Au Revoir - For A Few Weeks

During the next month, I’ll be traveling in areas where there are lots of microbes and very few computers, so I shall be AWOL for a while.

I’ll be back at the end of January with a notebook full of blog topics, which I hope you’ll find interesting.

A happy and food-safe New Year to all.

Dieters in Singapore Beware - Prima Has Reopened

Sweet-toothed Singaporeans have something to celebrate. Prima foods has been given the green light to resume full production of its baked goods.

The company, which was shut down early in December due to a Salmonella outbreak, has been under close scrutiny by the Singapore health authorities. The government monitored Prima's clean up and its restart, taking samples of all raw ingredients and finished products. It has concluded that Prima now meets all appropriate food safety standards.

Now, if only the cakes were calorie-free!

Listeria Outbreak in Massachusetts Milk

It’s not always raw milk that's at fault.

Yesterday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced that four cases of listeriosis (infection due to Listeria monocytogenes) had been traced to pasteurized milk produced by Whittier Farms of Shrewsbury, MA. The 4 victims included 3 elderly people and one pregnant woman. Two of the four have died.

Whittier Farms has voluntarily suspended all operations until the source of the Listeria contamination can be found and removed.

In an earlier post, I stated that one of the reasons to avoid drinking raw milk or eating dairy products made from unpasteurized milk was the risk of contracting Listeria monocytogenes. But what, you might well ask, is this heat-sensitive pathogen doing in pasteurized milk? There are several possibilities, all of which I am sure will be thoroughly checked by the State inspectors and by the company.

1. Faulty pasteurization. An equipment malfunction could result in underpasteurization, either by reducing the length of time the raw milk is heated, or by lowering the temperature at which it is pasteurized. This could allow Listeria monocytogenes to survive, along with other bacteria. But, according to a report in yesterday’s Boston Globe, the pasteurizer was working correctly.

2. Ingredients added after pasteurization. Adding an ingredient, such as a vitamin supplement or a flavoring, to the milk after it has been pasteurized could be a source of the Listeria monocytogenes.

3. Cross-contamination. A faulty pipe connection or a leak in a valve, a heat exchanger, or a pipe might allow raw milk to re-contaminate the pasteurized milk before the milk is bottled.

4. Inadequate sanitizing of processing and packaging equipment. Inadequate cleaning and sanitizing of the pipes and valves through which the pasteurized milk travels could allow Listeria monocytogenes to build up in the system and contaminate the pasteurized milk.

5. Inadequate cleaning and sanitizing of bottles. Whittier Farms is one of the few dairies that still use glass bottles. These bottles must be washed and sanitized before filling.

Listeria monocytogenes usually causes nothing more than mild symptoms in healthy adults, but can produce a severe, even deadly, illness in young children, the elderly, the immunocompromised, pregnant women and their unborn children.

Dear Martha,

You are recognized everywhere for your many talents - in home decor, landscaping, color sense and cuisine - and for your exquisite taste. Even my husband’s persnickety Westport, CT aunt thinks that you’re wonderful. But after browsing through the Jan/Feb 2008 issue of “Everyday Food” magazine, it’s very obvious to me that a course in safe food preparation is missing from your resume.

First, let’s talk turkey. Unless you have spent the last few decades living in an isolation booth, you must know that by USDA’s own admission, 20-25% of raw ground turkey meat is contaminated with Salmonella. Yet your recipe directions do not provide for a reliable “kill” step. For example, your “Whole-wheat spaghetti and turkey meatballs” recipe directs the reader to prepare the meatballs as follows:

“In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high. Cook 20 frozen Light Turkey Meatballs until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups store-bought marinara sauce and 1/2 cup water: Cook until heated through, 5 minutes.”

These instructions leave too much to the reader’s imagination. Browning alone is not enough to cook the meatballs completely, and “heated through” can mean different things to different people. Starting with hard-frozen meatballs increases the risk that the center of the meatballs won’t reach 165ºF, which is the “safe” temperature recommended by USDA.

I also take strong exception to your instructions for cooking chicken in the microwave. Microwave cooking is a notoriously unreliable way to kill bacteria, especially in a solid piece of meat such as a chicken breast. Customers who purchased ConAgra’s Banquet pot pies found that out the hard way. Cooking the chicken breasts until the meat is “...just opaque throughout...” is not a guarantee of microbiological safety.

