Category Archives: Uncategorized

RASFF Alert – DON – Mycotoxin – Durum Wheat

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RASFF – deoxynivalenol (DON) (4023.1 µg/kg – ppb) in durum wheat from Italy in Italy

RASFF Alert – Mould – Cheese

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RASFF – cheese from Sweden infested with moulds in Denmark

RASFF Alerts – Salmonella – Chicken Broiler Fillets – Chilled Bacon and Smokey Apple Marinade -Boneless Half Chicken Fillets -Chicken Meat – Chicken Breast – Chicken Quarters

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RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (presence /25g) in frozen chicken broiler fillets from Poland in Lithuania

RASFF – Salmonella (presence /10g) in chilled bacon in smoky apple marinade from Estonia in Estonia

RASFF – Salmonella (in 2 out of 5 samples /25g) in frozen salted skinless boneless half chicken breasts from Brazil in the UK

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (presence /25g) in frozen chicken fresh meat from Poland in France

RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in frozen salted half chicken breasts from Brazil in the Netherlands

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (present /25g) in frozen chicken leg quarters from Poland in Bulgaria

RASFF Alerts – Animal Feed -Enterobacteriaceae – Dog Chews

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RASFF – high count of Enterobacteriaceae (1, 7.7, 18, 84, 25 CFU/g) in dog chews from China in Spain

 

Research – Toxoplasma gondii infection rewires the brain: Researchers

Outbreak News Today Toxoplasma

Think about traffic flow in a city – there are stop signs, one-way streets, and traffic lights to organise movement across a widespread network. Now, imagine what would happen if you removed some of the traffic signals.

Among your brain’s 86 billion neurons are the brain’s own version of stop signals: inhibitory neurons that emit chemicals to help regulate the flow of ions travelling down one cell’s axon to the next neuron. Just as a city without traffic signals would experience a spike in vehicle accidents, when the brain’s inhibitory signals are weakened, activity can become unchecked, leading to a variety of disorders.

In a new study published in GLIA on March 11, Virginia Tech neuroscientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC describe how the common Toxoplasma gondii parasite prompts the loss of inhibitory signalling in the brain by altering the behaviour of nearby cells called microglia.

Research – How silver ions kill bacteria

Science Daily

The antimicrobial properties of silver have been known for centuries. While it is still a mystery as to exactly how silver kills bacteria, University of Arkansas researchers have taken a step toward better understanding the process by looking at dynamics of proteins in live bacteria at the molecular level.

Traditionally, the antimicrobial effects of silver have been measured through bioassays, which compare the effect of a substance on a test organism against a standard, untreated preparation. While these methods are effective, they typically produce only snapshots in time, said Yong Wang, assistant professor of physics and an author of the study, published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

 

Netherlands – Dutch Salmonella illnesses linked to Brazilian poultry

Food Safety News

Chicken meat from Brazil is being investigated as the source of Salmonella illnesses in the Netherlands.

Between the end of 2019 and mid-February 2020, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) identified a cluster of six Salmonella Virchow infections distributed across the country using whole genome sequencing (WGS) but no epidemiological link among them was reported.

An outbreak investigation by RIVM and the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) identified six food isolates as genetically closely related to cases and associated with the source of the infection.

These isolates came from poultry meat, including frozen poultry imported from Brazil.

 

Research – Petition Asks FSIS to Declare 31 Salmonella Strains as Adulterants in Meat and Poultry

Food Safety Magazine

Marler Clark LLP filed a petition on behalf of several individuals and consumer groups on January 18, 2020, asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) to issue an interpretive rule declaring 31 Salmonella strains as per se adulterants in meat and poultry products. These strains include four antibiotic-resistant serovars—Salmonella enterica Hadar, Heidelberg, Newport, and Typhimurium—as well as Dublin, Enteritidis, and Infantis. In support of its request, the petition relies heavily on its interpretation of precedent established following the 1993 Escherichia coli outbreak, when USDA declared E. coli O157:H7 a per se adulterant in raw ground beef through interpretive rulemaking.

