Tainted powdered milk formula from Belgium has been recalled in Russia after more than a dozen babies were struck down with Salmonellosis.
KSWFoodWorld
Category Archives: Microbiology
Irish Cheese Recall – High Level Listeria monocytogenes
| Wicklow Farmhouse Cheese: Wicklow Blue Irish Farmhouse Cheese (“a mild creamy blue veined brie cheese”); pack size: 150g, approval number: IE1915EC | |
| Batch Code: | BATC11326B; best before date: 31/01/2012 |
| Country Of Origin: | Ireland
|
Wicklow Farmhouse Cheese Ltd is recalling a batch of cheese as outlined above, due to the detection of a high level of Listeria monocytogenes. No other products at this stage are known to be affected by this recall. Investigations at the manufacturing premise are underway.
US – Cold Smoked Salmon – Listeria monocytogenes
A Maine food processing and storage company destroyed its cold smoked salmon product under the supervision of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after inspectors found Listeria monocytogenes within the firm’s facility and on processing.
Based on conditions at Mill Stream Corp. of Hancock, Maine, FDA investigators ordered an administrative detention of the firm’s cold-smoked salmon product, a ready-to-eat food, during an inspection in December 2011. Once the food was detained, Mill Stream Corp. agreed to voluntarily destroy the cold-smoked salmon, under FDA supervision.
The FDA may order the detention of food when an investigator has a reason to believe that the food is adulterated or misbranded. Food subject to an FDA detention order may not be moved, without agency permission, until the agency releases it or the detention order expires. A detention order may remain in place for up to 30 days
USDA – $25 Million to E.coli STEC Research
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a $25m research grant to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to tackle Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in the beef supply chain.
As reported on this blog last year the US have decided to ban six E.coli serotypes from the food chain and if the proposal goes through testing will need to begin in March 2012, this is still a very controversial proposal in the US. (link)
Iceland Recalls Frozen Mince – Salmonella
Iceland is recalling its frozen minced lamb because some batches may be contaminated with salmonella. Salmonella is a bacterium that causes food poisoning. The affected batches have a ‘best before’ date of 11 October 2012. If you have bought the product don’t eat it. The Agency has issued a Product Recall Information Notice.
The product being recalled is:
- Iceland Frozen Lamb Mince, 454g
- Best before date: 11 October 2012
Iceland has recalled the affected product. Customer notices have been displayed in stores, explaining why the product has been recalled. If you’ve bought the product, don’t eat it. You can return it to the store for a full refund.
No other Iceland products are known to be affected.
Sprouting Seeds – IIlness Outbreak Summary 1998-2011
This link was supplied to me by Mike Scott at Matrix, it is a list of the outbreaks associated with sprouting seeds and is of interest after the recent release for the EFSA on controlling sprouting seeds and food borne illness.
1000 New Food Regulations by 2015!
Catchy headline but if you not in China you can breathe again,recent food scandals have influenced China food officials to implement up to 1,000 food regulations by 2015. The aim is to regain consumer confidence in local processed foods.
Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Testing, Microbiology
India to Open 125 Food Safety Laboratories
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed to set up 125 food testing laboratories in the country.
The proposed labs are meant to undertake tests to check whether the adulteration is chemical, physical or microbiological. Physical category means substandard particles mixed in a product. The 125 primary labs will join the existing 72 labs in the country. Apart from these, there are four central food labs, working as referral labs to the primary labs, providing information about various research projects, their findings and usefulness of technology in the food industry.
Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Testing, Microbiology
Are Sprouted Seeds Ever Going to be Safe?
Evidence is emerging that sprouted seeds could present an unacceptable risk to human health unless effective control measures such as irradiation can be used to make them safer.
Would the European market really want irradiated products?
MRSA Levels in Pork 7% – US Study
Retail pork products in the U.S. have a higher prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (MRSA) than previously identified. This in theory may well apply to retail pork products in the UK and Europe although there is not data to confirm this. The report also states ” the this organism is estimated to cause around 185,000 cases of food poisoning each year. ” I am not aware of figures for the UK and Europe on MRSA causing foodborne illness.
