Thursday, June 10, 2010

Outbreaks and Alerts: June 10, 2010

A daily digest of international outbreaks, alerts and food safety news

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Alabama. June 9: The Alabama Department of Public Health has expanded advisories due to the increased presence of oil in coastal areas. Public Health is posting advisories not to swim in Bayou St. John, Terry Cove, Cotton Bayou, Old River or in Alabama waters west of the Dauphin Island Bridge, also known as Mississippi Sound.
  • Walla Walla County, WA. June 9: Residents served by Green Tank have been instructed to boil their tap water or buy bottled water until further notice after E. coli bacteria were detected in the water supply.
  • Tallahassee, FL. June 9: The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has implemented a new toll-free hotline at 1-800-357-4273 to provide consumers with current information about the status of Florida’s open and closed fishing harvest areas, the availability of seafood varieties, and general pricing information.
  • Pueblo, CO. June 9: The Pueblo City-County Health Department announced that transmission of hepatitis A may have occurred on May 31, 2010, at Desert Hawk at Pueblo West golf course. People who had ice, cold drinks with ice, or cut fruit on May 31, 2010 at Desert Hawk at Pueblo West golf course may be at risk for developing hepatitis A, and should receive an injection of hepatitis A vaccine or gamma globulin no later than June 11.
  • Kansas City, MO. June 9: EPA Region 7 has taken a series of civil enforcement actions against three beef feedlot operations in Iowa for violations of the Clean Water Act, as part of a continuing enforcement emphasis aimed at ending harmful discharges of pollutants from concentrated animal feeding operations ( CAFOs ) into the region’s rivers and streams. In some cases, E. coli was found in the wastewater from the feedlot operations.
  • Washington, DC. June 10: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is ending all uses of the insecticide endosulfan in the United States. Endosulfan, which is used on vegetables, fruits, and cotton, can pose unacceptable neurological and reproductive risks to farmworkers and wildlife and can persist in the environment.
  • Springfield, IL. June 10: The Subway Salmonella Hvittingfoss outbreak has grown to 71 confirmed cases in 22 counties.
  • Owensboro, KY. June 10: More than 80 people in Daviess County have contracted shigellosis and three children have been hospitalized with symptoms of watery diarrhea. Test results indicate that the outbreak is not due either to contaminated food or to contaminated water.



Canada
  • Sarnia, ON. June 9: The County of Lambton Community Health Services Department continues to investigate an outbreak of Cyclospora infection in people who attended the Big Sisters of Sarnia-Lambton Chef's Challenge on May 12, 2010. Lab tests have confirmed the illness in 40 attendees; at least 193 people have reported symptoms consisent with Cyclospora infection. The County is being assisted in the outbreak investigation by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Public Health Agency of Canada, and Canadian Food Inspection Agency.


Europe
  • Moscow, Russia. June 10: A woman and her 10-month old baby have been diagnosed with cholera after arriving from India. Health authorities assure the public that there is no evidence that the infection has been spread to others.
  • The World Health Organization and Denmark's Statens Serum Institut report an upsurge of Salmonella Concord infections among Ethiopian adoptees in Denmark in 2009.


Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
  • Damascus, Syria. June 10: Syria has temporarily banned the import of bovine meat from India due to quality issues.
  • Nepal. June 10: The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) of Nepal's Department of Health Services has registered 21 deaths and 609 cases of diarrhea during the period of May 27 through June 9, 2010.
  • Hong Kong. June 10: The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health isinvestigating a case of cholera in an eight months old girl who developed fever and watery diarrhoea on May 23 this year while she was in India. The child is being treated in isolation in Princess Margaret Hospital and is in a stable condition.
  • Taipei, Taiwan. June 10: The Consumers' Foundation said that 25 percent of the bean curd products it inspected recently contained enough benzoic acid and other chemicals to cause liver damage or stomach cancer.



Australia and New Zealand


Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Tamaulipas, Mexico. June 10: Up to 300 children a day are arriving to the Children's Hospital with gastroenteritis or dehydration problems as a result of the high temperatures in recent days have reached 42 degrees Celsius.



