| Taste of Roux brand vegetarian soups | Taste of Roux, LLC,
Valley Village, CA |
Possible
Clostridium botulinum contamination |
KSWFoodWorld
Category Archives: Pathogen
US – Soup Recall – Clostridium botulinum Risk
“Garbage Juice” – Listeria
NORTHEAST OHIO — Listeria, a potentially deadly food-borne bacteria, was found in high levels of fluids dripping from garbage trucks onto neighbourhood streets, a Channel 3 News investigation found.
The bacteria has a mortality rate of 20 percent and, according to microbiologist Roger Pryor, of Accra Labs in Twinsburg, it poses an especially significant threat to the elderly, children and to pregnant women.
Channel 3 news collected samples of fluids spilling from garbage trucks in Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Maple Heights and Brooklyn and had them tested.
In addition to listeria, Accra Labs found very high levels of bacteria and low levels of salmonella.
Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek says homeowners in the Collinwood neighbourhood he represents often complain about the filthy stains left behind by city trash haulers.
“It becomes a major problem because you don’t know what’s in it,” said Polensek.
Some experts say a single drop of listeria is enough to make you sick. Children playing ball in the streets can easily come in contact with the contaminated fluid.
Worldwide Recall – Tempeh Starter Yeast Culture – Salmonella
Indonesianfoodmart.com of Rockville, MD, is recalling all packages of “Tempeh Starter Yeast” because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhoea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
The recalled ” Tempeh Starter Yeast “and “Super Starter Yeast” were distributed nationwide and internationally through direct mail orders. The product was also distributed to the following areas: Australia, Canada, Slovenia, New Zealand, Brunei, Darussalam, Poland and Croatia.
The product comes in sealed, clear plastic packages marked with a small computer printed label. The following sizes were sold: 30gm, 50gm, 250 gm, and 1000 gm
Several illnesses have been reported to date that may be in connection with this problem
Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, Salmonella
Tagged experience fever, food, health, medicine, restaurants, weakened immune systems
RASFF Alerts – Salmonella, Histamine, Listeria, Aflatoxins
RASFF – Salmonella Agona – Soya Bean Meal from Italy
RASFF – Aflatoxins – Halva and Pistachios from Turkey
RASFF – Salmonella Derby – Bulls Pizzle from Germany
RASFF – Listeria monocytogenese – Smoked Salmon from Poland
RASFF – Histamine – Sardines in Oil, Sardines in Tomato from Morroco
RASFF – Salmonella Infantis- Frozen Chicken from Poland
Listeria Research – Growth Dynamics on Produce
Several Listeriosis outbreaks have been linked to the consumption of fresh or processed produce in recent years. One major determinant of the Listeriosis risk is the ability of a food to support growth of Listeria monocytogenes during storage. However, data regarding the ability to support growth of L. monocytogenes are scarce or no existing for many produce commodities. Here we synthesize the available data regarding growth behaviour of L. monocytogenes on produce, compare the growth data with Listeriosis outbreak data, and evaluate the adequacy of the data for predictive modelling. Growth rates and maximum L. monocytogenes population densities differed markedly among produce commodities, and post-harvest processing had a considerable effect on growth dynamics for certain commodities such as tomatoes. However, data scarcity prevented reliable estimation of growth rates for many commodities. Produce outbreaks seemed frequently associated with processed produce and often involved storage under suboptimal conditions (e.g., at room temperature for several hours or for several months in the refrigerator) or environmental cross-contamination after processing. However, no clear associations between high growth rates of L. monocytogenes on fresh produce and outbreaks were detected. In conclusion, produce commodities differ in the supported growth rate of L. monocytogenes, the maximum attainable L. monocytogenes population density, and possibly in the impact of post-harvest processing, but data are currently insufficient to predict growth behaviour, and the Listeriosis risk appears to be also governed by additional factors.
US – Baby Spinach Recall – Salmonella
Taylor Farms Retail, Inc. is initiating a voluntary recall of Organic Baby Spinach with the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella following a random test conducted on a finished package of spinach by USDA.
There have been no reported illnesses attributed to the recalled items. The “Best By” Code Date for the recalled products can be located on the lower right portion of the front label. These recalled items were distributed from Taylor Farms Retail, Inc. on May 9, 2012 and May 10, 2012.
No other products or code dates are affected by this recall. The company is cooperating with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) regarding this recall.
Cruise Ship “HMS Holby City”- Norovirus
Scores of passengers on board a luxury cruise liner have had their £2,000 holidays ruined by a sickness outbreak. Around 170 passengers on the Boudicca were hit by the suspected norovirus during its 13-night trip to the Canary Islands. The virus, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea, is highly contagious and those infected were quarantined during the doomed voyage.
The ship, carrying around 828 passengers and 348 crew, was greeted by NHS staff and ambulance crews when it docked in Greenock, Scotland last night.
One passenger told the Daily Mirror: ‘We started calling the ship HMS Holby City.
‘There were two nurses wandering around all the time visiting people, most of them elderly.
‘Half the facilities were shut down and we were even told not to swap quiz sheets to stop the bug spreading.
‘Passengers were offered £150 discounts on their next cruise. We don’t know anyone who accepted.
US Ground Beef Recall – E.coli Risk
Lancaster Frozen Foods and G&W Incorporated are recalling about 6,908 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli, according to the South Carolina meat and poultry inspection department.
Lab testing by the meat and poultry inspection department confirmed a positive result for E.coli in a ground product at Lancaster Frozen Foods. That lot was held by the company, but additional ungroud product from the same lot had been used in other production lots resulting in the recall.
No illnesses have been reported.
USDA Food Microbiology Guidelines for Laboratories
The Guidebook contains current protocols for analytical tests required by FSIS regulatory activities on meat, poultry and egg products.1 Specifically, microbiological methods are presented for sample preparation, isolation and identification of the major foodborne pathogenic microorganisms and their toxins, meat tissue species identification, and the detection of extraneous materials and antimicrobial residues. Media and reagent formulations, and Most Probable Number Tables are contained in an appendix.
Bagged Salads Recall Expanded – US and Canada – Listeria monocytogenes
The California Department of Public Health warned California residents not to eat certain bagged salads manufactured by River Ranch Fresh Foods, LLC due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes on Friday.
According to a news release from CDPH, Salinas, California-based River Ranch Fresh Foods initiated a voluntary recall of bagged salads after routine sampling detected Listeria monocytogenes in two packages of shredded iceberg lettuce purchased from retail locations in California and Colorado. The recalled salad products were distributed nationwide to retail and foodservice outlets under various sizes and packaged under the brand names of River Ranch, Farm Stand, Hy-Vee, Marketside, Shurfresh, The Farmer’s Market, Cross Valley, Fresh n Easy, Promark, and Sysco.
Although the bagged salads being recalled are no longer available for sale, CDPH issued a news release to warn consumers that they may have the recalled products in their homes. The agency published a list of all recalled products to aid consumers in identifying recalled products.
The public warning issued on May 19, 2012has been expanded to include new products and Best Before date codes.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public as well as various importers, distributors, retailers and food service establishments such as hotels, restaurants, cafeteria, hospitals and nursing homes not to serve or consume various salads described below because these products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
This is a part of the larger recall of retail and foodservice salads initiated by River Ranch Fresh Foods, LLC, California, USA with distribution in Canada.
Anyone who finds recalled lettuce should discard it or return it to the point of purchase for a refund.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.
FoodWorld 