Category Archives: Uncategorized

Information – Parents urged to check their homes for raw milk – E.coli O157

Posted on June 11, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News 

Image CDC

Health officials in Tennessee have repeated their public warning against drinking unpasteurized milk from French Broad Farm, confirming Thursday that more than 10 children are sick with infections from E. coli. The majority of the children were given raw milk from the farm before becoming sick.

The dairy has stopped distributing milk, according to a statement from the Knox County Health Department (KCHD). The health department did not report when French Broad stopped distribution. The department began receiving reports “last week” about children with infections from E. coli O157:H7.

In their public warning, county health officials urged people to check their homes for French Broad unpasteurized, raw dairy products.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Raw Milk, Uncategorized

USA – 71st Salmonella outbreak this century linked to backyard poultry

Posted on June 11, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News 104px-More_chicks

Backyard poultry flocks infected with six strains of Salmonella are responsible for 124 illnesses in 36 states, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. A third of the victims are children younger than 5.

It is the 71st Salmonella outbreak linked to backyard poultry since 2000.

Barf Blog

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and multiple states are investigating several multistate outbreaks of Salmonella infections linked to contact with live poultry in backyard flocks.

Several different types of Salmonella bacteria have made people sick: Salmonella Seftenberg, Salmonella Montevideo, Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Indiana, and Salmonella Litchfield.

As of June 1, 2018, 124 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella have been reported from 36 states.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from February 2, 2018 to May 14, 2018.

21 ill people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.

31% of ill people are children younger than 5 years.

Epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory findings link these outbreaks to contact with live poultry, such as chicks and ducklings, which come from multiple hatcheries.

In interviews, 55 (74%) of 74 ill people with information available reported contact with chicks or ducklings in the week before their illness started.

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Posted in Salmonella, Uncategorized

Australia – ‘Hellish’ gastro outbreak sends more than 1,000 people rushing to the emergency room

Posted on June 11, 2018 by | Leave a comment

The Daily Mail

A huge gastro outbreak has left more than 1,000 people in hospital.

Emergency departments in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, were flooded with 1142 patients with gastroenteritis.

Around 600 cases were treated at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

Source not known but possibly Norovirus

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Posted in Uncategorized

USA – Cyclospora Outbreak in Minnesota, Wisconsin Linked to Kwik Trip Del Monte Veggie Trays

Posted on June 11, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News 

A cyclospora outbreak in Minnesota and Wisconsin is linked to Del Monte Vegetable Trays that are sold at Kwik Trip stores in the two states. The Wisconsin Department of Health services has released a bulletin about this outbreak.

Eleven people in Wisconsin and three people in Minnesota are sick. They reported purchasing a vegetable tray from a Kwik Trip location before they got sick. The trays contained broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and dill dip. They may have also been available at other locations.

Consumers should not eat these products: Del Monte Vegetable Tray (containing broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and dill dip) in 6 ounce packages, and Del Monte Vegetable Tray (containing broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and dill dip) in 12 ounce packages. Kwok Trip is cooperating with officials and have removed this product from their stores.

Cyclospora is a parasite that is usually found in developing countries. But in the summer months, there is almost always a cylospora outbreak in the U.S. Past outbreaks have been linked to snow peas, cilantro, raspberries, and mesclun.

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Posted in Cyclospora, food bourne outbreak, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Protozoan, Recall, Uncategorized

USA – FDA Investigating Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Adelaide Infections Linked to Pre-Cut Melons

Posted on June 11, 2018 by | Leave a comment

FDA 

Fast Facts

  • The FDA, CDC, along with state and local officials are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Adelaide infections. CDC reports that fruit salad mixes that include pre-cut melons are a likely source of this outbreak.
  • FDA advises consumers not to eat recalled fresh cut watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and fresh-cut fruit medley products containing any of these melons produced at the Caito Foods facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. Caito Foods, LLC distributed products produced at this facility in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. The products were packaged in clear, plastic clamshell containers and distributed to Costco, Jay C, Kroger, Payless, Owen’s, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Walgreens, Walmart, and Whole Foods/Amazon. Caito Foods, LLC has voluntarily recalled fruit salad mixes that contain pre-cut melons to prevent further distribution of potentially contaminated products.
  • The CDC reports that 60 people in five Midwestern states have become ill. Among 47 people with information available, thirty-one cases (66%) have been hospitalized.
  • The 60 illnesses occurred within the period of April 30, 2018 to May 28, 2018.
  • The FDA is working with CDC, along with state partners in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio to trace back the pre-cut melons to identify the source to determine the full distribution of pre-cut melons, and to learn more about the potential route of contamination.
  • As this is an ongoing investigation, the FDA will update this page as more information becomes available, such as product information, epidemiological results, and recalls.
  • Consumers who have symptoms of Salmonella infection should contact their health care provider to report their symptoms and receive care. Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. Most infections usually lasts 4 to 7 days and most people recover without treatment, however some people develop diarrhea so severe that they need to be hospitalized.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Recall, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Research – Salmonella and the Potential Role for Methods to Develop Microbial Process Indicators on Chicken Carcasses

Posted on June 10, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct 

 

