Tag Archives: food and drug administration

USA – Caramel Apple Listeria Outbreak – Costs £15.25 Million

Posted on April 17, 2015 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

New enforcement documents on file with the Food and Drug Administration show the full spectrum of apple recalls made by Bidart Bros. — a voluntary action that applied to 15.25 million pounds of Gala and Granny Smith varieties from the 2014 harvest. The product quantities totaled 33,900 cases of Gala apples and 347,970 cases of Granny Smith apples, with each case weighing between 40-45 pounds, according to the reports. Distribution incorporated Minnesota, California, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, Tennessess, Texas, Michigan, Arizona, Maryland, Oregon, Kansas, Illinois, Georgia, New Jersey, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri and Canada.

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USA – Salmonella- Beansprouts – Avarcado – Illness

Posted on November 22, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Vermont Dept Health Salmonellaa

An outbreak of Salmonella illnesses in the northeastern United States, including three cases in Vermont, has been associated with bean sprouts. This is the finding from an investigation by the Vermont Department of Health along with other state health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

CDC reported today that 68 people in 10 states have become ill as part of the outbreak. Eleven were hospitalized and no one has died. None of the Vermont residents were hospitalized, and all three have recovered from their illness.

Food Poisoning Bulletin

According to an FDA enforcement report, avocados packed by Unity Groves are being recalled for possible Salmonella contamination. This is an “ongoing” recall, dated the week of November 19, 2014.

There isn’t much information about the recalled avocados, other than they are packed in a brown cardboard box with green print. There are no known lot codes. The recall is for 80 cases with 32 whole avocados in each case. The recall initiation date is 10-30-2014 and the avocados were distributed in Texas. The label on the cardboard box reads “Unity Groves Pride of the Redlands Florida Avocados 25399 SW 157 Ave Homestead, FL 33031.” Latin Specialties got the avocados on October 10, 2014

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with the Massachusetts Department of Health to determine the source of a multistate cluster of Salmonella illnesses, according to MyFoxBoston.com. Health officials say they will provide more information once a food source is identified

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USA – FDA Recall – Peanut Butter – Almond Butter – Salmonella

Posted on August 20, 2014 by | Leave a comment

FDA FDA

nSpired Natural Foods, Inc. is voluntarily recalling certain retail lots of Arrowhead Mills® Peanut Butters, MaraNatha® Almond Butters and Peanut Butters and specific private label nut butters (listed in the link above) packaged in glass and plastic jars because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

The potential risk was brought to the Company’s attention by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration following routine testing. The Company has received reports of four illnesses that may be associated with these specific products.

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USA Food Terrorism – Do You Really Think So?

Posted on April 21, 2014 by | Leave a comment

The Voice of Russia

Food terrorism poses an eminent danger to the United States, according to antiterrorism specialists. While the need for higher quantities of food is only increasing, the standards for food safety have been at a standstill or worse—nonexistent. The Voice of Russia got to interview three antiterrorism food experts on the rising threats in American society. Not only did they mention the dairy sector of being in danger, but the US’ produce is also in a compromising position.

Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has many checks and balances in place to give consumers a solid guarantee that their food is safe to consume. As early as December 2013, the FDA announced a new proposal entitled the Food Safety Modernization Act. This would be a proposed rule under Focused Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration. To get into specifics, the guideline pinpoints terrorist-tampering within the food cycle.

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USA – Research to Test Raw Pet Food for Salmonella

Posted on February 28, 2014 by | Leave a comment

HACCP Europa

Center for Veterinary Medicine study showed that 7.6 percent of the raw pet food tested contained salmonella, according to the Food and Drug Administration. But identifying the source of contamination–be it in raw materials or the manufacturing process–is difficult, according to South Dakota State University Senior Microbiologist Seema Das.

Through a five-year FDA grant for nearly $500,000, she will determine whether a test that detects salmonella in human food can do the same in raw pet food. The first year the test will be validated, and then either adjustments or expansion of the testing will be done in subsequent years.

