The source of the Chipotle outbreak that has sickened 39 people in Washington and Oregon is shiga toxin-producing E. coli, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed in its initial report on the outbreak. Fourteen people have been hospitalized.
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Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. is recalling Kirkland Signature brand Quinoa Salad from the marketplace because of reported illnesses. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.
The following product has been sold from Costco located in Ancaster, Ontario between October 26 and November 3, 2015.
| Brand Name | Common Name | Size | Code(s) on Product | UPC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkland Signature | Quinoa Salad (Item/Art. 0273943) | 1.070 kg | Packaged on: 15/OC/26 to 15/NO/03, inclusive |
0 00002 73943 4 |
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One of two pumpkin-carving events held before Halloween may have been the origin of a suspected norovirus outbreak at O’Hara Catholic School, Lane County officials say.
The school welcomed students and staff back to class Tuesday following an extended five-day weekend after the outbreak caused at least 100 people to fall ill. School Principal Tammy Conway said about 40 percent of students were absent on Tuesday.
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7 sick: E. coli O111 in apple cider linked to illness in California
30 now sick: Cider at Illinois: fair
The Pike County Health Department and the Adams County Health Department along with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is investigating a cluster of gastrointestinal (GI) illness associated with the Pike County Color Drive, a large fall festival that spans several communities in Pike County, IL.
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Food poisoning that made more than 50 teachers and staff members at Roosevelt High School sick, prompting classes and many activities to be canceled Oct. 22, was caused by a bacteria in meat purchased and served to staff, a report found
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The investigation into an outbreak of E. coli O26 illnesses linked to Chipotle restaurants in Washington and Oregon is up to 29 reported Washington cases. The latest update includes a case in an additional county, Whatcom.
The Washington State Department of Health continues working closely with local, state, and federal partners on a disease investigation to learn the extent of the outbreak and possible sources of E. coli bacteria.
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The California Department of Public health advised consumers not to eat Dungeness and Rock crabs caught in waters between the Oregon border and the southern Santa Barbara county line because of dangerous levels of domoic acid. This naturally occurring toxin can cause food poisoning.
Northwest Fisheries Science Center
Domoic acid has been responsible for several deaths and both permanent and transitory illness in over a hundred people. The toxin is produced by marine diatoms which are members of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia. Both shellfish and fish can accumulate this toxin without apparent ill effects; however, in humans the toxin crosses into the brain and interferes with nerve signal transmission. People poisoned with very high doses of the toxin can die, while lower doses can cause permanent brain damage (short term memory loss). When this toxin was discovered in certain West coast fish and shellfish, both recreational and commercial fisheries were briefly closed. This closure, though relatively short, had serious economic impacts on those communities dependent on these fisheries.
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The food recall warning issued on November 3, 2015 has been updated to include additional product information. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.
Everspring Farms Ltd is voluntarily recalling Back 2 the Garden brand and Now Real Food brand sprouted chia seed powder from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.
The following products have been sold nationally as well as through internet sales.
Recalled products
| Brand Name | Common Name | Size | Code(s) on Product | UPC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back 2 the Garden | Organic Sprouted Chia Seed Powder | 200 g | Lot # EVCHO150608-04 BB/MA JUN-2016 and Lot # EVCHO150608-06 BB/MA JUN-2016 |
6 27843 15900 1 |
| Now Real Food | “Sprouted” Milled Chia Seed | 227 g | EVCHO150529-08 BB/MA JUL-2016 |
7 33739 92070 6 |
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Food Alert – Batch of New Zealand organic oysters contaminated with E. coli
| Issue Date | 2015-11-04 | |
| Source of Information | The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) | |
| Food Product | Organic oysters | |
| Name of Importer | ||
| Product name and Description | Product name: Kaipara Oysters New Zealand Organic Oyster Place of origin: New Zealand Distributor: Organic Gardens International Limited Packing: 12 pieces per pack Use by date: February 28, 2017 |
|
| Reason For Issuing Alert | The CFS collected a sample of the above-mentioned oyster at ‘Green dot dot’ shop at Tsing Yi MTR Station for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. Test result showed that the most probable number of E. Coli of the sample was at a level of 1 700 per 100 grams. According to the Microbiological Guidelines for Food, the sample is considered unsatisfactory, i.e. potentially injurious to health and/or unfit for human consumption. | |
| Action Taken by the Centre for Food Safety | – The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity and instructed it to stop sale and recall the affected batch of the product. – The CFS will also alert the trade and liaise with the importer/distributor concerned to trace the distribution of the affected product. |
|
| Advice to the Trade | The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batch of the product immediately. | |
| Advice to Consumers |
– Members of the public should stop consuming the affected batch of the product if they have purchased and still possess it. – Medical treatment should be sought if feeling unwell after taking the food. – For enquiries about the recall, members of the public may call the distributor at 3181 4488 during office hours. |
|
| Further Information | The CFS press release | |
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Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi that usually contaminate food products. Coffee is a natural product susceptible to mycotoxin contamination. The present study evaluates the presence of nivalenol, deoxynivalenol, T-2 and HT-2 Toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin G1, aflatoxin G2, fumonisin B1, fumonisin B2, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, enniatin A, enniatin A1, enniatin B, enniatin B1, and beauvericin in coffee samples, using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The results show that zearalenone was not present in any sample. In the positive samples the contents of fumonisins ranged from 58.62 to 537.45 μg/kg, emerging mycotoxins ranged from 0.10 to 3569.92 μg/kg, aflatoxins ranged from 0.25 to 13.12 μg/kg, and trichothecenes, excepting nivalenol, ranged from 5.70 to 325.68 μg/kg. Nivalenol presented the highest concentrations, from 0.40 to 25.86 mg/kg. Ochratoxin A ranged from 1.56 to 32.40 μg/kg, and five samples exceeded the maximum limit established by the European Commission.
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