Neil Young once had to cancel some tour dates because he sliced a guitar finger while making a ham sandwich.

New Zealand's state-run Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), which offers universal insurance cover for accidents, released figures today showing the cost of treatment, rehabilitation and compensation for accidents recorded last Christmas Day have topped $NZ1.9 million ($1.45 million).

That includes several claims for ham-related injuries - including carving mishaps and burns, neck and knee strains from carrying heavy hams, and even a crushed finger after a ham toppled from a stand.

Most of the 3,040 Christmas Day injuries accepted by ACC resulted from outdoor activities - including frisbee, fishing, slippery sliding, trampolining and poolside antics.

One person laughed so hard they fainted, hitting their head in the garden, another broke their tooth on a dislodged gem that ended up on the menu, and someone taking their post-lunch nap was injured when a drunk person stood on their face.

A Sydney butcher who used illegal additives to make meat appear more appealing has been fined over $9,000 by the Chief Industrial Magistrates Court, relating to four offences under the New South Wales NSW Food Act.

Mr Craig Sahlin, Acting CEO of the NSW Food Authority, welcomed the result and said the court’s decision to fine Abdul Hassan, trading as Green Valley Halal Meats a total of $9,000 plus costs was a stern reminder to those who flout food safety laws.

“NSW consumers have every right to expect that the food they buy is safe,” Mr Sahlin said.

“Illegal and excessive use of preservatives in food will not be tolerated. The NSW Food Authority is diligent in its investigation and enforcement to ensure food products are safe and that consumers are protected.”

An officer from the NSW Authority visited Green Valley Halal Meats in May 2011 following a complaint made by a consumer who had suffered an asthmatic reaction as a result of eating meat sold by the butcher.

Samples of diced meat obtained from the Green Valley premises were found to contain the illegal preservative sulfur dioxide (SO2) which is often used to disguise old or inferior meat. Sausages and sausage meat product also found at the premises were found to contain SO2 well in excess of the permitted level for sausages.

“The addition of sulfur dioxide to meat can make it appear redder, brighter and fresher to consumers,” Mr Sahlin said.

“Not only is this deceptive it can also present a very real danger for people who are allergic to the chemical, such as people who suffer from asthma.”

Abdul Hassan was previously fined for one offence under the NSW Food Act for adding SO2 to minced meat.

“This is a clear message to those few operators who continue to do the wrong thing – you will be found out.”

Cross-contamination has been identified by WHO and CDC as a risk-factor that could lead to foodborne illness. Some folks, me included, have suggested that we don't know a whole lot about cross-contamination (mechanisms for transfer and how often they happen). In a study a couple of years ago, we video recorded handling practices in food service kitchens, and saw quite a bit of cross-contamination. 

And most of it was indirect - where equipment or utensils (like sinks and knives) was an intermediate that facilitated transfer.

The newest food safety infosheet, a graphical one-page food safety-related story directed at food businesses, demonstrates some of the consequences of indirect cross-contamination.

Food Safety Infosheet Highlights:
- 75 ill with salmonellosis after eating at the Tenth Hole Tea Rooms in Southsea (U.K.)
- Salmonella found in pre-cooked pasta and dishcloths, staff tested positive
- Don't wash raw meats. Salmonella and other bugs can be sprayed up to 3 feet away by washing.

Click here to download the sheet.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn on Friday voiced serious concerns about New York City’s restaurant inspection and grading system, calling for a series of oversight hearings for a process that she criticized as borderline harassment.

Michael Howard Saul of The Wall Street Journal explains that beginning in July 2010, in a high-profile move that drew the ire of the food industry but won kudos from diners, the Bloomberg administration began requiring restaurants to post cards with letter grades—A, B or C—reflecting the eatery's performance on sanitary inspections conducted by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Ms. Quinn said she will authorize a series of oversight hearings on a variety of topics related to the inspection system, including whether the grading system is working and whether it has been implemented fairly. The council will also examine whether food trucks and street carts should be required to post grades, mirroring what brick-and-mortar restaurants must do now.

In a statement, Susan Craig, a spokeswoman for the Health Department, noted that surveys show 90% of New Yorkers approve of the grading and inspection program.

"We are delighted by its success. … "The program was not designed to be punitive. The program's goal remains to provide New Yorkers with critical data when making their dining choices while encouraging restaurants to operate in the cleanest, safest way possible. Our hope is to see only A's in restaurant windows."

Robert Bookman, an attorney representing hundreds of city restaurants, said, "Folks feel the Health Department is at war with the restaurant industry in the city of New York and that they see it as a cash cow. Bottom line, the grade system is built on a faulty point-system foundation that has only served to triple fines collected, while adding nothing to public food safety."

Mr. Bookman said the restaurant industry opposes the letter-grade system entirely. But if the city continues to keep using letter grades, he said, changes should be made.

Under the current system, if a restaurant does not receive an A, a second, unannounced inspection is conducted about a month later. But that inspection is completely new, and Mr. Bookman argued that it should instead be a re-inspection where the Health Department looks only to see if the problems identified on the first visit were fixed.