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USA – Antimicrobial Soaps Research

Posted on December 18, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FDA

When you’re buying soaps and body washes, do you reach for the bar or bottle labeled “antibacterial”? Are you thinking that these products, in addition to keeping you clean, will reduce your risk of getting sick or passing on germs to others?

Not necessarily, according to experts at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Ingenta Connect

The goal of this research was to conduct a systematic quantitative analysis of the existing data in the literature in order to determine if there is a difference between antimicrobial and nonantimicrobial soaps and to identify the methodological factors that might affect this difference. Data on hand washing efficacy and experimental conditions (sample size, wash duration, soap quantity, challenge organism, inoculum size, and neutralization method) from published studies were compiled and transferred to a relational database. A total of 25 publications, containing 374 observations, met the study selection criteria. The majority of the studies included fewer than 15 observations with each treatment and included a direct comparison between nonantimicrobial soap and antimicrobial soap. Although differences in efficacy between antimicrobial and nonantimicrobial soap were small (∼0.5-log CFU reduction difference), antimicrobial soap produced consistently statistically significantly greater reductions. This difference was true for any of the antimicrobial compounds investigated where n was >20 (chlorhexidine gluconate, iodophor, triclosan, or povidone). Average log reductions were statistically significantly greater (∼2 log CFU) when either gram-positive or gram-negative transient organisms were deliberately added to hands compared with experiments done with resident hand flora (∼0.5 log CFU). Our findings support the importance of using a high initial inoculum on the hands, well above the detection limit. The inherent variability in hand washing seen in the published literature underscores the importance of using a sufficiently large sample size to detect differences when they occur.

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USA – E.coli O157 Outbreak Ready to Eat Salads and Sandwich Wrap Products

Posted on November 11, 2013 by | Leave a comment

E.coli Blog

CDC is collaborating with public health officials in California, Washington, and Arizona; the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS); and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC O157:H7) infections.  The STEC O157:H7 PFGE pattern in this outbreak is new to the PulseNet database. It has never been seen before.

FSIS

Glass Onion Catering, a Richmond, Calif. establishment, is recalling approximately 181,620 pounds of ready-to-eat salads and sandwich wrap products with fully-cooked chicken and ham that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The company announced that the products are being recalled in conjunction with other foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A full list of products being recalled will be available on FDA’s website

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli O157, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, FSIS, Laboratory, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall

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USA – FDA Update – Pet Treat Animal Deaths

Posted on October 25, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FDA

If you have a dog or cat that became ill after eating jerky pet treats, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would like to hear from you or your veterinarian.

The agency has repeatedly issued alerts to consumers about reports it has received concerning jerky pet treat-related illnesses involving 3,600 dogs and 10 cats in the U.S. since 2007. Approximately 580 of those pets have died.

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USA – Recall Chicken and Ham Products – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on October 23, 2013 by | Leave a comment

USDAE.coli O157

Reser’s Fine Foods, a Topeka, Kan. establishment, is recalling approximately 22,800 pounds of chicken, ham and beef products due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The company announced that these products are being recalled in conjunction with other foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A full list of products being recalled can be found on FDA’s website at www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Recalls/default.htm. Products regulated by FSIS bear the establishment number “EST. 13520” or “P-13520” inside the USDA mark of inspection and include the following:

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Pathogen, Recall, USDA

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USA – FDA Recall- Bell Peppers – Salmonlla

Posted on October 8, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FDASalmonella

Orange County Produce, LLC (“OC Produce”) is voluntarily working with the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and California Department of Public Health (“CDPH”) to coordinate a recall of fresh red and green Bell Peppers for potential contamination with Salmonella. The FDA has advised that a random sample of OC Produce Bell peppers has tested positive for 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.

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Posted in Bacteria, FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, Salmonella

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