Tag Archives: science

New Zealand – Whey Protein – Clostridium botulinum

Posted on August 5, 2013 by | 1 comment

Safe Food Blog

Fonterra, New Zealand’s largest dairy manufacturer, last week issued a warning that Clostridium botulinum had been found in three batches of whey protein, (approximately 40 tonnes), which can be used to boost the protein content of many foods, including infant feeding formula.

The warning caused a New Zealand manufacturer of infant feeding formula to recall certain batches of product.  Fonterra Chief Executive, Theo Spierings also flew to China to discuss the issue with Chinese food safety authorities.

Apparently, the source of the bacteria has been traced to a dirty pipe in a processing factory.  If this is true, it’s a serious lapse in process control and obviously should not have occurred.

FSANZ Statement

Food Standards Australia New Zealand is aware of the announcement by Fonterra regarding several batches of its whey protein concentrate possibly contaminated with Clostridium botulinum and subsequent recalls of two Nutricia products as a precautionary measure. 

Please see the following joint media statement issued by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

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

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USA FDA Recall – Cheese – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on August 1, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FDAFDA

Whole Foods Market announces that it is recalling Trois Comtois Morbier cheese in the Mid Atlantic, Southwest, Northern California, Southern Pacific and Midwest regions. This cheese is being recalled because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The recalled Trois Comtois Morbier comes in wheels approximately 11 lbs. each, which are then cut and wrapped in varying weights and are labeled with a Whole Foods Market scale label.  Below is a list of how the cheese was labeled, including PLU code, according to the state in which it was sold. This recall includes all “best by” dates sold in Whole Foods Market stores in the states listed in the link above.

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

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USA – Salmonella Outbreak in Iowa – Poultry or Eggs

Posted on July 29, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Mason City, Iowa, is the center of a Salmonella outbreak investigation that preceded a wider outbreak notice announced Friday by the Iowa Department of Public Health. Mason City is the seat of government for Cerro Gordo County, which leads all 19 Iowa counties in the number of illnesses associated with an outbreak of salmonellosis that may be linked to poultry or egg

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella

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Scotland – HPA 2013 1st Quarter Food Outbreaks Surveillance Report

Posted on July 24, 2013 by | Leave a comment

HPA

Gastro-intestinal and foodborne infections: general outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease reported to HPS in the first quarter of 2013.

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Posted in HPA, Research

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FSA – Recall – Licorice Root Capsules – Salmonella

Posted on July 23, 2013 by | 3 comments

FSASalmonella

Viridian International Ltd recalls two batches of its Licorice Root Vegetarian Capsules due to the detection of Salmonella.

As a precautionary measure, Viridian International Ltd is recalling two batch codes of the above product due to the detection of salmonella in the ingredient used to produce the capsules, which may pose a risk to health.

  • Licorice Root 30 Vegetarian Capsules and Licorice Root 90 Vegetarian Capsules
  • Pack size: Glass jars containing 30/90 capsules
  • Batch codes: 2912206 for 30 capsules and 3012206 for 90 capsules
  • ‘Best before’ date: both products 22/6/2016

Viridian International Ltd is recalling the above product. Product recall notices will be displayed in store, advising consumers of the recall and what they can do if they have purchased the affected product. A recall notice has also been displayed on the company’s website.

A copy of the Viridian International Ltd product recall information notice is attached to this notice.

No other Viridian International Ltd products are known to be affected.

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

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Research – Practical Considerations for the Interpretation of Microbial Testing Results Based on Small Numbers of Samples

Posted on July 23, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Liebert Online

While adequate, statistically designed sampling plans should be used whenever feasible, inference about the presence of pathogens in food occasionally has to be made based on smaller numbers of samples. To help the interpretation of such results, we reviewed the impact of small sample sizes on pathogen detection and prevalence estimation. In particular, we evaluated four situations commonly encountered in practice. The first two examples evaluate the combined impact of sample size and pathogen prevalence (i.e., fraction of contaminated food items in a given lot) on pathogen detection and prevalence estimation. The latter two examples extend the previous example to consider the impact of pathogen concentration and imperfect test sensitivity. The provided examples highlight the difficulties of making inference based on small numbers of samples, and emphasize the importance of using appropriate statistical sampling designs whenever possible.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Hygiene, Laboratory, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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USA -Cyclospora – Unwashed produce ?? – Drying May Help

Posted on July 22, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Posioning Bulletin

Is the source of a multi-state Cyclopora outbreak restaurant lettuce salad? Health officials in at least six states are working in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to divine the food source that has infected hundreds of people with a rare parasite.