Posted by Phyllis E at Thursday, June 10, 2010 0 comments
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Recall Roundup: June 10, 2010

Here is today's list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals and allergy alerts. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States & Canada
  • Pet Food Safety Recall: The Procter & Gamble Company recalls specific lots of its Iams canned cat food in North America as a precautionary measure. Diagnostic testing indicated that the product may contain insufficient levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1), which is essential for cats. The recall encompasses all varieties of Iams ProActive Health canned Cat and Kitten Food (3 oz & 5.5 oz cans) bearing expiration dates of 09/2011 to 06/2012 on the bottom of the can. The recalled cat food was distributed throughout North America.


Europe


Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket's recall web site.


*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.



Posted by Phyllis E at Thursday, June 10, 2010 1 comments
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Subway Sandwiches Sicken 68

Illinois Salmonella outbreak covers 22 counties

Sixty-eight patrons of at least 30 different Subway restaurant locations in 22 Illinois counties have been infected with Salmonella Hvittingfoss since May 11th, according to a June 9th update from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

The 68 victims range in age from 3 to 88 years old. Although 24 people have been hospitalized, all 68 victims are recovering.

As of June 7th, a specific food item has not been identified as the source of the outbreak. FDA, CDC, local health departments, and the Subway restaurant chain are cooperating with IDPH in the investigation. In addition, Subway has withdrawn all produce items – lettuce, green peppers, red onion and tomatoes – from the suspected dates from its restaurants and has replaced the product with new, fresh produce.

This is the third Subway-linked food poisoning outbreak in recent years, and the second in Illinois.
  • In 2008, at least 120 people across the United Kingdom and Ireland became infected with Salmonella Agona as a result of eating Subway sandwiches containing contaminated meat that was supplied by Dawn Farm Foods of Ireland. One person died. At first, Subway denied that it was involved in the outbreak – even though it had already withdrawn the suspect meat products from its food outlets.
  • On March 4, 2010, the DuPage County Health Department alerted the public to an outbreak of shigellosis that involved customers of a Subway location in Lombard, IL. That outbreak grew to encompass 123 confirmed victims; 13 were hospitalized. While the specific source of the contamination was never determined, the Lombard Subway was closed down for six weeks while the facility was scrubbed down and disinfected.

One can tell a lot about a company's commitment to food safety by how it reacts to an outbreak, or even to a customer comment.
  • Jack In The Box responded to the deadly 1992 E. coli O157:H7 outbreak by hiring Dr. David Theno to completely revamp the company's food safety program.
  • Dunkin Donuts responded to my observations about some food safety issues in one of their Bangkok outlets in 2008 by contacting the area manager, making corrections, and reporting back to me.
  • Martha Stewart Living responded to my comments on the microbiological safety of some poultry recipes in one of their magazines by adding thermometer instructions and target temperatures in subsequent issues.

Subway, in contrast, has not even acknowledged the outbreak on its corporate website.

No wonder that Jared Fogle lost weight on his Subway Diet!


If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.

Posted by Phyllis E at Thursday, June 10, 2010 0 comments
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Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Outbreaks and Alerts: June 9, 2010

A daily digest of international outbreaks, alerts and food safety news

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Alabama. June 4: Alabama agencies expand precautionary advisories in Fort Morgan, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, due to oil from the BP oil well blow-out.
  • Oregon. June 4: The Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announce the closure of the Oregon Coast to recreational razor clam harvesting, from Coos Bay south to Bandon, due to elevated levels of domoic acid.
  • St. Petersburg, FL. June 7: NOAA modifies commercial and recreational fishing closure in the oil-affected portions of the Gulf of Mexico. All commercial and recreational fishing including catch and release is prohibited in the closed area; however, transit through the area is allowed.
  • Springfield, IL. June 8: The number of confirmed cases of Salmonella Hvittingfoss infections linked to Subway restaurants has risen to 60 people. Cases have been confirmed in 22 Illinois counties. The investigation into this outbreak is continuing.
  • Coos County, OR. June 9: An Oregon Public Health advisory has been issued due to higher-than-normal levels of bacteria in ocean waters at Bastendorff Beach in Coos County. Direct contact with the water should be avoided, and visitors should avoid wading in nearby creeks or in discolored water, and stay clear of water runoff flowing into the ocean.
  • Clatsop County, OR. June 9: A health advisory for contact with marine water at Tolovana State Park Beach in Clatsop County has been lifted.
  • Baton Rouge, LA. June 9: The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has closed oyster harvesting Area 27 in response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf.


