Update (April 8): Texas Star Nut and Food Co. is expanding its original recall to include three more macadamia nut products under the Nature’s Eats brand name:
| BRAND | PRODUCT | SIZE AND PACKAGE | LOT CODES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature’s Eats | Mustang Island Macadamia Sunrise | 14 oz – Cello Bag | 35337001 35168001 35542001 |
| Nature’s Eats | Natural Macadamia Nuts | 6 oz – Cello Bag | 31133001 31435001 35014001 35352001 |
| Central Market | Natural Macadamia Nuts | 6 oz – Cello Bag | 35090001 35699001 |
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Food Safety News Update, macadamia nut products, nature
Texas Star Nut and Food Co., Inc. of Boerne, Texas is voluntarily recalling Nature’s Eats Natural Macadamia Nuts, Lot Code #31435001, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, 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.
Nature’s Eats Natural Macadamia Nuts, Lot Code #31435001 was distributed only to HEB stores, in Texas. The product was sold between 12/30/2014 and 3/20/2015.
Product: Nature’s Eats Natural Macadamia Nuts 6 oz. is Lot Code # 31435001 packed in cello bags.
Specific Code Date on Packages: Best Before 12/23/2015 located on the bottom of the nutritional label on the back of the bag. The only potential affected lot code is #31435001.
The recall was initiated as a result of a report received by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration which detected Salmonella in a random sampling of our Nature’s Eats Natural Macadamia Nut product. The recall was as the result of a routine sampling program by the FDA which revealed that the finished products contained the bacteria.
No illnesses have been reported in relation to this product at this time.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Boerne, Macadamia Nut, Macadamia Nuts, nature, salmonella, Texas
The warmer coastal water temperature produced by summer weather creates ideal conditions for bacteria that can contaminate oysters, the Washington State Department of Health reminded the public over the Fourth of July weekend.
Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, two types of bacteria that grow in warm waters and can cause human illness, are known to be carried by oysters, especially in summer months.
There is further information at the link above.
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Vibrio, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificans, Water
Tagged climate, nature, science, washington state department, washington state department of health
Broward County has issued a boil water notice for its water customers, since E. coli has been found in the municipal system. The cities affected by this notice include the City of Dania Beach, the City of Hallandale Beach, the City of Hollywood, and Broward County WWS customers in service area 3A and 3BC. That affects parts of Dania Beach, Hollywood, Miramar, West Park, Pembroke Park, and Pembroke Pines including the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Do not drink the water without boiling it first. Bring all water, including the water you use to wash your hands and use in the kitchen, to a rolling boil. Let it boil for one minute, then let it cool before using it. Bottled water can be used instead of tap water if you prefer. Only use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, preparing food, and washing dishes until further notice.
A Michigan company is recalling its sunflower seeds and snack mixes made with the seeds because these products have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria.
Lipari Foods of Warren, MI — located north of Detroit — issued a voluntary recall of its Raw Sunflower Seeds, Roasted Sunflower Seeds and Snack Mixes Wednesday after sampling by the Michigan Department of Agriculture revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in raw sunflower seeds sold at retailers.
Products subject to the recall include 52 items that were distributed between April 5 and June 11, 2013 to manufacturers and retailers in nine states in the Midwest and East, including Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
A food-borne outbreak of hepatitis A in Denmark was notified to other countries on 1 March 2013. A case–control study identified frozen berries eaten in smoothies as potential vehicle. In the following weeks, Finland, Norway and Sweden also identified an increased number of hepatitis A patients without travel history. Most cases reported having eaten frozen berries at the time of exposure. By 17 April, 71 cases were notified in the four countries. No specific type of berry, brand or origin of berries has yet been identified.
As of 17 April 2013, 36 cases, of whom 15 were confirmed, have been identified in Finland, Norway and Sweden, giving a total of 71 cases in the four countries (Table 1). Finland and Norway have reported confirmed cases with sequence 1 and 2. In Sweden, two of the eight confirmed cases have an HAV IB sequence with 2% difference to sequence 1 and 1% difference to sequence 2 (called sequence 3).
