Tag Archives: food safety news

USA – Sister Sarah Products Recall – Clostridium botulinum

Posted on January 12, 2013 by | 1 comment

Food Safety News

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning consumers not to eat “Sister Sara’s Good for You” products because they may have been improperly produced, making them susceptible to contamination with Clostridium botulinum.

No illnesses have been linked to any of the affected products at this time. The products were sold at certified farmers markets in Alameda County.

Sister Sara of Pleasanton, CA., recalled the products after CDPH discovered they were produced without the required controls to prevent formation of botulism toxin. Ingestion of botulism toxin from improperly processed foods can lead to serious illness and death.

The products were sold under the Sister Sara label and packaged in one-pint glass canning jars with screw-on metal lids. The products were labeled as “Sister Sara’s Good for You Soup,” “Sister Sara’s Bread & Butter Pickles,” “Sister Sara’s Pickled Beets,” and “Sister Sara’s Old Fashioned Dill Pickles.”

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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Research – Campylobacter in Chicken Factory Workers

Posted on January 9, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety NewsimagesCAYZ5I84

New analysis of Campylobacter infections among workers at a Virginia poultry plant offers hints about which employees more likely to fall ill from the bacteria.

Government researchers examined health data for plant employees from January 2008 through May 2011 and found that 29 Campylobacter cases had been confirmed during that time period.

Their findings reveal three characteristics of workers who were more likely to be sickened:

  • Recently employed: A full 83 percent of these patients had worked at the plant less than a month before falling ill, suggesting that illness is more common among new employees.
  • Worked in the live-hang area: Those whose job involved hanging live chickens were far more likely to be infected than those working in other parts of the facility. Of those sickened, 62 percent worked in a live-hang area.
  • Resided in diversion centers: Almost all the employees who contracted Campylobacter infections (26 out of 29) lived in state-operated diversion centers. The authors say the high illness rate among this group may be due to the fact that diversion center residents are disproportionately assigned to live-hang areas, where they are more likely to be exposed to the bacteria.

The fact that new employees fell ill more frequently than those who had been there more than a month is consistent with findings from other studies, which have suggested that workers develop immunity to the bacteria during the first few weeks of work.

CDC – Report

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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Research- New Listeria Strains Discovered from the US Canteloupe Outrbreak 2011

Posted on December 31, 2012 by | 2 comments

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After analyzing four of the five types of Listeria implicated in last year’s deadly cantaloupe outbreak, scientists have discovered that a new outbreak strain was among those that contributed to the nearly 150 illnesses and 33 deaths caused by contaminated melons.

The researchers, an international team of government and university scientists, also compared the strains involved in the 2011 outbreak to those that had caused other outbreaks or been collected from other food facilities. By doing this, they identified two new sets of “epidemic clones” –  strains isolated in different times and places that appear to have common ancestors.

Only five epidemic clones, or ECs, of Listeria had been identified prior to this study, which raises that number to seven.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Methods, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Research

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USA – Multiple Item Recall – Clostridium botulinum and Listeria Fears

Posted on December 16, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Fears about deadly botulism and listeria Friday prompted the Rhode Island Department of Health to issue a public health warning about Farmstead Inc. of 186 Wayland Ave. in Providence.

Certain food items from the Farmstead Inc. retail shop or through www.farmsteadinc.com are being voluntarily recalled due to food safety concerns.

Ten year old Farmstead is owned by chefs  Matt and Kate Jennings. They are known for using “New England ingredients with a strong sense of place and traditional Yankee character” and supporting local growers and producers.

A spokesman for the Jennings has confirmed the recall, but claimed its production methods have not changed since it last passed inspection in 2010.  Health inspectors initiated the current investigation after receiving a tip.

No illnesses associated with these products have yet been reported.

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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USA – Norovirus Healthcare Professionals Meeting

Posted on December 12, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Around 90 people fell ill with gastrointestinal symptoms after attending a meeting of women healthcare professionals at the Oregon Zoo last week.