Canada
  • Ottawa, ON. June 8: Health Canada is warning Canadians that the unauthorized health products ”Vigofit“ and ”Once More,” which are promoted to enhance male sexual performance, have been seized by Health Canada inspectors from retail stores in Abbotsford and Surrey, British Columbia. These two products contain sildenafil, a prescription medication that may pose serious and potentially life-threatening health risks, particularly to people with heart problems.


Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
  • Hong Kong. June 8: A 26-year-old woman has been arrested in a joint operation by the Police and the Department of Health (DH) as part of their follow-up investigation into the sale of a slimming product, S&S Super Slender, which was earlier found to contain undeclared western drug ingredients that may cause serious side effects. The investigation is continuing.
  • Kukuom, Ghana. June 8: Manhyia Number 4, a predominantly farming community near Sankore in Asunafo South District, has been hit by an outbreak of typhoid for the past one month. About six people have so far been affected by the disease, which residents attributed to lack of potable drinking water.
  • Navosa, Fiji. June 9: No new typhoid cases have been reported, and officials say that the outbreak is under control; nearly 2300 people living in the affected area were vaccinated as part of the containment effort.


Australia and New Zealand
  • Darwin, Australia. June 9: The Health Department has announced that high counts of the E. coli bacteria have been found at Darwin's Mindil, Vesteys and East Point beaches. The beaches will be closed to swimming and fishing until further notice.
  • New South Wales, Australia. June 9: Primo Pty Ltd, Australia’s largest manufacturer of smallgoods, has been fined $233,325 plus $200,000 costs for labelling imported pork products as Australian. The company pled guilty to importing Danish and Canadian pork products and labeling the processed pork products as "Product of Australia" and "Meat content 100% Australian."



Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Cuernavaca, Mexico. June 7: Two children have died of dehydration caused by diarrhea; there have been 33,000 cases of gastroenteritis reported so far this year.
  • Blumenau, Brazil. June 8: An Old Quarter nursery school has been closed for cleaning and disinfection after an outbreak of diarrhea – suspected to be due to rotavirus – among 16 children attending the school.


Posted by Phyllis E at Wednesday, June 09, 2010 0 comments
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Recall Roundup: June 9, 2010

Here is today's list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals and allergy alerts. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Pharmaceutical Safety Recall: Pfizer Inc recalls Metronidazole, Ciprofloxacin and Ondansetron IV Products due to the presence of floating matter and non-sterility discovered by the manufacturer Claris Laboratories.
  • Pharmaceutical Safety Recall: West-Ward Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Eatontown, NJ) recalls all lots of Claris LifeSciences Inc. manufactured Ondansetron in 5% Dextrose Injection, supplied in 32mg/50mL Single-Use Plastic Bag Containers and Metronidazole Injection 500mg/100ml USP in Flexible IV Plastic Bag Containers.


Europe
  • Allergy Alert (UK): The Food Standards Agency warns consumers that Tree of Life dried apricots (all pack sizes and code dates) contain undeclared sulphites. The company has contacted retailers that sell the product, and advised them of the need to remove the product from sale until it is over-labelled with the correct allergy information.
  • Consumer Product Safety Notification (EU #2010.0728): Migration of formaldehyde from melamine bowls from China; distributed in the Czech Republic.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2010.0729): Salmonella in soyabean meal in bulk from Argentina; distributed in Poland.
  • Consumer Product Safety Notification (EU #2010.0730): Migration of formaldehyde and too high level of total migration from melamine bowl with cover from China; distributed in the Czech Republic.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2010.0731): Chlormequat in grapes from India; distributed in Lithuania.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2010.0732): Mercury in vacuum packed swordfish filets from France; distributed in Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2010.0733): Chlormequat in white seedless grapes from India; distributed in Austria.
  • Animal Feed Safety Notification (EU #2010.0734): Salmonella Mbandaka in rapemeal from Belgium; distributed in France.
  • Consumer Product Safety Notification (EU #2010.0735): Migration of formaldehyde from melamine salad bowls from China; distributed in Poland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2010.0736): High content of iodine in dried seaweed from China; distributed in France and Germany.



Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket's recall web site.


*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.



Posted by Phyllis E at Wednesday, June 09, 2010 0 comments
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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Outbreaks and Alerts: June 8, 2010

A daily digest of international outbreaks, alerts and food safety news

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Anchorage, AK. June 7: Sapphire Princess completes Alaska cruise after 96 passengers come down with Norovirus gastroenteritis. Some of the infected passengers were "asked" to remain in their rooms for the duration of the voyage to limit the spread of the highly contagious virus. The ship was "super-sanitized" in Seattle before the next load of passengers was permitted to embark.
  • Silver Spring, MD. June 7: Lifesoy Inc., a San Diego-based manufacturer of ready-to-eat soy products that was cited by FDA for preparing, packing, and holding articles of food under insanitary conditions, has entered into a consent decree of permanent injunction in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. The consent decree requires Lifesoy to stop manufacturing and distributing food products until the company registers with the FDA and complies with federal laws regarding sanitary practices.
  • Springfield, IL. June 7: 48 cases of Salmonella Hvittingfoss have now been associated with the ongoing investigation of illnesses among customers who ate at certain Subway restaurants in 18 Illinois counties. All patients, of which 17 had been hospitalized, are recovering. Health investigators still have not traced the illnesses to a specific food source.
  • San Bernardino, CA. June 7: Two persons were issued citation for hawking (illegal selling) infractions, 16 persons received citations for misdemeanor food violations, and one person received a citation for felony violation of dairy products during an "Illegal Vendor Compliance Operation" conducted by the Rural Crime Task Force and the West Foothill Sheriff's Station. Three of the violators later returned to the area and were arrested and booked into the West Valley Detention Center for a Health and Safety Code. The action was taken following complaints from the public about an increase in the number of illegal roadside food vendors in the area.
  • Saratoga Springs, UT. June 8: The Utah County Department of Health thinks that the Campylobacter outbreak in Saratoga Springs may be waning. As of the last published update (May 20th), there have been 17 confirmed and 333 probable cases of Campylobacter gastroenteritis. The outbreak has been blamed on contaminated drinking water.


Canada
  • Ottawa, ON. June 7: The Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services has shut down the Little Angels Academy daycare facility on Cedarview Road in the Barrhaven area, citing health reasons.


Europe
  • Aberdeen, Scotland. June 7: MV Hjaltland, which is currently docked at Aberdeen harbour, has been taken out of service for 48 hours for extensive cleaning after a bus party from Hereford became ill within an hour of boarding the vessel on Friday in Lerwick.
  • France. June 8: The number of confirmed cases of salmonellosis in the outbreak that has been linked to contaminated dried sausage from Salaisons du Lignon has risen to 90 people. The manufacturer has expanded an earlier product recall to encompass all Lou Montagnard brand "Saucisse sèche droite nature La Pause Auvergnate" with expiration dates up to and including 24/08/10.
  • Sweden. June 8: The National Food Administration has received complaints of a metallic taste in some pine nuts. After extensive lab testing, NFA toxicologists have been unable to detect any hazardous chemical or toxin in the pine nuts.
  • Vladivostok, Russia. June 8: Food safety specialists are warning consumers that 3.5 million eggs that were past their expiration dates were sold in the Vladivostok area. These eggs may present a health risk if consumed.


Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
  • Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. June 7: Food poisoning has caused 10 deaths and 704 illnesses in Vietnam during the past month. Of the 704 illness victims, 517 sought hospital treatment.
  • Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. June 4: Three people have died of apparent food poisoning in a local farming community. Leftover food and soup that the victims shared has been sent for analysis to determine the cause of the deaths.


Australia and New Zealand
  • Wellington, NZ. June 8: Medsafe has placed sales restrictions on some cough and cold medicines for children. Cough and cold medicines for children under 12 years old will now be sold only in pharmacies except for those containing ingredients such as honey, lemon and other natural substances.
  • Sydney, Australia. June 8: Suchen Trading Pty Ltd, the previous owner of Tum Tum’s Thai restaurant in Sydney’s Darlinghurst was charged with 24 offences under the Food Act, including poor food handling, pest infestation, poor hygiene, unclean premises and lack of maintenance of the premises during inspections conducted in January 2008. Suchen was ordered by the Industrial Magistrate's Court to pay $35,200 in fines and costs.


