Category Archives: Uncategorized

RASFF Alert – Salmonella – Soy Flour

RASFF-Logo

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Minnesota (presence /25g) in soy flour from Argentina in Italy

RASFF Alerts – Animal Feed – Aflatoxins – Groundnuts – Sunflower Seeds

RASFF-Logo

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 0.43 mg/kg – ppm) in groundnut kernels for feed from Sudan, via the Netherlands in Belgium

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 35.5 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts in shell for bird feeding from China in the UK

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 769.88; Tot. = 871.98 µg/kg – ppb) in sunflower seeds from Egypt in Belgium

New Zealand – Public health warning – Marine biotoxin in shellfish in Nydia Bay

MPI

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) today issued a public health warning advising the public not to collect or consume shellfish harvested from Nydia Bay in Pelorus Sound, Marlborough.

Routine tests on shellfish samples taken from this region have shown levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins above the safe limit of 0.8 mg/kg set by MPI. Anyone eating shellfish from this area is potentially at risk of illness.

Mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles, scallops, catseyes, kina (sea urchin) and all other bivalve shellfish should not be eaten.

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.

Australia – The Egg Basket eggs – Recall – Salmonella

FSANZ

Product information

The Egg Basket is conducting a recall of Country Fresh Eggs, Just Eggs, Chefs Choice Free Range and Chefs Choice Cage Free eggs.

The product has been available for sale at The Egg Basket and Flemington Markets in NSW.

Date markings

14th June 2019, 20th June 2019, 24th June 2019, 29th June 2019, 5th July 2019, 9th July 2019

Problem

The recall is due to potential microbial (Salmonella Enteritidis) contamination.

Food safety hazard

Food products contaminated with Salmonella may cause illness if consumed.

Country of origin

Australia

What to do​

Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice and should return the products to the place of purchase for a full refund.

For further information please contact:

The Egg Basket

02 9826 1847

Ireland – Recall of a Batch of Bandon Co-op Butter due to Listeria monocytogenes

FSAI

Summary
Category 1: For Action
Alert Notification: 2019.24
Product: Bandon Co-Op Butter, pack size: 454 g
Batch Code: L134; ‘Best-before’ date: 14.09.2019
Country Of Origin: Ireland

Message:

The above batch of Bandon Co-Op butter is being recalled due to the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. The implicated batch was distributed to retail shops in County Cork only.

Nature Of Danger:

Symptoms of Listeria monocytogenes infection can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness.  In rare cases, the infection can be more severe, causing serious complications, such as meningitis. Some people are more vulnerable to Listeria monocytogenes infections, including pregnant women, babies, and people with weakened immune systems, including the elderly.  The incubation period (time between initial infection and first symptoms appearing) is on average 3 weeks but can range between 3 and 70 days.

Action Required:

Inspectors:

A customer list has been emailed to PEHOs in Cork. Please notify the FSAI (foodincidents@fsai.ie) of any issues.

Manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, caterers & retailers:

Retailers are requested to remove the affected batch from sale and clearly display a point-of-sale recall notice informing customers not to eat the affected batch.

Consumers:

Consumers are advised not to eat the affected batch of Bandon Co-op butter.

Bandon_butter

UK – Class 2 Medicines Recall: Paracetamol 500mg Tablets, 1 x 1000 PL 04077/0001 (MDR 13-04/19) – Fungal Contamination

Gov.uk

M & A Pharmachem is recalling the above batches because a small number of pots from each batch have been found to contain discoloured tablets due to fungal contamination.

The fungi have been identified as Penicillium citrinium and Penicillium brevicompactum. It is unlikely that any affected tablets will have got to patient level as the discolouration is noticeable on opening affected packs.

UK – Major retailers publish Campylobacter results

FSA

 

The top nine retailers across the UK have today published their latest testing results on Campylobacter contamination in UK-produced fresh whole chickens (covering samples tested from January to March 2019).

The latest figures show that on average, across the major retailers, 3.5% of chickens tested positive for the highest level of contamination. These are the chickens carrying more than 1,000 colony forming units per gram (cfu/g) of Campylobacter.

Rebecca Sudworth, Director of Policy at the Food Standards Agency, said:

‘Campylobacter levels have remained steady and are below our target of 7% at the highest level of contamination. Nevertheless, we will continue to work closely with retailers to bring levels down to as low as reasonably achievable.

Our advice to consumers remains the same: take care when handling raw chicken, do not wash it, and ensure it is cooked thoroughly before serving.’

Results

Contamination levels April-June 2018 July-September 2018 October-December 2018 January-March 2019
cfu/g less than 10 60.6% 58.8% 63.1% 55.4%
cfu/g 10-99 23.3% 26.7% 22.3% 25.3%
cfu/g 100-1000 12.5% 11% 11.4% 15.8%
cfu/g over 1000 3.7% 3.5% 3.1% 3.5%

USA – Imported Tahini recalled after 4 sick with Salmonella

Food Poison Journal

Brodt Zenatti Holding LLC of Jupiter, Florida is recalling all retail and bulk Karawan brand Tahini, sold in Jars: 450g (15.87 oz) and Buckets: 17kg (599.6 oz); 3kg (105.8 oz) that were imported from Palestine between the dates of December 2018 to April 2019 and SoCo Brand Tahini; because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Dominican Republic – Nearly 70 tourists to Dominican Republic reported illness since March

NYPost

Nearly 70 tourists have reported getting violently ill while vacationing in the Dominican Republic since March, according to a commonly used website that tracks food-borne illness outbreaks.

That’s up from just 10 reported illnesses in the country for all of 2018, according to iwaspoisoned.com. In June alone, 52 tourists reported symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

More than 45 of them identified themselves as guests at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana.

“People report food-borne illnesses but it’s possible that they experienced some other type of contamination,” said Patrick Quade, founder of iwaspoisoned.com, adding that he consulted with scientists regarding his findings.

The illnesses come on the heels of reports that six people have died — coming down suddenly with mysterious ailments — while staying at luxury resorts on the island since last year.

Canada – Norovirus prompts recall of raspberries cakes in Quebec

Outbreak News Today Norovirus Food Safety kswfoodworld

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ) in Quebec announced this week (computer translated) the recall of certain products due to possible norovirus contamination.

The products that are the subject of this alert may have been prepared with lots of frozen raw raspberries from Chile that are being recalled by the Canadian Food Additives Agency. food inspection.These foods were available for sale until June 7, 2019 inclusive. They were sold in a chilled or frozen state or at room temperature, with or without a label.