The meeting was attended by 220 members of the Women’s Healthcare Associates group last Wednesday morning. After the event, nearly 100 people became sick with what officials believe was Norovirus infection, according to The Oregonian.

“Norovirus is the most likely culprit,” Dr. Kristina Hedberg, a state epidemiologist, told the paper.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Virus, Microbiology, Norovirus, Pathogen

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USA Research -CDC – Report on Levels of Yersinia in Pork

Posted on November 28, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

In a new study of raw pork chops and ground pork, Consumer Reports found 69 percent of samples were contaminated with Yersinia enterocolitica, according to a report published by the group today.

A lesser-known foodborne pathogen, Yersinia enterocolitica can cause fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea, lasting one to three weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is approximately one confirmed infection per 100,000 people reported each year, but since these cases are severely under-reported, CDC estimates there are actually around 100,000 infections in the United States annually.

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Posted in Bacteria, CDC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Yersinia

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Northern Irelands Biggest Ever E.coli Outbreak.

Posted on October 22, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

At least 269 people are suspected to have fallen ill in an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 after eating at a restaurant in Belfast, Northern Ireland’s Public Health Agency announced on Sunday. This is by far the largest E. coli outbreak in the nation’s history.

The number ill consist of 90 laboratory-confirmed cases and another 179 probable cases. Probable cases are those with exposure and corresponding symptoms, but who have not been tested for E. coli infection in a clinical laboratory.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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Dutch Smoked Salmon and Salmonella

Posted on October 19, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

At least 950 people in the Netherlands are now known to have fallen ill in a Salmonella Thompson outbreak linked to salmon. Three elderly victims have died.

The outbreak was first reported October 1 after more than 200 Salmonella illnesses were linked to smoked salmon sold by Netherlands-based Foppen. Subsequent environmental testing revealed the presence of the outbreak strain of the bacteria in one of the company’s manufacturing plants in Greece.

Now the outbreak has grown to include almost 1,000 Dutch victims, three of whom have died, reported the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) Thursday, according to MedicalXPress.

Meanwhile, health officials have identified a cluster of Salmonella Thompson infections in the U.S. The genetic fingerprint of this bacteria is indistinguishable from that of the strain causing the Dutch outbreak; however, patient interviews have revealed that Foppen smoked salmon was not a likely source of infection for these cases, according to Lola Russell, spokesperson for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall, Salmonella

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More Mango Products Recalled – Salmonella

Posted on October 1, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A.  recalled some of its fresh-cut fruit packages containing mangoes from Mexico’s Agricola Daniella because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.
 
Dell Monte said its recalled was associated with Coast Distributors Inc., one of four importers supplying the Mexican grown Agricola Daniella brand mangoes to customers in the U.S.
 
Del Monte in turn distributed the recalled mangoes to retailers in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee.  
 
The recalled fresh cut fruit packages are in clear plastic bowls.  
 
Splendid Products of Burlingame, CA first recalled Daniella brand mangoes in the U.S. because they were associated with 25 Salmonella Braenderup illnesses in 25 states.  Three other distributors have now joined the recall.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall

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RTE Poultry Products Recall – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on October 1, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Reichel Foods in Minnesota is recalling approximately 15,880 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The products subject to recall include: [View Labels]

-5.6 oz. packages of “Armour Active Packs Turkey & Cheese Wrap” Package Code 1026090112 or Case Code 27815-17994

-5.6 oz. packages of “Armour Active Packs Ham & Cheese Wrap” Package Code 1026090112 or Case Code 27815-17995
  
All the products were produced between July 23, 2012, and July 26, 2012, and have a “sell by” date of Sept. 1, 2012. The packages bear the establishment number “P-19941” or “Est. 19941” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products were shipped to distribution centers in Indiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Texas. When available, the retail distribution list will be posted on FSIS’ website.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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