RASFF Animal Feed – Salmonella – Barley – Barley Feed

Posted on May 27, 2022 by | Leave a comment

RASFF

Salmonella in barley from Germany in Finland

RASFF

Salmonella in barley feed from UK in Finland

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Posted in Animal Feed, Animal Feed Salmonella, Animal Feed Testing, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, RASFF, Salmonella

Canada – Certain Sweet Spot Chocolate Shop brand peanut butter-containing chocolates recalled due to Salmonella

Posted on May 27, 2022 by | Leave a comment

CFIA

Product
Certain peanut butter-containing chocolates
Issue
Food – Microbial Contamination – Salmonella
What to do

Do not consume the recalled products

Sweet Spot Chocolate Shop – Assorted Chocolates (white box)

Sweet Spot Chocolate Shop – Assorted chocolates (clear top)

Sweet Spot Chocolate Shop – Peanut butter-containing chocolates

Affected products

Issue

Sweet Spot Chocolate Shop is recalling certain Sweet Spot Chocolate Shop brand peanut butter-containing chocolates from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination.

The recalled products have been sold in Nova Scotia and online.

What you should do

  • If you think you became sick from consuming a recalled product, call your doctor
  • Check to see if you have the recalled products in your home
  • Do not consume the recalled products
  • Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the location where they were purchased

Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may contract serious and sometimes deadly infections. Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

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Posted in CFIA, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, food safety training, Food Testing, Salmonella, Salmonella Peanut Butter

UK – JDM Distributors recalls Jif Peanut Butter products because of the possible presence of Salmonella

Posted on May 27, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FSA

JDM Distributors is taking the precautionary action of recalling Jif Creamy Peanut Butter and Jif Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter because they might be contaminated with Salmonella.

Product details
Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
Pack size 453g
Batch code 1343006
Best before 09 December 2023
Jif Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter
Pack size 453g
Batch code 1296425
Best before 23 October 2023

Risk statement

The possible presence of Salmonella in the products listed above.

Symptoms caused by Salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps.

Action taken by the company

JDM Distributors is recalling the above products. Point of sale notices will be displayed in retail stores that are selling these products. These notices explain to customers why the products are being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the products. Please see the attached notices.

Customer notice: JDM Distributors recalls two Jif Peanut Butter products (687.25 KB)

Our advice to consumers

If you have bought the above products do not eat them. Instead, return them to the store from where they were bought for a full refund. For further details, contact the business on 01296 596050 or email info@jdmdistributors.co.uk

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, fsa, Illness, outbreak, Salmonella, Salmonella Peanut Butter

Research – Application of ultra-fine bubble technology to reduce Listeria monocytogenes contamination of fresh produce

Posted on May 26, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Center for Produce Safety

Summary

Water used for washing or hydrocooling can act as a source of produce contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. Since this could lead to human infections, controlling L. monocytogenes in hydrocooling water and produce is critical for food safety. Commercial disinfectants (chlorine, quaternary ammonium compounds) are not completely effective in killing L. monocytogenes in wash water or on produce, especially in presence of organic load.

This proposal aims to investigate the potential of a new technology that employs water containing ultra-fine gas bubbles (size ~ 1 micrometer or less) for washing produce (celery, gala apples, romaine lettuce). We will generate ultra-fine ozone (UFO) bubbles in water using a high energy shear method and test the potential of resulting solution to rapidly kill (in 30 to 60 sec) L. monocytogenes in wash water and on produce surface. In addition, the efficacy of UFO bubble water to synergistically improve the Listeria killing potential of aforementioned commercial disinfectants will be tested. The anti-listerial efficacy of UFO bubble water will also be tested in presence of organic load. Successful completion of this project will provide the produce industry with novel antimicrobial treatment for disinfecting wash water and produce in single pass or re- circulated hydrocooling systems.

Technical Abstract

The widespread distribution of Listeria monocytogenes in agricultural environments such as soil, manure and water results in frequent contamination of food processing areas. Although good agricultural practices partially reduce contamination, however, due to the open nature of farming, it is extremely difficult to completely prevent pathogen influx. Water used for washing or hydrocooling can act as a source of equipment and produce contamination with L. monocytogenes. Since this could lead to human infections, controlling L. monocytogenes in hydrocooling water and on the surface of fresh produce is critical for food safety. Currently used commercial disinfectants (chlorine, peracetic acid, quaternary ammonium compounds) are not completely effective in killing L. monocytogenes in wash water or on the surface of produce, especially in presence of organic load. Moreover, the presence of chemical residues and the formation of harmful organochlorine compounds is an occupational concern due to associated health risks, including cancer. Therefore, there is a need for developing novel strategies that could be employed (either alone or in combination with currently used commercial disinfectants) to control L. monocytogenes in wash water and on surface of fresh produce, vegetables and fruits.