A few weeks ago, when I was browsing eggnog recipes on-line, I came across yours. It sounded very tasty, but also very risky. It was completely inappropriate for you to publish a recipe that called for raw eggs without adding at least a precautionary statement about the possibility that the eggs might contain Salmonella Enteritidis. You could easily have recommended that pasteurized eggs be used in the recipe.

According to (now 10 year old) data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 76 million cases of food-borne disease in the US every year. That is more than one case of food-borne illness for every four people in this country every year. It is time that you, and others like you, shouldered some responsibility for teaching the public how to cook meals that are not only tasty and nutritious, but also are microbiologically safe.

Sincerely,

Phyllis Entis, MSc., SM(NRM)

Asia Food News

It's a busy day for food safety reporting in Asia. Here's the latest from that part of the world.

Food Poisoning In Hong Kong: Ten men reported symptoms of food poisoning, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. The symptoms began between 1 and 6 hours after the men had eaten turkey purchased from a restaurant. The turkey was purchased on December 26th, and eaten on December 27th. The report makes no mention of how the 10 men stored the cooked turkey.

Don't Always Blame Bacteria: Kidney beans contain a natural toxin, known as lectin, which is inactivated by cooking - something that 248 students in Yunnan Province of China may have found out the hard way. Their school lunch included kidney beans, which authorities suspect were undercooked. The students, who suffered bouts of nausea and vomiting as a result of the meal, are all expected to recover.

Let Them Eat Cake Again: The Singapore bakery chain, Prima Food, which closed early in December due to an outbreak of Salmonella, has been allowed to conduct a trial production run. The trial run is being closely monitored by the local health authorities, who are taking samples at every step of the process and analyzing the samples in the government labs.

Where's The Beef?

A trailer-load - some 14,800 pounds - of ground beef products was stolen from Texas American Food Service Corporation of Fort Worth (a.k.a. American Fresh Foods). This would be a simple police matter, except that the ground beef may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

When they discovered the theft, the company notified USDA. The agency has issued a public health alert, which provides details of the establishment number, lot numbers, and packaging. If you have purchased any of ground beef described in the USDA notice, please discard it or return it to the store.

Norovirus Strikes Seniors' Residence

Residents and caregivers in a Kowloon City home for seniors have been on the receiving end of a Norovirus outbreak, according to a news release issued by the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The outbreak began on December 19th and, by December 27th, had affected 34 residents and 2 workers at the facility. Norovirus was found in a stool sample from one of the victims of the outbreak.

Norovirus is a particular problem in places where a large number of people congregate in a relatively confined area. Nursing homes, daycare centers, hotels, restaurants and cruise ships have all been venues for outbreaks of gastroenteritis caused by this virus.

People visiting, living in, or working in these environments should pay particular attention to personal hygiene - especially the need to wash their hands frequently, and especially before handling food or touching their own or anyone else's face.

Party Pooper - And No Way To Trace It

Bill Marler at Marler Blog just posted a report describing a North Carolina wedding party gone bad.

According to the outbreak report released to him by the State of North Carolina, 27 out of 110 guests (and an unreported number of workers) at a catered wedding reception took home something more than a piece of wedding cake. They received a dose of E. coli O157:H7 with their wedding feast.

The epidemiological investigation, the results of which are provided in detail in the full report, pointed to London Broil as the most probable source of the pathogen. This could not be confirmed, since there was no left-over meat to test. And the source of the meat could not be traced, because there was no record of the original producer. The final paragraph of the report states, in part, that

"The association between London Broil flank steaks and the outbreak was reported to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, and a compliance officer from that agency examined the invoices and other records the caterer had regarding those steaks. The invoice information indicated who the distributor for the product was, but there were no records available to identify the original producer for the meat. Therefore it is impossible to complete traceback for the item, or to identify unopened product that could be tested."

So, once more, the consumer was treated as the canary in the cage. Proper record keeping would have allowed investigators to identify the source of the meat and request a recall, if appropriate. Instead, all that North Carolina could do was post the "fingerprint" of the offending E. coli O157:H7 in the national data base and wait for a match. As of November 29th, the date of the final report, this appears to have been an isolated incident.

