Category Archives: Uncategorized

Canada – Food Recall Warning – Certain cauliflower, red leaf lettuce and green leaf lettuce produced by Adam Bros Farming Inc. recalled due to E. coli O157:H7

Posted on December 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

CFIA CIFA

Recall details

Ottawa, December 15, 2018 – Industry is recalling certain cauliflower, red leaf lettuce and green leaf lettuce produced by Adam Bros. Farming Inc. of Santa Maria, California, United States (US) from the marketplace due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The affected products described below have been imported from Adam Bros Farming Inc. by: Courchesne Larose Ltd., Anjou, QC, Dominion Citrus, Toronto, ON; Fresh Taste Produce Limited, Milton, ON; and Fruits et Legumes Gaetan Bono Inc., Montreal, QC. Consumers, retailers, restaurants and institutions should not sell, use or consume the recalled products described below.

The following products, grown in the US, are known to have been sold in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador and may have been sold in other provinces.

Recalled products

Brand Name Common Name Size Code(s) on Product Additional Info
Adam Brothers Family Farms Cauliflower Variable Carton tag numbers:
203-27263 331-18;
203-27263 332-18;
203-27263 333-18;
203-27263 334-18;
203-27268 334-18;
204-27268 332-18.		 This cauliflower is wrapped and has the Adam Brothers Family Farms logo but no coding information.
If you are unsure as to whether products are included in this recall, contact the location where they were purchased.
None Green Leaf Lettuce Sold in bulk Carton Tag Numbers:
204-27247 331-18;
253-27268 331-18;
204-27268 331-18;
204-27268 332-18.		 This product was sold in bulk without a brand name.
If you are unsure as to whether products are included in this recall, contact the location where they were purchased.
None Red Leaf Lettuce Sold in bulk Carton Tag Numbers:
253-27267 331-18;
204-27267 331-18;
203-27267 331-18.		 This product was sold in bulk without a brand name.
If you are unsure as to whether products are included in this recall, contact the location where they were purchased.

Leave a comment

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

Canada – Updated Food Recall Warning – Eat Smart brand Salad Shake Ups (single serve) recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on December 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

CFIA

Recall details

Ottawa, December 14, 2018 – The food recall warning issued on December 4, 2018 has been updated to include additional product information. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.

Industry is recalling Eat Smart brand Salad Shake Ups (single serve) from the marketplace due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.

Recalled products

Brand Name Common Name Size Code(s) on Product UPC
Eat Smart Salad Shake Ups
– Avocado Ranch		 143 g Best Before DEC 14 2018 DE 14
112 331		 7 09351 30195 7
Eat Smart Salad Shake Ups
– Raspberry Açaí		 142 g Best Before DEC 14 2018 DE 14
112 331		 7 09351 30196 4
Eat Smart Salad Shake Ups
– Sweet Kale		 156 g Best Before DEC 14 2018 DE 14
112 331		 7 09351 30243 5

Leave a comment

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

Research – Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on Bruised and Unbruised Tomatoes from Three Ripeness Stages at Two Temperatures

Posted on December 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

Image CDC

 

Tomatoes are one of the major fresh produce commodities consumed in the United States. Harvesting tomato fruit at a later stage of development can enhance consumer acceptance but can also increase damage due to bruising. Bruising can affect the quality of whole tomatoes by causing an unacceptable appearance and accelerating decay. Bruising may also facilitate bacterial attachment to the fruit surface and support growth of pathogens. This study evaluated the survival and/or proliferation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on the surface of artificially bruised and unbruised tomatoes at three ripeness stages (breaker, pink, and red) and two storage temperatures (10 and 20°C). A total of 1,440 tomatoes, 720 for each organism, were analyzed. Both E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella counts declined significantly (P < 0.05) on the bruised and unbruised tomatoes over the 7-day storage period, by approximately 2.5 and 2.0 log, respectively. E. coli O157:H7 was not detected on pink tomatoes on day 7, whereas Salmonella persisted on the tomato surfaces throughout the 7-day study at all ripeness stages. Bruising had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on the survival of E. coli O157:H7 (CFU per tomato) compared with the unbruised tomatoes, in most cases. Tomatoes from the red ripeness stage showed a significant effect (P < 0.05) of bruising on Salmonella survival at both 10 and 20°C. Similar to the colony count results, the frequency (presence or absence) of inoculated tomatoes with detectable levels of inoculated bacteria decreased significantly (P < 0.05) over time. At the lower temperature, E. coli O157:H7 was recovered from significantly higher (P < 0.05) numbers of breaker and pink tomatoes, whereas there was no effect of temperature on the overall survival of E. coli O157:H7 on red tomatoes. Results from this study are essential for understanding the effects of bruising on produce safety and for producers and packers to develop mitigation strategies to control pathogenic and spoilage organisms.

Leave a comment

Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Salmonella, Uncategorized

UK – Deep clean under way after E.coli scare at Perthshire nursery

Posted on December 15, 2018 by | Leave a comment

The Courier UK

A Perthshire nursery school is at the centre of a three-day deep clean after a suspected case of E-coli was detected.

Health bosses say suspected symptoms were detected in a child with links to Errol nursery and stressed the risks to the wider public were very low.

NHS Tayside and Perth and Kinross Council are investigating how the infection may have come about.

The school remained open while the nursery area was cleaned thoroughly overnight on the advice of public health experts. Council chiefs insisted the operation by Tayside Contracts was being carried out as a precaution.

The health board wrote to parents last week to say experts were investigating a single case of suspected Escherichia coli, more commonly known as E. coli.

The germs are commonly found in farm animals and can cause sickness, diarrhoea and a fever in humans.