The bug is so rare that it is not included in the standard parasite screening which looks for Giardia and Cryptosporidium, said David Warshauer, deputy director of communicable disease at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH). And once it’s confirmed with a special lab test, sub-typing is generally not performed.

With common bacterial food poisoning outbreaks, including those caused by E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria or Campylobacter, subtyping, often done with Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE), is performed to find the bacteria’s “genetic fingerprint.” This allows health officials to see how many people have been sickened by the same source.

Food Poisoning Bulletin

If you’re like most people, you wash your produce before eating it. But do you dry it?  You should, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Hundreds of people in six states; Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas and Wisconsin have been sickened by a single-cell parasite called Cyclospora. To reduce your risk of food poisoning form fresh produce the FDA recommends the following produce-washing tips. Before you begin, wash your hands with hot, soapy water for 20 seconds, or long enough to sing Happy Birthday twice. Wash produce under cool, running water. Do not use soap or commercial washes. Scrub firm produce such as melons, cucumbers and potatoes with a brush. Dry the produce with a clean cloth or paper towel. Following these recommendations will reduce but not completely eliminate the risk of food poisoning from bacteria or parasites.

People become infected with Cyclospora when they eat or drink food or water that is contaminated with microscopic amounts of fecal matter containing the parasite. Cyclospora is most commonly found in tropical climates but imported foods including mesclun lettuce, basil, snow peas, and raspberries have been the source of a number of U.S. outbreaks in recent years.

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Posted in Cyclospora, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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USA – Legionella Outbreak

Posted on July 22, 2013 by | 1 comment

Food Posioning BulletinLegionella_Plate_01

Legionnaire’s outbreaks in Wisconsin and Ohio have sickened dozens of people, health authorities say. At least 20 people in Milwaukee County have  been diagnosed with the disease since June 1, 2013. Of those, 14 are from  the city of Milwaukee. Four people remain hospitalized. Wisconsin health authorities are looking for the source or sources of the outbreak

In Franklin County, Ohio, 22 illnesses have been associated with the Wesley Ridge Retirement Community in Reynoldsburg. Those sickened include visitors, residents and employees. Two of them have died. Franklin County Public Health,  the Ohio Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are working together to determine the source of the outbreak

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Foodborne Illness, Laboratory, Legionella, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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UK – FSA – Latest research published by the FSA

Posted on July 15, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FSA

The Agency has produced a summary of its research published in April to June 2013. Several areas of research were covered, including consumer attitudes towards the decontamination of meat and the use of freezing to reduce campylobacter in chicken livers. A full report for each area of research can be found via the links at the bottom of the page.

Evaluation: Freezing to reduce campylobacters in chicken liver
The FSA commissioned a research project to assess whether freezing chicken livers, before they are prepared and cooked in a catering or domestic kitchen, can significantly reduce the incidence of campylobacter contamination. Freezing is a proven effective intervention to control campylobacter contamination of poultry meat. However, there has been a lack of evidence on how effective this treatment is with chicken livers, particularly under conditions similar to those in catering or domestic kitchens where freezer temperatures and freezing rates may vary.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, Research

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USA Research – Whole Chickens from Farmers Markets – Higher Pathogen Risk

Posted on July 12, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Science DailyimagesCAYZ5I84

Raw, whole chickens purchased from farmers markets throughout Pennsylvania contained significantly higher levels of bacteria that can cause foodborne illness compared to those purchased from grocery stores in the region, according to a small-scale study by researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences

Of 100 whole chickens purchased from farmers markets, 90 percent tested positive for Campylobacter and 28 percent harbored Salmonella.

By comparison, during the same period, 20 percent of raw, whole, organic chickens purchased from grocery stores were found to contain Campylobacter bacteria, and 28 percent tested positive for Salmonella. Just 8 percent of raw, whole, nonorganic, conventionally processed chickens from the grocery stores tested positive for Campylobacter and 52 percent of those contained Salmonella.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella

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