The petition argues that FSIS has the authority to declare the 31 Salmonella serovars per se adulterants through interpretive rulemaking because the proposed rule would meet the criteria set out in Texas Food Industry Ass’n v. Espy, 870 F. Supp. 143, 147-48 (W.D. Tex. 1994). More specifically, the petition argues that because the Federal Meat Inspection Act does not require USDA to engage in substantive rulemaking to determine whether a particular substance is an adulterant, the agency has “the discretion to proceed through case-by-case adjudication and interpretive orders, rather than through the rulemaking process.” Espy, 870 F. Supp. at 147. The petition also argues that the issuance of such a rule would not be arbitrary or capricious or not in accordance with law.

Research – Risk of E. coli in hydroponic and aquaponic systems may be greater than once thought

Phys Org

ecoli

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A spate of foodborne illnesses in leafy greens and other produce in recent years has sickened consumers and disrupted growers and supply chains. It’s been thought that hydroponic and aquaponic systems could reduce these issues since there is little opportunity for pathogens like E. coli to contaminate the edible parts of plants.

A Purdue University study, however, has found the presence of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) – the same bacteria that have made consumers of several produce products ill—in hydroponic and aquaponic growing systems. Hye-Ji Kim, an assistant professor of horticulture and the study’s corresponding author, said the findings suggest growers using these systems should be careful in handling and harvesting to avoid contamination.

USA – Outbreak Investigation of Listeria monocytogenes: Enoki Mushrooms (March 2020)

FDA

Case Counts

Total Illnesses: 36
Hospitalizations: 30
Deaths: 4
Illness Onset Date Range: November 23, 2016 – December 13, 2019

Recommendation

Consumers should not eat and should check their refrigerators and throw away any recalled enoki mushrooms from Sun Hong Foods, Inc., Guan’s Mushroom Co., and H&C Food, Inc. because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Restaurants and retailers should not sell or serve recalled enoki mushrooms distributed by Sun Hong Foods, Inc., Guan’s Mushroom Co., and H&C Food, Inc.

FDA recommends that anyone who received recalled products use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Listeria can survive in refrigerated temperatures and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.

At this time, high risk groups, including the elderly, people with weakened immune systems or chronic diseases, pregnant women and their newborn babies, should not eat enoki mushrooms from Korea (Republic of Korea), even if they were not part of the recalls.

Consumers, restaurants, retailers, and high risk groups should discard and not eat, sell, or serve enoki mushrooms if they cannot tell where they came from.

H&C Food Inc Enoki Mushrooms

 

Guan’s Mushroom Co.
Guan’s Mushroom Co.
Picture of enoki mushroom case
Sample Enoki Mushrooms Imported from Korea
Company Size UPC Code Retailers* Distribution*
Sun Hong Foods, Inc. 200 g/ 7.05 oz. 7 426852 625810 J&L Supermarket, Jusgo Supermarket, ZTao Market, New Sang Supermarket, Galleria Market, Distributors CA, FL, IL, OR, TX, WA
Guan’s Mushroom Co. 200 g/ 7.05 oz. 859267007013 Sold to Distributors and Wholesalers CA, NY, PA
H&C Food Inc. 200 g/ 7.05 oz. 831211204181 Great Wall Supermarket NY, MD, VA

*This includes confirmed distribution information from companies; products could have been further distributed and sent to additional retailers and states.

Update

FDA, CDC, and state and local partners are currently investigating a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to enoki mushrooms. Enoki mushrooms are a long thin white mushroom, usually sold in clusters. They are especially popular in East Asian cuisine and are also known as enokitake, golden needle, futu, or lily mushrooms.

On April 7, 2020, H&C Foods Inc. recalled 200 g/7.05 oz packages of enoki mushrooms imported from Green Co. LTD of the Republic of Korea. FDA import samples of enoki mushrooms from Green Co. LTD tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes and on April 6, 2020, whole genome sequencing analysis determined that the Listeria monocytogenes found in the positive samples matched the outbreak strain. As a result, On April 7, 2020, Green Co. LTD was placed on Import Alert 99-23, which flags imported shipments from this firm for potential detention without physical examination. The FDA is encouraging the international community to consult the Import Alert.

The investigation is ongoing to determine the source of contamination and if additional products are linked to illness. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.