This proposal aims to investigate the potential of a new technology that employs water containing ultra-fine gas bubbles (size ~ 1 micrometer or less) for washing produce (celery, gala apples, romaine lettuce). We will generate ultra-fine ozone (UFO) bubbles in water using a high energy shear method and test the potential of resulting solution to rapidly kill (in 30 to 60 sec) L. monocytogenes in wash water and on produce surface. In addition, the efficacy of UFO bubble water to synergistically improve the Listeria killing potential of aforementioned commercial disinfectants will be tested. The anti-listerial efficacy of UFO bubble water will also be tested in presence of organic load.

Potential impact from anticipated outcomes: Successful completion of this project will provide the produce industry with novel antimicrobial treatment for disinfecting wash water and produce in dump tanks, and single pass or re-circulated hydrocooling systems. This intervention will translate into increased microbiological safety of fresh produce.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research

Research – Frozen Vegetable Processing Plants Can Harbour Diverse Listeria monocytogenes Populations: Identification of Critical Operations by WGS

Posted on May 26, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Frozen vegetables have emerged as a concern due to their association with foodborne outbreaks such as the multi-country outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes serogroup IVb linked to frozen corn. The capacity of L. monocytogenes to colonize food-processing environments is well-known, making the bacteria a real problem for consumers. However, the significance of the processing environment in the contamination of frozen foods is not well established. This study aimed to identify potential contamination niches of L. monocytogenes in a frozen processing plant and characterize the recovered isolates. A frozen vegetable processing plant was monitored before cleaning activities. A total of 78 points were sampled, including frozen vegetables. Environmental samples belonged to food-contact surfaces (FCS); and non-food-contact surfaces (n-FCS). Positive L. monocytogenes samples were found in FCS (n = 4), n-FCS (n = 9), and the final product (n = 1). A whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis revealed two clusters belonging to serotypes 1/2a-3a and 1/2b-3b). The genetic characterization revealed the presence of four different sequence types previously detected in the food industry. The isolate obtained from the final product was the same as one isolate found in n-FCS. A multi-virulence-locus sequence typing (MVLST) analysis showed four different virulence types (VT). The results obtained highlight the relevant role that n-FCS such as floors and drains can play in spreading L. monocytogenes contamination to the final product. View Full-Text

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research, WGS, Whole Genomic Sequencing

Research – Microbiome of Lettuce Might Hold Secret to Better Food Safety

Posted on May 26, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Growing Produce

Eurofins Food Testing UK

Researchers at the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety are preparing to launch a study on E. coli colonization from a new angle: the microbiome of lettuce.

By studying the interactions between EcO157 and the lettuce microbiome — the entire community of microorganisms like bacteria that live on the surface of lettuce — researchers hope to better understand how the microbiome may affect the pathogen’s fate during produce processing.

Center for Food Safety Professor Xiangyu Deng, lead researcher on the project, says, “We want to really figure out the interactions between the pathogen and potential biocontrol organisms indigenous to lettuce.”

In other words, how does E. coli interact with other microorganisms on lettuce, and how can we use those interactions to control foodborne outbreaks?

The focus of the research, to start this year, will be how the microbiome interacts with EcO157. The team will use a new microscopic approach to create a biogeographic map of the microbiome.

“Clearly the microbiome interacts with EcO157, and that interaction has an implication for food safety,” Deng adds. “We want to understand the mechanism behind this interaction.”

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiome, Research

Finland – Large Salmonella outbreak dominates Finnish figures

Posted on May 26, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

A Salmonella outbreak affected more than 700 people in Finland in 2021, according to new information from the Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto).

The implicated food was a salad with iceberg lettuce, cucumber and peas served in several kindergartens. It was previously known that almost 450 people, mostly children, had been ill.

Officials in the city of Jyväskylä investigated the incident with the help of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

Overall, 46 foodborne outbreaks were recorded in Finland this past year affecting almost 1,400 people. In 2020, 34 outbreaks were reported involving 543 people.

Seven Salmonella outbreaks sickened 824 people compared to three outbreaks with 21 sick in 2020.

The most common pathogen was norovirus with nine outbreaks and 260 cases. One of the main factors that contributed to foodborne norovirus incidents was an infected kitchen worker.

