March 2011

  • 1 sick; watermelon jelly sold at charity booths in BC may have botulism

    Posted: March 8th, 2011 - 4:53pm by Doug Powell

    Who can’t get enough watermelon jelly.

    The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (that’s in Canada) is warning the public not to consume watermelon jelly prepared by Jamnation Fine Foods that were sold in 120 ml sized jars. This jelly was sold at charity booths in various locations in British Columbia in 2010. This product may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. Toxins produced by this bacterium may cause botulism, a life-threatening illness.

    “This recall was prompted by a suspect case of botulism on Vancouver Island, and the subsequent investigation of foods recently consumed by the individual,” explains Dr. Eleni Galanis, Physician Epidemiologist with BCCDC, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority. “Botulism is a serious illness, and it is critical that anyone who purchased this item discard it immediately.”

    “The jelly consumed by the case was sold through the British Columbia Huntingtons Research Foundation charity booths in Duncan, and may also have been sold in other parts of province,” explains Sion Shyng, Food Safety Specialist at the BCCDC. “We’re concerned that this product may still be in the homes of consumers as jellies can be stored and consumed long after they are purchased.”

    The BCCDC is currently working with BC Health Authorities and the BC Ministry of Health Services to ensure the recalled product is removed from distribution and is investigating any possible cases of illness.

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    Other Microorganisms  |  Comments
  • Restaurant closed, owner fined in Ireland; filthy premises

    Posted: March 8th, 2011 - 1:55pm by Doug Powell

    A former restaurant operator whose premises had a 'horrendous' level of cleanliness has been fined a total of €1,000. At Westport court, Peter Langan, with an address at Carrowholly, Westport, was also directed to pay €1,500 towards the costs of the HSE, who prosecuted him.

    The Connaught Telegraph reports the prosecution arose following an inspection at the Quay Cottage restaurant, The Harbour, Westport Quay, which Langan no longer operates, on August 12, 2010.

    Following the inspection, Langan agreed to the voluntary closure of the restaurant as environmental health officers felt there was a grave and immediate danger to public health, Mr. Patrick Durcan, solicitor, prosecuting, told the court.

    After he complied with their requests, the closure order was lifted the following day.

    On a charge that the premises was not kept clean and in good repair and condition, witness said a fly screen on a door was open and the screen was filthy. Doorframes into the kitchen and onto the rear yard were engrained with dirt.
    In the main kitchen, under the cooking equipment was filthy with food debris on the floor and dirt and grease on the tiles. There was a hole in the walk area adjacent to the grease trap leading outside to the yard.

    In the rear yard, the wall around an extractor unit was filthy. Fruit and vegetables were stored out there on rough timber shelving, allowing ingress of pests.

    The rear dry good store and walk-in freezer was being used as a storage area for manufacturing. The floor was worn and beside the freezer was engrained with dirt and crab claws. The freezer door was filthy.

    Witness said meat was in boxes on the floor. Cooked meats were stored on top of each other with no proper labelling.

    There was an abundance of insects in the dry goods store, where there were open bags of flour.

    The third charge related to the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). In this case, no HACCP records were available.

    The chef on duty, Ms. Lawlor said, did not know how to operate a probe monitor and admitted to not carrying out temperature checks since starting work six weeks previously.

    There was also no cleaning schedule.
     

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  • Gotcha: bacteria found on stuff

    Posted: March 8th, 2011 - 1:19pm by Doug Powell

    BART is not an overly enthusiastic Simpson’s fan; it stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit, rode it a couple of years ago, didn’t notice any bugs up, or out, my butt.

    The New York Times reports that riders on the BART system (that’s in and around San Francisco) have long complained about germs in the hard-to-clean cloth seats. As Bob Franklin, the BART board president, acknowledged, “People don’t know what’s in there.”

    The Bay Citizen commissioned Darleen Franklin, a supervisor at San Francisco State University’s biology lab, to analyze the bacterial content of a random BART seat.

    Fecal and skin-borne bacteria resistant to antibiotics were found in a seat on a train headed from Daly City to Dublin/Pleasanton. Further testing on the skin-borne bacteria showed characteristics of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, the drug-resistant bacterium that causes potentially lethal infections, although Ms. Franklin cautioned that the MRSA findings were preliminary.

    High concentrations of at least nine bacteria strains and several types of mold were found on the seat. Even after Ms. Franklin cleaned the cushion with an alcohol wipe, potentially harmful bacteria were found growing in the fabric.

    Dr. John Swartzberg, a clinical professor at the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, played down the threat of infection from harmful bacteria on a BART seat. “I suspect it’s not a very big problem. That said, if there’s another way to do it, where you can clean it better, then you should do it.”

    The rest of the story is about hygiene concerns as BART officials determine what kind of seats to install for a new fleet of cars in 2017.

