RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 0.049 mg/kg – ppm) in maize from India in Belgium
RASFF -Salmonella spp. (5 out of 5 samples /25g) in corn gluten meal from China in Switzerland
RASFF -Salmonella spp. (in 3 out of 13 samples /25g) in fish meal from Mauritania in Denmark
RASFF -Salmonella Mbandaka (presence /25g) in processed animal proteins (aves) from the Netherlands in Belgium
RASFF -High count of Enterobacteriaceae (> 1000 CFU/g) in brine shrimp eggs (Artemia cysts) from China in Germany
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According to the Orlando Sentinel, an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness has sickened several dozen guests at the Orlando World Center Marriott. Guests who were sickened stayed at the hotel and attended a conference between June 29 and July 7.
Public health officials at the Orange County Health Department think it is too early to tell whether the illnesses were food poisoning or caused by a virus such as norovirus. Most of those sickened were adults. One employee and several children have also experienced symptoms of the illness.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is investigating 13 cases of foodborne illness associated with a type of E. colibacteria known as E. coli O111. This form of E. coli is in the same family as the more well-known E. coli O157:H7. All of the illnesses were caused by the same genetic strain of E. coli O111, and the ill people do not all share any obvious commonalities; these facts indicate the illnesses resulted from a widely distributed food item.
While seven of the people with E. coli O111 infections reported eating at Applebee’s restaurants in Minnesota between June 24 and 27, there are multiple cases with no apparent connection to the restaurant.
Raw goat milk cheese.
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Product name: Crottins de Chavignol
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Reason For Issuing Alert |
The kind of raw goat milk cheese was contaminated by E coli O26 : H11 and the manufacturer concerned in France had initiated a recall of the product. The affected product was imported to Hong Kong on June 16 this year |
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White & Blue Lion, Inc. in the City of Industry, CA is recalling all lots of tattoo Inks and tattoo needles due to pathogenic bacterial contamination. Use of these products may cause bacterial infection and can lead to sepsis, a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection. The recall includes all tattoo inks, tattoo needles, and tattoo kits distributed by White & Blue Lion including the ones specifically listed in the link above.
Aspen Nutritionals Australia is voluntarily recalling a batch of baby formula after a Sydney woman found a dead lizard in her tin of S-26 Original Progress.
The affected batch number is 40727482A2, and Stephen Voordouw, general manager at Aspen Nutritionals Australia, said consumers can have confidence that other S-26 products are safe for consumption.
CFIA –
The food recall warning issued on July 4, 2014 has been updated to include additional products. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.
Fromagerie Le Détour (2003) Inc. is recalling Citadelle and Grey Owl cheese from the marketplace because they may contain the toxin produced by Staphylococcus bacteria. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.
Also affected by this alert are th products listed in the link above which may have been sold in smaller packages, cut and wrapped by some retailers. Consumers are advised to contact the retailer to determine if they have the affected products.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Walmart Canada Corporation and Mead Johnson Nutrition (Canada) Company are advising the public that some bottles of Enfamil A+ Ready-to-Feed Infant Formula have been found with the tamper-proof seal broken and blue tape applied in its place. These bottles were found to contain water and some formula residue instead of infant formula.
A total of three complaints have been reported in Brampton and Mississauga.
Walmart immediately removed the product from sale in a number of stores in the Halton and Peel regions of Toronto and did not find any additional product that had been altered
Product name: Soup with pork lung, apricot kernel and Chinese ham (by Hung Fook Tong)
Package: 400 grams per pack
Best before date: July 2, 2014
Batch number: SU 22018
Place of origin: Hong Kong
During follow-up investigation on a case of removal from shelves of some food products by a local food chain, the CFS collected samples of the food products at the retail level for testing. Subsequent to announcement by the CFS on finding a bottled organic black soybean milk sample with excessive Bacillus cereus on July 9, the CFS found that a sample of locally produced Chinese-style soup with pork lung, apricot kernel and Chinese ham of the same brand was also detected to contain Bacillus cereus at an excessive level. Test results showed that the concerned soup sample contained Bacillus cereus at a level of 300,000 per gram.
Consumers may suffer from gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting and diarrhoea after consuming the concerned product.
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Tagged apricot kernel, bacillus cereus, food products, Hong Kong, Hung Fook Tong, local food chain
Impending international policies for norovirus in oysters and the lack of Australian data suggested there was a need to undertake a national survey of norovirus in oysters. Two geographically distinct oyster-growing areas from each of three Australian states were sampled on 4 occasions during 2010 and 2011. The sites selected were considered by state shellfish authorities to be the most compromised with respect to the potential for human faecal contamination as identified by shoreline surveys. The oysters were tested for norovirus GI, GII and Escherichia coli. Norovirus GII was detected in two of 120 (1.7%) samples and norovirus GI was not detected. One of the norovirus positive samples was cloned and sequenced as GII.3. Five of 120 (4.2%) samples were found to have more than the guidance concentration of 230 E. coli per 100 g of shellfish but these samples did not contain detectable concentrations of norovirus. The apparently low prevalence of norovirus in oysters from Australian growing areas supports epidemiological data that suggests norovirus contamination of Australian oysters is rare. The results from this study emphasise the need for future norovirus control measures for shellfish to be commensurate with the risk associated with the growing area.
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Now that schools are finished for the summer and parents are thinking of activities to keep their children entertained, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding families about the importance of washing hands after visiting the farm.
All animals naturally carry a range of organisms, some of which can be transmitted to people. Some organisms which may be contracted on farms present a serious hazard and can potentially cause severe infection, particularly in young children.
Product name: Organic Black Soybean Milk (by Hung Fook Tong)
Package: 350 millilitres per bottle
Best before date: July 5, 2014
Place of origin: Hong Kong
During follow-up investigation on a case of removal from shelves of some food products by a local food chain, the CFS collected samples of the food products at the retail level for testing. Test results showed that a sample of bottled organic black soybean milk contained Bacillus cereus at an excessive level of 540,000 per gramme. According to the ‘Microbiological Guidelines for Ready-to-eat Food’, it is potentially hazardous to the health of consumers if 100,000 or more of Bacillus cereus per gramme of food is detected.
