Tag Archives: environment

USA – USDA Food Safety Severe Storm and Hurricane

PDF Guide

Hurricane Sandy has prompted the USDA to issue a Food Safety PDF which can be found at the link above.

The African Union to Establish a Food Safety Authority.

HACCPEUROPA

The African Union announced an establishment of a food safety authority as well as a Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) yesterday in Kigali. The Minister of Trade and Industry, Francois Kanimba, said the continent ought to have the food safety body based on the European model but tailor-made for Africa. The decision has been made following huge losses in international trade due to food safety issues. The minister pointed out that African food exports are at times destroyed or refused entry into developed markets thus leading to losses.

It is believed that the establishment of the authority would boost trade competence and avert food-borne diseases. It would uplift the living standards of Africans, especially those in rural areas.

USA – Petting Zoo – Another E.coli O157 Outbreak

Food Poisoning Bulletin 

An E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak linked to the Willow Grove Gardens Pumpkin Patch and petting zoo has been announced by the Cowlitz County Health & Human Services Department of Washington. Public health officials have confirmed one child is ill with the bacterial infection, and there is one probable case. One of the children was hospitalized for several days but is now recovering. Public health officials are asking that anyone who visited the facility and has symptoms of E. coli food poisoning such as diarrhea, which may be bloody, severe stomach cramps, vomiting, or a mild fever, contact them immediately at 360-414-5599.

Risk reduction assessment of waterborne Salmonella and Vibrio by a chlorine contact disinfectant point-of-use device

PubMed

Unsafe drinking water continues to burden developing countries despite improvements in clean water delivery and sanitation, in response to Millennium Development Goal 7. Salmonella serotype Typhi and Vibrio cholerae bacteria can contaminate drinking water, causing waterborne typhoid fever and cholera, respectively. Household water treatment (HWT) systems are widely promoted to consumers in developing countries but it is difficult to establish their benefits to the population for specific disease reduction. This research uses a laboratory assessment of halogenated chlorine beads treating contaminated water to inform a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) of S. Typhi and V. cholerae disease in a developing country community of 1000 people. Laboratory challenges using seeded well water resulted in log(10) reductions of 5.44 (±0.98 standard error (SE)) and 6.07 (±0.09 SE) for Salmonella serotype Typhimurium and V. cholerae, respectively. In well water with 10% sewage and seeded bacteria, the log(10) reductions were 6.06 (±0.62 SE) and 7.78 (±0.11 SE) for S. Typhimurium and V. cholerae, respectively. When one infected individual was contributing to the water contamination through fecal material leaking into the water source, the risk of disease associated with drinking untreated water was high according to a Monte Carlo analysis: a median of 0.20 (interquartile range [IQR] 0.017-0.54) for typhoid fever and a median of 0.11 (IQR 0.039-0.20) for cholera. If water was treated, risk greatly decreased, to a median of 4.1×10(-7) (IQR 1.6×10(-8) to 1.1×10(-5)) for typhoid fever and a median of 3.5×10(-9) (IQR 8.0×10(-10) to 1.3×10(-8)) for cholera. Insights on risk management policies and strategies for public health workers were gained using a simple QMRA scenario informed by laboratory assessment of HWT.

CDC – Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney Infections Linked to Peanut Butter Manufactured By Sunland, Inc.

CDC

  • A total of 35 persons infected with the outbreak strain of SalmonellaBredeney have been reported from 19 states.
    • Eight ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
    • 63% percent of ill persons are children under the age of 10 years.
  • Collaborative investigation efforts of state, local, and federal public health and regulatory agencies indicate that Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt, manufactured by Sunland, Inc. of Portales, New Mexico, is a likely source of this outbreak.
    • Testing conducted by the Washington State Department of Agriculture laboratory isolated the outbreak strain from an opened jar of Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Peanut Butter collected from a case-patient’s home.

 

Controlling Microbiology of Meat with Active Packaging Research

Science Direct

Abstract

Antimicrobial packaging appears to be a promising application of active food packaging technology. This project was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of selected antimicrobial packaging structures in improving the microbial quality of a ready-to-eat (RTE) meat product. Cooked ham samples (25 g) inoculated with a five-strain mixture of Listeria monocytogenes (2 or 4 log CFU g−1) were packaged into three different antimicrobial packaging structures, respectively, and samples in the non-antimicrobial packaging structure served as controls. The samples were stored at 4, 10, or 22 °C, and populations of total aerobic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and inoculated L. monocytogenes were determined twice a week over a 4 w storage period. Packaging structures with an O2 scavenger or a CO2 generator were more effective than the structure with an allyl isothiocyanate (AIT) generator. Listeria populations in the packaging structure with the O2 scavenger were 1.80–2.65, 3.69–4.76, and 4.62–4.67 log CFU g−1 lower than the controls at 4, 10, or 22 °C. Samples in the packaging structure with the CO2 generator were 1.11–1.63, 4.30–4.45, and 4.01–4.44 log CFU g−1 lower than the controls at 4, 10, or 22 °C. Significant inhibitions on total aerobic bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae counts were also observed in packaging structures with the CO2 generator and O2 scavenger. However, packaging structures with the AIT generator only significantly inhibited L. monocytogenes, total aerobic bacteria, and Enterobacteriaceae in some samples, mainly those stored at 22 °C. These results suggest that some of the evaluated packaging structures can effectively control bacterial populations, particularly Listeria populations on RTE meat products.