    It’s another in a long line of Gotcha-type stories that find bacteria on things – doorknobs, money, keyboards, sex toys.

    Does it mean anything? And where are the sick people?

    These kinds of Gotcha stories have been going on a long time.

    In 1995, the front page of Toronto’s Globe and Mail proclaimed, "you probably handle an unimaginably dangerous collection of harmful bacteria" while going about your kitchenly chores, and that "90 per cent of food-related illness in the home could be prevented by using paper towels when preparing foods, especially meats."

    The killer-dishrag story did meet the primary goal of its creators: to sell more sponges. Specifically, anti-bacterial sponges manufactured by 3M Co. of Minneapolis, Minn.

    Dr. Charles P. Gerba, an environmental microbiologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson, was contracted by 3M to perform tests of household dishrags and sponges in five U.S. cities and compare the results to the 3M sponge. Not surprisingly, Dr. Gerba found about 100 times more bacteria in dishrags retrieved from households.

    Then the public relations firm hired by 3M peddled the results, taking Dr. Gerba on a five-city tour to release the results. That was in Aug. 1995. Several stories appeared on the U.S. wire services. Why the Globe decided to run the story at the end of Dec. 1995 remains a mystery.

    Gerba showed up again with a bugs-in-reusable grocery bags report last year, that has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal. And last week, Gerba was in the news again, saying his group had swabbed the handles of 85 grocery carts in four states for bacterial contamination and that 72 per cent of the carts had a positive marker for fecal bacteria.

    Scientists say this study helps explain why earlier investigations found kids who touch the handles, are more likely than others, to get infected with bacteria like salmonella. Researchers reported in the Journal of Food Protection in June 2010 that kids can be exposed to raw meat and poultry products while riding in shopping carts.

    But that was a study published in a peer-reviewed journal. The bugs-on-shopping-cart handles is a news story with legs – it keeps showing up – but the experimental design and conclusions have not been subject to peer-review, and the conclusions may be erroneous. Who knows?

    On the shopping cart results, Dr. Neil Fishman, an infectious disease expert and director of health care epidemiology and infection prevention at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, is concerned that risk isn’t very big.

    “I’d be worried if there was any evidence of any disease outbreaks related to shopping cart use. There isn’t — and we’ve been using them for a long time.”

    While there may, indeed, be bacteria on shopping cart handles, they can also be found on doorknobs, countertops and a host of other items we touch every day, Fishman said. “My guess is that there are more bacteria on a car seat than on a shopping cart,” he added.

    Josh Rosenau , writing for Science Blogs last night, picked up on the same theme, citing microbiologist Pat Fidopiastis as saying “none of this means much unless you can show me a significant risk involved with coming in contact with a shopping cart. You might be able to say that "X percent" more kids get sick if they touch a shopping cart handle versus a bathroom door knob, for example. But what are the actual numbers? Is this like saying, "More people get struck by lightning if they walk around outside in a storm than those who stay in their homes?”

    Gotcha.

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    Food Safety Policy  |  Comments
  • Research shows how easily bacteria can thrive and spread within family kitchens

    Posted: March 7th, 2011 - 8:06am by Doug Powell

    Colgate Palmolive and Don Schaffner (right, pretty much as shown) have hooked up to help spread awareness about safe kitchen practices.

    Schaffner did a lit review, and I like that the press release has references – so many don’t; I don’t like that it repeatedly says food safety is simple and easy – it isn’t.

    Research shows that E. coli, Salmonella and Staph can thrive on dishes and other kitchen surfaces.1 Whether putting away groceries or rinsing fresh vegetables, even the most careful cook can pass bacteria to new kitchen surfaces through the simple process of preparing a dish.

    To help spread awareness about safe kitchen practices, the Palmolive® brand partnered with Donald W. Schaffner, Ph.D., renowned microbiologist and professor at Rutgers University. As an author of nearly 100 food microbiology studies, Dr. Schaffner was among the first to quantify how bacteria transfer during common kitchen tasks.

    To demonstrate how easily cross-contamination can occur, Dr. Schaffner conducted a comprehensive review of his bacterial studies and those of leading universities and institutions worldwide that specialize in food safety research. Key research findings from this analysis include:

    Bacterial Build-Up on Cutting Boards: Bacteria on a cutting board can double after 10 minutes of use, whether cutting raw meat or vegetables.2
    Cutting Board Cross-Contamination: Ten percent of bacteria on a cutting board can transfer to lettuce while chopping.3
    Survival of E. coli on Dishes: E. coli that remains on washed and dried dishes can survive up to three days.4

    "Studies consistently demonstrate how easily bacteria spread throughout a kitchen - both bacteria-contaminated foods and hands can pass bacteria to dishes, cooking utensils and other ingredients," said Dr. Schaffner. "Yet, according to the research, even when cooks understand the ways bacteria can spread, they often fail to follow the simple precautions that can help reduce the risk of bacterial cross-contamination in the kitchen."

