Category Archives: Uncategorized

RASFF Alerts – Salmonella – Frozen Half Chicken Breast – Sesame Seeds – Paprika Powder -Salted Chicken Fillets – Cucumbers – Chicken Meat – Frozen Beef Burgers

Posted on May 18, 2018 by | Leave a comment

kswfoodworld food safety poisoning

RASFF-Salmonella (presence /25g) in frozen half breast chicken from Brazil, via the Netherlands in the UK

RASFF-Salmonella (presence /25g) in hulled sesame seeds from Sudan in Poland

RASFF-Salmonella (presence /25g) in unhulled sesame seeds from Sudan in Poland

RASFF-Salmonella (presence /25g) in paprika powder from China in Spain

RASFF-Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (presence /25g) in frozen salted chicken fillets from Thailand in Germany

RASFF-Salmonella enterica ser. Agona in cucumbers from Spain in the UK

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

RASFF-Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis in frozen chicken meat from Thailand in Ireland

RASFF-Salmonella (presence /25g) in frozen beef burgers from Spain in Spain

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USA – E. coli Romaine Outbreak Update – 172 Sick in 32 States

Posted on May 18, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal 

According to the CDC, as of May 15, 2018, 172 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from 32 states.  Alaska (8), Arizona (8), California (39), Colorado (3), Connecticut (2), Florida (1), Georgia (4), Idaho (11), Illinois (2), Iowa (1), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (3), Michigan (5), Minnesota (12), Mississippi (1), Missouri (1), Montana (8), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (8), New York (5), North Dakota (2), Ohio (6), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (21), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (3), Texas (1), Utah (1), Virginia (1), Washington (7), and Wisconsin (3).Illnesses started on dates ranging from March 13, 2018 to May 2, 2018.

Ill people range in age from 1 to 88 years, with a median age of 29. Sixty-five percent of ill people are female. Of 157 people with information available, 75 (48%) have been hospitalized, including 20 people who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure.

One death was reported from California.

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RASFF Alerts – Animal Feed – Aflatoxin – Groundnut Kernels – Peanuts – Birdfood

Posted on May 18, 2018 by | Leave a comment

kswfoodworld food safety poisoning

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 36.4 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnut kernels for birdfeed from the Gambia in Germany

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 69.6; Tot. = 82.3 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnut kernels for birdfeed from the Gambia in Germany

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 43.8 µg/kg – ppb) in bird food peanuts from Senegal, via Belgium in Belgium

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Animal Feed, Bird Food, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Mycotoxin, Uncategorized

Information – Food Safety Tips during Ramadan

Posted on May 17, 2018 by | Leave a comment

USDA USDA

Ramadan is observed by more than 1 billion Muslims around the world. This holy month is a time of fasting and prayer for the followers of Islam, who abstain from food and drink each day from dawn until dusk. The end of Ramadan is marked with a celebration known as Eid al-Fitr, which stands for “breaking of the fast.” The celebration involves lavish dinners, which include delicacies and large dishes of lamb, chicken, omelets and salads.

During large celebrations, it’s important to ensure food safety measures are taken to avoid getting family and friends sick.

  • Keep your hands clean at all times. Wash them thoroughly, for at least 20 seconds, with soap and warm water, especially before and after handling raw food. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this is the simplest way to prevent most infections, including foodborne illness.
  • Use separate cutting boards for fruits or produce for salads and raw lamb or chicken. This will help prevent cross contamination between ready-to-eat foods and raw meat or poultry. Also, USDA does not recommend washing any raw meat and poultry because it increases the risk of cross-contamination.
  • The only way to make sure your meat and poultry is safe to eat is to cook it to a safe internal temperature as measured by a food thermometer. You can’t see, smell or taste harmful bacteria that may cause illness. For that reason, USDA recommends the following minimum safe internal temperatures, as measured by a food thermometer:
    • Beef, veal and Lamb – steaks, chops and roasts: 145°F and allow to rest for at least three minutes
    • All poultry (breasts, whole bird and stuffing, legs, thighs, wings and ground poultry): 165°F
    • Egg Dishes: 160°F
  • Any leftover food should not be left out at room temperature for more than two hours. Instead, chill leftovers promptly. Bacteria grow and multiply rapidly at temperatures between 40-140°F.

Consumers with questions about food safety can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or chat live with a food safety specialist in English or Spanish at AskKaren.gov, available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

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Posted in Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Uncategorized

USA – More Ill with Salmonella Linked to Rose Acre Farms’ Eggs

Posted on May 17, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, serve, or sell recalled eggs produced by Rose Acre Farms’ Hyde County farm. Throw them away or return them to the place of purchase for a refund.

