Category Archives: Uncategorized

US Food Recalls Up – Due to Listeria Fears.

Food Production Daily has reported that food recalls in the US were up by six fold between July and September with Listeria accounting for 25% of the recalls. Although recalls due to Salmonella had reduced. The report also goes into further detail of other reasons for product recall.

One of the thoughts that I had on this was that perhaps the switch to ‘zero’ tolerance for Listeria monocytogenes, much talked about in the UK and Europe had been introduced in the US. Therefore it is probably not surprising that recalls based on possible Listeria contamination had gone up. This along with the recent cantaloupe outbreak which has left 29 dead.

Lab M Media – Online or Hard Copy Link

Lab M have updated their online and hard copy media catalogue which can be found at the following link. Rapid Microbiology

US Firm Recalls Beef Jerky – Possible Salmonella Contamination

RTT News has reported that Texas food company Whittington’s has recalled some beef jerky products in Texas after possible Salmonella contamination was discovered during a routine inspection by an official body.

USA – Food Safety Modernisation Act 2011

An article in Food Navigator USA has reported concerns in the US about the funding of the Food Safety Modernisation Actt and the impact the act has had in light of the US Listeria Cantaloupe outbreak which is now the worst in US history with 29 deaths.

Improved Listeria Detection Method – Cultural Media

Rapid Microbiology

An improved Listeria agar has been developed according to an article in rapidmicrobiology. I have no experience of this media and I am just forwarding the information on the product.

HardyCHROM™ Listeria is a chromogenic medium recommended for the selective isolation, differentiation, and enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes from food and environmental samples by colony color and appearance

Hardy Diagnostics

Pathogen Inactivating Plasma – Packaging

An article in Food Production Daily has reported on a new methodology being developed by the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). The system includes a pathogen decontamination system incorporated into the packaging for fresh fruit and vegetables. This system will not effect the product within the packaging and involves passing electricity through normal food packaging lined with plasma. The technology is expected to be available within two years,  for the full article see the link above within the text.

Salmonella Contamination of Paan/Betel Leaves

The FSA are warning people about Salmonella contamination of Paan/Betel leaves, since August a large proportion of these leaves imported from India and Bangladesh have had Salmonella contamination. Although no illness has been recorded yet border agencies and high commissions have been put on alert.

European Food Safety Authority Fact Sheets

You may find one or more of these fact sheets from the EFSA useful. They are quite brief and relatively easy to digest.

Campylobacter

Salmonella

Antimicrobial Resistance

E coli

Foodborne zoonosis

 

FDA – Starts Testing Pet Food

Although testing of pet food in the UK and Ireland has been undertaken for many years an article in the Chicago Tribune has reported that it is just being started in the US. Apparently many people do turn to pet food and treats as nourishment !!

In Pennsylvania in 2006-2007 –  70 people got sick from eating Salmonella contaminated dog food……………………….. its a strange world, full article below.

Chicago Tribune

 

Honey – Antimicrobial

An article in Food Navigator USA has reported on research in the US that has found a particular compound in honey that may be effective against species of the bacteria Bacillus and Listeria including Listeria monocytogenes.