    Consumers generally understand the causes of cross-contamination, such as not washing or changing the cutting board and other utensils between the preparation of meat and ready-to-eat foods.5 Despite this knowledge, many do not practice these safety measures while preparing meals. A recent study revealed that two-thirds of consumers failed to adequately wash hands after handling raw chicken, nearly 30 percent failed to wash or change the cutting board after cutting raw chicken and one-third failed to wash or change a knife used to cut raw chicken before cutting raw vegetables.6

    "We know that consumers want to do everything they can to keep their kitchens clean and their families safe," said Dave Wilcox, Vice President, Product Safety, Regulatory & Quality, Colgate-Palmolive. "Using Ultra Palmolive® Antibacterial Dish Liquid to clean knife blades, dishes and other hard, nonporous kitchen surfaces throughout your cooking prep and clean-up process is a simple step that can help put your cooks' minds at ease."

    References


    1"The importance of hygiene in the domestic kitchen: Implications for preparation and storage of food and infant formula." 2009. Perspectives in Public Health, March. Vol. 129 No. 2 l. http://rsh.sagepub.com/content/129/2/69.refs.html

    
2 "Use of Microbial Modeling and Monte Carlo Simulation to Determine Microbial Performance Criteria on Plastic Cutting Boards in Use in Foodservice Kitchens." 2004. Food Protection Trends, Vol. 24, No. 1: 14-19.

    3 "Quantification and Variability analysis of Bacterial Cross-Contamination Rates in Common Food Service Tasks." 2001. Journal of Food Protection, Vol. 64, No. 1: 72-80.

    4 "The survival of foodborne pathogens during domestic washing-up and subsequesnt transfer onto washing-up sponges, kitchen surfaces and food." 2002. International Journal of Food Microbiology, Vol. 85 (2003): 213- 226.

    5 "Bacterial Contamination of Hands Increases Risk of Cross-contamination among Low-income Puerto Rican Meal Preparers." 2009. Journal of Nutritional Educational Behavior, Vol. 41:389-397


    6"Cooking Practices in the Kitchen-Observed Versus Predicted Behavior." 2009. Risk Analysis, Vol. 29, No. 4. DOI: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2008.01189.x

     

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  • Hand hygiene at a petting zoo; room for improvement

    Posted: March 7th, 2011 - 7:12am by Doug Powell

    OK hockey player and erstwhile blogger about all things zoonotic, Scott Weese, published a pretty cool paper about handwashing at a petting zoo on Friday.

    Weese and doctoral candidate Maureen Anderson used a variation of our video observation system to watch and code the hand hygiene behaviors of visitors to a petting zoo at the University of Guelph’s annual open house, known as College Royal (that’s in Canada).

    Video observation with discrete cameras has a couple of advantages: actions can be repeatedly viewed to make sure they are coded correctly, and video reduces the weirdness when people notice someone stalking watching whether they wash hands, in a bathroom, kitchen, or petting zoo.

    As Weese writes in his Worms and Germs blog, “overall hand hygiene compliance was 58%. That means 58% of people that came into the petting zoo washed their hands or used a hand sanitizer on the way out. (It doesn't mean they all did it well, but they at least did something). In some ways, that number's good, when you compare to our earlier petting zoo observation study, (or even to results of hand hygiene rates of physicians in some hospitals). However, for such a short-term activity where there is easy access to facilities to wash hands or use a hand sanitizer, there's much room for improvement.

    “During the petting zoo, a few thing were changed at defined times to see if they could improve hand hygiene rates. Two things resulted in increased hand hygiene compliance; a combination of people offering hand sanitizer and improving signs, and having people at the exit reminder people to wash their hands. This suggests that people need a reminder to wash their hands. Whether they don't think about it, or can't be bothered unless someone points it out, is unclear, but having people encourage hand hygiene is a good think to consider. It's practical for short-term events like petting zoos at fairs and similar exhibits, but not as practical for permanent exhibits.”

    And not so practical for food service, hospitals and elsewhere. However a combination of rapid, relevant, reliable and repeated information, coupled with handwashing hall monitors, may increase rates of hand hygiene compliance. But more about that later. Some of the handwashing signs used in the Anderson and Weese experiment are shown, above right.

    The abstract for the paper is below.

    Video observation of hand hygiene practices at a petting zoo and the impact of hand hygiene interventions
    04.mar.11
    Epidemiology and Infection
    M. E. C. Anderson and J. S. Weese
    http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8196679
    Petting zoos are popular attractions, but can also be associated with zoonotic disease outbreaks. Hand hygiene is critical to reducing disease risks; however, compliance can be poor. Video observation of petting zoo visitors was used to assess animal and environmental contact and hand hygiene compliance. Compliance was also compared over five hand hygiene intervention periods. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used for analysis. Overall hand hygiene compliance was 58% (340/583). Two interventions had a significant positive association with hand hygiene compliance [improved signage with offering hand sanitizer, odds ratio (OR) 3·38, P<0·001; verbal hand hygiene reminders, OR 1·73, P=0·037]. There is clearly a need to improve hand hygiene compliance at this and other animal exhibits. This preliminary study was the first to demonstrate a positive impact of a hand hygiene intervention at a petting zoo. The findings suggest that active, rather than passive, interventions are more effective for increasing compliance.

