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Food Safety News

Schrader Farms Meat Market of Romulus, NY, is recalling approximately 20 pounds of ground beef product that may be contaminated with non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Tuesday.

The ground beef item was produced on Sept. 2, 2015. The following product is subject to recall:

• 1-lb. packages containing of “SCHRADER FARMS Meat Market Ground Beef” or “SCHRADER FARMS Meat Market GROUND BEEF, BULK” with a pack date of Sept. 2, 2015.

Gov.co.uk

In early August 2015 a number of cases of Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia Coli (VTEC) serotype O157 phage type 8 vero-toxin type 2a (MLVA profile 17-9-6-13-8-4-5-5 or a single locus variant thereof) were found to be genetically clustered by whole genome sequencing (WGS) and to share the same SNP address.

As of 3 September, the cluster comprises 38 confirmed cases, with one additional probable case and four possible cases for which WGS results are pending. Onset dates for confirmed and probable cases range from 29 July to 12 August 2015. Cases are widely distributed across England, with one case in Wales but none identified in Scotland to date. In England, the majority of confirmed cases (seven each) have been reported from Anglia and Cheshire and Merseyside, with 14 additional Health Protection Teams across the country also affected and reporting between one and three cases each. Most cases are female aged 18 to 73 years.

Analysis of enhanced VTEC questionnaires has shown that 33/38 confirmed members of the cluster had exposure to pre-packed salad and that 19 of these had purchased their prepacked salad at the same supermarket chain. A focused survey carried out with 24 of the confirmed cases indicated that the most common exposures were to two salad products from one supermarket chain which share one ingredient. Trace-back has been initiated and one packer/distributor has been identified which is supplied by three farms. Samples are being collected from the supermarket chain outlets visited by cases, the distributor/packer and from the supply farms. Investigations to determine the exact source and cause of contamination are on-going.

Outbreak control team (OCT) meetings were held on 19 August, 24 August and 1 September. The OCT is comprised of epidemiological and laboratory scientists from the Gastrointestinal Infection Department of PHE’s National Infection Service, scientists from the PHE Food, Water and Environment laboratory, representatives of local PHE HPTs with cases in their area, and representatives of the Food Standards Agency.

CFIA 

Overwaitea Food Group is recalling field cucumbers purchased from Save On Foods, PriceSmart Foods, Coopers Foods, Overwaitea, and Freson Brothers due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.

This recall applies to fresh field cucumbers sold in bulk, unwrapped purchased from Save On Foods, PriceSmart Foods, Coopers Foods, Overwaitea, and Freson Brothers on or before September 4, 2015. Consumers who are unsure if they have purchased affected cucumbers should check with their retail store.

The following cucumbers have been sold from Save On Foods, PriceSmart Foods, Coopers Foods, Overwaitea, and Freson Brothers stores in Alberta and British Columbia.

Food Poisoning Bulletin 

According to the CDC, for every one person who is a stool-culture confirmed positive victim of Salmonella in the United States, there is a multiple of 38.5 who are also sick, but remain uncounted. (See, AC Voetsch, “FoodNet estimate of the burden of illness caused by nontyphoidal Salmonella infections in the United States,” Clinical Infectious Diseases 2004; 38 (Suppl 3): S127-34).

Over the last three years 644 people have been “officially” counted as part of three outbreaks in the over last three years – two of those from imported products.

BBC Sport

Luxembourg may have to postpone Tuesday’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Belarus after 16 members of their squad contracted food poisoning.

The players complained of “terrible stomach aches” after eating a meal of spaghetti bolognaise on Sunday at the team’s hotel in Minsk

International Dairy Journal

This review concentrates on information concerning microbiological hazards possibly present in raw milk dairy products, in particular cheese, butter, cream and buttermilk. The main microbiological hazards of raw milk cheeses (especially soft and fresh cheeses) are linked to Listeria monocytogenes, verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC), Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella and Campylobacter. L.monocytogenes, VTEC and S. aureus have been identified as microbiological hazards in raw milk butter and cream albeit to a lesser extent because of a reduced growth potential compared with cheese. In endemic areas, raw milk dairy products may also be contaminated with Brucella spp., Mycobacterium bovis and the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). Potential risks due to Coxiella burnetii and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) are discussed. Pasteurisation ensures inactivation of vegetative pathogenic microorganisms, which increases the safety of products made thereof compared with dairy products made from raw milk. Several control measures from farm to fork are discussed.

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Safeway are recalling field cucumbers and in-store produced foods that contain cucumbers that were imported from Mexico. Safeway is a customer of Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce of San Diego, California that is recalling cucumbers linked to a large Salmonella outbreak in the U.S.

While there are no reports of Salmonella infections in Canada, there is a large outbreak in the U.S. At least 285 people in 27 states are sick with Salmonella linked to these cucumbers.

Food Poisoning Bulletin

A Salmonella outbreak has sickened 11 people in Montana. Illnesses have been reported in eight counties: Cascade, Fergus, Flathead, Gallatin, Lewis & Clark, Park, Musselshell and Yellowstone. Two additional cases are suspected.

“Every effort is being made to identify a common source quickly and to protect consumers from any products or practices that may be unsafe,” said Dana Fejes, foodborne epidemiologist with the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

ABC News

The Person County Health Department says 125 students were sent home from school Wednesday due to illness.

Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and a low grade fever. Laboratory testing is being conducted to determine the cause.

The director of the Person County Health Department is calling it a gastrointestinal illness. The Department of Health and Human Services has not confirmed it is norovirus.

Superintendent of Person County Schools, Danny Holloman, sent an automated phone message to parents Wednesday afternoon saying, “It has come to my attention that we seem to be having some sickness, virus type symptoms, surfacing in our schools today.”

Holloman went on to say that after talking with school nurses and administrators 84 students and six teachers at Person High School went home sick.

Barf Blog

An investigation by the Ventura County Environmental Health Division (EHD) revealed that during the week of August 18, 2015, about 80 restaurant customers and 18 restaurant employees reported symptoms characteristic of a gastrointestinal illness.

Food Poisoning Journal

Salmonella Cucumbers Sicken 285 in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming

Food Poisoning Journal

Salmonella Cucumbers Sold at In-N-Out, Save Mart, Sams Club, The Capital Grille, United, Albertson, HEB, Safeway, Kroger, Walmart, Costco, Fresh & Easy and Red Lobster

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The California Department of Public Health has reported that a Salmonella Poona outbreak in that state has sickened 51 people. One person has died. Those people live in 17 California counties. Illnesses are still being reported. It can take 2 to 4 weeks from the time someone becomes sick with food poisoning and the time the illness is reported to public health officials.