Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Courier.co.uk 

Almost three quarters of pupils at an Angus primary school are off on sickness or precautionary grounds today following an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug.

The 428-pupil school has remained open despite this week’s sickness outbreak but it seems families may be playing it safe even if their children are not showing symptoms.

Angus Council confirmed 329 pupils are off from primaries one through seven today, and 118 are currently in school.

It is understood not all of the children will be sick, as some parents have elected to remove their children to avoid catching norovirus.

Barf blog

In June and July, 2015, 15 people were sickened with E. coli O157 from Robinson’s Butchers and Caterers in Billingham, UK.

Yesterday, Rachael Donaldson, the mum of 12-year-old Tia Donaldson who suffered kidney failure, said Tia, then 11, was left in a critical condition having suffered kidney failure, a series of mini strokes and a dangerously inflamed bowel.

Of the 15 people affected, ten needed hospital treatment of which seven went on to develop hemolytic uremic syndrome.

All have since recovered or are recovering.

Food Safety News

The Canadian federal government reported today that it is working with provincial health agencies to identify the source of a Salmonella outbreak that has infected 91 people between March and November.

Eight provinces reported infections during this period, including Quebec (13), Ontario (53), Alberta (11), British Columbia (6), Saskatchewan (2), Nova Scotia (2), Manitoba (2), New Brunswick (1) and Prince Edward Island (1). No deaths have been reported.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says risk of contracting the illness is low and while the source of the current outbreak is unknown, the agency identified poultry products as “items of interest” in its continuing investigation.

Science Daily 

A well-known ‘superbug’ which was thought to have been a static or non-motile organism has been observed showing signs of active motility by scientists at The Universities of Nottingham and Sheffield.

Science Daily

The bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans can take electrons needed for growth directly from an electrode power source when iron—its already known source of energy—is absent, new research shows. The study shows that A. ferrooxidans can use direct uptake of electrons from an electrode to fuel the same metabolic pathway that is activated by the oxidation of diffusible iron ions.

Food Safety News 

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports Salmonella was found at an egg facility in Bonne Terre, Missouri.

According to DHSS, they recently conducted a testing at the Good Earth Egg Company processing facility in Bonne Terre and received samples that indicated the presence of Salmonella bacteria.

The facility was ordered to stay closed until it can be cleaned and re-sampled.

DHSS urges anyone that gets eggs from the Good Earth Egg Company to fully cook their eggs to 165 degrees, avoid cross contamination of raw eggs with ready to eat foods and wash their hands after handling eggs.

USDA 

In May 2015, FSIS began testing poultry carcasses under new project codes (HC_CH_CARC01 and HC_TU_CARC01) related to PR/HACCP verification testing and discontinued the previous set-based verification projects (HC11_BR and HC11_TU).  Results from both types of testing are presented in this report, with the set-based testing referred to as either “Young Chickens” or “Set-based Young Chicken Testing” or either “Young Turkeys” or “Set-based Young Turkey Testing.” The newer projects are referred to as either “Moving window-based Young Chicken Carcasses” or “Moving window-based Young Turkey Carcasses.”

• There were 14 beef and zero (0) poultry carcass samples collected and analyzed for Salmonella in the original set-based PR/HACCP verification program, and 2421 samples analyzed for new moving window-based PR/HACCP verification projects  on Young Chicken Carcasses and Young Turkey Carcasses.
  • Moving window-based Young Chicken Carcasses – 1.4% positive (1997 samples analyzed)
  • Moving window-based Young Turkey Carcasses – 0.9% positive (424 samples analyzed)
• There were zero (0) carcass samples analyzed for Campylobacter from the original set-based PR/HACCP verification program, and 2207 samples also analyzed for new moving window-based projects (HC_CH_CARC01 and HC_TU_CARC01):
  • Moving window-based Young Chicken Carcasses – 2.2% positive (1810 samples analyzed)
  • Moving window-based Young Turkey Carcasses – 1.5% positive (397 samples analysed)

Khaleej times

About 25 students of the Emirates National School in Sharjah fell ill after they ate food from a food charity bazar organised by the school on Wednesday. The students were rushed, separately by their parents, to Zulekha Hospital and are reported to have suffered food poisoning

Sharjah authorities, including the Ministry of Health, municipality and Education Zone have launched intensified investigations on the case.

According to medical staff at the hospital, the students arrived at the emergency room one after another with the same symptoms, including abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and dehydration. Realising the enormity of the issue involving several children with similar symptoms of food poisoning, the hospital staff notified the health authorities and the municipality.

Southern Daily Echo 

AT least 100 diners were struck down by a mass food poisoning outbreak after eating at a filthy Hampshire restaurant, a court heard.

A management company and one of its directors have been told to pay more than £70,000 in fines and costs after scores of customers fell victim to poor hygiene at the Real China complex in Eastleigh.

It was the biggest food poisoning outbreak the borough council had ever dealt with and resulted in several people being admitted to hospital.

The Mirror

Now those involved with the restaurant at the time have been hit with £70,000 in fines and costs, after what was reportedly the biggest food poisoning outbreak the borough council has ever seen.

Malcolm Gibney, prosecuting, said: “A door between the loo and the kitchen
was wedged open, a practice that was totally unacceptable.”

CFIA

Bothwell Cheese Inc. is recalling certain Bothwell brand shredded cheese products from the marketplace due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Consumers should not consume and distributors, retailers and food service establishments such hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, hospitals and nursing homes should not sell or use the recalled products described below.

The following products have been sold in Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.