     

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  • bites, barfblog and food safety

    Posted: March 7th, 2011 - 5:14am by Doug Powell

    amy.france.JPG

    bites.ksu.edu and barfblog.com are complimentary and comprehensive resources for those interested in microbial food safety – the things that make people barf.

    Too many people get sick each year from the food and water they consume. bites and barfblog are designed to inform and engage people in dialogue about food-related risks, controls and benefits, from farm-to-fork.

    For rapid, relevant and reliable food safety news, subscribe to barfblog.com and follow us on twitter; for a daily, or twice-daily summary, including barfblog.com posts, subscribe to bites-l at bites.ksu.edu.

    Dr. Doug Powell of Kansas State University, and associates, provide credible, current, evidence-based information on food safety and make it available through multiple media. Sources of food safety information include government regulatory agencies, international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), peer-reviewed scientific publications, recognized experts in the field and other sources as appropriate.

    barblog.com
    barfblog.com is where Drs. Powell, Chapman, Hubbell and assorted food safety friends offer evidence-based opinions on current food safety issues. Opinions must be evidence-based — with references — reliable and relevant. The barfblog authors edit each other, often viciously.

    Twitter and Facebook
    Breaking food safety news items that eventually appear in bites or barfblog are often posted on Twitter and Facebook for faster public notification.

    Infosheets
    Food safety infosheets are designed to influence food handler practices by utilizing four attributes culled from education, behavioral science and communication literature:
    • surprising and compelling messages;
    • putting actions and their consequence in context;
    • generating discussion within the target audiences’ environments; and
    • using verbal narrative, or storytelling, as a message delivery device.

    Food safety infosheets are based on stories about outbreaks of foodborne illness sourced from bites and barfblog and include the following: discussion of a foodborne illness outbreak; discussion of background knowledge of a pathogen (including symptoms, etiology and transmission); food handler control practices; and emerging food safety issues. Food safety infosheets also contain evidence-based prescriptive information to prevent or mitigate foodborne illness related to food handling.

    bites-l listserv
    The bites.ksu.edu listserv is a web-based mailing list that provides information about current and emerging food safety issues, gathered from journalistic and scientific sources around the world and condensed into short items or stories that make up the daily postings. The listserv has been issued continuously since 1993 and is distributed daily via e-mail to thousands of individuals worldwide in academia, industry, government, the farm community, journalists and the public at large.

    The listserv is designed to:
    • convey timely and current information for direction of research, diagnostic or investigative activities;
    • identify food risk trends and issues for risk management and communication activities; and
    • promote awareness of public concerns in scientific and regulatory circles.

    The bites listserv functions as a food safety news aggregator, summarizing available information that can be can be useful for risk managers in proactively anticipating trends and reactively address issues. The bites editor, Dr. Powell, does not say whether a story is right or wrong or somewhere in between, but rather that a story is available today for public discussion; barfblog is where contributors express their evidence-based opinions on food safety issues.

    Research
    Researchers associated with bites and barfblog conduct an array of food safety research, including:
    • effectiveness of food safety messages and media in public discussions of food safety issues, such as the risks of listeria to pregnant women, legislation related to raw milk, public availability of restaurant inspection data, and the safety of fresh produce, are evaluated through qualitative and quantitative methods;
    • observational research methodologies are used to quantify individual food safety behaviors from farm-to-fork, to enhance handwashing compliance, thermometer use, food packaging information and interventions that can reduce the number of people that get sick from the food and water they consume; and,
    • evaluation of food safety policy and alternatives.

    Teaching
    • A graduate program in food safety risk analysis – including food safety, language, culture and policy -- is being developed and will include distance-education.
    • Courses are currently taught in food safety risk analysis, and food safety reporting.

    Information
    • Dr. Powell is the publisher and editor of bites and barfblog. Dr. Ben Chapman of North Carolina State University is the assistant editor.
    • bites and barfblog are produced by a diverse team of secondary, undergraduate and graduate students as well as professionals who create multilingual and multicultural food safety and security information, including weekly food safety information sheets, and multimedia resources.
    • Research, educational and journalistic opportunities are available for secondary, undergraduate and graduate students through bites.ksu.edu and barfblog.com.

    Dr. Powell, a professor of food safety at Kansas State University, is the author of 42 peer-reviewed journal articles, 10 peer-reviewed book chapters and 1 peer-reviewed book. His cv is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/powell_cv.

