The Virginia Department of Health released another update on the hepatitis A outbreak among people who consumed a smoothie at Tropical Smoothie Cafe before they got sick. Now at least 73 people are sick in this outbreak that has spread to seven states.
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FSIS analyzes pasteurized egg products for the presence of Salmonella, to make sure the products are safe and wholesome. Currently, if pasteurized egg products bear a shelf-life claim, the Agency also samples them for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). FSIS analyzes for Salmonella and Lm because they are pathogens of public health concern and may adulterate ready-to-eat (RTE) products, including
pasteurized egg products.
To enhance public health protection associated with pasteurized egg products, FSIS is modernizing its egg products sampling program to mirror FSIS’s other RTE testing programs. On Sept. 21, 2016, FSIS will begin analyzing all domestic and imported pasteurized egg products sampled for Lm, not just those bearing shelf-life claims. FSIS will also eliminate the analysis for Lm at the end of shelf-life on products with such claims under the domestic egg products sampling program known as EGGDOM. Instead, FSIS will continue to collect samples of dried, liquid, and frozen pasteurized egg products under the egg monitoring sampling projects and test them for Salmonella and Lm.
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Island Soups Company, Inc. of Saint Albans, New York is recalling the following products because they have the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which can cause life-threatening illness or death. Consumers are warned not to use these products.
GUNGO PEAS SOUP, NET WT. 16OZ
GUNGO PEAS SOUP NO MEAT, NET WT. 16OZ
RED PEAS SOUP, NET WT. 16OZ
RED PEAS SOUP NO MEAT, NET WT. 16OZ
MANNISH WATER, NET WT. 16OZ
FISH SOUP, NET WT. 16OZ
All products are coded BEST BEFORE dates July 2015 through June 2018
Botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning, can cause the following symptoms: general weakness, dizziness, double- vision, and trouble with speaking or swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation may also be common symptoms. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.
Products were distributed through internet website purchases.
The products are packaged in 16 oz. glass jars with white lids and a white plastic with brown lettering safety seal.
To date there have been no confirmed reports of illness and injury related to these products.
FDA inspection of the establishment reveals that the firm does not have valid process schedules or process documentation to ensure that these soups products have been sufficiently processed to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum.
Consumers should segregate and destroy any of the identified products.
Consumers with questions can call 917-991-6647, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, EST
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The presence of salmonella in the products listed below. Symptoms caused by salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps.
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Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has been part of a multi-agency Incident Management Team (IMT), chaired by Health Protection Scotland, which has been investigating an outbreak of E.coli O157 in Scotland. (E. coli O157 is one of a group of harmful bacteria known as Shiga toxin E. coli or STEC.)
This outbreak has resulted in the sad death of a child. There can be no consolation at a time like this for a family in mourning. The family’s right to privacy has been respected throughout the investigation and FSS trusts that the media will continue to respect that privacy.
FSS has acted as part of a multi-agency team which has not been drawn into the public speculation and debate that the outbreak has generated. The IMT has focused on investigating the outbreak. The IMT’s priority throughout has been public safety, and all its decisions and actions were taken on that basis.
During the outbreak, two batches of Dunsyre Cheese were implicated based on epidemiological evidence, and were voluntarily recalled from sale by Errington Cheese Ltd on 28 July 2016. There have been 20 cases of illness resulting from this outbreak, 11 of which required hospitalisation, and of course, sadly, one fatality has occurred.
As of 5 September 2016, the IMT has declared this outbreak to be over and the IMT, in accordance with procedure, has now stood down. FSS, working with South Lanarkshire Council, is now continuing its food safety investigations.
FSS’s statutory duty is to protect public health. FSS fully recognise the importance of the food sector to Scotland’s economy. It is a flourishing sector and key to that is trust that what is being produced is safe and fit for human consumption. One of the key objectives of FSS, as set out in its recently published Strategy to 2021 – Shaping Scotland’s Food Future, is to enable responsible businesses to flourish. Proportionality is always a key part of FSS’s considerations – to ensure fairness to businesses and also to ensure that consumers are given information upon which they can choose to act.
FSS has, during the course of the investigation, issued one public recall information notice following Errington Cheese Ltd’s voluntary recall. This is a standard practice that happens on a regular basis, as can be seen from other product recalls publicised on FSS’s website.
It is the legal responsibility of food businesses to produce safe food. Food businesses are required to take all reasonable steps to ensure that all hazards and risks are identified in the production of their products and that the food they produce is safe. Those reasonable steps need to be taken before any product is placed on the market. The responsibility of all food business is to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to prevent contamination and ensure the food they place on the market is safe to eat.