  • These eggs were sold under multiple brand names, including Coburn Farms, Country Daybreak, Food Lion, Glenview, Great Value, Nelms, Publix, Sunshine Farms, and Sunups.
  • Check egg cartons for the following numbers: P-1065 (the plant number) and another set of numbers between 011 and 102 (the Julian date), or, for Publix and Sunups egg cartons, plant number P-1359D and Julian date 048A or 049A with Best By dates of APR 02 and APR 03.
  • Visit the FDA website for a list of recalled products.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, foodborne disease, Salmonella, Uncategorized

South Africa – Listeriosis under control, says health minister

Posted on May 17, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Health 24 

 

The listeriosis epidemic is under control after product recalls, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said during his Budget Vote in Parliament.

Cape Town – The listeriosis epidemic is under control now that meat products from Enterprise and Rainbow Chicken have been recalled, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told Parliament on Tuesday.

“Since the recall, we have had fewer than five cases a week in the past five weeks compared to 40 a week before the recall,” Motsoaledi said during his R205bn Budget Vote in Parliament

Health 24

Health24 spoke to Dr Juno Thomas, the Head of the Centre for Enteric Diseases at the NICD, about the severity of the situation. She asserted that while the death toll has risen, it is important to look at the cases as they continue to decline: from 90 cases to 40 cases a week.

She also explained that Listeria affects people with weaker immune systems, making babies and the elderly more vulnerable to the illness. According to Dr Thomas, pregnant women with Listeriosis pass the illness on to the baby through the placenta, “hence the severity in the baby”.

Regarding the second highest group, Dr Thomas attributes this to two factors. “Firstly, women in that group are of childbearing age, and secondly this age group has the highest statistics for HIV, making them a risk factor.”

NICD – Listeria Outbreak Statistics

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, outbreak, south africa, Uncategorized

USA – Employees at Two Louisville, Kentucky Restaurants Diagnosed with Hepatitis A

Posted on May 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Employees at two restaurants in Louisville, Kentucky have been diagnosed with hepatitis A, a very contagious virus that affects the liver. Those employees worked with food at the Domino’s Pizza at 10000 Brownsboro Road, and at Old Chicago Pizza and Tap Room at 9013 Taylorsville Road.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized

Canada – Updated Food Recall Warning – Whole Foods Market recalls Reblochon Cheese “raw cow cheese” due to E. coli O26

Posted on May 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

CFIA

Recall details

Ottawa, May 15, 2018 – The food recall warning issued on May 14, 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.

Whole Foods Market is recalling Reblochon Cheese “raw cow cheese” from the marketplace due to possible E. coli O26 contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.

The product has been sold from the following Whole Foods Market locations in Ontario:

  • 4771 Yonge Street, North York
  • 301 Cornwall Road, Oakville
  • 951 Bank Street, Ottawa
  • 87 Avenue Road, Toronto.

Recalled products

Brand Name Common Name Size Code(s) on Product UPC
Whole Foods Market Reblochon Cheese “raw cow cheese” Variable All “Packed On” dates from March 20, 2018 up to and including May 15, 2018 Starts with
0293524

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O26, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Uncategorized

USA – Salmonella-Contaminated Eggs Sicken 35 People Across Nine States

Posted on May 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Logistics 275px-Boiled_eggs_in_saucepan_by_Sarah_McCulloch

A salmonella outbreak attached to more than 200 million eggs has sickened 35 people, spreading across nine states.

NBC reports that 35 people across nine states have been sickened by a salmonella outbreak tied to a recall of more than 200 million eggs.

The eggs have been traced to egg-based producer Rose Acre Farms in Hyde County, North Carolina. Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 23 people were sickened by the eggs, but since then the number has jumped to 35.

The 12 people that fell ill recently were in five different states along the East Coast.

According to NBC, the eggs were sold under different brands in a variety of retailers and restaurants. According to the CDC, 11 people have been hospitalized but no deaths have been reported.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food death, 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, Food Toxin, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Salmonella, Uncategorized

France – News Health France’s Leclerc recalls cheese brand after E.coli cases in children

Posted on May 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

WHTC

PARIS (Reuters) – French food retailer Leclerc has issued a recall of a brand of cheese made with raw milk that has been linked by the authorities to cases of E.coli bacteria among young children.

Leclerc, France’s biggest supermarket chain by market share, said on its website that it was withdrawing Reblochon cheese supplied by cheesemaker Chabert in the Savoy region and sold under the “Nos regions ont du talent” (“Our regions have talent”) brand.

The move came after the French health authorities linked seven cases of E.coli 026 bacteria among children between one-and-a-half and three years to the cheese, which is a creamy speciality of the French Alps.

“The investigations conducted by the health authorities have confirmed an epidemiological link between these cases and the consumption of whole Reblochon cheese made with raw milk under the brand and sold by the Leclerc chain in several regions,” France’s health and agriculture ministries said in a joint statement.

The ministries said that six of the seven cases of infection involved hemolytic-uremic syndrome, a potentially serious condition that can cause kidney failure among young children.

Six children were taken to hospital and one is yet to return home, the health ministry added in an emailed response.

The cause of the E.coli outbreak was not yet known, the ministries said in their statement, reiterating official guidance that raw milk and cheese made with raw milk should not be given to young children.

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