Viet Nam – Seventy children hospitalized in Nghe An, food poisoning suspected

Vietnamnet

More than 70 children aged from three to five from a preschool in the central province of Nghe An were rushed to hospitals after eating a snack on the evening of May 9.

Doctors at a general hospital in Do Luong District said the hospital admitted more than 70 children with symptoms of vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea and dehydration.

They suspected that the children were food poisoned and that the yogurt was suspected as the cause of the incident, as many other two-year-old kids who did not eat the yogurt were well, the local media reported.

All of the children are rehydrated and in stable condition, and an investigation into the incident is underway.

Publisher’s Platform: For babies’ sake, make Cronobacter sakazakii reportable

Food Safety News

— OPINION —

The Abbott infant formula recall could have been prevented. The FDA had reports of safety failures months before the contaminated formula sickened babies and caused two deaths.

India – Two sisters die of suspected food poisoning in Rajasthan

The Print

Jaipur, May 9 (PTI) Two girls died and their parents and a sister fell ill due to suspected food poisoning in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, police said on Monday.

The family members started vomiting after taking dinner on Monday night. When their condition deteriorated, locals took them to a hospital early Tuesday, Station House Officer of Gudha police station Veer Singh said.

Two girls Lakshya (8) and Tanishka (6) were declared brought at the hospital, he said, adding their father Buti Ram Meghwal (35), mother Anita (32) and sister Tanuja (11) are undergoing treatment.

The police officer said food samples have been collected for examination.

The postmortem of bodies has been conducted, he said. PTI SDA AQS AQS

USA – Dave’s Sushi Turns Deadly: “2 have died, and another 30 injuries reported”

Food Poisoning News

Patrons of Dave’s Sushi, who ate at the establishment between March 31 and April 17th, may have been exposed to a deadly pathogen – as yet unidentified – but possibly in the Morel Mushrooms it served. The restaurant has released a statement:

“Upon being contacted by guests on Mon, April 17 about a potential issue, we stopped serving the morel mushrooms which were a specialty food item not on our regular menu and contacted the Gallatin City-County Health Department.”

While not certain, the mushrooms were served only at Dave’s in Montana – the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) stated: “The DPHHS investigation has determined that the morel mushrooms served at the restaurant were not distributed to any other restaurants or businesses in Montana. The mushrooms were cultivated in China, shipped to a distributor in California, and subsequently sent to multiple states. There are no known associated illnesses in other states identified at this time.”

As of date, two patrons have passed away due to the exposure, and as many as 30 have become ill – some have required hospitalization. The victims all seem to have become ill within a half hour (30 minutes) to four and one half hours (270 minutes) after consumption of the sushi served with the specialty item Morel Mushrooms.

USA- FDA -Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks Update

FDA

What’s New

  • For the outbreak linked to morel mushrooms (ref #1152), the case count has increased from 30 cases to 41 cases.
  • For the outbreak of hepatitis A virus (ref #1143), cases have increased from 8 to 9. This change has been made on the advisory for this outbreak.
Date
Posted
Ref Pathogen
or
Cause of
Illness
Product(s)
Linked to
Illnesses

(if any)
Total
Case
Count

Status
4/26/2023 1152 Not Yet Identified Morel Mushroom
(suspect)
41 Active
3/29/2023 1141 Salmonella Infantis Raw Flour See
Outbreak
Advisory
Active
3/1/2023 1143 Hepatitis A Virus Frozen Organic
Strawberries
See
Outbreak
Advisory
Active
2/15/2023 1123 Listeria
monocytogenes
Not Yet
Identified
See
CDC
Investigation
Notice
Active

Dutch farm owner, manager up on charges of selling contaminated eggs; one man died – Salmonella

Food Safety News

Two people in the Netherlands have been accused of knowingly selling eggs contaminated with Salmonella.

The case at Zwolle District Court covers events in 2017 and involves the duo, who were owner and manager of a farm at the time.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) believes Salmonella findings were hidden for financial reasons. The defendants deny knowing about the contamination.

USA – Chang Farm Expands Recalls Mung and Soy Bean Sprouts Because of Possible Health Risk – Listeria monocytogenes

FDA

Company Announcement

Chang Farm, 301 River Road, Whatley, MA is expanding their recall to include ALL Mung Bean Sprouts and Soy Bean Sprouts within expiry because of the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes (L. Monocytogenes). Listeria monocytogenes is 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 headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The affected product is packaged in

  • Beans Sprouts 10lb bag and bag in box
  • Nature’s Wonder Premium Beans Sprouts 12oz bag (UPC: 815098001330)
  • Nature’s Wonder Premium Soybean Sprouts 12oz bag (UPC: 815098001347)

The product has been distributed to retail stores and wholesalers throughout MA, CT, NY, RI and NJ.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

We are expanding today’s recall in response to a notification by the Massachusetts Food Protection Agency that a Mung Beans Sprouts sample collected on May 4th, 2023, at Chang Farm by the agency tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Chang Farm is working closely with governing authorities as we conduct the root cause investigation to this contamination.

All retail stores and wholesalers who have this lot in MA, CT, NY, NJ, and RI should remove this product from their shelves. Consumers should not consume the products and should discard this product or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers should contact their healthcare provider with any illness concerns. Consumers with questions about the warning may contact Chang Farm at 413-522-0234 or 413-222-5519 which will be monitored Monday-Sunday 24 hours.

Initial Press Release


Company Contact Information

Consumers:
Chang Farm
 413-522-0234 or 413-222-5519

Product Photos

Czech Republic – Mozzarella cheese, slices – Mould/Mold

Potravinynapranyri

Illustrative photo #1

Place of inspection:
Havířov ( U Stadionu 1655/8a, 736 01 Havířov )
ID: 26178541
Food group: Milk and milk products / Cheese

Mozzarella cheese, slices
Category: Dangerous foods
Invalid parameter:

fungi visible to the eye

Colonies of white mold were present on the surface of the food under the intact packaging. Food is not considered safe if it shows signs of spoilage.

The food did not have an expiration date. Unsuitable storage temperatures of this product were not detected during the inspection.

Batch: LOT: 053
Best before date: 12/04/23
Packaging: PET and LDPE welded packaging
Quantity of the product in the package: 140 g
Country of origin:  Italy
Date of sample collection: 3/31/2023
Reference number: 23-000211-SZPI-CZ
The sample was detected by the official control of the State Agricultural and Food Inspection.

Czech Republic – Mozzarella cheese, slices – Mold/Mould

Potravinynapranyri

Illustrative photo #1

Illustrative photo #2

Place of inspection:
Havířov ( U Stadionu 1655/8a, 736 01 Havířov )
ID: 26178541
Food group: Milk and milk products / Cheese

Mozzarella cheese, slices
Category: Dangerous foods
Invalid parameter:

fungi visible to the eye

Colonies of mold were present on the surface of the food under the intact packaging. Food is not considered safe if it shows signs of spoilage.

The food did not have an expiration date. Unsuitable storage temperatures of this product were not detected during the inspection.

Batch: LOT: 084
Best before date: 03/05/23
Packaging: PET and LDPE welded packaging
Quantity of the product in the package: 140 g
Country of origin:  Italy
Date of sample collection: 3/31/2023
Reference number: 23-000212-SZPI-CZ
The sample was detected by the official control of the State Agricultural and Food Inspection.

Sweden – Siljans Chark recalls ground beef – may contain Salmonella

Livsmedelsverket

Siljans Chark is recalling ground beef because it may contain salmonella.