Category Archives: Uncategorized

EWN

CAPE TOWN – Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says 36 people have died following an outbreak of Listeria in South Africa.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Motsoaledi said a total of 557 lab-confirmed Listeriosis cases have been reported.

The majority of these cases have been reported in Gauteng, followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Motsoaledi says the bacteria is widely distributed in nature and can be found in soil, water and vegetation.

He explained that Listeriosis is a serious, but treatable and preventable disease caused by the bacterium Listeria Monocytogenes.

Animal products and fresh produce can be contaminated.

Motsoaledi says babies are most vulnerable as well as people aged between 15 and 49. About 70% of the cases have been confirmed in these groups.

News 24

Pretoria – More than 30 people have died following an outbreak of Listeriosis.

FSAI

Message:

The above batch of Goatsbridge Trout Pâté is being recalled due to the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. Point-of-sale recall notices should be displayed in retail outlets which sold the implicated batch of pâté.

FDA

The Kroger Company has recalled Comforts FOR BABY Purified Water with Fluoride Added 1 GAL (3.78 L) with sell by dates from 4/26/2018 to 10/10/2018, after receiving complaints about mold in the product. Testing by Kroger has identified the mold as Talaromyces penicillium. The water is sold in clear containers, but the mold may not be visible with the naked eye.

The FDA is issuing this consumer alert to reach parents and caregivers who may have bought the product, which is intended for infants.

The products were distributed to Kroger stores, including Food 4 Less, Jay C, Jay C Food Plus, Kroger, Kroger Marketplace, Owen’s, Payless Super Market, and Ruler stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.  The Kroger Company has instructed its stores to remove the recalled products.

The recalled products are labeled with the UPC Code 0 41260 37597 2 and the plant code 51-4140. The labels also state DISTRIBUTED BY THE KROGER CO, CINCINNATI, OHIO 45202.

The recalled products have sell by dates from 4/26/2018 – 10/10/2018.

If you have purchased this water return it to the store for a refund.

FSANZ

‘Berg Smallgoods’

American Style Skinless Hot Dogs 375g

All date codes up to and including 28/01/18 Use By Date

France Bleu

Health authorities proceeded on Saturday with the withdrawal and recall of batches of infant milks from three different brands after being informed of the “Salmonella contamination of 20 young children aged less than 6 months in 8 different regions” of France.

Lactalis has withdrawn and recalled baby formula while 20 babies under 6 have been infected with salmonella in eight different regions, the Health Directorate announced Saturday evening.

RASFF-too high count of Escherichia coli ( 490 MPN/100g) in live mussels from Italy in Italy

Food Safety News

B & H Foods in North Carolina is on notice from the FDA because the same strain of Listeria monocytogenes has been confirmed repeatedly during the past five years at its facilities.

“Based on FDA’s analytical results for the environmental sample and inspectional findings documented during the inspection, we have determined that your RTE (ready-to-eat) food products are adulterated within the meaning of section 402(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act),” according to a warning letter the Food and Drug Administration sent to the company on Nov. 14.

The violations render the firm’s food products adulterated in that they have been prepared, packed, or held under conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby they may have been rendered injurious to heath. The FDA previously sent the company a warning letter in October 2012, citing many of the same problems.

In February this year the company recalled Ruth’s brand pimento and cream cheese spreads because of potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

Food Poisoning Bulletin 

A Salmonella outbreak associated with two Burger King restaurants in Bemidji, Minnesota has sickened at least 27 people, according to news reports quoting the Minnesota Department of Health. Those cases have been confirmed in this Burger King Salmonella outbreak, and there are four more pending probable cases.

Both of the restaurants voluntarily closed on Thursday, November 30, 2017.  Apparently most of the illnesses were identified in September, but two more people were diagnosed with Salmonella food poisoning this week.

Doug Schultz of the Minnesota Department of Health told the Bemidji Pioneer, “They may have been sick a couple of weeks or so before then. It takes a while before people get symptoms, and then they’re sick enough to go to the doctor, and then we identify.”

Outbreak News Today

Washington state health officials are reporting a Salmonella outbreak that sickened 18 people in several counties and in Oregon.

Eighteen people from King (5), Mason (1), Pierce (1), Snohomish (7), Thurston (1), and Yakima (1) counties and two individuals from Oregon have been diagnosed with Salmonella.

The outbreak is linked to pre-cut watermelon, cantaloupe, or fruit mixes containing watermelon or cantaloupe.

Health officials advise people who purchased these products on or about Oct. 25 up to Dec. 1 from QFC, Fred Meyer, Rosauers, and Central Market in Washington and Oregon to not to eat the fruit and throw it away

CDC

On July 13, 2016, Clark County (Washington) Public Health (CCPH) received a report of diarrheal illness in four of seven members of a single party who dined at a local restaurant on July 6, 2016. The report was received through an online/telephone system for reporting food service–associated illness complaints. Members of the five households in the party reported that their only shared exposure was the restaurant meal. CCPH ordered closure of the restaurant kitchen on July 13, 2016, and began an investigation to identify the source of diarrheal illness and implement additional control measures.

CCPH defined a probable case of restaurant-associated illness as diarrhea lasting >2 days in any restaurant guest or staff member with illness onset from July 1, 2016, to July 23, 2016. After Campylobacter jejuni was cultured from stool specimens submitted by three ill members of the dining party, a confirmed case was defined as culture evidence of C. jejuni infection in any restaurant guest or staff member with onset of diarrheal illness during the same period. Five cases (three confirmed and two probable) were identified, four in restaurant guests and one in a food worker; patient age ranged from 27–46 years; three patients were female.