Posted by Phyllis E at Tuesday, June 08, 2010 0 comments
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Recall Roundup: June 8, 2010

Here is today's list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals and allergy alerts. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Sivertson Fisheries Inc. that a January 2010 inspection of the company's seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, and of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns American Sea Food Company, Inc. that a February 2010 inspection of the company's seafood processing operations revealed serious deviations from the seafood HACCP Regulations.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Italco Food Products, Inc. that a January 2010 inspection of the company's seafood processing facility revealed serious deviations from the Seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Regulations.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns AVEVA Drug Delivery Systems, Inc. that an October through December 2009 inspection of the company's Miramar (Florida) pharmaceutical manufacturing facility revealed significant violations of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations for Finished Pharmaceuticals.


Europe
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Dansk Supermarked recalls all date codes of Italian green pesto cream 130g, produced by Julia Pasta in Italy, because of mold contamination.
  • Food Safety Recall (UK): The Co-operative Group recalls specific batch codes of four California wines in 75cl bottles because they might contain small pieces of glass from the neck of the bottle. The cause of the problem has been traced to a fault with the capping process, which has now been rectified.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2010.0725): Omethoate and dimethoate (pesticides) in apples from Chile; distributed in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2010.0726): Aflatoxins in fig paste from Turkey; distributed in Denmark.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2010.0727): Undeclared iodine and high content of iodine in dried algae from China, via France; distributed in Germany.


Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Warning (Hong Kong): The Department of Health (DH) today (June 7) called on the public not to buy or use four slimming products called 纖婷 II (櫻花精油減肥膠囊), 纖婷 III (櫻花精油減肥膠囊), 瘦身語 III and "Fatloss Jimpness Beauty" respectively as they were found to contain undeclared Western drug ingredients sibutramine, sibutramine-analogue and phenolphthalein, which may cause serious side effects.


Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket's recall web site.


*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.



Posted by Phyllis E at Tuesday, June 08, 2010 0 comments
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Monday, June 7, 2010

Recall Roundup: June 7, 2010

Here is today's list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals and allergy alerts. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc. recalls all lots of ondansetron injection in 5% dextrose 32mg / 50 mL (NDC number 25021-776-50) manufactured by Claris Lifesciences and distributed by Sagent.


Canada
  • Allergy Alert: Mars Canada Inc. (Bolton, ON) recalls Uncle Ben’s Bistro Express 6 pack (sold in 1.5 kg boxes bearing UPC 0 58496 25406; each box contains 6 x 250 g pouches of rice), because two of the rice varieties in the 6-pack contain undeclared milk. The recalled product was sold nationally, including in Costco Warehouse stores across Canada.


Europe


Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket's recall web site.


*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.



Posted by Phyllis E at Monday, June 07, 2010 0 comments
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Outbreaks and Alerts: June 7, 2010

A daily digest of international outbreaks, alerts and food safety news

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Baton Rouge, LA. June 6: The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals announced today the closure of oyster harvesting bed Area 9 in response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf. The closure is west of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish.


Europe
  • United Kingdom and Spain. June 6: Eating the meat of animals hunted using lead ammunition can be more dangerous for health than was previously thought, especially for children and people who consume large quantities. Researchers have demonstrated that the levels of lead in some game meat that has already been cooked exceed the maximum allowances set by the European Union, due to the presence of remains of ammunition.
  • Karpinsk, Russia. June 6: Russia's Commissioner for Children's Rights will begin an independent investigation into safety and quality of food served to school children. The Commissioner's investigation is in response to the recent Salmonella outbreak that resulted in the hospitalization of 45 kindergarten children and 6 teachers and staff.
  • Scotland. June 7: An inquiry is beginning into the 2008/2009 Clostridium difficile outbreak at Vale of Leven Hospital in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire that claimed 18 lives.


Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
  • Abu Dhabi. June 1: Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority and Ireland Food Safety Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining several areas of cooperation between the two food safety agencies, including training, research and surveillance practices, communication strategies and awareness programs.
  • Taipei, Taiwan. June 6: Nearly six tons of cherries recently imported in two batches from the United States have been found to contain the pesticide malathion, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday. Taiwan does not allow any traces of malathion in cherries. If a third batch is found to contain malathion within the next six months, Taiwan will ask the U.S. to come up with a plan to improve the situation.
  • Manila, Philippines. June 6: Following the discovery of unregistered "Chinese medicine-based" drugs and cosmetics for sale in the Philippines, the country's Food and Drug Administration has invited Chinese Drug Importers/Distributors/Retailers to a forum to discuss ways to address related safety issues and concerns.
  • Chennai, India. June 6: Nine people died and several fell ill and were hospitalised due to suspected food poisoning in Resua block after attending a marriage celebration.
  • Chennai, India. June 6: The Mayor has categorically denied any prevalence of a cholera epidemic in Chennai and advised the people not to panic. The incidence of cholera in the city is normal for this time of year, according to the Mayor.
  • Taipei, Taiwan. June 7: Taiwan will for the first time send officials to conduct on-site inspections of slaughterhouses that have their beef exported to Taiwan. The inspections, to be carried out in August or September, are being undertaken to ensure that all U.S. beef exports are adequately labeled, as required by Taiwan's regulations.


Australia and New Zealand
  • Darwin, Australia. June 7: East Point beaches in Darwin Harbour were closed on the weekend, and anglers were warned not to eat the fish they caught in the area, after tests revealed E. coli levels were three to four times higher than recommended. The source of the contamination is under investigation.




Posted by Phyllis E at Monday, June 07, 2010 0 comments
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Saturday, June 5, 2010

French Sausage-Maker Expands Recall Of La Pause Auvergnate

Dried sausage implicated in national outbreak of salmonellosis in France

An outbreak of salmonellosis due to Salmonella Typhimurium (serotype 4,12 :i :- ) was traced late last month to contaminated dried sausages produced by the French sausage company Salaisons du Lignon, based in Saint-Maurice de Lignon (Haute Loire).

The outbreak, which was still under investigation as of May 28th, has sickened at least 88 people – 18 severely enough to require hospital treatment – in 49 départements throughout France. Illnesses were reported between March 15th and May 9th.

This particular Salmonella Typhimurium serotype first appeared in Europe in the mid 1990s; it now has become the second most common type of Salmonella reported by European Union member countries. Cases of salmonellosis associated with this type of Salmonella tend to be more severe than average, and result in a higher rate of hospitalization than is usual for Salmonella gastroenteritis.

Based on patient interviews, investigators from France's Institut de Veille Sanitaire traced the outbreak to a single production lot of Lou Montagnard brand La Pause Auvergnate style dried sausages (saucisses sèches droites nature La Pause Auvergnate). Salaisons du Lignon recalled the implicated production lot (Lot No. 040020900) – distributed both in France and in Belgium – on May 27th.

Yesterday (June 4th), without fanfare or explanation, Salaisons du Lignon expanded its recall in Belgium – but not yet in France – to encompass all product expiration dates up to and including 24/08/10. There have been no published reports of salmonellosis cases in Belgium that are tied to the French outbreak.

This progressive recall is reminiscent of the Daniele Italian-style salami recalls in the United States earlier this year. Daniele first recalled a limited number of products and date codes of its products after they were linked to a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo. As the investigation proceeded, the list of recalled products grew until – at last – Daniele recalled more than 1.26 million pounds of meats.

In view of the expanded recall and in light of past experiences such as Daniele, I would question whether Salaisons du Lignon's Salmonella contamination problem is limited to just one style of sausage. Depending on the source of the contamination in the product (e.g., plant environment, raw ingredients, sanitation issues), the company may find it necessary to expand its recall to other products.

Consumers in France as well as Belgium would be well-advised to pay attention to the expanded recall that was announced in Belgium and to avoid all date codes of Lou Montagnard brand La Pause Auvergnate dried sausages – or to switch brands altogether until the manufacturer has been given a clean bill of health.


If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.

Posted by Phyllis E at Saturday, June 05, 2010 0 comments
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