Category Archives: Salmonella

USA – Salmonella Outbreak at a Funeral Home

Food Safety NewsSalmonella

At least 36 people who attended a funeral in western Alabama on July 6 have fallen ill with Salmonella infections, reported the Alabama Department of Public Health Wednesday.

The funeral was held at Eastern Star Baptist Church in York, AL, and was attended by at least 100 people, according to a press release from ADPH.

Of those known to have been sickened, 30 were hospitalized in 9 different states, including Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Oklahoma.

The health department’s investigation into the outbreak began June 8 after a local hospital reported that 25 people had come in late on July 6 and into the following day complaining of fever, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

RASFF Alerts – Salmonella – Poultry – Maltodextrin – Eggs – Beef – Rocket – Dog Chews

RASFF – Salmonella Brandenburg (presence /25g) and Salmonella enterica (presence /25g) in chicken meat from Brazil in Sweden

RASFF – Foodborne outbreak (Salmonella spp.) caused by eggs from Spain in France

RASFF – Salmonella Dublin (presence /25g) in frozen beef trimmings from Ireland in Sweden

RASFF -Salmonella in frozen spiced boneless skinless turkey half breasts from Brazil in the UK

RASFF – Salmonella in frozen spiced boneless skinless turkey half breasts from Brazil in the UK

RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in wild rocket sandwich from Italy, via the United Kingdom in Ireland

RASFF – Salmonella enteritidis (presence /25g) in frozen hens from Poland, with raw material from the Czech Republic in Poland

RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in maltodextrin from France in Belgium

RASFF – Salmonella in frozen poultry meat from Brazil in Spain

RASFF – Salmonella Heidelberg (presence /25g) in frozen chicken from Brazil in Spain

RASFF -Salmonella spp. (O:4,5 /25g) in dog chew from India in Germany

RASFF – Salmonella Give (presence /25g) in processed animal proteins (porc) from the Netherlands in Belgium

RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in dog chews from India in Germany

 

Canada – Recalls – Salmonella – Mycotoxin – Clostridium botulinum

CFIA – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Wonder Berry North America are warning the public not to consume certain baby cereal products described below because they may contain mycotoxin HT-2.

There has been one reported illness associated with the consumption of these products. The affected products have been distributed in Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.

The importer, Wonder Berry North America, Toronto, Ontario, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

CFIA – The public  warning issued on June 24, 2013 has been updated to include additional  product, importer, and distribution information.

The Canadian Food Inspection  Agency (CFIA) and UNFI Canada Inc. are warning the public not to consume the  Prince brand Tahini products described below because they may be contaminated  with Salmonella.

The following Prince brand  products, product of Israel, are affected by the recall. There have been no reported  illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

The importer, UNFI Canada Inc.,  Concord, ON, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the  marketplace.  The CFIA is monitoring the  effectiveness of the recall.

CFIA – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)  and Overwaitea Food Group are warning the public not to consume the Prince  brand Tahini described below because it may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The following Prince brand product, product of Israel, is affected by the recall. There have been no reported  illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

The distributor, Overwaitea  Food Group, Langley, BC, is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the  marketplace.  The CFIA is monitoring the  effectiveness of the recall.

The CFIA is  working with Canadian importers to have these products removed from the  marketplace

CFIA – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Ratinaud French Cuisine are warning the public not to consume certain Charcuterie Ratinaud French Cuisine brand Confit Tomatoes because they may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. Toxins produced by these bacteria may cause botulism, a life-threatening illness.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

The manufacturer, Ratinaud French Cusine, Halifax, NS, is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

Research – FDA Investigation Safety of Shell Eggs

Food Posioning BulletinEGGS

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to establish a Cooperative Agreement with the North Carolina State University Department of Poultry Science and the Piedmont Research Station Poultry Unit to study the safety of shell eggs in the U.S. market. The 2009 Egg Safety Rule was designed to prevent foodborne illness caused by eggs contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis. The Agreement will research routes of transmission for Salmonella in the egg production industry. The agreement will go into effect in September 2013.