    Links
    bites and barfblog may include links to other sites, which are provided as a convenience and as an additional access to the information contained therein. bites and barfblog are not responsible for the content of any other sites or any products or services that may be offered through other sites.

    Accuracy, Completeness and Timeliness of Information on the Site
    The bites and barfblog folks strive to provide accurate, complete and current information. The materials on this site are provided for general information only, and any reliance upon the material found on this site will be at your own risk. We reserve the right to modify the contents of the site at any time.

    For more information, please contact us.
     

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  • Coles cashes in on chicken myth; responding to consumer perceptions rather than leading

    Posted: March 6th, 2011 - 10:00am by Doug Powell

    An Australian supermarket campaign promoting hormone-free chicken has been called dodgy by a leading consumer watchdog.

    In-the-better-late-than-never category, Australians are finally speaking out about a Coles Supermarkets advertising promo that markets fear rather than food safety.

    According to industry groups and consumer watchdog Choice the supermarket giant is trying to capitalize on the urban myth that chickens are given hormones to speed growth.

    Adding hormones to Australian poultry was outlawed in the early 1960s but the myth of pumped-up chickens has persisted, said Dr Andreas Dubs, the executive director of the Australian Chicken Meat Federation.

    Choice spokesman Christopher Zinn said,

    "You can't have hormone-free chicken unless there are chickens that are pumped up on hormones. I think it's a little dodgy. It's true, but it's like saying it's plutonium-free or cyanide-free because it's suggesting that anything that doesn't have that label on it might have that."

    A Coles spokesman said the supermarket was just countering the myth.

    "Chicken in Australia has not been treated with hormones for over 40 years. However, there is still a widespread misconception among customers that they do. In fact in July last year, chicken producer Steggles commissioned a Newspoll study among 1000 people that showed that 76 per cent still believed that hormones and/or steroids were used in chicken production."

    So why isn’t Coles leading the formation of public perception instead of blindly following? Because there’s a buck to be made.

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    Food Safety Culture  |  Comments
  • Top 10 things that get lodged in the throat, Australia version

    Posted: March 6th, 2011 - 8:38am by Doug Powell

    Warning: avoid chunks of plastic when eating food from take-away containers.

    Maybe that’s an additional warning required for those Styrofoam containers or clamshells, popular for leftovers and take-away food.

    We developed safe handling labels for take-out food and showed those stickers can help restaurants and food providers distinguish themselves in a competitive marketplace. But now researchers report in the Medical Journal of Australia two separate cases where women accidentally swallowed a large chunk of plastic, which became stuck in their throat and required a trip to hospital to have it removed, after eating food straight out of a take-away container, which had "softened" as a result of their meal being heated up in a microwave oven.

    Dr Chris Pokorny from Sydney's Liverpool Hospital, and colleagues, write,

     

    "Given that take-away food containers are widely used, these cases highlight the need for care to be taken when heating food in such containers and then consuming directly from them."

    The doctors warn the plastic softens during the heating process, and could be sliced through during the act of cutting up a bite-sized portion of food.

    The paper also lists those items which most commonly get lodged in the throat, headed by a wad of improperly chewed food (17.1 per cent) then coins (15.6 per cent), fish bones (12.6 per cent), dental prostheses (8.6 per cent) and chicken bones (6 per cent).
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  • Jason Bradley: What did I just see you do with my sandwich

    Posted: March 5th, 2011 - 12:40pm by Doug Powell

    Failures in food hygiene are presented commonly. I experienced this while picking up my lunch recently in Springfield, Missouri. This quaint bar and grill near Sequiota Park presented me with the decision to eat it or not.

    The chicken salad sandwich was excellent but watching the preparation was not excellent. The chicken salad mix was covered but sat on the prep counter at room temperature. The owner, I assume, spooned the salad mix onto a croissant that he had just bare handedly cut and separated into two halves. He patted the two halves back together when finished and he pushed the spewing excess back into the seams. He set the creation into a to-go box, piled a few potato chips on top (again bare handed), and got a pickle from somewhere (it wasn’t from a jar). He served it with a kind-of-a-smile that I hope does not cost me in the future.

    Breaks in food hygiene protocol can cause significant discomfort to a large number of patrons. Bare hands and improperly-kept utensils can transfer foodborne-illness-causing bacteria to the prepared food or from potentially hazardous foods to ready-to-eat items. When a food preparer handles money, works the cash register, or touches the face or body while wearing gloves, the potential for contamination of ready-to-eat foods is also high.

    A simple breech in food hygiene is not so simple to correct. The process of food safety is complicated and there is a constant vigilance required to prevent or mitigate foodborne illness.
     

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  • Filbert: E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to in-shell hazelnuts

    Posted: March 4th, 2011 - 3:41pm by Doug Powell

    hazelnut.filbert.jpg

    This just in: a multi-state investigation has linked E. coli O157:H7 cases to eating in-shell hazelnuts, also known as filberts.

