CFIA

Ottawa, February 8, 2017 – The food recall warning issued on February 3, 2017 has been updated to include additional products. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.

Loblaw Companies Limited is recalling PC Organics brand baby food pouches from the marketplace because they may permit the growth of Clostridium botulinum. A manufacturing error resulted in excess water in the product, which under certain circumstances could support the growth of Clostridium Botulinum and pose a health risk to consumers. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.

The products were sold at the following locations up to and including February 8, 2017.

Ontario: Fortinos, Loblaws, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Real Canadian Wholesale Club, valu-mart, Your Independent Grocer, Zehrs, Shoppers Drug Mart, and affiliated independent stores

Atlantic: Atlantic Superstore, Dominion, Cash&Carry, Real Canadian Wholesale Club, Your Independent Grocer, Shoppers Drug Mart, and affiliated independent stores

Québec: Club entrepôt, Maxi, Maxi & Cie, Presto, Provigo, Provigo le Marché, AXEP, Pharmaprix, and Intermarché

West: Extra Foods, Loblaws City Market, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Real Canadian Wholesale Club, Your Independent Grocer, Shoppers Drug Mart, and affiliated independent stores

The Peninsula

Qatar has the lowest incidence of food poisoning in the region with only 50 cases reported last year. And majority of food poisoning cases in Qatar are reported due to lack of standards in food storage and wrong approach by the restaurants and food handlers, a senior official of the Ministry of Public Health said yesterday.

Fresh Plaza

Friendly bacteria could soon be introduced to bagged salad mixes to try to prevent salmonella or listeria outbreaks.

University of Queensland researchers have begun a two-year, $800,000 study in conjunction with Horticulture Innovation Australia, into adding the bacteria ProbiSafe.

It comes after 300 people in Queensland, Victoria and South Australia fell ill in February last year after an outbreak of salmonella in bagged salads and sprouts.

Associate Professor Mark Turner said they would do taste-testing and investigate the cost of adding ProbiSafe, to make it safer and healthier to eat.

They want to commercialise the “friendly” lactic acid bacteria, which inhibits the growth of salmonella and listeria and is naturally occurring in fruit and vegetables.

The lettuce would be washed in a solution containing the bacteria and would stick to it in the packaging during its shelf-life.

“We consume them every day without any negative effects,” Dr Turner said.

“We want to increase the level of this bacteria by about 1,000 fold or 10,000 fold.”

The researchers would also consider whether they could add other probiotics, already commercially available.

“Instead of putting them in yoghurt or a capsule, we can put it in a bagged salad, and you can have your dose of probiotics that way,” Dr Turner said.

Food Poisoning Bulletin

At least 28 children and 2 adults were sickened after eating a catered lunch at the middle school Science Olympiad at Florida Gateway College in Lake City. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office had a notice posted on its Facebook page that those sickened were taken to hospitals for suspected food poisoning. The event was held on Saturday, February 4, 2017.

FSAI

Message:

As a precautionary measure, Avoca is recalling the above batches of two additional hummus products that were made on the same day as the hummus and colcannon that were found to contain Listeria monocytogenes (see Food alert 2017.02).  It is not yet known whether these products also contain Listeria monocytogenes, but testing is underway. These products were only sold in Avoca stores where they have been withdrawn from sale and a point of sale recall notice has been displayed. Consumers are instructed not to eat the above batches and to return them to an Avoca store.

The table below shows details of all the hummus products recalled by Avoca this week.

HPS 

On 27 January, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) issued an updated rapid risk assessment giving an overview of an increase in the number of Salmonella Stourbridge cases in Germany during the second half of 2016, with other EU member states also reporting cases. Whole genome sequencing was carried out in a number of countries to try and establish the source of the outbreak.

Based on the microbiological evidence, ECDC does not consider this a multi-country ongoing event so the investigation of the event itself is being closed at the EU/EEA level while routine monitoring of S. Stourbridge strains occurrence in humans will continue.

The update can be accessed in full at http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/_layouts/forms/Publication_DispForm.a….

No cases of Salmonella Stourbridge were identified in Scotland during the outbreak.

HPS

Salmonella

In 2016, HPS received reports of 836 isolates of non-typhoidal Salmonella from people in Scotland – an increase of around 4% on the 803 reported in 2015. This further compares to 717 and 814 reports in 2014 and 2013 respectively

Campylobacter

During 2016, 5296 laboratory reports of Campylobacter were received by HPS. This was a decrease of 968 (15.5%) compared to 2015 when 6262 isolates were reported (Figure 2). This is the second consecutive year in which there has been a decline in reports of Campylobacter, with the reports in 2016 representing a decline of 1340 (20.2%) on the peak of 6636 reports in 2014.

Food Quality News 

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) in New Zealand has warned people not to eat certain brands of chilled oysters as they may be contaminated with Norovirus.

Travellers told drinking alcohol could help them avoid food poisoning during holidays

The Sun

Richard Conroy, world-leading food scientist and founder of vacation illness compensation firm SickHoliday.com, told The Sun Online: “Whenever you go on holiday abroad, particularly on all-inclusive trips, you run the gauntlet of the restaurants and buffet bars.

“They can often be breeding grounds for food-borne pathogens like salmonella, E.Coli, Listeria, and even Cholera.

“But the good news is that wine, beer, gin and other alcohols have been found to be great at pathogen prevention.”

Seafood Source 

Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety (CFS), part of the country’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, has announced an import ban of raw oysters from Loch Fyne Oysters Ltd. of Scotland.

The ban was put into place on 25 January and local distributors have been asked to stop using or selling the product due to the potential presence of pathogens, including norovirus, which can cause stomach upset in humans.

“The CFS was notified by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health of a number of food poisoning cases which involved consumption of raw oysters at a restaurant in Causeway Bay. The CFS conducted investigations at the restaurant concerned which claimed that it had sold raw oysters produced in Scotland supplied by a local supplier. Follow-up investigations found that the restaurant and the supplier concerned did not have any remaining stock of the affected raw oysters,” the CFS said in a statement. “According to the information provided by the supplier concerned, the affected raw oysters came from Loch Fyne Oysters Ltd of Scotland. For the sake of prudence, the CFS has immediately banned the import into and sale within Hong Kong of all raw oysters produced by the company.”