Category Archives: Uncategorized

USA – Jewel-Osco Voluntarily Recalls Bagged Signature Farms Garden Salad Due to Possible Cyclospora Contamination

FDA Cyclospora_LifeCycle201

A previous version of this press release issued on June 19, 2020 stated that product bearing the facility code “S5417” and that code is incorrect.   The only product bearing the product code “S5424” is subject to recall and it was made at a facility in Streamwood, IL.

In cooperation with the Fresh Express recall of bagged salads potentially linked to an outbreak of Cyclospora infections in the Midwest.  Jewel-Osco is voluntarily recalling bagged Signature Farms Garden Salad, net wt. 12 oz., sold in its stores in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa.

The recalled Signature Farms Garden Salad, UPC code of 21130 98135, was sold in 12-ounce bags in the Produce section.  The recalled products have BEST IF USED BY dates of May 16 through July 4 (5-16-20 through 7-04-20). The BEST IF USED BY date and the product code are printed on the top right corner of the front of the package.  The affected product with the product code is subject to recall.

Cyclospora cayetanensis is a microscopic parasite of humans. This parasite, when it contaminates food or water and is then ingested, can cause an intestinal illness called cyclosporiasis. Most people infected with Cyclospora develop diarrhea. Other common symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps/pain, bloating, increased gas, nausea, and fatigue. Vomiting, body aches, headache, fever, and other flu-like symptoms may be noted. Some people who are infected with Cyclospora do not have any symptoms. If not treated, the illness may last from a few days to a month or longer. Symptoms may seem to go away and then return one or more times.

Consumers are asked to check their refrigerators for the recalled product. Consumers who have purchased the product are asked to discard or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Customers who have questions about the recall can contact Jewel-Osco at 1-877-723-3929.

CORE’s Announcement


Company Contact Information

Consumers:
Jewel-Osco
 1-877-723-3929

Product Photos

France – Leader Price brand 350g pistachios – Mycotoxin

Oulah

wow, product recall, product recall, consumption, consumer, danger, health, product safety

ENCOUNTERED PROBLEM

Possible presence of a mycotoxin

PROPOSED SOLUTION

Do not consume and return to the point of sale for reimbursement.

FURTHER INFORMATION

▸ Barcode
3263853011112

▸ DLC
07/26/2020

▸ Lot
14: 49

▸ Contact customer service
For any further information, you can contact the customer service by dialing the Toll Free Number: 0 800 35 00 00 (service and call free) from Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm

▸ Source
https: //www.leaderprice.fr/

 

Research – Foodborne Klebsiella pneumoniae: Virulence Potential, Antibiotic Resistance, and Risks to Food Safety

JFP

CDC Klebsiella

Image CDC

ABSTRACT

Gastrointestinal carriage of Klebsiella pneumoniae is a predisposing factor for liver abscess in several Asian countries. To determine whether hypervirulent K. pneumoniae in the gut may be transmitted through food, we screened a range of raw and ready-to-eat retail food by culture and recovered K. pneumoniae in 21% (147 of 698) of samples tested. Based on PCR, no K. pneumoniae isolates carried the rmpA gene linked to community-acquired pyogenic liver abscess, providing no evidence of a link between food and liver disease. However, phenotypic resistance to multiple antibiotic classes was seen through disk diffusion tests, and carriage of genetic elements (wcaG and capsule types K1, K2, and K54) associated with increased virulence (8%, 11 of 147) was observed by PCR. Multidrug-resistant isolates were from raw vegetables, chicken or pork liver, and a ready-to-eat poultry dish; one multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae isolate from raw bean sprouts was resistant to a third-generation cephalosporin (ceftriaxone). Although K. pneumoniae may be present in food without causing harm, we found isolates belonging to the K1 capsular serotype coexisting with the wcaG gene, one also conferring multidrug resistance. K. pneumoniae that carry antibiotic resistance genes, regardless of pathogenicity, may increase the available genetic pool of resistance along the food chain. Hygienic food handling practices are necessary to lower risks of acquiring K. pneumoniae and other opportunistic pathogens.