Scientists are hoping to investigate how changes in physical feed characteristics and housing could influence Salmonella transmission. Findings will help researchers and the egg industry understand routes of Salmonella transmission and food safety controls needed to help prevent outbreaks.

UK – Curry Leaves cause Salmonella Outbreak 400 People

The Guardian

Uncooked curry leaves in a chutney left more than 400 people who ate at a street food festival with diarrhoea and vomiting or salmonella poisoning, health officials have found.

The leaves were contaminated with several different bacteria, experts found, which led to 29 confirmed cases of salmonella at the Street Spice festival in Newcastle in February and March.

An investigation by Public Health England (PHE) and Newcastle city council found 25 of the 29 cases had developed a strain of salmonella never found in people or food in Britain before.

According to an official report, further laboratory analysis suggested other organisms may also have caused illness including E coli and shigella.

Some of the 413 affected were found to have more than one of these infections at the same time.

No one will face prosecution because there was seen to be a lack of clear advice about the dangers of using raw curry leaves in recipes, and in general hygiene levels at the three-day event were good.

Africa and EU – Rise in Antibiotic Resistance in Salmonella

Food Safety News

Strains of one increasingly antibiotic-resistant Salmonella serotype have seen a “rapid worldwide spread,” according to a study published by researchers at the Institut Pasteur in Paris and Morocco.

Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Kentucky, first isolated in 2002 in a French tourist who had visited Egypt, has now “spread at an astonishing rate throughout Africa and the Middle East in the space of only a few years,” the study’s authors claim.

The bacterium has also already been found in farmed-raised turkeys in Europe, though it is not clear based on available information if those turkeys were imported or grown domestically. In a summary of the study, the lead author said he worries that the resistant strain may soon spread to European poultry farms.

This study comes on the heels of a report out of Canada calling antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Kentucky a rare but “growing concern” in Canadian health. That study found that between 2003 and 2009, 30 percent of Salmonella Kentucky isolates from Canadian patients were resistant to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin.

RASFF Alerts – Salmonella

RASFF – Salmonella Mbandaka (presence /25g) in organic soybean cake from Italy, via Germany in Austria
RASFF – Salmonella Derby (presence /25g) in organic soybean cake from China, via the Netherlands in Austria
RASFF – Salmonella Havana (presence /25g) in soaya bean meal from the Netherlands in Finland
RASFF – Salmonella in frozen chicken meat from Brazil in Spain

RASFF – Salmonella in frozen chicken meat from Brazil in Spain
RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen poultry meat preparation from Brazil in The Netherlands
RASFF -Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen poultry meat preparation from Brazil in the Netherlands

USA – Recall Raw Ground Beef

E.coli BlogEcoli Istock

National Beef Packing Co., a Liberal, Kan., establishment, is recalling approximately 22,737 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The problem was discovered through routine FSIS monitoring which confirmed a positive result for E.coli O157:H7. An investigation determined the firm was the sole supplier of the source materials used to produce the positive product. FSIS and the company have received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.

USA – Salmonella in Pet Food

Food Poisoning BulletinSalmonella

Natura Pet Products is recalling some lots of dry pet food because it may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. Pets can become ill after eating this food, and human beings can become ill just by touching it and then not thoroughly washing their hands. Pets with Salmonella can have lethargy and have diarrhea, which may be bloody, fever, and vomiting. Pets that appear perfectly healthy can be carriers of Salmonella bacteria.

The recalled products were packaged in one production facility. A single lot tested positive for Salmonella during routine FDA testing. No illnesses have been associated with these products to date. Natural is recalling all expiration dates before June 10, 2014.

China – Outbrake 386 Children – Salmonella the Cause

Food Safety NewsSalmonella

At least 386 children in a Chinese province were hospitalized last week with suspected Salmonella infections, health officials announced Sunday.

The students, who reside in the Meishan City area of Sichuan province, fell ill at the end of last week with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, fatigue and dizziness. Chinese health authorities eventually determined that their illnesses were caused by Salmonella.