Tag Archives: science

US – Two More Recalls – Listeria monocytogenes – Cantaloupes and Potato Salad

Posted on August 9, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin 

Food Lion has pulled cantaloupe from 463 Food Lion and Reid’s store locations throughout The Southeast because they are possibly contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause serious, sometimes fatal infections.  The melons were produced by Burch Equipment LLC  of N.C. which announced a recall on July 28 after a random sample tested positive for Listeria. No illnesses have been reported with this recall.

Food Safety News

The Rhode Island Department of Health has warned Target customers not to eat certain deli salad items under the Market Pantry and Archer Farms brand names, as they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

No illnesses have been linked to this recall.

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

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USDA – Recall Ready to Eat Poultry Products

Posted on August 7, 2012 by | Leave a comment

USDA

Reichel Foods, a Rochester, Minn. establishment, 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.

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

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Norovirus Research

Posted on July 31, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Ingenta Connect

Abstract:

Human Noroviruses (NoVs) cause an estimated 58% of foodborne illnesses in the United States annually. The majority of these outbreaks are due to contamination by food handlers. The objective of this study was to quantify the transfer rate and degree of contamination that occurs on small fruits (blueberries, grapes, and raspberries) and food contact surfaces (stainless steel) when manipulated with NoV-contaminated hands. Human NoVs (genogroups I and II [GI and GII]) and murine norovirus (MNV-1) were inoculated individually or as a three-virus cocktail onto donor surfaces (gloved fingertips or stainless steel) and either immediately interfaced with one or more recipient surfaces (fruit, gloves, or stainless steel) or allowed to dry before contact. Viruses on recipient surfaces were quantified by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. Transfer rates were 58 to 60% for GII NoV from fingertips to stainless steel, blueberries, and grapes and 4% for raspberries under wet conditions. Dry transfer occurred at a much lower rate (<1%) for all recipient surfaces. Transfer rates ranged from 20 to 70% from fingertips to stainless steel or fruits for the GI, GII, and MNV-1 virus cocktail under wet conditions and from 4 to 12% for all viruses under dry transfer conditions. Fomite transfer (from stainless steel to fingertip and then to fruit) was lower for all viruses, ranging from 1 to 50% for wet transfer and 2 to 11% for dry transfer. Viruses transferred at higher rates under wet conditions than under dry conditions. The inoculum matrix affected the rate of virus transfer, but the majority of experiments resulted in no difference in the transfer rates for the three viruses. While transfer rates were often low, the amount of virus transferred to recipient surfaces often exceeded 4- or 5-log genomic copy numbers, indicating a potential food safety hazard. Quantitative data such as these are needed to model scenarios of produce contamination by food handling and devise appropriate interventions to manage risk.

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Norovirus, Pathogen, Research

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UK – Legionella Update from the HPA

Posted on July 31, 2012 by | Leave a comment

HPA

Public and environmental health experts investigating the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at Stoke-on-Trent believe they have identified a probable source.

The probable source is a hot tub based at JTF Warehouse, City Road, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent. We would like to emphasise that investigations are still ongoing. Environmental Health specialists from the Health and Safety Executive and Stoke-on-Trent City Council have taken and continue to take samples from sites across Stoke.

A spokesperson from the Health and Safety Executive said: “HSE continues to inspect premises where we are the enforcing authority and will do so until we have eliminated those sites from our investigations and are sufficiently assured there are no other possible sources.”

If people are displaying symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease, such as: aching muscles, fever, tiredness, headaches and a dry cough, they should see their doctor or contact NHS Direct on 0845 46 47

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Illness, Legionella, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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Staphylococcus aureus – Colombian Style Cheese Recall

Posted on July 30, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Consumer Org

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine today warned consumers in the Metropolitan New York area not to consume “Quesito Colombiano, Colombian style Cheese” made by Productos Tita Corp., 70-06 88th  Street, Glendale, New York 11385 due to possible Staphylococcus aureus contamination.

The recalled Colombian style cheese under the Brand name “Tita” is contained in 8oz. clear plastic pouches or tubs with a plant code of #36-8440 and with a stamped code of “AUG 10 2012” stamped beneath the label bar code. The product was distributed in the Metropolitan New York area.

A routine sample of the cheese, taken by an inspector from the Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services on July 25, 2012, was subsequently tested by the Department’s Food Laboratory and discovered to be contaminated with high levels of Staphylococcus aureus.  On July 28, 2012, the manufacturer was notified of the positive test result and voluntarily recalled the product.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus, Toxin

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Research Packaging Inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on July 29, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

A new study conducted by the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Georgiahas found that antimicrobial packaging can make food safer. Scientists looked at the effectiveness of antimicrobial packaging structures in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products.