Research – Risk of Foodborne Illness from Pet Food: Assessing Pet Owners’ Knowledge, Behavior, and Risk Perception

JFP

Pet food has been identified as a source of pathogenic bacteria, including Salmonella and Escherichia coli. A recent outbreak linked to Salmonella -contaminated pet treats infected over 150 people in the United States. The mechanism by which contaminated pet food leads to human illness has not been explicated. Pet owners’ food safety knowledge and their pet food handling practices have not been reported. This study evaluated pet owners’ food safety knowledge and pet-food handling practices through an online consumer survey. The survey consists of 62 questions and assesses (1) owners’ food safety knowledge and pet-food handling practices; (2) owners’ interaction with pets; (3) owners’ risk perception related to their own health, their children’s health, and their pets’ health. The survey was pilot-tested among 59 pet owners before distribution to a national consumer panel, managed by Qualtrics XM. All participants (n=1,040) were dog and/or cat owners in the United States. Almost all pet owners interacted with their pets (93%) and most cuddled, allowed their pets to lick them, and slept with their pets. Less than one-third of pet owners washed their hands with soap after interacting with their pets. Over half (58%) the owners reported washing their hands after feeding their pets. Most pet owners fed their pets dry pet food and dry pet treats. Some fed their pets raw meat or raw animal product (RAP) diets because they believed these diets to be beneficial to their pet’s overall health. Many owners (78%) were unaware of pet food recalls or outbreaks associated with foodborne pathogens. Less than 25% considered dry pet foods and treats as a potential source of foodborne pathogens. The findings of this study indicated the need for consumer education about pet food handling. The data collected can assist in developing more accurate risk assessment models and consumer education related to pet food handling.

Australia -Five children hospitalized in backyard poultry Salmonella outbreak

Food Safety News

 

Five children needed hospital treatment in an Australian state as part of a Salmonella outbreak linked to backyard poultry.

Queensland Health is investigating Salmonella Typhimurium infections predominantly among young children that had contact with backyard chickens.

As of June 26, there had been 17 cases reported across the state. Thirteen of these were children aged 11 years or younger. Five were hospitalized because of their illnesses.

 

Japan – Over 3,400 students and teachers suffer food poisoning near Tokyo – Update – E.coli ?

Japan Times

More than 3,400 elementary and junior high school students and teachers have contracted food poisoning at 15 schools near Tokyo due to school lunches, local authorities said Thursday.

Students started to complain of food poisoning symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain on June 26 after they ate school lunches including fried chicken and seaweed salad at their schools in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture.

Concluding that the food poisoning was caused by school lunches supplied by lunch deliverer Tobu Kyushoku Center, the prefectural government ordered the company to suspend use of its kitchens for three days.

As the number of students suffering food poisoning increased, 377 students were absent from schools on Monday, though none of them were in serious condition.

E. coli bacteria was detected in the feces of some patients by a local health center.

USA – CDFA Announces Recall of Raw Milk Produced at Valley Milk Simply Bottled of Stanislaus County

PASOROBLES PRESS

Raw milk produced and packaged by Valley Milk Simply Bottled of Stanislaus County is the subject of a statewide recall and quarantine order announced by California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones. The quarantine order came following the confirmed detection of the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni in the farm’s packaged raw whole milk sampled and tested by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

New Zealand – Shellfish biotoxin alert

MPI

North Island warnings

Hawke Bay

Reason for alert Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP)

Date warning issued 2 July 2020

Media release

Affected area From Cape Kidnappers to the Mohaka River mouth, Hawke Bay
Shellfish affected Mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles, scallops, catseyes, kina (sea urchin) and all other bivalve shellfish.

Note, cooking shellfish does not remove the toxin.

Pāua, crab and crayfish may still be eaten if the gut has been completely removed prior to cooking, as toxins accumulate in the gut. If the gut is not removed its contents could contaminate the meat during the cooking process.

Symptoms Symptoms typically appear between 10 minutes and 3 hours after ingestion and may include:

  • numbness and a tingling (prickly feeling) around the mouth, face, and extremities (hands and feet)
  • difficulty swallowing or breathing
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • diarrhoea
  • paralysis and respiratory failure and in severe cases, death.
Other information Paralytic shellfish toxins have been detected in shellfish at levels over the safe limit of 0.8mg/kg set by MPI. Ongoing testing will continue and any changes will be communicated accordingly.

Map of the affected area

Map showing the affected area
Map from Cape Kidnappers to the Mohaka River mouth, Hawke Bay.

 

Norway – Yersinia enterocolitica outbreak linked to pre-washed spinach product

Outbreak News Today 

In a follow-up on the Yersinia enterocolitica O3 outbreak that started in mid-May in Norway, health officials are now saying based on an analysis of patient interviews and purchase information show that 22 of 23 cases (96%) state that they have eaten a pre-washed spinach product the week prior to illness. In one case, it has not been possible to conduct an interview.

Japan -Food poisoning hits some 3,500 in Japan’s Yashio city schools

Reuters

TOKYO (Reuters) – Almost 3,500 teachers and students at more than a dozen public schools in Japan’s Yashio city have become sick with diarrhoea and stomach pains in a mass food poisoning outbreak.

Saitama prefecture said on Thursday that 3,453 people in 15 elementary and middle schools in Yashio, a city of 92,000 just north of Tokyo, had been affected after eating a lunch supplied by the TQC cooperative on June 26.