Category Archives: Uncategorized

Information – Patient Stories: Was It Something I Ate?

Posted on February 20, 2020 by | Leave a comment

CDC

These people got sick with infections that came from food or animal contact. Watch or read their stories to learn how they got sick and what they’re doing now to stay safe.

CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases has produced a new video series, “Was It Something I Ate?,” which presents stories of people who developed serious enteric (intestinal) infections from food or animal contact.

The stories are from families with children who developed Salmonella infection from eating contaminated chicken or contact with backyard poultry, and from a CDC veterinarian who investigated an outbreak linked to working with farm animals.

We hope these stories will highlight the importance of preventing infections from food or animal contact through efforts by industry, government, and the public.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Research, Salmonella, Uncategorized

USA – Caribbean Princess update: More than 400 cases reported – Norovirus ?

Posted on February 20, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

According to the CDC today, 371 of 3,035 passengers and 32 of 1,161 crew have been sickened, 12,2 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively.

Officials say the causative agent remains unknown to date.

Norovirus is a highly contagious viral illness that often goes by other names, such as viral gastroenteritis, stomach flu, and food poisoning.

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Norovirus, Uncategorized, Virus

USA – Hepatitis A in Food Worker at Papa John’s Pizza in Horn Lake, MS

Posted on February 20, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

A food worker at Papa John’s Pizza at 906 Goodman Road in Horn Lake, Mississippi has been diagnosed with hepatitis A. according to a news release by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDA). That person worked at the restaurant while infectious from January 28, 2020 to February 11, 2020.

That means that anyone who ate or drank at that restaurant or who received a pizza delivery during that time frame may have been exposed to the virus. Unfortunately, it’s too late for a vaccine for anyone who was there before February 5, 2020, because the vaccine is only effective if given within 14 days of exposure.

Those people should monitor their health for the symptoms of hepatitis A and see a doctor if the symptoms appear. Symptoms of hepatitis A include fever, jaundice yellowing of the skin and eyes), abdominal pain, dark urine, clay colored stools, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and loss of appetite.

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized, Virus

USA – Hepatitis A confirmed in food service employee who worked at a Boise Black Bear Diner

Posted on February 20, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

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Image CDC

Central District Health offering free vaccine to impacted patrons and employees

A case of hepatitis A has been confirmed in a food service employee who worked while contagious at the Black Bear Diner, located at 7530 State Street in Boise. The employee worked only at the northwest Boise location, which is under separate ownership from the south Boise location, which shares the same name.

Hepatitis A is a virus that affects the liver and can make people sick for a number of weeks. To-date, the food service worker is the only hepatitis A case in Idaho associated with this restaurant.

The risk of becoming infected with hepatitis A through an infected food service worker is low. However, CDH encourages anyone with incomplete or unknown hepatitis A vaccine status who ate at the Black Bear Diner located off of State Street on a date listed below to consider getting vaccinated.

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized, Virus

UK – John West recalls Sardines in Tomato Sauce because of suspected bacterial contamination

Posted on February 20, 2020 by | Leave a comment

FSA

John West has taken the precautionary step of recalling Sardines in Tomato Sauce due to suspected bacterial contamination that has resulted in a small number of swollen cans. This may make the product unsafe to eat.

Product details

John West Sardines in Tomato Sauce
Pack size 120g
Batch code KX319H
Best before June 2022
Batch code KX326H
Best before June 2022

Risk statement

The presence of suspected bacterial contamination in the product may make the product unsafe to eat.

Action taken by the company

John West is recalling the above product. Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling this product. These notices explain to customers why the products are being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product. Please see the attached notice.
Customer Notice: John West Sardines in Tomato Sauce(Opens in a new window)

Our advice to consumers

If you have bought the above product do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund.

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Posted in Bacteria, bacterial contamination, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Spoilage, Food Temperature Abuse, Food Testing, Uncategorized

New Zealand – Pizza Hut asks customer for medical certificate to prove food poisoning

Posted on February 20, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Stuff

A Pizza Hut store requested a medical certificate from a customer who claimed he got food poisoning after eating there.

Māngere resident Paul Vee ordered a roast chicken and herb pizza, and a meaty italian pizza at the Pizza Hut store in Ōtāhuhu’s Bairds Rd on February 14.

But after a couple of hours, he said he and his flatmates started getting stomach cramps. Vee claimed they hadn’t eaten anything else that day.

“I knew straight away it was the pizza. So I lodged a complaint the next day,” he said.

My View

This is interesting but as we all know quite often food poisoning doesn’t only happen a few hours after eating a particular food. Without knowing the causative agent it may prove difficult to check where or what the cause of the illness was. It is not quite as simple as the last thing you ate!

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Uncategorized

Research – World Mycotoxin Report: Impact 2020

Posted on February 20, 2020 by | Leave a comment

All About Feed Mold Mould Mycotoxin kswfoodworld

The prevalence of FUM and DON mycotoxins remained high last year, according to the results of the World Mycotoxin Survey 2019, released by Biomin.

Last year more than 20,000 samples were tested in 86 countries. Overall the survey shows that the occurrence of Fumonisins and Deoxynivalenol remain high in every continent. Although the prevalence of mycotoxins is shifting, explains Annelies Mueller product manager, Biomin in a live webinar: “Due to climate change mycotoxins which were usually found in the southern part of the world are now moving to the north. Mycotoxins are moving with the shifting climate.” The mycotoxin report shows detailed results on the prevalence of mycotoxins for each continent.

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Posted in Aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, DON, Food Toxin, Fumonsins, Fusarium Toxin, mold, Mould Toxin, Moulds, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, Uncategorized

USA – USDA Can Determine Contamination-Free Romaine Regions

Posted on February 19, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Quality Assurance Magazine Eurofins Food Testing UK

USDA data on daily shipments of romaine lettuce can be used to determine which production regions are free from contamination during a foodborne illness outbreak. These data, reported by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service with a one- or two-day lag, provide essentially real-time information on produce shipped out to retailers. An analysis conducted by the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) demonstrates how this information may allow FDA to rule out an entire production region as the source of contamination.

Leafy greens, including romaine lettuce, are the sixth most commonly consumed type of vegetable in the United States. From May to November, most romaine lettuce in the U.S. comes from California’s Central Coast region; from December to April, most comes from the Yuma, Ariz. region. Among the 29 outbreaks of Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli) associated with romaine lettuce between 1998 and 2018, illnesses peaked in April and October, which corresponds with the tail end of harvest season in the two main romaine growing regions. In 2017 and 2018, there were three multistate, multinational foodborne illness E. coli outbreaks associated with the consumption of romaine lettuce that occurred at the tail end of either Yuma, Ariz., or California’s Central Coast production seasons. These outbreaks led to a total of 376 illnesses, 158 hospitalizations, and 7 deaths.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Uncategorized

India – Bihar: Over 200 people suffer from food poisoning after wedding feast

Posted on February 19, 2020 by | Leave a comment

India Today

More than 200 people suddenly fell sick after a wedding feast in Baijalpur in Bihar’s Sonepur, triggering a situation of chaos at the local hospital.

Those who fell sick were immediately rushed to the hospital, but there was hardly any space to accommodate all of them. An emergency-like situation was observed in the hospital as police officers and doctors from surrounding areas came in to manage the situation.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Uncategorized

India – Nine fall ill after eating bread from Khar outlet

Posted on February 19, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Mumbai Mirror

Fast-food joint owner arrested after hospital reported food poisoning cases Nine people, including a fourmonth-old baby, fell ill after they consumed garlic bread sold at a store in
Khar on Saturday, police said.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Uncategorized