Category Archives: Pathogen

RASFF Alerts – Aflatoxin, Salmonella, E.coli, DSP, Listeria

Posted on June 16, 2012 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – Aflatoxin in Peanut Paste Belgium sourced from the Ivory Coast

RASFF – Salmonella in Cumin Powder in the UK sourced from Denmark

RASFF – Salmonella broiler leg meat in France sourced from Lithuania

RASFF – DSP (Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning) Razor Clams UK

RASFF –  Salmonella Soya Bean meal in Italy sourced in Switzerland

RASFF – Aflatoxins in Spice Mix in Ireland sourced from India

RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes in smoked bacon from Poland

RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes in smoked Halibut from France

RASFF – Campylobacter in fresh chicken from Germany

RASFF – Salmonella in soya bean meal in Germany

RASFF – Salmonella in rape cake from Germany

RASFF –  High levels of E.coli Oysters in France

 

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Bacteria, Campylobacter, DSP, E.coli, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall, Salmonella

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US Bans Korean Shellfish – Faecal Matter – Norovirus

Posted on June 16, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Korean shellfish is not safe to eat and Korea has been removed from the U.S. list of approved  shellfish shippers after officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered unsanitary conditions  that exposed molluscan growing areas to human fecal matter, norovirus and pollution, the agency announced yesterday.

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Microbiology, Norovirus, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall

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Japan Raw Beef Liver Restaurant Ban – E.coli O157

Posted on June 15, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Global Meat News

Japan has announced that it will ban the sale of raw beef liver in restaurants, following a spate of food poisoning cases last year.

The Daily Yomiyuri

The health ministry has decided to ban restaurants from serving raw beef liver from July 1 due to food poisoning concerns, and violators of the new rule could be fined or even imprisoned.

The ministry made the decision after its food sanitation council approved the policy at a meeting Tuesday.

Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O-157 and Campylobacter bacteria, both of which can cause severe stomachache, have been detected in raw beef liver. A research report said it is difficult to remove or kill the bacteria through screening tests or disinfection, and that liver can only be guaranteed safe to consume if it has been cooked.

Operators of barbecue restaurants and other establishments that ignore the ban on raw beef liver could be sentenced to up to two years in prison or fined up to 2 million yen.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry presented comments submitted by the public over the month through May 18. Although most of the 1,532 opinions were against outlawing raw liver, ministry officials insisted a ban–backed up by penalties–was necessary because there is no 100 percent safe way of eating raw beef liver.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Safety, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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Belgium – 19 Cases E.coli O157

Posted on June 15, 2012 by | Leave a comment

BarfBlog

Nineteen cases of infection with E. coli O157 have been detected in Limburg, Belgium, of which three have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

The Federal Agency for Security of the Food Chain (AFSCA) said Thursday that all cases are related to the ingestion of filet américain (lit. American fillet) with onions and more seasoning than a normal steak tartare.

AFSCA launched an investigation and based on date of purchase, consumption and onset of disease, the suspect beef has been traced and initial sampling results were positive for E. coli O157

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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Australia – Marinated Feta Recall – E.coli

Posted on June 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment

AVA

12 June 2012: Food Standards Australia and New Zealand has issued a notice on the recall of some batches of Casa brand’s Marinated Feta in Australia due to a risk of microbial (E.coli) contamination.

 There is no import of the retail pack of the affected products in Singapore. While there is an import of the 1.5kg trade pack of the affected product, the consignment has not been distributed for sale and will be destroyed.

  Consumers who have bought the implicated products overseas should discard the products and not consume them.

 

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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US – Raw Milk E.coli O157

Posted on June 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Ecoli Blog

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine today warned consumers in and around Chautauqua County to not consume “unpasteurised” raw farm milk from Castle Farms due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination.

Castle Farms, located at 1051 Route 249 in Irving, New York, holds a Department permit to legally sell raw milk at the farm. Samples of the milk are routinely tested by the New York State Food Laboratory to determine if the raw milk is free of pathogenic bacteria.

It is important to note that raw milk does not provide the protection of pasteurization, which eliminates all pathogenic bacteria, including E. coli O157:H7. Producers who sell raw milk to consumers must have a permit to do so from the Department, must sell directly to consumers on the farm where the milk is produced and must post a notice at the point of sale indicating that raw milk does not provide the protection of pasteurization. Farms with permits to sell raw milk are inspected by the Department monthly.

