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Foodborne disease remains a significant public health problem in the United States. The FDA’s Foodborne Outbreak Response Improvement Plan (FORIP), described in this document, is an important step that the FDA is taking to enhance the speed, effectiveness, coordination, and communication of outbreak investigations. (Unless stated otherwise, this report focuses exclusively on the response to human food and not animal food.)
Our ultimate goal is to bend the curve of foodborne illness in this country.
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A consumer watchdog has filed a complaint against Nestlé and Ferrero in relation to recent E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks involving the companies.
In the action, Foodwatch France lists seven offences including placing on the market products harmful to health and failure to implement procedures to withdraw or recall such a product, endangering the lives of others and export to a non-EU country of food potentially harmful to health.
The two complaints include the case of Louna, a 6-year-old, who was hospitalized because of a Salmonella infection after eating Kinder chocolate, said Foodwatch. The multi-country outbreak has sickened hundreds.
The Nestlé E. coli outbreak involves 56 cases and two deaths from Buitoni brand Fraîch’Up pizzas in France. Production at the factory in Caudry was stopped in April. The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal inquiry into the incident.
The Ferrero monophasic Salmonella typhimurium chocolate outbreak has affected at least 324 people in 16 countries. Belgian authorities halted production at the Arlon facility in April, and an investigation has been launched by the Luxembourg Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The two Foodwatch complaints against Nestlé and Ferrero were filed in Paris this week by the law firm Teissonniere Topaloff Lafforgue Andreu et Associés (TTLA) on behalf of the group and several victims. They are seeking sanctions against the companies and compensation for the victims.
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SCIOTO COUNTY, Ohio (WCHS) — More than 100 people are now sick after an outbreak at a Girl Scout “camporee” in Scioto County, Ohio, including two children hospitalized, a county health official said Wednesday.
At least 112 people are experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, fever or chills after attending the “camporee” at Camp Molly Lauman in Lucasville this past weekend, according to Molly Dargavell, the regional epidemiologist for Scioto and Lawrence counties.
Dargavell said two children have been hospitalized with the illness and secondary cases from people who did not attend the event have also been reported.
Officials said they believe the common factor between all those who have fallen ill is that they drank water and/or lemonade at the camp. Dargavell said they believe the illness may be norovirus.
The Health Ministry said Sunday that four people from a shelter for people with disabilities were hospitalized with stomach pains after what their relatives said was food poisoning.
The ministry did not specify the cause of Saturday’s hospitalizations and said the patients underwent testing before being returned to the Neve Ram residences in the northern town of Rechasim.
The father of one hospitalized resident blamed “rotten meat they ate” and requested that someone at the Welfare Ministry care for the patient, “especially after the difficult and unfortunate case at Beit Dafna.”
A European court has ruled on a case involving how national authorities handle detection of Salmonella types in chicken meat that are not listed in EU regulation.
The request for a ruling was made in a case between Romega UAB, a poultry meat wholesaler, and the State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT) in Lithuania regarding the decision by VMVT to fine Romega and order the firm to withdraw poultry because of findings of certain Salmonella types.
Proceedings at the European Court of Justice were a step in the action before the national court in Lithuania.
An investigation was initiated by the Department of Education (DepEd) regarding suspected food-borne illnesses involving elementary students in Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental due to alleged contaminated milk distributed in schools in the area under the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP).
“Based on the field report, the majority of the affected learners experienced mild illnesses, including dehydration and nausea,” DepEd said. “They were treated in nearby hospitals and were discharged later on,” it added.
Nonetheless, DepEd said it has facilitated the “provision of immediate medical assistance to affected individuals.” The agency will also continue to monitor the health status of the affected learners.
Listeria monocytogenes has been detected in a number of frozen vegetables tested in Ireland.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said findings show a potential risk of illness for consumers who have non-ready-to-eat (RTE) frozen vegetables, fruits or herbs without cooking.
After a 2015 to 2018 listeriosis outbreak in Europe traced to uncooked non-RTE frozen sweetcorn and other vegetables, a national microbiological survey on frozen vegetables, fruits and herbs sold in Ireland was done between August and November 2019 by the FSAI. More than 50 people were sick from five countries and 10 died in the outbreak linked to vegetables made by Greenyard in Hungary.
Of 906 samples tested for Listeria monocytogenes in Ireland, 27 were positive, and 21 were non-RTE frozen vegetables. It was detected in four samples of RTE frozen fruits and two RTE frozen vegetables.
According to the Manchester Union Leader, a downtown Manchester restaurant has closed temporarily as the state investigates a cluster of Salmonella infections.
Buba Noodle Bar on Lowell Street closed its doors voluntarily last week, and on Friday, the Manchester Health Department ordered the restaurant to stay closed until all prepared food is thrown out, the restaurant gets a deep-cleaning, and all staff test negative for Salmonella.
The state health department had been investigating a cluster of Salmonella cases last week, with some of those infected saying they had eaten at the restaurant, but it was not clear if the restaurant was the source of the infection, or what in the restaurant could have spread Salmonella.
Health officials advise anyone who experiences symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting or a fever within a few days of eating at the noodle bar should visit a doctor and ask about testing for Salmonella.
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CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are collecting different types of data to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg infections.
Epidemiologic and laboratory data show that some Jif brand peanut butters may be contaminated with Salmonella Senftenberg and are making people sick.
As of May 21 2022, a total of 14 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Senftenberg have been reported from 12 states (see map). Illnesses started on dates ranging from February 17, 2022, through May 1, 2022 (see timeline).
Sick people range in age from less than one to 85 years, with a median age of 56, and 71% are female. Of 6 people with information available, 2 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
The true number of sick people in an outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 2 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Of the five people interviewed, five (100%) reported eating peanut butter. Four of five (80%) sick people reported Jif brand peanut butter. Two people reported Jif Creamy Reduced Fat peanut butter, one person reported Jif Natural Creamy Low Sodium peanut butter, and one person reported Jif Natural Creamy peanut butter. This suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from eating peanut butter.
Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS). WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically. This suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from the same food.
WGS analysis shows that samples from sick people in this investigation are closely related genetically to a sample collected in 2010 from the environment at J.M. Smucker Company’s facility in Lexington, KY, where some Jif brand peanut butter is produced.
WGS analysis of bacteria from 14 people’s samples did not predict resistance to any antibiotics. Standard antibiotic susceptibility testing by CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory is currently underway.
On May 20 2022, J.M. Smucker Company recalledexternal icon multiple Jif brand peanut butter types. Do not eat, sell, or serve recalled Jif brand peanut butter.
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