Updates Raw Beef Recalls Canada/US – E.coli O157

CFIA

The public warning issued on September 30, 2012 has been updated to include additional products. Previously identified products included in this recallcan be found on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) website at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/recalls.

The CFIA is warning the public, distributors and food service establishments not to consume, sell, or serve the beef products described at this link because the products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

The affected products are associated with the same XL Foods manufacturing dates of August 24, 27, 28, 29 and September 5, 2012, as the previously recalled ground beef products. The trace out from XL to secondary and tertiary distributors, manufacturers and retailers could result in a large number of affected products over a wide range of codes and dates.

The following products (see link), made from beef voluntarily recalled by XL Foods (Est. 38), are affected by this alert:

FSA Scotland Food Survey Report

FSAS

The results from the analysis of food samples collected from Scottish businesses in 2011 have shown a slight increase in the levels of satisfactory samples in comparison with the previous year.

The report has shown that 80% of samples collected in 2011 by local authorities in Scotland and submitted to the UK Food Surveillance System (UKFSS) were satisfactory, a rise of 3% on 2010. Areas where improvements could be made in relation to food handling practices in retail and catering businesses were also identified in the report (see attached).

During 2011, almost 9,200 food samples were collected from Scottish businesses and analysed by the Public Analyst Laboratories in Scotland. More than 5,000 samples were examined microbiologically and a further 4,188 underwent chemical analysis, including tests for contaminants, additives and labelling inaccuracies.

As in previous years, the results of sampling in 2011 show that there were very few issues relating to foodborne pathogens (illness causing organisms). The majority of failures in microbiological testing (83%) were due to the elevated levels of hygiene indicators (bacteria that can be used as indicators of general hygiene practices in food premises) and total bacterial counts (total number of bacteria on a food sample). These are not inherently a hazard but can indicate poor hygiene practices during food preparation and handling.

US – Products Containing Mangoes – Salmonella Risk

FDA

United Salad Co. is initiating a voluntary, precautionary recall on various products it distributes to retail supermarkets that contain Mangoes associated with  the Food Source Tomorrow’s Tropical recall with the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

There have been no reported illnesses attributed to the recalled items. United Salad Co. is issuing this voluntary recall linked to the supplier’s Tropical Mangoes recall to minimize risk to the public health.

The recalled products were distributed to retailers and supermarkets from 09/01/12 to 09/17/12 in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.  A list of recalled products is listed in the attached table.

The company has directly notified all customers who received the recalled product and requested removal from store shelves.

Anyone who has the recalled product in their possession should not consume it and should destroy or discard it. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-547-5536 Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Pacific Time).

FDA

In cooperation with the FDA’s warning to not consume mangoes from Agricola Daniella, FreshLine / Caito Foods Service of Indianapolis, Indiana, is initiating a voluntary recall of a limited quantity of expired products that contain fresh-cut mangoes and are distributed to retail supermarkets due to the potential risk that the mangoes may contain Salmonella. This is associated with FoodSource’s (Edinburg, TX) recall of mangoes sourced from Agricola Daniella. The FDA has placed Agricola Daniella on the Import Alert Listing.

There have been no reported illnesses attributed to the items listed in this recall.

FDA

GHSW, LLC of Houston, Texas is initiating a voluntary recall of a limited quantity of expired products that contain fresh-cut mangoes and are distributed to retail supermarkets due to the potential risk that the mangoes may contain Salmonella. 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.

This recall is associated with Food Source’s recall of mangoes sourced from Agricola Daniella. The FDA has issued an Import Alert and advised consumers not to eat mangoes from Agricola Daniella.

US -Deli Recalls Products – Listeria Found on an Environmental Swab

Food Safety World

A Michigan-Based grocery chain is recalling over 100 deli items after an environmental swab revealed the presence of Listeria in a production facility. 

Spartan Stores of Grand Rapids, MI issued a voluntary recall of 134 productssold in the deli section at its Family Fare, D&W Fresh Markets, Glen’s and VG’s stores and at certain independent grocery stores in Michigan.

The problem was discovered during a routing inspection by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, during which an environmental sample was taken that later tested positive for  Listeria. 

 
A full list of the recalled products, which include fruits and vegetables, various dips and pasta salads, quiches and potato dishes, among other items, is available here
 
Customers who purchased any of the listed products should throw them out or return them to their point of purchase for a full refund. 

 
No products included in the recall are known to have come into contact with the bacteria, according to the recall announcement.