    Someone will probably blame consumers.

    The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) are working with counterparts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and federal agencies to investigate cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection associated with eating in-shell hazelnuts (also known as filberts) purchased from bulk bins at retail food stores. Three cases have been identified in Minnesota, three in Wisconsin, and one in Michigan.

    In Minnesota, all three cases were male and over 50 years of age. Cases were residents of Hennepin, Redwood, and Stearns counties. Two were hospitalized. All have recovered.

    Routine monitoring by the health departments in the respective states identified E. coli O157:H7 cases with the same DNA fingerprint. The individuals became ill between December 20, 2010, and January 28, 2011. All of the cases have reported eating in-shell hazelnuts from grocery stores. Of these, six purchased them from bulk bins at these stores and the other case reported purchasing similar product in a repacked form. Four of the cases reported purchasing the hazelnuts as part of mixed nuts.

    Agriculture agencies in the three states and the California Department of Public Health traced hazelnuts consumed by cases to a common distributor in California, DeFranco and Sons. This firm has recalled all hazelnut and mixed nut products distributed from November 2, 2010, to December 22, 2010. Recalled product was shipped to stores in Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

    State and federal officials urge consumers not to eat any in-shell hazelnuts included in this recall. To identify whether hazelnuts that have been purchased are part of the recall, consumers in the states listed above are advised to go to the MDA website at www.mda.state.mn.us to access a list of stores that sold bulk affected in-shell hazelnuts, either alone or as part of a mixed nut product. Also included in the recall are Sunripe Hazelnuts, Sunripe Large Hazelnuts in 1-pound packages, and Sunripe Mixed Nuts in 2-pound. and 4-pound packages, all with a “Sell-By” date of 6/30/2011. Recalled products would have been purchased after November 2, 2010. Consumers with recalled hazelnuts still in their possession should discard them or return them to the store from which they were purchased. Out-of-shell hazelnuts and products containing hazelnuts as an ingredient have not been linked to any illnesses and are not affected by the recall.

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  • Michael Scott eats: restaurant inspections in Scranton and elsewhere to go online at state website

    Posted: March 4th, 2011 - 8:14am by Doug Powell

    Diners in Scranton, Pennsylvania, famous as the home of The Office, will soon be able to check food-inspection reports from all of their favorite eateries online.

    Michael Scott will need to learn to use a computer.

    With enactment of a state law, Act 106, in late January, people will soon be able to find all reported restaurant inspection reports online at a state Department of Agriculture website. The law also codifies common standards for municipalities across the state to follow.

    Before the law took effect, 167 local jurisdictions were permitted to have their own inspection processes and reporting mechanisms.

    In Scranton, the administration is acquiring a hand-held electronic device from the Agriculture Department at no cost that will allow the health inspector to gather data at a food establishment, bring it back to City Hall and transmit it to the state for posting, said Mark Seitzinger, licensing, inspections and permits director. Council authorized the city's acquisition of the device last week.

    "We are creating a letter that will be sent to all businesses," Mr. Seitzinger added. "Our health inspections are done on a yearly basis."

    For more information, go to www.agriculture.state.pa.us, keyword "Food Safety Inspection Results."

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  • One in four 2010 food complaints in Ireland related to food premises

    Posted: March 3rd, 2011 - 4:34pm by Doug Powell

    Food contaminated with teeth, zips and washers were among the 10,898 queries and complaints received by the folks that run the food batphone in Ireland in 2010.

    The Food Safety Authority of Ireland reports that one in four of all calls related to consumers reporting issues concerning food and food establishments. Representing an increase of over 7% on 2009, these 2,126 (1,981 in 2009) complaints ranged from reports of unfit food, low hygiene standards, inaccurate labelling information and suspected food poisoning.

    The 2,126 complaints lodged by consumers were:

    • 914 complaints on unfit food
    • 433 complaints on suspect food poisoning
    • 402 complaints on hygiene standards
    • 156 complaints on incorrect information on food labeling
    • 25 complaints on incorrect advertising of food products
    • 196 other.

    The FSAI confirms that contamination with foreign objects was frequently reported by consumers. In 2010, these reports included food contaminated with live and dead insects; a tooth; a needle; safety pins; stones; and a cotton bud.

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  • Children sickened after eating cannabis cookies

    Posted: March 3rd, 2011 - 4:03pm by Doug Powell

    ABC News reports that children in California and Illinois have become ill in the last several weeks after eating cookies and brownies made with marijuana.

    The cookies were made by a Colorado company that says they are legal because they are sold for medical purposes. The kids apparently didn't know that; they shared the cookies during lunch and reported feeling nauseated about half an hour later.

    In the most recent case, several elementary school students from Vallejo, Calif., got sick after eating marijuana-laced cookies given to one of them by a convenience store clerk.