Pasteurisation significantly reduces harmful bacteria including STEC, and that is why FSS advice to vulnerable groups including pregnant women, children and the elderly remains that they should not consume raw, unpasteurised milk and dairy products such as cheese made from unpasteurised milk due to the increased risk of food poisoning. Raw milk is classed as a high risk food because it is not pasteurised.
The focus of effort for FSS and South Lanarkshire Council for the time being is on ensuring that all appropriate controls are in place to protect the safety of consumers. Actions will continue to be determined by what is necessary to protect public health and the interests of consumers.
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African Journal of Microbiology 
This research aimed to identify and quantify Vibrio parahaemolyticus in fresh oysters (Crassostrea gigas), mussels (Perna perna) and seawater from different regions of cultivation of bivalve shellfishes in the seacoast of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Samples were collected between October 2012 and December 2013 and 130 oysters samples (Crassostrea gigas), 215 mussels samples (Perna perna) and 222 seawater were collected. The occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus in oysters and mussels was low, 10.76 and 11.62% of the samples tested. Higher incidences of V. parahaemolyticus were observed in seawater (18%). The density of V. parahaemolyticus in summer (December to March) was significantly greater than those in the other 3 seasons (P < 0.01). The occurrence of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus in oyster, mussels and seawater was very low (<10%). It is recommend that control measures should be considered, including the establishment of an intensive and continuous monitoring of potentially pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus from all oyster-growing areas, the environmental parameters, and the assessment of the region-specific human health risk due to consumption of oyster.
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African Journal of Microbiology 
This study aimed to evaluate the bacteriological quality of frozen and fresh shrimp samples by Salmonella detection and the quantification of staphylococci and coliforms. Antimicrobial susceptibility profile of staphylococci isolates was also determined. A total of 30 shrimp samples commercialized in Sobral-CE – 15 fresh and 15 frozen, each one weighing 500 g – was analysed. There was no contamination by Salmonella and/or coliform, but the Staphylococcus quantification showed that 12 samples (80.0%) of the frozen and 10 (66.7%) of the fresh shrimp presented a bacterial load above 3.0 log10 CFU g-1 – a limit recommended by the current legislation in Brazil. 17 drug-resistant staphylococci strains were isolated, and the following antimicrobial resistance profiles were detected: monoresistance (n=4), cross-resistance to beta-lactam (n=4), and multidrug resistance to: Oxacillin+ampicillin+tetracycline (n=1), oxacillin+tetracycline+ penicillin+chloramphenicol+vancomycin (n=1). The findings indicate that frozen and fresh shrimps may act as vehicles for the spread of staphylococci resistant to drugs of clinical interest.
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Westby Cooperative Creamery Issues a Voluntary Product Retrieval Notice on a Specific, Single Production Lot of Cottage Cheese Product
DATCP Issues Consumer Advisory for Cottage Cheese Produced By Westby Cooperative Creamery
Westby Cooperative Creamery Issues a Voluntary Product Retrieval Notice on a Specific, Single Production Lot of Cottage Cheese Product
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Almost 5 years old now, Kendall Paciorek is right on track. She can walk, run, talk and say her ABCs. And while that normal progression of abilities common to many children her age might not seem all that impressive, to her mother and father Michelle Wakley-Paciorek and Dave Paciorek, it’s “a miracle.”
Little Kendall was born three months premature on Sept. 21, 2011. Her early arrival was one result of a Listeria infection contracted from her mother who had eaten some contaminated cantaloupe the previous month. When she was born, the doctors warned her parents about all sorts of dire medical complications that she could develop: blindness, deafness, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and others.
The dire prognosis was offered even before the doctors ran blood tests and discovered something even more troubling: Both mother and daughter had listeriosis, a foodborne disease. They had suspected that Michelle had an infection of some sort, but didn’t know what it was until getting the results of the blood tests.
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A quarter of chicken bought in UK supermarkets has been found to contain antibiotic-resistant strains of E. coli, according to a study by the University of Cambridge.
The worrying statistics were unveiled after researchers found bacteria in meat sold at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Aldi, Waitrose, the Co-op and Morrisons.
Out of 92 chicken pieces – testing whole chickens, thigh pieces, drumsticks and diced breast meat – 22 were found to contain the potentially deadly bacteria.
The findings raise concerns about the quality of factory farming in the UK
E.coli superbug in 1 in 4 supermarket chickens: Antibiotic-resistant strain is found on shelves at seven leading chains.
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