Tag Archives: science

USA – FDA Recall Wild Alaskan Salmon – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on January 27, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FDAFDA

Whole Foods Market is recalling one lot code of Whole Catch Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon (4 oz), cold smoked and sliced, sold in stores in 12 states, because it may contain Listeria Monocytogenes, an organism which can cause a sometimes fatal infection in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer short term symptoms, such as high fever, severe headaches, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The recalled items were sold in stores in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and Utah.

The recalled salmon is sold in black-and-gold, flat, rectangular vacuum-sealed packages; the lot code being recalled is 7425A2298B. The lot code is ink-jet printed on the back of the package, on the upper left side. The UPC code is 0 99482 40880 0. Signage is posted in Whole Foods Market stores to notify customers of this recall. Pictures of the product are enclosed.

No illnesses have been reported. A sample of the product tested positive for listeria.

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Posted in Bacteria, FDA, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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New Zealand Recall – Cheese Products Implicated in the Australian Listeria Outbreak

Posted on January 25, 2013 by | 1 comment

Ministry for Primary Industries

Jindi’ Brand Cheese  imported from Australia – includes brand names ‘Old Telegraph Road’ and ‘Top  Paddock’.

This is a precautionary recall due to an  outbreak of Listeriosis illness in Australia linked to other Jindi brand  products.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall

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USA – Two Salmonella Recalls – Ground Beef and RTE Pork Products

Posted on January 25, 2013 by | 1 comment

USDAUSDA

Jouni Meats, Inc., a Sterling Heights, Mich. retail store, is recalling
approximately 500 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with a
strain of Salmonella Typhimurium, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

USDA

Stallings Head Cheese Co., Inc., a Houston, Texas establishment, is recalling
4,700 pounds of hog head cheese that may be contaminated with
Salmonella, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

Hog head cheese products produced by EST. 2257 have been linked to a recent
Salmonella Uganda cluster involving six case-patients from Louisiana.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, Salmonella, USDA

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Research – Listeria Antibiotic Resistance in Burgers

Posted on January 24, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

Malaysian researchers have revealed the presence of multidrug-resistant strains of Listeria monocytogenes in frozen burger patties taken from supermarkets and other retail shops in Malaysia. The research was published in Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science.

A recent publication by W.C. Wong and colleagues in the Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science revealed the presence of multidrug-resistant strains of Listeria monocytogenes in frozen burger patties taken from supermarkets and other retail shops in Malaysia.

The results also suggested that the overall incidence of antibiotic resistance in L. monocytogenes is relatively low, and that most of the bacterial strains isolated from food are susceptible to antibiotics commonly used in veterinary and human therapy.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Poisoning, Food Technology, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Research

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Research UK – Poultry Vaccinations – Reduction in Salmonella Infections

Posted on January 23, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety NewsSalmonella

The United Kingdom’s mass poultry vaccinations introduced to combat Salmonella infections have led to a dramatic fall in the number of cases since the late 1990s, according to a researcher at the University of Liverpool.

Salmonella are dangerous foodborne bacteria that affect people worldwide, causing diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, fever and abdominal pain. The European Union currently sees around 6 million Salmonella infections per year, the majority of which are linked to food items such as eggs, chicken, beef, pork, salad vegetables and dairy products.

Between 1981 and 1991, the number of salmonella infections rose by 170 percent in the UK, driven primarily by an epidemic of Salmonella Enteritidis which peaked in 1993.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Microbiology, Research, Salmonella

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USA – Article – How do Pathogens get into Produce

Posted on January 23, 2013 by | Leave a comment

This is a very interesting article in Food Safety News which I think would be of interest to Food Microbiologists and the Produce industry alike. the link will take you to the full article

Food Safety News

Leafy greens, lettuce, cantaloupes, mangoes and strawberries. These are just some of the foods that have sickened or even killed people when they were contaminated with foodborne pathogens such as E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella.

Amidst the confusing swirl of information about these and other produce outbreaks, the question arises: Were some of these pathogens inside the produce? Could it be — in some cases, anyway — that the plant’s roots sucked the pathogens up out of the soil and transferred them through the plant into its edible parts?

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O103, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hepatitis A, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, O103, Research, Salmonella

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Hong Kong – Recall Australian Cheese Implicated in the Listeria Outbreak

Posted on January 22, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Center for Food SafetyFood Testing

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (January 21) urged the public not to consume certain soft cheese products, manufactured in Australia, which might have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The trade should stop selling the concerned products.