Foodborne salmonellosis originating from poultry products is a major problem, and post harvest control is important to prevent Salmonella contamination. However, assessing when and where Salmonella contamination occurs, and, more importantly, which routes of contamination have the greatest impact on introduction and dissemination in the final poultry meat product is an extremely complex question with a tremendous number of variables. Estimating Salmonella prevalence in poultry processing and the significance/role of Salmonella prevalence in finished products is a critical aspect of food safety control, with USDA regulations updating regularly to improve food safety. Numerous cultural methodologies exist for the detection of Salmonella. However, it is also critical to establish non-Salmonella bacteria and indicator organism profiles that allow for a more continuous monitoring or oversight of microbial shifts that potentially could occur during processing. Development of quantitative risk assessment models, for assessing where the greatest risks for contamination occur, may also allow for prioritizing optimal intervention strategies to achieve the most effective reductions in Salmonella contamination of poultry products.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Information – FSA – Listeria Fact Sheet

Posted on June 10, 2018 by | Leave a comment

FSA Listeria kswfoodworld food safety food poisoning

Listeria is a harmful bacteria. Listeria thrives in ready-to-eat foods that have already been cooked when purchased.

Listeria monocytogenes (listeria) is a bacterium that causes an illness called Listeriosis. Cases of foodborne illness from listeria are rare, but can involve serious symptoms and even death in certain groups of people. These include:

  • people with weakened immune systems, such as those suffering from cancer
  • pregnant women and their unborn babies
  • newborn babies
  • elderly people

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Posted in Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria welshimeri, Uncategorized

Research – New procedures for food handlers under infectious gastrointestinal disease: To control emerging microbial problems

Posted on June 10, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Wiley Online

Abstract

Owing to climate change and global warming, foodborne infectious diseases are becoming an inevitable problem worldwide, and this includes Korea. An emerging factor of foodborne infectious disease outbreak in the foodservice business (i.e., restaurants) is inappropriate management of food handlers with acute gastroenteritis. This study will propose new procedures for bigger restaurants such as conglomerate chains or hotel restaurants that have adequate economic capability for operating new or existing procedures to complement the shortcomings of the Korean Food Safety Act based on microbiological, epidemiological, and etiological fundamentals. Designed procedures for managing a primary case (i.e., first symptomatic worker) or confirmed patients in close contact (i.e., colleagues) were based on several concepts, such as isolation, contact quarantine, and release. These procedures can be included in the sanitation standard operating procedures for foodservice business in a chapter on the Food Handler’s Hygiene Management Manual.

Practical applications

Foodborne infectious disease spread by food handlers is currently an emerging food safety management crisis in Korea. Since few response procedures have been proposed as to how to act in such a critical situation, our study will suggest new procedures. Possible foodborne infectious disease that can be mediated by food handlers was investigated and categorized into four types based on their microbiological, epidemiological, and etiological characters. Several distinct response procedures were designated for primary or secondary case, confirmed case, and close contact colleagues. Newly designed criteria were simulated for field applicability. These procedures can be included in the sanitation standard operating procedures for foodservice businesses in a chapter of the Food Handler’s Hygiene Management Manual.

 

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Research -Incidence of Listeria spp. in Ready-to-Eat Food Processing Plant Environments Regulated by the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Posted on June 9, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

A multiyear survey of 31 ready-to-eat (RTE) food processing plants in the United States was conducted to determine the incidence of Listeria spp. in various RTE production environments. Samples were collected from 22 RTE plants regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and from 9 RTE food plants regulated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Only nonfood contact surfaces in the RTE manufacturing areas with exposed RTE product were sampled. Each sample was individually analyzed for the presence of Listeria spp. by using a PCR-based rapid assay. In total, 4,829 samples were collected from various locations, including freezers, equipment framework, floors, walls, wall-floor junctures, drains, floor mats, doors, and cleaning tools. Nine (29%) of the facilities had zero samples positive for Listeria spp. in the production environment, whereas 22 (71%) had one or more samples positive for Listeria spp. The total incidence of Listeria spp. in all RTE food plants was 4.5%. The positive rate in plants regulated by the FSIS ranged from 0 to 9.7%, whereas the positive rate in plants regulated by the FDA ranged from 1.2 to 36%.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Research, Uncategorized

Research – Biofiltration using C. fluminea for E.coli removal from water: Comparison with ozonation and photocatalytic oxidation

Posted on June 9, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

Corbicula fluminea, an Asian clam, is one of the worst invasive species in Europe that can survive in very adverse environmental conditions. Despite its negative impacts, the species also has the capacity to bioaccumulate heavy metals, contaminants and can be exploited for wastewater treatment purposes. The capacity of the Asian clam to remove Escherichia coli, used as fecal contamination indicator, was analyzed. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are not suitable to remove bacteria, thus resulting in treated municipal wastewater with high bacterial loads. E. coli clearance rate was analyzed as function of the number of clams. The bivalves can remove bacteria until concentrations below the detection limit in about 6 h. The adsorption on the clam shells’ and bioaccumulation on the soft tissues were also analyzed. The depuration of clams along 48 h were analyzed revealing that no bacteria was detected in the water. Thus, these results suggest that Asian clam can bioprocess E. coli. On the other hand, results obtained by this methodology were compared with ozonation and photocatalytic oxidation using TiO2, Ag, Au, Pd-TiO2. In all treatments it was possible to achieve concentrations of E. coli below the detection limit. However, photocatalytic oxidation demands about 4700 folds more energy than ozonation, besides the costs associated with catalysts. Comparing complexity of ozonation with biofiltration, this study suggests that application of biofiltration using C. fluminea can be a suitable solution to minimize the presence of bacteria in wastewater, reducing environmental and economic impacts.

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Posted in E.coli, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Safety, Uncategorized