That lawyer needs better arguments. There’s lots of research out there about impact and effectiveness of restaurant disclosure systems. Horror stories of filthy restaurants in NYC are publicly available every week.

On October 18, 2011, the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD), Office of Epidemiology received reports of gastrointestinal illness from two independent groups of patrons of Restaurant A located in Las Vegas. People from both groups ate during dinner hours at the restaurant on October 14, 2011. Of the eight people from the two groups, seven reported symptoms of diarrhea and/or vomiting after they consumed food from Restaurant A.

In response to these illness reports, the SNHD initiated an investigation. symptoms, and identical norovirus (NoV) genetic sequences were detected from ill persons of two independent dining parties. No ill person was hospitalized, and no death occurred.

NoV can spread via direct contact with NoV‐containing fecal matter or aerosolized vomitus, or by indirect contact with them via environmental surfaces. The high propensity of NoV for person‐to‐person spread might explain illnesses among primary‐cases and their household contacts. The outbreak appeared to have been confined to Restaurant A and did not spread to the general community.

Ice water and margaritas were significantly more likely to be consumed among primary cases when compared to controls diners, and were consumed by nearly all primary‐case diners.

Drinking water or ice contaminated with NoV has resulted in outbreaks in food‐service settings. However, the contamination of frequently served food items such as water and ice (also a main ingredient for margarita) in a high‐volume restaurant would have resulted in numerous diners becoming ill, and cannot explain the relatively small number of diners who complained of illness after eating at Restaurant A on and after October 14. An alternative explanation may be that infected staff member(s) might have contaminated the food prior to serving them to customers.

The low inoculums (≥18 viral particles) required for transmission of NoV, and prolonged period of fecal shedding of the virus can enable infected food handlers to contaminate food products . Additionally, the majority of interviewed staff at Restaurant A admitted to pouring and serving drinks, and frequently placing garnishes (e.g. lemons, limes, and other fruits) into beverages prior to serving them to customers. Coupled with EH observations that employees handled ready‐to‐eat food using bare hands, the contamination of beverages with NoV could have occurred via infected worker(s) using bare hands to dispense or garnish beverages. Minimizing bare hand contact with ready‐to‐eat food is recommended as a mean of interrupting disease transmission. Workers whose job duties include preparing food and beverages must minimize bare hand contact with ready‐to‐eat food, including items used as garnishes for food and drinks.

Abstract below:
We describe an investigation of an outbreak of norovirus infection at a restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada that was suspected to be associated with restaurant staff using bare hands to place garnishes into beverages. We conducted a case‐control study and surveillance for additional illnesses, performed inspections of the restaurant, and collected stool specimens to test for norovirus. Eight ill restaurant patrons and 23 control subjects were interviewed.
Univariate analysis showed several food items were associated with illness, but only ice water and margarita were consumed by members of all affected dining groups. Four stool specimens were positive for norovirus by real‐time reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction, with all four sequenced specimens being identical and closely related to norovirus strain GII.4J Apeldorn NLD07. To prevent such outbreaks, restaurant workers whose job duties include
preparing food and beverages must minimize bare hand contact with ready‐to‐eat food, including items used as garnishes for food and drinks.

Calgary’s Oakridge Co-op had to take several drastic - and costly - measures over a two-month period last year as a result of food tampering incidents, manager Al Madsen testified on Thursday.

Madsen said from the first discovery of food products with pins and nails in them, on Jan. 18, 2010, until a suspect, Tatyana Granada (right), was arrested on March 16, 2010, about a dozen surveillance cameras were installed to go along with the two or three cameras in place in January.

He said some cameras were installed with the knowledge of staff after the January incidents and several more strategically located cameras were "installed surreptitiously after staff left," following further tampering incidents on Feb. 17.

Madsen said the cost of the new cameras was between $35,000 and $40,000.

He told Crown prosecutor Martha O'Connor at Granada's trial that the store was closed at least twice to conduct entire grid searches for tampered products.

Madsen said the pattern of tampering was consistent through January, where pins and nails were placed in fresh foods in the cheese, deli, bakery and produce sections. Still, the Co-op and police were stymied.

Madsen said undercover security officers were hired to be on the lookout at all times for possible tampering by customers or staff.

Following yet another rash of discoveries of food items with pins in them on March 11, 2010, the manager said it was decided not to close the store again, but to have cashiers inform all customers at checkouts to be vigilant about checking any food products for tampering.

That day, the bulk food bins were dumped out and because the store could not ensure safety of customers, $9,000 worth of food was thrown out.

It was around that time that assistant manager Chris Goode identified Granada as having been barred from the Co-op stores in December 2009 for shoplifting.

Madsen said he reviewed video surveillance of Granada's entire shopping trip from March 10, 2010, and outlined her route and where she stopped.

Granada, 44, is on trial for three counts of mischief causing property damage and five counts of trespassing, for entering Oakridge Co-op. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Madsen said no further tampered products have been found since Granada's arrest.