    According to the school district, the children have been released from the hospital and are doing well.

    "It's unclear if any of the children knew the cookies contained cannabis," police Sgt. Jeff Bassett said in a press release. "The packages are not clearly marked.”

    Police are still trying to find the person who gave the cookies to the store clerk.
     

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  • 11% of E. coli O157 in Scotland via secondary spread

    Posted: March 3rd, 2011 - 3:47pm by Doug Powell

    In November 1996, over 400 fell ill and 21 were killed in Scotland by E. coli O157:H7 found in deli meats produced by family butchers John Barr & Son. The Butcher of Scotland, who had been in business for 28 years and was previously awarded the title of Scottish Butcher of the Year, was using the same knives to handle raw and cooked meat.

    Locking et al report in Emerging Infectious Disease that to determine the proportion of Escherichia coli O157 cases in Scotland attributable to secondary spread, we analyzed data obtained through entire-population enhanced surveillance. We identified 11% of cases as secondary. Secondary cases in single households were younger than secondary cases in outbreaks affecting >1 household and had similar risk for hemolytic uremic syndrome.

    The full paper is available at http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/17/3/524.htm.
     

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  • 59 sickened: Hepatitis A associated with semidried tomatoes imported from Turkey, processed, served in France, 2010

    Posted: March 3rd, 2011 - 3:31pm by Doug Powell

    In January 2010, two clusters of nontraveler-associated hepatitis A were reported in 3 districts of southwestern France.

    Gallot et al. report in Emerging Infectious Disease that a single IB strain of hepatitis A virus (HAV) was isolated (FR-2010-LOUR, GenBank accession no. GU646039). We conducted an investigation to describe the outbreak, identify the vehicle of transmission and source of infection, and propose appropriate control measures.

    Cases were identified through mandatory notification or through the National Reference Centre for HAV. A total of 59 cases were identified: 49 confirmed cases (resident of France and infected with the outbreak strain) and 10 probable cases (resident of southwestern France and with a locally acquired infection positive for HAV immunoglobulin M against HAV with onset during November 1, 2009–February 28, 2010). Twelve (20%) persons were secondary case-patients (symptom onset 2–6 weeks after contact with a case-patient).

    Trace-back investigations identified a supplier in France that imported frozen semidried tomatoes from Turkey and supplied the 3 sandwich shop chains. In France, the frozen semidried tomatoes were defrosted and processed with oil and herbs before distribution. No heat treatment, disinfection, or washing was conducted after defrosting. The period of distribution of 1 batch matched the estimated period of contamination of nonsecondary cases. This batch was no longer available at the supplier or at the sandwich shops for virologic analysis or for recall.

    Our results suggest that this nationwide hepatitis A outbreak was associated with eating 1 batch of semidried tomatoes imported from Turkey and processed in France. Infected food handlers are the most frequently documented source of contamination by HAV of food items, but food also can be contaminated by contact of products or machinery with contaminated water. Therefore, the tomatoes may have been contaminated during processing by the supplier in France, during production in Turkey, or during growing. Fecal contamination of foods that are not subsequently cooked is a potential source of HAV, and the virus remains infectious for long periods, even after freezing. Various fresh or frozen produce have been associated with hepatitis A outbreaks.

    Recently, three other hepatitis A outbreaks were associated with eating semidried tomatoes: in Australia in May and November 2009 and in the Netherlands in 2010

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  • Un repas de pompiers volontaires est lié à une intoxication alimentaire

    Posted: March 1st, 2011 - 7:14pm by Doug Powell

    Translated by Albert Amgar

    Au moins 50 personnes malades à l’issue de cet évènement communautaire

    Le dîner annuel de la caserne des pompiers de Silver Lake au Caitlin Gardens Catering Hall à Slate Hill, New York, a été mis en cause comme étant la source d'une éclosion d’intoxications alimentaires. Au moins 50 personnes, dont beaucoup étaient des pompiers, ont rapporté les symptômes suivants : nausées, crampes abdominales, diarrhées, et vomissements, le lendemain de l'événement.

    Le département de la santé de l’Orange County (NY), le département de la santé de l'État de New York et les services des pompiers de Silver Lake ont poursuivi l’enquête afin d’identifier l’agent pathogène probable et sa cause. Suite à l’enquête à l’issue de l’intoxication alimentaire, les autorités sanitaires ont dit qu'il n'y avait pas de problèmes significatifs que ce soit avec l'installation ou les procédures de manipulation observées.

    Que pouvez-vous faire ?
    • Cuire les aliments aux températures recommandées
    • Maintenir les aliments chauds au-dessus de 58°C et les aliments froids au-dessous de 5°C
    • Utiliser un thermomètre digital sensible pour confirmer les températures de cuisson et les températures de conservation au chaud et au froid
    • Éviter la contamination croisée entre les aliments crus et les aliments prêts à être consommés et les ustensiles utilisés pour préparer ces aliments
    • Avoir une bonne hygiène personnelle et des installations sanitaires

    Les événements communautaires, tels que les réceptions à l’issue d’un mariage, les pique-niques d’église et les collectes de fonds sont des sources fréquentes d’intoxications alimentaires. Ces événements ont souvent lieu dans des installations provisoires et sont gérés par des bénévoles.
     