The overall median age for cases and the median age for confirmed cases is 25 years (range: 3–78 years); 43 cases are female. In Norway and Sweden (but not Finland), more women are affected than men. The distribution of cases by month and HAV sequence type is shown in Figure 1. As of 17 April 2013, Sweden is the only country with cases with symptom onset in April. An increased number of travel-related hepatitis A patients in the same time period (Table 1) may be explained in part by patients infected in Egypt [1].
Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Research, Virus
Tagged nature, science, transportation
At least 73 people in 18 states have fallen ill with Salmonella Saintpaul infection thought to be connected to imported cucumbers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fourteen of the patients were hospitalized.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration placed the firms Daniel Cardenas Izabal and Miracle Greenhouse of Culiacán, Mexico on import alert on April 24. Those cucumbers are no longer believed to be on the market.
The number ill by state is as follows: Arizona (9), California (28), Colorado (1), Idaho (2), Illinois (3), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (1), Minnesota (8), Nevada (1), New Mexico (2), North Carolina (1), Ohio (1), Oregon (2), South Dakota (2), Texas (6), Virginia (2) and Wisconsin (2).
Illness onset dates ranged from January 12, 2013 to April 6, 2013. The ill range in age from less than 1 year to 80 years old, with a median age of 23. Sixty percent are female.
Cucumbers are historically not associated with foodborne illness outbreaks. During a massive German E. coli outbreak in the summer of 2011, cucumbers were briefly suspected as the source before the blame was ultimately blamed on fresh sprouts.
A Salmonella outbreak suspected to be linked to live baby chickens may be under investigation in several states, according to a spokesman for the South Dakota Department of Health.
At least four patients in South Dakota — three adults and one child under the age of four — have fallen ill in connection to the outbreak.
The Salmonella bacteria in all four South Dakota cases share the same genetic fingerprint, and some of the patients have had direct contact with baby chicks, state health department spokesman Lon Kightlinger told Food Safety News Monday morning.
The cases came from different parts of the state, and Kightlinger said it was not immediately clear if the chicks involved originated from the same hatchery.
A study published int he April issue of the Journal of Food Science looked at seed disinfection treatments of sprouts. In the last few years, there have been several major foodborne illness outbreaks linked to raw sprouts, including an E. coli outbreak linked to clover sprouts served at Jimmy John’s restaurants that sickened 29 people in 11 states. And there were seven recalls of sprouts for pathogenic bacterial contamination.
Sprouts are problematic for several reasons. First, the bacteria can be encapsulated inside the seed, making it impervious to physical disinfection such as the application of calcium hypochlorite. And the seeds are sprouted in warm, moist conditions, which are ideal for bacterial growth.
The FDA released guidelines in 1999 designed to limit this problem, including growing seeds using good agricultural practices, conditioning and storing seed under sanitary conditions, following GMPs at sprouting facilities, applying a disinfection treatment just before sprouting, and in-process testing of spent sprout irrigation water for pathogens before the product enters commerce. While sproutbreaks declined after these guidelines were released, the treatments are variable and food poisoning cases continue.
The study examined chemical disinfection with 20000 ppm calcium hypochlorite, and found that it does reduce microbial load on seeds. But there is a high variability in efficacy. Increasing treatment time did not improve the microbial load, but reduced germination rate of seeds. Other chemicals have not been adequately tested.
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have found a way to kill Listeria and other pathogens without chemicals or antibiotics. Building on a method they developed to coat medical equipment with an agent that can kill antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the researchers added lytic enzymes to nanoparticles of food-safe silica and to starch nanoparticles commonly used in food packaging.
“In this study, we have identified a new strategy for selectively killing specific types of bacteria. Stable enzyme-based coatings or sprays could be used in food supply infrastructure—from picking equipment to packaging to preparation—to kill Listeria before anyone has a chance to get sick from it,” said Ravi Kane, RPI’s P.K. Lashmet Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, in a statement. “What’s most exciting is that we can adapt this technology for all different kinds of harmful or deadly bacteria.”
Posted in Bacteria, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Technology, Food Testing, Microbiology, Research
RASFF – Salmonella Hadar (presence /25g) in frozen turkey breast with white pepper from Brazil in Sweden
RASFF – Salmonella Newport (present /25g) and Salmonella Saint Paul (present /25g) in frozen turkey meat preparation from Poland in Estonia
RASFF – Salmonella spp. in frozen duck legs from France in Finland
FoodWorld 