In Aug. 2009, reports of patients with Salmonella Enteritidis phage type 8 began to increase in Portsmouth, UK.

Health types launched an investigation centered on one restaurant that served up to 250 customers today, which at the time was identified by local media as Tenth Hole Tea Rooms in Southsea.

In results published in the current issue of Epidemiology and Infection, investigators identified 75 people sickened. The abstract is below. But the paper contains some unplucked gems on how – or how not – to run a restaurant and the role of designing microbiological safety into operations. Among the observations, all which contributed to the outbreak:

• SE PT8 was isolated from a cloth in the pot wash area. A sample of precooked pasta had a total viable count of 1.3r 108 /g of SE PT8 suggestive of poor hygiene.

• The supplier of lettuce had been changed prior to the outbreak resulting in the replacement of ready washed lettuce to lettuce which required washing. The new lettuce was washed in a sink also used for washing raw chicken.

• Although some staff had defined working responsibilities, there was a complex system of rotas and responsibilities between full-time/part-time staff due to long opening hours (07:00–20:00 hours) with up to 250 customers per day. During the investigation, it became clear that processes and procedures were complex as well. Staff would quickly change working responsibilities at short notice, depending on the demands at the time, increasing the risk of contamination unless satisfactory standards of hygiene were continually observed.

• Staff were assigned to one of four roles on the work rota. These were front of house, chefs and kitchen, wash up and runners, with a large amount of interchange and multitasking. Positive Salmonella results were obtained from staff in each of these work areas.

Don’t wash lettuce in the same sink as raw chicken; don’t even wash raw chicken; and don’t let sick workers work.

Large outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis PT8 in Portsmouth, UK, associated with a restaurant***
15.dec.11
Epidemiology and Infection, FirstView Article : pp 1-9
E. Severi, L. Booth, S. Johnson, P. Cleary, M. Rimington, D. Saunders, P. Cockcroft and C. Ihekweazu
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8456721
SUMMARY
Seventy-five individuals with Salmonella infection were identified in the Portsmouth area during August and September 2009, predominantly Salmonella Enteritidis phage type 8. Five patients were admitted to hospital. A case-case comparison study showed that a local restaurant was the most likely source of the infection with a risk of illness among its customers 25-fold higher than that of those who did not attend the restaurant. A case-control study conducted to investigate specific risk factors for infection at the restaurant showed that eating salad was associated with a threefold increase in probability of illness. Changing from using ready washed lettuces to lettuces requiring washing and not adhering strictly to the 48 hours exclusion policy for food handlers with diarrhoea were likely to have contributed to the initiation and propagation of this outbreak. Possibilities for cross-contamination and environmental contamination were identified in the restaurant.

Hannaford, a Scarborough, Maine-based grocery chain, is recalling fresh ground beef products that may be contaminated with a strain of Salmonella Typhimurium that has sickened at least 14 people.

The PFGE pattern associated with this outbreak is reported rarely in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) have reported 14 ill persons with an indistinguishable PFGE pattern, and 11 of those individuals reported consuming ground beef. Seven individuals were hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. Ten of the 14 case-patients reported purchasing ground beef at Hannaford stores in Maine, New York, New Hampshire and Vermont between Oct. 12 and Nov. 20. No other product description is available at this time.

As a result of on-going epidemiologic and traceback investigations, as well as in-store reviews, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), working with CDC and its state health partners, determined that there is a link between the Hannaford ground beef products and this illness outbreak.

The outbreak strain ofSalmonella Typhimurium has initially tested resistant to multiple commonly prescribed antibiotics, including drug classes such as beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, and cephalosporins. Additional information on drug resistance will be made public as it becomes available.

Based on an examination of Hannaford's limited records, FSIS was unable to determine responsible suppliers. FSIS recently identified this problem at the retail level and is pursuing rulemaking to address the concern. This recall is being issued as part of a continuing investigation. FSIS has not yet been able to identify FSIS-regulated suppliers of raw beef ground at Hannaford Stores related to the outbreak that could be subject to recall action.

The products subject to recall are any size package of the following:
• "73% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"
• "75% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"
• "80% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"
• "85% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"
• "90% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"
• "80% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef"
• "85% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef"
• "90% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef"
• "85% Nature's Place Ground Beef"
"90% Nature's Place Ground Beef."

Just cook it doesn’t cut it.

Especially when 10 per cent of 42 samples of packaging on chicken is contaminated with campylobacter on the outside.

(And another reason to wrap any poultry in extra plastic, especially if placing into a reusable bag.)

The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland and other groups said the study confirmed the results of a previous survey by the group that also showed that approximately 10% of samples were contaminated.

The Chairman of the West of Scotland Food Liaison Group (WOSFLG), Mr Leslie Paton said, “We know that it is fairly common to find Campylobacter in raw chicken but we were quite concerned about the extent to which the external surfaces of the packaging were also contaminated. There are implications for anyone handling such packaging and consumers should take care as there is a possibility of cross contamination to other surfaces and foods.”