poisoning, diarrhea after eating golgappa at fair

Posted on May 30, 2022 by | Leave a comment

India Today

Nearly 100 people fell sick after consuming ‘golgappas’ at a fair in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla district on Saturday evening, May 28. The incident took place at Singarpur village in Mandla.

The number of people hospitalised was around 97, about 33 were children who were vomiting and had diarrhea. Some children also had fevers. A team of doctors started the treatment and by morning, everyone’s condition had returned to normal.

Mohgaon police station in-charge, SL Markam, said that the golgappa seller has been taken into custody and is being questioned.

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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

Research – Seafood safety and food‐borne zoonoses from fish

Posted on May 29, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

Parasitic nematodes of the genus Anisakis are the causative agent of anisakiosis, an important fish‐borne zoonosis. Humans are infected through consumption of raw or undercooked fish, contaminated with the parasite. Infection can result in both gastrointestinal and allergic symptoms. There are few reports of anisakiosis in Portugal, but evidence of Anisakis allergy exists, indicating that exposure is occurring in the population. The European Food Risk Assessment Fellowship Programme (EU‐FORA) work programme, entitled: ‘Food safety of fish and zoonoses: fish consumption and microbiological risk assessment and perception, from fisherman to final consumers in Portugal’ was hosted by the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), in Porto, Portugal. It aimed to gather information on risk perception and attitudes in the Portuguese population to contamination of fish with Anisakis spp. and on their knowledge of methods to prevent infection. In addition, it aimed to examine the risk of anisakiosis in the Portuguese population.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Zoonosis

Research – Evaluation of Potential for Butyl and Heptyl Para-Hydroxybenzoate Enhancement of Thermal Inactivation of Cronobacter sakazakii during Rehydration of Powdered Infant Powdered Infant Formula and Non-Fat Dry Milk.

Posted on May 29, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

Prior studies have demonstrated that parabens enhanced the thermal inactivation of foodborne pathogens including Cronobacter sakazakii , Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes in model systems. However, there have been few studies looking at this phenomenon in actual food systems. The current study evaluated the potential enhancement of thermal inactivation of C. sakazakii by butyl para-hydroxybenzoate (BPB) in powdered infant formula (PIF) and non-fat dry milk (NFDM) before and after rehydration. When PIF was rehydrated with water at designated temperatures (65 – 80 ºC) in baby bottles, BPB did not enhance thermal inactivation. Rehydrated NFDM and lactose solutions with BPB were inoculated and heated at 58 ºC, BPB enhancement of thermal inactivation was negatively associated with NFDM levels in a dose-dependent manner, whereas presence of lactose retained thermal enhancement regardless of its concentration, suggesting an interaction between proteins and BPB. Fluorescence tests further indicated an interaction between BPB and the proteins in PIF and NFDM. Inoculated dry NFDM with and without BPB stored at 24 ºC and 55 ºC for 14 days did not substantially enhance inactivation in the dry state. This study suggests that BPB is not likely to enhance mild thermal inactivation treatments in foods that have appreciable amounts of protein.

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Posted in Cronobacter sakazakii, Decontamination Microbial, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Salmonella

Research – Comparison of Selected Phenotypic Features of Persistent and Sporadic Strains of Listeria monocytogenes Sampled from Fish Processing Plants

Posted on May 29, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

(1) Background: The main source of transmission of Listeria monocytogenes is contaminated food, e.g., fish and meat products and raw fruit and vegetables. The bacteria can remain for 13 years on machines in food processing plants, including fish plants.

(2) Methods: A total of 720 swabs were collected from a salmon filleting line. The research material consisted of 62 (8.6%) L. monocytogenes isolates. Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) allowed detecting a pool of persistent strains. All persistent strains (n = 6) and a parallel group of strains collected sporadically (n = 6) were characterized by their ability to invade HT-29 cells, biofilm formation ability, and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of selected disinfectants.

(3) Results: Among the obtained isolates, 38 genetically different strains were found, including 6 (15.8%) persistent strains. The serogroup 1/2a-3a represented 28 strains (73.7%), including the persistent ones. There were no significant differences in invasiveness between the persistent and sporadic strains. The persistent strains tolerated higher concentrations of the tested disinfectants, except for iodine-based compounds. The persistent strains initiated the biofilm formation process faster and formed it more intensively.

(4) Conclusions: The presence of persistent strains in the food processing environment is a great challenge for producers to ensure consumer safety. This study attempts to elucidate the phenotypic characteristics of persistent L. monocytogenes strains. View Full-Text

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

Research – A risk assessment model for Salmonella spp. in swine carcasses

Posted on May 28, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

Salmonellosis is one of the most important food‐borne outbreaks that occurs in the EU/EEA. From the first production stages at slaughter, meat is susceptible to spoilage and can be a substrate for the pathogenic microorganisms growth. Among the pathogens, the presence of Salmonella is mainly due to mishandling during the evisceration stage. For the year 2019, according to the collected data from MSs, on the 17.9% of all food‐borne outbursts, the presence Salmonella was confirmed. Pork meat is considered as one of the four most commonly reported foods in cases of salmonellosis. For the training purposes of this project, Salmonella isolation and identification along with RA for carcass contamination, was performed. Pig carcasses were sampled using the non‐destructive technique. The sampling took place post dressing and before the stage of chilling. For the Salmonella detection, a three phases process was performed (pre‐enrichment, enrichment, isolation). A total of 757 samples were collected, 19 were found to be positive for Salmonella. The most common was found to be Salmonella Derby, which was identified eight times. The main objective of the project was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in swine carcasses. Moreover, certain parameters were evaluated in terms of their influence on the prevalence of Salmonella. A stochastic simulation model was developed in Microsoft Office Excel 2019 by using the add‐in @Risk v.8.1. The prevalence was estimated to be 2.6%. For the pigs sampled, the average value of the distance from farm to slaughterhouse was 200.92 km. Additionally, the average weight of the carcasses was 127.97 kg. The prevalence of Salmonella between the samples that came from farms with a distance above the average, was higher by 1.7 units, while the prevalence for the samples with weight above the average was higher by 0.2 units. According to the stochastic model, it is specified that the prevalence is higher with greater distance, and there is an 8.1% probability the prevalence will exceed the legislation’s – hygiene criteria. In addition, the prevalence of Salmonella was shown to increase, as well in the case of samples from weightier animals, but to a lesser extent.

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