Read More at the link above.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Norovirus, outbreak, Salmonella

Research – Temperature, Time, and Type, Oh My! Key Environmental Factors Impacting the Recovery of Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, and Tulane Virus from Surfaces 

Posted on May 26, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

Environmental monitoring (EM) programs are designed to detect the presence of pathogens in food manufacturing environments with the goal of preventing microbial contamination of food. Nevertheless, limited knowledge exists regarding the influence of environmental conditions on microbial recovery during EM. This study utilizes a commercially-available polyurethane foam (PUF) EM tool to determine the influence of environmental factors on the recovery of foodborne pathogens. The specific objectives of this study were to determine if environmental conditions and surface composition impact the recovery of sought-after microorganisms found in food processing environments. These data are compared across 1) microorganism type, 2) surface type, 3) environmental temperature and relative humidity, and 4) exposure time. Two bacteria ( Listeria monocytogenes , Salmonella Typhimurium) and one human norovirus surrogate (Tulane virus [TV]) were inoculated onto three non-porous surfaces (polypropylene, stainless steel, neoprene). Surfaces were held in an environmental chamber for 24 or 72 h at 30°C/30%, 6°C/85%, and 30°C/85% relative humidity (RH). Data indicate that microbial recovery from environmental surfaces significantly (p ≤ 0.05) varies by microorganism type, environmental conditions, and exposure time. For instance, all microorganisms were significantly different from each other, with the greatest mean log reduction being TV and the lesser reduction being L. monocytogenes at 4.94 ± 1.75 log 10 PFU/surface and 2.54 ± 0.91 log 10 CFU/surface, respectively. Overall, these data can be used to improve the effectiveness of EM programs and underscores the need to better comprehend how EM test results are impacted by food manufacturing environmental conditions.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Pathogen, pathogenic, Research, Salmonella

USA – Food Safety Belongs on the Grill

Posted on May 26, 2022 by | Leave a comment

USDA

Meat on the grill

There’s nothing better than gathering around the grill to prepare a good meal. Don’t forget the rules of food safety this grilling season.

Wash Your Hands

USDA recommends washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water. In our recent consumer research study (PDF, 49 KB), 97% of participants who attempted to wash their hands failed to wash them properly. Additionally, 56% of participants didn’t attempt to wash their hands at all during meal preparation. Most participants in this study claimed that they always wash their hands before preparing food; but in reality, most failed to wash their hands properly when observed.

Use a Food Thermometer

You can’t see, smell, or taste germs that can cause foodborne illness. USDA doesn’t recommend tasting food to check if it’s fully cooked. Using a food thermometer is the only way to ensure that your food is fully cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature. When grilling ground meats (beef, pork, veal or lamb), make sure they reach an internal temperature of 160 F on a food thermometer. Ground poultry is safe to eat once it has reached an internal temperature of 165 F.

Avoid Cross Contamination

Cross contamination is one of the main causes of foodborne illness. Here are some tips:

  • Use separate cutting boards—one for raw meat and poultry, and the other for fruits and vegetables.
  • USDA recommends not washing meat products, because bacteria can spread from the meat onto your sink and kitchen surfaces.
  • Use separate plates while grilling—one for bringing raw meat and poultry to the grill, and the other for removing cooked meat and poultry off the grill.

For more information, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or email MPHotline@usda.gov to reach a food safety expert or chat live at ask.usda.gov from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, food safety training, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations

USA – Wawa Removes Two Products Containing Jif® Peanut Butter Due to Voluntary Recall by the J.M. Smucker Co. of Select Jif Products Sold in the U.S. -Salmonella

Posted on May 26, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FDA

Company Announcement Date:
FDA Publish Date:
Product Type:
Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement:
Salmonella
Company Name:
Wawa
Brand Name:
Wawa
Product Description:
Apple & Peanut Butter Dipper

Company Announcement

Effective today, Wawa has removed two products containing Jif Peanut Butter from all stores throughout our operating area. The product was removed following a voluntary recall by the J.M. Smucker Co. of select products sold in the U.S. due to the potential food safety concern.

Of the products covered in the J.M. Smucker Co. recall, Wawa stores carried only two (2) items as follows:

  • Wawa Apple & Peanut Butter Dipper 4.9 oz (all codes) – All Wawa Stores
  • JIF Creamy Peanut Butter 16 Oz | UPC: 00051500255162 | Lot codes: 1274425 thru 2140425

The press release from J.M. Smucker Co. with specific with more details on the full recall can be found hereExternal Link Disclaimer.

If consumers have products matching the above description in their possession, they should dispose of it immediately. Consumers who have questions or would like to report adverse reactions should visit www.jif.com/contact-usExternal Link Disclaimer or call 800-828-9980 Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM ET.

Company Contact Information

Consumers:
 800-828-9980
Media:
 public.relations@wawa.com

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Salmonella, Salmonella Peanut Butter