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  • Safe Tables Our Priority webinar tonight; Risky Foods How to Protect Yourself

    Posted: March 1st, 2011 - 3:48pm by Doug Powell

    Be careful.

    Question everything.

    Me and Michael Batz (right, pretty much as shown) will be sharing our food safety thoughts in a STOP webinar tonight from 8:30 -- 9:30 p.m. EST.

    Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
    https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/846828774

    After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

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  • Playboy Mansion bacteria points to Legionnaires’ disease outbreak

    Posted: March 1st, 2011 - 2:56pm by Doug Powell

    Los Angeles County public health officials have identified Legionella bacteria, which causes Legionnaires’ disease, at a water source at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles in its investigation of the source of illness that sickened people after a fundraiser earlier this month.

    Public health officials have suspected Legionnaires’ disease in the outbreak, a disease spread by bacteria that causes respiratory illness, such as a cough, and malaise, chills and fever.

    Officials, however, have not ruled out other bacteria or viruses, because Legionella bacteria are commonly found in moist environments, Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the county Department of Public Health, said in a statement.

    Health officials have said that the people fell ill after they attended DomainFest’s Feb. 1-3 conference, which culminated with a fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles.

    DomainFest released a statement Tuesday that urged those who attended the Feb. 3 fundraising event at the Playboy Mansion to fill out a confidential survey to assist health officials with their investigation.

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  • Calling lasercats: Pennsylvania pizza owner accused of 'food terrorism by mice,' sabotaging rivals

    Posted: March 1st, 2011 - 2:45pm by Doug Powell

    A Pennsylvania pizza shop owner is in jail after he allegedly dumped live vermin in his competitors' restaurants in a case cops are calling "food terrorism by mice."

    Nikolas Galiatsatos, 47, who owns Nina's Bella Pizzeria in Upper Darby walked into Verona Pizza, a few blocks away from his shop on Monday afternoon carrying a bag and asking to use the restroom.

    When Fanis Facas, the owner of Verona's, went to inspect the bathroom after hearing a banging noise, he discovered footprints on the toilet and a bag tucked into the ceiling. He turned the bag over to two officers that happened to be eating in the restaurant.

    Cops suspected it was a possible drug deal, but instead of finding drugs in the bag, they found several mice, according to the Delaware County Daily Times.

    Galiatsatos was then seen walking across the street to Uncle Nick's Pizza. Cops said after he left the second pizza parlor they found another bag containing five living mice and one dead mouse in a trash can.

    He was promptly arrested and now faces charges of criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, harassment and cruelty to animals.
     

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  • NC health inspections; yuck factor vs. illness factor

    Posted: March 1st, 2011 - 9:28am by Ben Chapman

    Author: 
    Ben Chapman

    While it might be nice to know whether there has been an insect problem or some flies at a restaurant (for yuck reasons), I'd prefer to know about how well the staff manages the recognized foodborne illness risk factors: improper cooking temps; improper storage/holding temps; handwashing and hygiene; cross-contamination and safe sources.

    Or whether the place sends people home when they are ill.

    Mike Baker of the Raleigh AP desk wrote a couple of articles over the weekend (here and here) detailing an analysis of the health inspection reports across North Carolina and weird findings.

    I agree with and like my friend Angie Fraser's quote in one of Mike's articles saying that it's hard to figure out exactly what scores mean. Angie was quoted as saying the scores are meaningless to her because the system doesn't focus enough on violations that are a risk to public health.  "A critical violation is a risk factor," said Dr. Angela Fraser, a food-safety education specialist at Clemson University who previously served on an advisory committee related to North Carolina's sanitation ratings. "If a risk factor is present, it's not a Grade A restaurant in my mind."

    I'd even take it one step further and say that I'd love to see information about the critical violation right on the posted score. Or add a smart barcode to it so I can scan it and see the full report myself. I'm all about more information instead of less. When I'm really interested in the inspection history of the place before I go, I currently I check the Wake County website. But a resource like this isn't available for all counties.

    When Mike and I chatted a bit about his investigation one of the things we focused on was a disparity the perception of risks between the yuck factor (which patrons really seem to want to know about) and evidence-based factors that lead to foodborne illness. Roaches seem to mean more than cross-contamination to folk.

    That's a pretty good indicator that we're failing as food safety communicators. It's not that patrons don't get it and it's okay to laugh off how dumb they are when it comes to them getting it wrong. It's more about food safety professionals not being compelling enough with messages around more serious risks.


     

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