To date, no illnesses are known by the Department to be associated with product from Castle Farms.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen

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FDA – Red Pepper & Onion Garlic Cheese – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on June 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FDA

Golden Glen Creamery of Bow, WA, in cooperation with the WSDA is voluntarily recalling Red Pepper with Onion & Garlic Cheddar produced on August 30, 2011 because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The Creamery agreed to recall the product after a sample taken by the WSDA returned with a positive result. Samples of the same batch have tested negative through an independent, state-approved lab that Creamery has submitted samples to. No illnesses have been reported to date. L. monocytogenesis an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

To date, no illnesses have been reported.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, FDA, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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US – California Farmers Markets Soups Warning – Possible Botulinum

Posted on June 12, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The California Department of Health is warning consumers not to eat certain soups sold at  southern California farmers markets because they may have been produced in a way that makes them susceptible to Clostridium botulinum.  

CDPH said Monday that canned soups manufactured by Malibu-based One Gun Ranch and Santa Barbara-based Organic Soup Kitchen had the potential to be contaminated with the bacteria, which produces harmful toxins that can be dangerous to human health.
 
The soups from One Gun Ranch (left) that are subject to the warning include: Campfire Kitchen Cauliflower Soup, Heirloom Tomato Fennel Gaspacho Soup, Sequoia’s Skinny Spiced Coconut, Parsnip, and Tumeric Soup, Oassian’s Pumpkin Stew and Freddy’s Firegrilled Meatballs. The soups were sold only at the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market located at Swarthmore Avenue and Sunset Blvd. in Pacific Palisades, CA on May 13, 2012 and June 3, 2012. They were sold in 16 oz. glass jars with screw-on metal lids.  
 
The soups from Organic Soup Kitchen (below) were sold at two farmers markets: the Calabasas Farmers Market, located at Calabasas Road and El Canon Avenue in Calabasas, CA 91302 (Saturdays) and the Studio City Farmers Market, located at Ventura Place between Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Radford Avenue, Studio City, CA 91604 (Sundays). The soups were sold between June 6,2011 and May 6, 2012 in one-quart jars with screw-on metal lids. The affected soups include the following flavors: Fire Roasted Yam, Curried Potato Leek, Curry Lentil Bisque, Tomato Bean and Wild Herb and Mediterranean Chipotle Chili.   
 
Consumers who purchased any of the soups described above are urged to throw them out immediately and then thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water.
 
As of Monday, no illnesses had been linked to these soups, CDPH reported.  
 

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Posted in Bacteria, CDPH, Clostridium botulinum, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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FSA – Research Financial Pressure- Increased Food Safety Risks

Posted on June 11, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FSA

New research published today by the Food Standards Agency shows that some people are taking more risks with food safety as they try to save money and make their meals go further.

The research showed that most of those questioned (97%) believed the cost of their typical shopping basket has gone up significantly in the last three years, with half of these (47%) trying to make better use of leftover food. However, some people are ignoring ‘use by’ dates more than they used to, while others are keeping leftovers for longer than the recommended limit of two days in the fridge.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Standards Agency, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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Organic Meats Increased Toxoplasmosis Risk?

Posted on June 10, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin 

A study published in the May 22, 2012 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseaseshas found that organic meats may have increased toxoplasmosis risk.

Toxoplasmosis gondii is a single-celled parasite that used to be a significant problem in pork. The definitive host for the parasite is cats. When pigs were allowed to forage for food, they often ate food contaminated with infected cat feces, or ate wild animals and birds that contained the oocysts. That’s why your grandmother used to cook pork well done to 160 degrees F, because that destroyed the parasite in all of its forms.

When pork farmers changed the methods of hog raising to eliminate foraging and fed the animals processed food, the risk of toxoplasmosis fell considerably. But the current trend toward free-range food animals, especially pigs and lamb, has increased the toxoplasmosis risk, since those animals are foraging for food. Wild game, such as venison, is also a a source of the toxoplasmosis parasite.

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Parasite, Pathogen, Toxoplasmosis

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