Category Archives: Uncategorized

USA – Recall Raw Cheese – Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria Blog

Queso Fresco cheese imported illegally from Mexico and sold in a Latino grocery store in Woodburn, Oregon may be tainted with Listeria, Oregon state officials warned Friday.

Oregon’s Health Authority and Department of Agriculture launched an investigation into the dairy product after an infant in Clackamas County fell ill from the bacteria.  Officials traced the infection to batch of queso fresco, a soft white cheese manufactured in Mexico.

Officials believe the cheese was brought into the country illegally because it was found unlabeled and sold in plastic bags, the spokesman said

Research – Purehold – Hygienic Door Handle

I came across this last week and thought that I would share it as it looks like and interesting concept

Purehold

Production_Doors

Food Processors adopt UK’s latest Hygiene Innovation – The “Pure Hold Hygiene Handle”

Posted on Jan 07, 2014

Following successful trials at both Greencore and Unilever, other leading manufacturers within the food processing industry have now installed Pure Hold Hygiene Handles in order to enforce even higher levels of hygiene standards.


Sites ranging from convenience food manufacturers to fish and meat processors have adopted trials of the Pure Hold Hygiene Handles as an additional barrier to protect their sites and staff to in their constant endevours to meet the highest possible standards.

“The site is only talking about one thing this morning – all good feed back on the handle” – Greencore

“The visitors we have had such as Tesco and M&S have been very impressed” – 2SFG

The human hand is one of the primary causes for the spread of contaminants within the food industry. By incorporating the gel dispenser into the door handle it ensures that anyone who enters either a low risk or high-risk area (such as food production areas) will use the sanitising hand gel. thus helping to reduce the risk of comtamination entering the area.

Research – Reducing the Risks of Microbes in Compressed Air

Parker Balston

Compressed air is often in direct contact or indirect contact with food product. The impurities in the compressed air may contaminate the food product which can result in:
  • change of color and taste
  • reduced shelf life
  • product recalls
Compressed air is warm, dark, and contains moisture which makes it the ideal environment to promote the production of microbes.  These microbes migrate through the entire compressed air system and are released at exit points – critical places where the air contacts food, packaging, or surface areas.
Revolutionary Compressed Air Microbial Test Unit is an easy to use device for sampling compressed air systems for microbes.

USA – Salmonella Prison Outbreak – MR Chicken

Food Poisoning JournalSalm2

As of January 13, 2014, a total of 9 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Heidelberg have been reported from Tennessee.

Two (22%) of 9 ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.

All of the ill persons were incarcerated at a single correctional facility located in Tennessee.

Epidemiologic and traceback investigations conducted by Tennessee and federal officials indicate that consumption of Tyson brand mechanically separated chicken is the likely source of the outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg infections at the Tennessee correctional facility.

RASFF Alert – Histamine – Tuna

RASFF– histamine (3716 mg/kg – ppm) in vacuum packed defrozen tuna from Spain in Italy

RASFF Alert – Shigatoxin E.coli – Chilled Beef

RASFF – shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli in chilled beef (Bos taurus) from Brazil in Spain

RASFF Alert – Norovirus – Clams

RASFF – norovirus (group II) in chilled clams (Ruditapes decussatus) from Tunisia in Italy

 

RASFF Alert – Listeria monocytogenes – Mushrooms

RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes (3 out of 5  samples /25g) in mushrooms (Enoki) from South Korea in the Netherlands

Brasil – 400 with Salmonella at a Graduation Dinner

Noticias Do Dia

Tests in patients with symptoms of food poisoning after a graduation dinner in Guaraciaba identified Salmonella bacteria as a causative agent.  Previously, the Health Surveillance had confirmed the contamination of food, but without identifying the pathogen.

Italy – 40 Sick at Nursing Home – Food Poisoning Suspected

Novi Online

Tortona – Now it’s official.  Although the ASL does not use terms of absolute certainty, merely “probable food poisoning” is the situation that occurred December 25 at the residence of care Leandro Lisino, it can be said with certainty that the number of hospital admissions of older guests and relatives are were due to some food present in their Christmas lunch. Three people are still ill in hosptial but all the rest have been released.