Category Archives: Uncategorized

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The Minnesota Department of Health says that 23 people who live or work in Hopkins have contracted Legionnaires’ Disease. Three more cases were confirmed by MDH between September 28 and September 30, 2016. The most recent illness onset date is September 22.

Food Safety News

A handful of sick customers of four Mighty Taco locations ballooned into an outbreak of more than 100 people involving at least 11 locations of the fast food chain during the past week.

Refried beans from a third-party supplier are suspected as the culprit in the outbreak of foodborne illnesses, which had not yet been specifically defined Friday by public health officials

Science Centre

CDC Photo

Prof. Nicola Williams, Professor of Bacterial Zoonotic Disease at the University of Liverpool, said:

“Current data does not suggest that livestock-associated MRSA is common among UK pig herds. Even if herds are infected with significant levels of the bacteria, the extent of contamination of meat with MRSA will be much lower than compared to food-poisoning bacteria such as Salmonella, so the risk of transmission to people will be lower.

“Adopting good hygiene practices in the kitchen, washing your hands when handling raw meat and cooking meat properly should minimise any risk. It is important to remember that even if someone does become colonised with MRSA it does not mean they will necessarily develop disease or illness. People can carry MRSA in their nose and throat without it causing an infection; however, it does mean that by carrying the bacteria you may be more likely to develop a subsequent infection – if you undergo surgery for example, or if you are immunocompromised.”

Liverpool AC

LSHTM

Food Safety News 

Along with the highly publicized lead contamination of its water supply, Flint, MI, also bears the dubious distinction of having the highest number of Shigella cases in the state.

The Genesee County Health Department has reported 85 cases so far this year, with more than half of them within the Flint city limits. Twenty-seven people have been hospitalized. A higher-than-normal number of shigellosis cases is also being reported in Saginaw County, which borders Flint.

Murcia Today

60 people have been affected after eating Sausage from a Butchers shop.

The Irish Examiner

Fruits and vegetables such as melons, berries, leafy greens, tomatoes, legumes, grains, and sprouted seeds pose the biggest threat of illness for consumers, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

“A lot of fresh produce is eaten raw so any harmful bugs that may be in the produce will not be removed by cooking,” said Food Safety Authority Ireland (FSAI) CEO Pamela Byrne.

There have been several cases of food poisoning originating in fruit and veg across Europe in recent years — in 2011, beansprouts in Germany containing e-coli killed 50 people and infected 4,075 others. In 2013, an outbreak of hepatitis originating from frozen berries led to 23 cases of the illness in Ireland, with a further 240 cases and 1,075 suspected cases across 11 countries. A boil-before-consuming notice remains in place as the contaminated berries could still be circulating within the food chain, says the FSAI. With incidents of foodborne illness on the rise, it is vital that growers take the necessary steps to limit contamination of fresh produce, the FSAI warns.

New guidelines published yesterday by the authority give advice for growers on the safe production of fresh produce on farms. Growers should select the right site to grow, restrict access for animals and pests, use pesticides and fertilisers safely, and use a safe water supply and good harvesting techniques say the FSAI. The authority also advises producers to put a recall and traceability system in place, as well as providing training and good facilities for staff.

Anything that is produced to be eaten raw, such as tomatoes, should be washed thoroughly, the FSAI recommended.

The Star 

Weese, a University of Guelph professor who studies bacterial infections in humans and animals, says there are a large number of salmonella cases each year in Canada — especially in kids —that are traced back to contact with reptiles.

Keeping reptiles away from children is a “pretty standard” recommendation, he says.

CFIA 

The food recall warning issued on October 4, 2016 has been updated to include additional product information. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.

Tre Rose Bakery is recalling sliced deli meat products from the marketplace due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.

All deli meats products sliced and sold by Tre Rose Bakery, 2098 Kipling Avenue, Toronto, Ontario up to and including October 4, 2016 are included in this recall. These deli meat products might also have been incorporated into sandwiches and other products made in-store by the retailer.

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 13 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted and chopped hazelnuts from Turkey in the Netherlands

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 11; Tot. = 40 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted and chopped hazelnuts from Turkey in the Netherlands

RASFF -aflatoxins (B1 = 8.9; Tot. = 9.4 µg/kg – ppb) in chilli powder from India in the UK

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 6; Tot. = 18.9 µg/kg – ppb) in hazelnut kernels from Turkey in France

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 19.3; Tot. = 46.3 µg/kg – ppb) in hazelnut kernels from Turkey in the UK

RASFF – histamine (>800 mg/kg – ppm) in frozen mackerel (Scomber scombrus) from Morocco in Spain