With another Listeria outbreak just announced, this one sickening 10 with 1 dead likely linked to deli meat , Marler Clark, The Nation’s Food Safety Law Firm, relaunches www.about-listeria.com.
In the beginning of yet another – in fact two E. coli Outbreaks that have sickened dozens, Marler Clark, The Nation’s Food Safety Law Firm, relaunches www.about-hus.com.
In the beginning of yet another – in fact two E. coli Outbreaks that have sickened dozens, Marler Clark, The Nation’s Food Safety Law Firm, relaunches www.about-ecoli.com.
Growing consumer desires for clean label, “natural” products drives more meat processors to cure meat products with natural sources of nitrate or nitrite such as celery juice powder (CJP). One particular challenge for these producers is to identify safe cooling rates in CJP-cured products where extended cooling could allow growth of pathogens. USDA FSIS recently added guidelines for stabilization of meat products cured using naturally occurring nitrites, based on control of Clostridium spp . Currently a gap exists in knowledge associated with safe cooling rates of naturally cured ham that prevent the growth of Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus that are potential post-lethality contaminants. The study aims to investigate the temperature profiles of naturally cured hams of typical sizes during refrigerator cooling and determine the survival behavior of S. aureus and L. monocytogenes on ham during these cooling periods. Whole (14 lbs / 6300 g), half (6 lbs / 2700 g) and quarter hams (3 lbs / 1400 g) were slowly cooked in Alkar Ò 1000 smokehouse until internal temperatures reached a minimum of 140 ° F / 60°C and were immediately transferred into walk-in cooler (38 ° F / 3.3°C). Cooling times for all sizes were within the requirements for cured products but not for uncured products. Worst-case scenarios of post-processing surface contamination were simulated by inoculating small, naturally cured ham samples with S. aureus or L. monocytogenes , which were cooled in controlled processes (130-45 ° F / 54.4-7.2 ° C in 720-900 min). B y the end of cooling, each inoculum had a small decrease of 0.5-0.6 log CFU/g. This study helps small processors identify if recommended concentrations of natural cure agents that prevent growth of Clostridium pathogens may also prevent growth of other pathogens during cooling, which aids small meat processors in production and quality control.
Recall date:October 30, 2020Reason for recall:
Microbiological – Salmonella Hazard
classification:Class 2Company / Firm:Migahid & Elsawi Co. Ltd.Distribution:
OntarioExtent of the distribution:Consumer
Migahid & Elsawi Co. Ltd. is recalling Alwatania brand Halva Extra from the marketplace due to Salmonella. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.
| Brand | Product | Size | UPC | Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alwatania | Halva Extra | 450 g | 6 224007 246337 | PRO : 20/05/2019 EXP : 19/05/2021 |
If you think you became sick from consuming a recalled product, call your doctor.
Check to see if you have the recalled product in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.
The FSA is issuing precautionary advice to consumers who have purchased a specific batch of British Lion eggs which may be contaminated with salmonella.
Affected eggs can be identified by the batch code and the best before date stamped on the eggshell.
The eggs affected are sold in stores listed below in England and Wales only, and are in batch 1UK15270.
This update includes the original products identified and additional products, sold at additional retail stores.
In the city of Sarnia in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, officials with Lambton Public Health (LPH) report investigating an outbreak of Salmonella infection in people who recently ate at the Barakat restaurant.
As of Friday, LPH has received laboratory confirmation of four cases related to this outbreak. The department is currently following up with several others who have reported becoming ill after eating at this restaurant.
The investigation into the source of this outbreak is ongoing. The owners of the restaurant are cooperating with Lambton Public Health and have voluntarily closed while LPH ensures there is no on-going risk of illness.
Members of the public who ate at the Barakat restaurant between October 21st and October 29th and became ill with symptoms of Salmonella infection (diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, vomiting) are advised to:
Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, 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 outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Salmonella
The aim of the study was to evaluate the overall hygienic–sanitary conditions of university hospitals foodservices and assess food safety knowledge and self‐reported practices of food handlers. A self‐administered questionnaire based on sanitary standards for foodservices was given to 123 food handlers from three public hospitals. Microbiological analysis of food handling surfaces and food hygiene inspections were also performed. Food handlers’ self‐reported knowledge and practices reached satisfactory levels (77.2% and 78.1%, respectively), and showed a significant positive intercorrelation (p < .05). Food hygiene inspections in the hospitals foodservices presented a 60.9% average of adequacy and microbiological analysis results showed that 66.7% of the evaluated surfaces presented significant contamination by mesophilic bacteria. The presence of coliforms at 45°C above the safety limit was identified in 47.9% of the surfaces. The results showed a need for motivating hospital food handlers to practice the safe handling knowledge that they have demonstrated in theory.
Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen, which is associated with high hospitalization and case-fatality rates. Outbreaks due to food contaminated with this pathogen continue to occur globally. In terms of risk management, major food trade associations have come together in a non-competitive manner to develop excellent guidance documents on the control of this pathogen. In addition, regulatory agencies responsible for food safety have made significant advances to help control L. monocytogenes.
Many countries around the world have established microbiological criteria for L. monocytogenes of 100 cfu/g for low-risk foods that do not support the growth of the organism. In contrast, the US currently has a “zero-tolerance” approach for all ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, regardless of their risk profile, therefore all positive test results lead to a recall. A blanket “zero-tolerance” policy for all RTE foods provides a very strong disincentive for zone 1 (product contact surface) testing, as well as a significant disincentive for finished product testing. More specifically, the challenge with a “zero-tolerance” approach for all foods is that all positive test results will lead to a recall, therefore potentially limiting the willingness to frequently sample. To compensate for moving away from a zero-tolerance approach for low-risk foods, industry would likely be willing to do a higher frequency of testing, which would enable them to generate and use more data, including next generation tools, to inform risk-based decision-making, long before committing products to commerce. Moreover, analysis of various alternate sampling approaches demonstrates that using a 3-class sampling plan can even be more stringent than the current 2-class presence-absence zero-tolerance approach. In addition to more stringent testing, the benefits of not doing a recall on low-risk foods that do not support the growth of L. monocytogenes and that contain only low levels of the pathogen include i) not wasting limited industry and regulator resources; ii) not losing consumer confidence, iii) maintaining a secure and sufficient food supply, iv) decreased food waste, v) avoiding negative effects on the environment, and vi) avoiding unnecessary costly food recalls.
In this review, we provide for an alternative approach to “zero-tolerance” and argue that some of the actions that could be undertaken as part of a country’s policy and/or regulatory approach to enhance the control of L. monocytogenes include: i) using alternate sampling approaches to the current 2-class sampling plans for low-risk foods that do not support the growth of the organism; ii) using big data to better inform microbial risk assessments; iii) performing a risk-benefit assessment; and iv) developing novel consumer food handling/risk communication strategies.
As evidenced by many years of studying this foodborne pathogen, a multi-pronged approach to the control of L. monocytogenes in high-risk RTE foods is necessary to reduce risk. This approach should include evidence-based, globally harmonized definitions for RTE and non-RTE foods, along with guidance on how these definitions should be applied in any policy on L. monocytogenes.
Thursday, 29 October 2020
| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Category 1: | For Action |
| Alert Notification: | 2020.75 |
| Product: | Mediterani Passion For Food Goats Log Cheese; pack size: 1kg; Approval number: NL Z 1227 EC |
| Batch Code: | Please see table below for batch codes and best before dates. |
| Country Of Origin: | Netherlands |
Certain batches of Mediterani Goats Cheese Log are being recalled due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes. Point-of-sale recall notices will be displayed in stores supplied with the implicated batch.