They inoculated cooked ham with Listeria monocytogenes, then packaged it in antimicrobial packaging. The samples were stored at 4 degrees, 10 degrees, and 22 degrees Centigrade, then tested for aerobic bacteria (bacteria that need oxygen to live and reproduce), Entereobacteriaceae, and Listeria monocytogenes two times over four weeks. They found that packaging with an oxygen scavenger or a carbon dioxide generator was effective at reducing bacterial growth, and that packaging with an allyl isothiocyanate (AIT) generator was less effective.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Safety, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Research

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Canada – Advisory Alert Shellfish Vibro parahaemolyticus

Posted on July 27, 2012 by | 1 comment

CDC BC 

The BC Centre for Disease Control is reminding the public there’s a risk of illness associated with eating raw or undercooked bivalve shellfish such as oysters, clams, mussels, scallops, and cockles.

 Shellfish may accumulate bacteria(Vibrio parahaemolyticus), viruses (norovirus, hepatitis A), and toxins (paralytic shellfish poisoning, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning) or other impurities present in the water. Thorough cooking destroys bacteria and viruses, but does not destroy toxins.

 To date in 2012, five cases of locally-acquired Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection have been reported. In 2011, 42 cases of vibrio were reported. These illnesses have been linked to raw shellfish served in restaurants, bought at retail, or self-harvested in communities throughout the province including, Gibsons, Sechelt, Powell River, Ladysmith, Qualicum, Ucluelet, Gabriola Island, Cortes Island and Parksville.

In addition to individual cases, BC has also experienced outbreaks associated with shellfish. In 2010, an outbreak of norovirus from raw oysters affected over 30 people and in 2011 more than 60 people became ill after consuming cooked mussels contaminated with diarrhetic shellfish poisoning.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hepatitis A, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, Norovirus, outbreak, Pathogen, Shellfish, Toxin, Vibrio, Vibrio parahaemolyticus

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HPA – Warning Clostridium boutlinum – Italian Olives

Posted on July 26, 2012 by | Leave a comment

HPA 

Tests carried out by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) identified the toxin that causes botulism in a jar of Italian olives after an Oxfordshire resident was admitted to hospital with botulism poisoning. No further cases have been identified to date.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is now asking people who have bought jars of the implicated olives not to eat them and to contact their local authority environmental health food safety team to arrange collection of the product.

The implicated olives are “Olive Bella Di Cerignola” produced by ‘I Divini’. These are large green olives from the Puglia region of Italy and are packaged in brine in glass jars with a lot number of 161/11 and best before date of 10/06/2014. This type of olive is distributed under a number of different brand names but only the I DIVINI di Chicco Francesco brand is associated with this incident.

The HPA is working with the local authority environmental health department and the Food Standards Agency on the investigation. Botulism is rare in the UK – there have only been 33 recorded cases of food-borne botulism in England and Wales since 1989, with 27 of these linked to a single outbreak.

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Standards Agency, Foodborne Illness, HPA, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen

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CDC – Another Live Chicks Salmonella Outbreak

Posted on July 24, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CDC

  • A total of 37 persons infected with the outbreak strain of SalmonellaHadar have been reported from 11 states.
    • The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Arizona (2), California (1), Colorado (3), Idaho (5), Illinois (2), Oregon (5), Tennessee (2), Texas (1), Utah (5), Washington (9), and Wyoming (2).
    • Eight ill persons have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
    • 37% of ill persons are children 10 years of age or younger.
  • Epidemiologic, laboratory and traceback findings have linked this outbreak of human Salmonella infections to contact with live poultry from Hatchery B in Idaho.

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Posted in Bacteria, CDC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Pet Food, Recall, Salmonella

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USDA – Fresh Ground Beef Recall – Salmonella

Posted on July 23, 2012 by | Leave a comment

USDA

Cargill Meat Solutions, a Wyalusing, Pa., establishment, is recalling 29,339 pounds of fresh ground beef products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

FSIS became aware of the problem during the course of an ongoing investigation of a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis involving 33 case-patients from 7 states (MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VA, VT-preliminary data, subject to change). Working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Vermont Department of Health, New York State Department of Health, and New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, FSIS was able to link illnesses in five case-patients to the ground beef products produced at this establishment based on epidemiologic and traceback investigations, as well as in-store reviews

 

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

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