“The CFS noticed through its routine Food Incident Surveillance System that some cheese products produced by an Australian manufacturer, Jindi Cheese Pty Ltd, were suspected to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.  The concerned company is now voluntarily recalling all soft and semi-soft cheese products it manufactured on or before January 6 this year,” a spokesman for the CFS said.

“The CFS subsequently received notification from the International Food Safety Authorities Network of the World Health Organisation / the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations that some of the affected products have been imported to Hong Kong,” he added.

According to the information provided by the Australian authorities, the CFS has contacted two chain stores which had imported the affected products, namely PARKnSHOP and Pacific Gourmet. The shops were instructed to stop selling the products concerned (see attached table). The CFS was also informed that the companies had set up hotlines to answer consumers’ enquiries about the product recall, PARKnSHOP at 2606 8658 and Pacific Gourmet at 3184 0805.

“In case any consumers have bought the affected soft cheese products, they should stop eating them, regardless of batches. To be prudent, consumers who recently bought any cut portion of gourmet soft cheese and are unsure of the product details should also stop eating it. People are advised to seek medical advice if they feel sick after consuming the products concerned. So far the CFS has not received any reports of persons feeling unwell after consumption of the affected products,” the spokesman said.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall

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European Sprouted Seeds Legislation Due July 2013 are the USA to Follow?

Posted on January 21, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin Eurofins

The newly proposed produce safety rule of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has a section devoted to sprouts because they “present a unique risk.” That’s because the ideal conditions for growing sprouts are also ideal for growing pathogens, as we have seen many times in recent years.

Since 1996, there have been 30  “sproutbreaks” where sprouts contaminated with Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli and other pathogens have caused outbreaks of illness. In 2012, sprouts were recalled for potential contamination at least seven times and caused one of the largest multi-state foodborne illness outbreaks of the year.  The 11-state outbreak which sickened 29 people was linked to sprouts served at a fast food sandwich chain. Also in 2012, Kroger, one of the nation’s largest grocery retailers decided to stop selling sprouts because of the risk they pose.

Some of the new requirements in the proposed rule are: requiring growers to take “measures reasonably necessary to prevent the introduction of hazards into or onto seeds or beans;” requiring that growing, harvesting, packing and holding of sprouts be done in a fully-enclosed building; “require that any food-contact surfaces that come in contact with sprouts, seeds, or beans must be cleaned and sanitized;”  required use  of a scientifically valid to reduce microorganisms before sprouting;  required testing for Listeria; and required record keeping of seed treatments  and environmental  monitoring.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O104, E.coli O157, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella

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European and RASSF Alerts – Salmonella – Listeria – Coliforms – Histamine

Posted on January 21, 2013 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes in Smoked Salmon in the Netherlands sourced in Poland via Germany

RASFF – Histamine in Tuna in Italy sourced in Spain

RASFF – Salmonella in Animal Feed in Sweden sourced in Germany

RASFF – Salmonella spp. in dried organic Chlorella algae in Sweden from China

RASFF – Coliforms in Carbonated Water in Greece sourced in Romania

 

 

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Posted in Allergic Reaction, Bacteria, Coliforms, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Histamine, Hygiene, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall, Salmonella

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Research – Online Dairy Herd Salmonella Risk Assessment

Posted on January 21, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Dairy Herd Network19243

Salmonellosis  is a pervasive disease that is hard to keep out of a dairy operation.  With help from a new online tool from Pfizer Animal Health, dairy  producers can assess their risk of a Salmonella outbreak. The short self-assessment — found at www.SalmonellaRisk.com/Assessment — helps producers find proactive measures to help lessen the risk of a disastrous outbreak.

“Salmonella is on the rise and is a risk to every dairy operation,” says Dr. Gary  Neubauer, senior manager, Dairy  Technical Services, Pfizer Animal Health. “Dairies are operating at a  faster pace than ever before with cattle, feed and people going on and  off the farm every day. It’s important for producers to consider how  much risk they are willing to take on.”

While taking the assessment, producers answer questions about on-farm hygiene, accessibility and animal health practices.  Once completed, the tool provides a personalized Salmonella reduction plan that can be printed or emailed to the herd veterinarian.  Together, producers and veterinarians can use this plan to review  current protocols and management practices, and establish  ways to help reduce risk and build immunity to Salm

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella, Uncategorized

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