June 2009

  • Listeria-laden cheese hospitalized 38, killed 15 in Quebec last fall; producers want compensation

    Posted: June 3rd, 2009 - 10:52am by Doug Powell

    Here is what is lost in the gushing about raw-milk cheeses and many other forms of food pornography:

    The fall 2008 outbreak of listeria in cheese in Quebec led to 38 hospitalizations, of which 13 were pregnant and gave birth prematurely. Two adults died and there were 13 perinatal deaths.

    But, the discussion in Montreal over the past two days is about the fate of small cheese producers, who are apparently giving up.

    Ever since last year's listeriosis outbreak, when provincial inspectors seized tonnes of Quebec cheeses believed to have been cross-contaminated by the listeria bacterium, Fromagerie Lehmann and other raw-milk cheese producers were visited constantly by officials on the lookout for the listeria bacterium.

    Like 20 or so others, Lehmann finally gave up on raw-milk cheese altogether.

    By some estimates, only 10 Quebec raw-milk cheeses remain. The others now are made with milk that's been heated to kill unwanted bacteria - and, some say, the flavours of the meadow and the changing seasons.

    On Monday, the provincial ombudsman concluded the Quebec government was ill-prepared to handle the outbreak of listeria contamination in some cheese products last summer, but it was right to order a mass recall of the cheeses.

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    Listeria, Raw Food  |  Comments
  • Tour group affected by Noro in British Columbia

    Posted: June 2nd, 2009 - 9:35pm by Katie Filion

    Not a scheduled stop on a BC tour, a group of travelers from Australia became ill with Norwalk virus while staying at the Fairmont Chateau this week, reports Whistlerquestion.com.

    Twenty-three guests were quarantined in their rooms for most of Monday and part of Tuesday (June 1 and 2), suffering from Norwalk virus, a public health official said this week.

    The guests were part of a 100-member tour group from the Brisbane area in Australia.

     Dr. Paul Martiquet, public health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health, explained,

    “Apparently there’s something in common that has caused [this group] to come down with this Norwalk virus.”

    [T]he affected tour group recently rode the Rocky Mountaineer train from Calgary to Vancouver before visiting Whistler. The next stop on the itinerary was the Empress Hotel in Victoria, [Martiquet] said. Healthy members of the group were allowed to carry on with their itinerary.

    Martiquet emphasized the importance of handwashing in control of noroviruses, continuing,

    “It’s basically self-limiting and the key for any virus is handwashing — that goes for normal viruses or Norovirus, you name it.”

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    Norovirus  |  Comments
  • New food safety infosheet: Possible scombrotoxin outbreak at Raleigh, NC restaurant

    Posted: June 2nd, 2009 - 5:02pm by Ben Chapman

    A couple of weeks ago I was watching the local 11pm news and a story about a pretty nasty event  linked to Raleigh restaurant popped on. WRAL reported that one paramedic unit was dispatched and called for backup when 10 patrons of EVOO (which I drive by on my way to campus)  suddenly became ill on April 17th, 2009. At least three patrons were taken to hospital with stomach cramps, vomiting and dizziness.

    When I first heard about how violent and sudden the outbreak was I was reminded of an a couple of scombrotoxin outbreaks that occurred in Washington State in 2004.  My favorite part about that outbreak report was what diarrhea associated with escolar looks like:

    Diarrhea associated with consumption of escolar is caused by an indigestible waxy ester (gempylotoxin) that is naturally present in the fish; the diarrhea is often described as oily and/or unusually colored, and may be accompanied by abdominal discomfort and fecal incontinence.

    Mmmm.

    Although the true cause may never be known the epidemiology reports point to salad consumption as a common food. One of the working theories for this outbreak is cross-contamination of scombrotoxin poison from fish on the menu or high-histamine containing anchovies used in Caesar salad dressing.

    Here's this week's food safety infosheet on EVOO and scombrotoxin.

     

     


     

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    Food Safety Culture  |  Comments
  • From France to Kansas City: foodborne illness in schools

    Posted: June 2nd, 2009 - 4:20pm by Doug Powell

    Several headmasters from the Haute-Garonne and Tarn primary schools in France simultaneously informed the health authorities of the occurrence of digestive disorders of low severity among students.

    A retrospective cohort study, conducted through self-administered questionnaires among approximately 3,000 students and teachers who had participated in two meals in 36 schools concerned, was initiated to confirm the existence of a foodborne outbreak and its origin. …

    This large-scale foodborne outbreak illustrates the main factors that encourage the occurrence of foodborne outbreaks (multiple malfunctions in the preparation of meals), and stresses the importance of associating the epidemiological, veterinary and microbiological investigations in the early management of the alert, as well as the first management measures (eviction of sick personal) to avoid major consequences in collective catering.

    Meanwhile in Missouri, two Lee's Summit kindergarten students have been hospitalized with salmonella.

    The kids, a boy and a girl, have been enrolled in Richardson Kids Country during the school year. The Health Department has not determined if their illness is related to the school.

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    Food Safety Policy, Salmonella  |  Comments
  • Texas teen eats toxic pig testicles on a dare

    Posted: June 1st, 2009 - 7:41pm by Katie Filion

    High school biology classes often involve dissections. I distinctly remember the day my teacher, Mr. Deluca, brought in the fetal pigs. My partner was queezy at the thought of cutting open the little piggys, so I ended up doing most of the work, and truthfully was unphased by the dissection apart from the strong smell of formaldehyde in the classroom.

    A teenage boy in Texas was less put-off by the smell of formaldehyde when he ate the testicles from a fetal pig on a dare during the class dissection, reports the Dallas Morning News.

    Last week at Shepton High School in Plano, a ninth-grader agreed to eat parts of a fetal pig – and not just any parts – for $50. [The boy] gulped them down one at a time, he said, trying not to bite down.

    The 15-year old boy, explained,

    "It was just like swallowing a pill. It wasn't that bad."

    School officials, who declined to comment, apparently took a different view, especially because the pigs are soaked in formaldehyde, a toxic chemical used to preserve the tissue.

    The boy was sent to the hospital, but appears fine, commenting,

    "It wasn't very smart.”

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    Wacky and Weird  |  Comments
  • Fresh basil and bird poop

    Posted: June 1st, 2009 - 3:54pm by Doug Powell

    Last year, with Amy’s guidance, was the first year I really started cooking with fresh herbs. Basil and tomato (and formerly cheese, right), fresh pesto, bruschetta, it’s all good.

    Except for the bird poop.

    Here are a couple of our basil leaves with some semi-fresh bird plops – similar to the ones I washed off the car earlier today. When preparing dishes with fresh herbs, wash thoroughly (which can be difficult) or cook the poop out. Or both.

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    Salmonella  |  Comments
  • Sprout farm to begin testing for listeria

    Posted: June 1st, 2009 - 1:52pm by Casey Jacob

    Close to 15,000 pounds of Chang Farm bean and soy sprouts were recalled from retailers and restaurants in four northeastern states last week after Listeria monocytogenes was found in a bag of sprouts at a retail store.

    Speaking for the company, Sidney Chang said,

    "We followed FDA guidelines to test for salmonella and E. coli 0517:H7. We don’t test for listeria, because they don’t require that."

    So?

    It is consumers who ultimately decide which food companies stay in business and make a profit, and consumers demand food that is free of all pathogens.

    Is Chang Farm willing to step it up?

    As stated in an article by The Packer,

    “We want to make sure our facility is safe," Chang said. "We’re going to add more measures. We thought we were doing the right things.”

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    Food Safety Culture, Listeria  |  Comments