Category Archives: Uncategorized

Food Poisoning Journal

The U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted an investigation into the Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli) outbreak related to ground beef that the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Public Health Services (DPHS) announced last week. As a result of their findings the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a recall of approximately 8,800 pounds of raw ground beef products produced by PT Farm, LLC, of North Haverhill, NH, between June 6 and June 16, 2016.

Food Poisoning Journal;

The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) today jointly issued a consumer advisory for potato salads made in and sold by Big G Food Store in Marengo, Iowa.  Big G’s “Zesty Potato Salad” and “Traditional Potato Salad” have been implicated in several cases of foodborne illness reported in Iowa County.  Presumptive test results from the State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa indicate the presence of salmonella in these products.

Food Poisoning Journal

Five Star Shellfish Inc. is recalling oysters from Canadian retailers because of possible Salmonella contamination.

The Prince Edward Island company distributed the Five Star branded oysters to retailers in Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario, according to the recall notice posted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. There is a possibility the oysters were distributed to other provinces.

FDA

Snyder’s-Lance, Inc. is initiating a voluntary recall of Diamond of California® Macadamia Nuts, distributed in retail stores nationwide, due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

There have been no reported illnesses to date.

This voluntary recall is the result of testing by a FDA-contracted laboratory which revealed that a 4oz package of Diamond of California® Chopped Macadamia Nuts contained Salmonella.

This voluntary recall covers only the following products:

• 4oz Diamond of California® Chopped Macadamia Nuts
• 2.25oz Diamond of California® Macadamia Halves and Pieces

The voluntary recall is limited to multiple production codes of the two products listed below. To locate the production code on the package, consumers should look on the front of the package. No other production codes, sizes or varieties of Diamond of California® products are affected by this recall.

Consumers who may have purchased the product listed above should not consume it but should contact Consumer Affairs for a full refund online at http://diamondfoods.com/contact/ or by calling 503-364-0399 between 8am and 5pm Pacific Time, Monday – Friday.

The quality and safety of our products is the top priority for our company. We apologize to our retail customers and consumers and sincerely regret any inconvenience. We are working and cooperating fully with the U. S. Food & Drug Administration on this voluntary recall.

Food Poisoing Bulletin 

An employee at the Tropical Smoothie Cafe restaurant at 8069 Stonewall Shops Square in Gainesville, Virginia has been diagnosed with hepatitis A. That restaurant chain has been linked to a hepatitis A outbreak in Virginia that has sickened at least 35 people. But this news means that people who ate at that specific restaurant on certain dates should call their doctors.

Food Safety News

A new federal government report on antibiotic resistance in foodborne pathogens reveals that multidrug resistance in a common Salmonella serotype remains above 40 percent and that this resistance more than doubled between 2011 and 2014.

According to the “NARMS 2014 Human Isolates Surveillance Report,” this level of resistance in Salmonella l 4,[5],12:i:- “has been linked to animal exposure and eating pork or beef, including meat purchased from live animal markets.”

Food Poisoning Journal

Exposure to the hepatitis A virus can cause an acute infection of the liver that is typically mild and resolves on its own. [11, 17] The symptoms and duration of illness vary a great deal, with many persons showing no symptoms at all. [11] Fever and jaundice are two of the symptoms most commonly associated with a hepatitis A infection. [17]

It has been written that the “earliest accounts of contagious jaundice are found in ancient China.” [11] According to the CDC:

The first descriptions of hepatitis (epidemic jaundice) are generally attributed to Hippocrates. Outbreaks of jaundice, probably hepatitis A, were reported in the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in association with military campaigns. Hepatitis A (formerly called infectious hepatitis) was first differentiated epidemiologically from hepatitis B, which has a long incubation period, in the 1940s. Development of serologic tests allowed definitive diagnosis of hepatitis B. In the 1970s, identification of the virus, and development of serologic tests helped differentiate hepatitis A from other types of non-B hepatitis.

Until 2004, hepatitis A was the most frequently reported type of hepatitis in the United States. In the pre-vaccine era, the primary methods used for preventing hepatitis A were hygienic measures and passive protection with immune globulin (IG). Hepatitis A vaccines were licensed in 1995 and 1996. These vaccines provide long-term protection against hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection. [7]

Food Poisoning Journal

Due to two recent cases of young children being infected with E. coli, state health officials are reminding Michigan residents of the potential health risks associated with consuming unpasteurized milk or unpasteurized milk products, commonly referred to as raw milk or raw milk products.

The two E. coli O157:H7 cases, which were reported in Oakland and Wayne counties, both involve children who consumed unpasteurized or raw milk prior to their illnesses. Raw milk has been known to be a source of E. coli. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and local health departments are advising people not to consume unpasteurized milk or milk products made from unpasteurized milk.

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Country Fresh, LLC. of Conroe, Texas, is recalling 30,000 cases of various fresh-cut vegetable products (product descriptions attached), because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.  Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The product in question was shipped to retailers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia under the Country Fresh and store brand labels described in the product listing.

Food Safety News

Researchers at the University of California-Davis report that samples of raw cow’s milk shipped by tanker truck for processing show “amazing bacterial diversity” which varies by season. Their findings were reported Aug. 23 in mBio, the online, open-access journal of the American Society of Microbiology.

The researchers sampled and analyzed raw cow’s milk from 899 tanker trucks as they arrived at two dairy processors in California’s San Joaquin Valley during spring, summer and fall. The samples were analyzed using gene sequencing.

This collection included 229 tankers filled in the fall of 2013 and another 264 and 406 tankers filled in the spring and summer of 2014, respectively. The larger set of samples collected in the summer included milk collected from two sampling dates one week apart.