An NHS Tayside spokeswoman confirmed yesterday the infection was in a nursery pupil and that investigations are ongoing.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in E.coli, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Uncategorized

Research – As clean as they look? Food hygiene inspection scores, microbiological contamination, and foodborne illness

Posted on December 15, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

This work describes the relationship between compliance with food hygiene law as reflected in food hygiene scores; measures of microbiological contamination of food samples taken from consumer-facing food businesses in England, Northern Ireland and Wales; and outbreaks of foodborne illness. This paper demonstrates an association between the results of food hygiene inspections done by trained inspectors, using a rigorous and consistent procedure, with microbiological contamination of actual food samples from those premises. A proposed theoretical model further demonstrates the reduction in foodborne illness that would result if there were increased compliance with food hygiene law.

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Research – Thermal Inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes in Crab Meat

Posted on December 15, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection 

Listeria kswfoodworld food safety food poisoning

Image CDC

 

Listeria monocytogenes is an important bacterial pathogen in seafood products, but limited information is currently available on the thermal resistance of relevant isolates in seafood. Thermal inactivation studies were undertaken (i) to provide much needed thermal inactivation data for L. monocytogenes in crab meat and (ii) to investigate whether tryptone soya broth (TSB) is representative of crab meat in thermal inactivation studies involving L. monocytogenes. D-values were obtained for a cocktail of two crab isolates (serotypes 1/2a and 4b) at 50, 55, and 60°C. In crab meat, D-values were 174.4, 28.2, and 1.6 min, respectively. Similar D-values of 176.4, 28.8, and 1.4 min were obtained in TSB. The corresponding z-values were 4.9°C (crab meat) and 4.8°C (TSB), respectively. The conclusions were that (i) current pasteurization conditions (e.g., 70°C for 2 min) would achieve complete destruction of any L. monocytogenes present in crab meat and (ii) TSB could be used as a model matrix for assessing the thermal inactivation of L. monocytogenes in crab meat.

Leave a comment

Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Uncategorized

Research – What’s happening inside your body when you have food poisoning? A new study into Bacillus cereus has some clues

Posted on December 15, 2018 by | Leave a comment

ABC Net

bacillus

You know the symptoms well enough. The clammy chill that washes over your body, the clenching in your stomach and then, finally, the dash to the bathroom, possibly accompanied by a split-second decision about which part of your body to aim at the toilet first.

But what’s happening inside your body when you have food poisoning?

Research published today has given us a slightly clearer idea, at least for one type of bacteria.

A team from the Australian National University looked at the way the body responds to the bacteria Bacillus cereus, which can cause food poisoning and sometimes lead to serious infections elsewhere in the body, including sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis.

They found a toxin secreted by the bacteria binds directly to cells in the human body and punches holes in the cells to kill them, triggering an immune response.

Leave a comment

Posted in Bacillus, Bacillus cereus, Bacteria, bacterial contamination, Food Illness, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Uncategorized

USA – Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. and FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas on new findings and updated consumer recommendations related to the romaine lettuce E. coli O157:H7 outbreak investigation

Posted on December 14, 2018 by | Leave a comment

FDA Eurofins Food Testing UK

On Nov. 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned the American public of a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to romaine lettuce and advised against eating any romaine lettuce on the market at that time. The FDA then worked quickly with romaine producers and distributors who voluntarily withdrew the product from the market to help contain this new outbreak. This was an especially important step in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday. At the same time, we immediately launched a broad traceback investigation to determine the source of this outbreak.

We have new results to report from this investigation tracing the source of the contamination to at least one specific farm. Based on these and other new findings, we’re updating our recommendations for the romaine lettuce industry and consumers.

Shortly after our initial public warning, our traceback investigation was able to narrow down the scope of implicated product. Based on these initial findings, we immediately issued an updated public warning to consumers to avoid consuming romaine lettuce specifically from Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Ventura counties in California. This information about the implicated regions helped consumers avoid potentially affected product. The information was provided in conjunction with a voluntary agreement that we reached with industry to provide more specific labeling information on the origin and harvest date of romaine lettuce as it was shipped to the market.

Leave a comment

Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, 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, Food Toxin, Uncategorized

USA – Hernando Beach: Zig Zag Scallop Restaurant worker test positive for Hepatitis A

Posted on December 14, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

Health officials in Hernando County, FL reported today on a positive case of hepatitis A in a food service worker from the Zig Zag Scallop Restaurant located at 4417 Calienta Street in Hernando Beach.

The Florida Department of Health in Hernando County (DOH-Hernando) says if you frequented this restaurant December 1 – 3, and have not previously been vaccinated for hepatitis A, you should be vaccinated. If you have previously received the hepatitis A vaccine you do not need to take additional action.

DOH-Hernando is offering the vaccine at no cost at their clinic, located at 7551 Forest Oaks Blvd., Spring Hill, FL 34606.

Leave a comment

Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Testing, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized

India – Beware! Consumption of contaminated ‘catla’ fish causing severe health problems – Cholera

Posted on December 14, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Times Now News

CDC Vibrio

Vijaywada: Research scholars from Sri Venkateshwara Veterinary University found that the catla fish being sold in the market is polluted by superbugs that can cause several health problems ranging from simple fever, vomiting and abdominal pain to serious issues like cholera, blood stream infection and septic shock.

According to a report in The Times of India, 15 different species of the bacterium Vibrio, including Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium responsible for cholera outburst, were identified in the fish. These bacteria are being called as superbugs because they are resistant to various potent antibiotics.

The superbugs were found in catla fish, a commercially popular freshwater fish variety. Yet the researchers fear that other species of fish might also get polluted by superbugs if they are caught from the contaminated water bodies.

T Srinivasa Rao, one of the researchers, told TOI that though proper and prolonged cooking can help get rid of the superbugs, their antimicrobial resistance is a matter of concern.

Leave a comment

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