A download link to obtain the full report is available at Marler Blog for those who are interested in the details. Thanks, Bill, for making this available.

FDA Botulism Alert - Take Two

FDA has just released an update to the New Era Canning Company green bean botulism recall that I first reported on December 21st. The potential contamination was discovered by the FDA during a routine inspection.

The recall covers institutional-sized (6 pound, 5 ounce) cans of GFS "Fancy Blue Lake Cut Green Beans". The product was distributed to restaurants and food service operators in eleven states. In three of those states - Tennessee, Indiana, and Kentucky - the recalled product was also available at retail through GFS Marketplace stores.

Symptoms of botulism can appear as soon as 6 hours or as late as 2 weeks after eating food that contains the toxin. Please read the FDA recall notice for details on the recall and for a description of the symptoms of botulism.

Your Morning Recall

It would appear that the USDA is back at work today, now that Christmas has come and gone. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced a small recall - just 88 pounds this time.

Maramont Corporation, of Brooklyn, NY is recalling broiled beef patties that were produced on December 18th. Routine testing by FSIS at Maramont's facility detected the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, but not until the patties had already been shipped to Jersey City, NJ schools. The patties are meant to be heated in a microwave before serving, but there is no guarantee that microwaving will eliminate the Listeria.

If your child attends a school in Jersey City and has eaten a "broiled hamburger" at school in the last week, please be on the alert for any sign of illness and report this to the school and to the appropriate health authorities.

This is just one more example of the barn door being locked after the cows have fled. With the variety of relatively inexpensive rapid testing kits available to the food industry, there is no longer any excuse for shipping food products before screening for pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes.

Ozone Treatment to Kill Bacteria in Produce - Hope or Hype?

Every now and then, a new “breakthrough” product appears. The product, which may be anything from a sanitizer wipe to a means of detecting Salmonella instantly, is marketed as a panacea for consumers who are worried about food-borne disease. Unfortunately, these products often don’t live up to their hype.

This is the first article in my “Hope or Hype?” series. I’ll be monitoring new product releases that relate to food safety issues and, from time to time, I’ll give you my opinion, based on the available scientific information, as to whether or not the product claims are reasonable.

The Hype: The January 7, 2008 issue of Forbes magazine profiled an ozone generator, and the company that developed it, under the headline “The Ozone Solution. Purfresh aims to capitalize on E. coli scare stories by cleaning up fruits and vegetables”. The article described Purfresh’s equipment, which is used to produce ozone for produce sprayers and cold storage rooms.

The article’s headline implied that the Purfresh process is being used for both fruits and vegetables. Yet, all of the examples in the article described its use by fruit growers and packers. I wondered about this, and decided to see what studies have been carried out on the effectiveness of ozone treatment for eliminating pathogens from other produce such as lettuce or baby spinach.

I found several research articles, all of which confirmed that ozonated water is more effective than plain water. But the results were variable. A study-to-study comparison of performance was complicated by differences in the test conditions - ozone concentration, length of contact, water temperature and type and quantity of microbial contaminant - used in the various studies.

In a study of the effect of ozonated water on the bacterial levels in fresh-cut lettuce, rinsing the lettuce with ozonated water reduced the bacterial counts by roughly 95%, and extended the shelf life of the lettuce. That remaining 5% of the bacterial population, however, could still include pathogens such as Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7.

The effect of ozonated water on bacteria is very much dependent on the length of contact time. In a study of strawberries and raspberries that had been deliberately contaminated with Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7, researchers were able to kill approximately 99.9% of the bacteria. But it took more than one hour of soaking to do so.

The Bottom Line: Ozonated water was as effective as chlorinated water in most situations. And when ozone decomposes, it leaves no toxic byproducts behind in the food. But, while an ozonated water rinse can reduce overall bacterial levels and improve the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables, it cannot guarantee that the produce will be pathogen-free. Ozonation may be an improvement over chlorination, but it’s not a panacea.

When Clean is Overdone

A dairy in Queensland, Australia has recalled milk that may have been contaminated with a sanitizing solution.

The "PhysiCAL No Fat Milk", sold in 2-liter plastic bottles is from the end of a production run and has a "use-by" date of January 5, 2008. The processor, Parmalat Australia Limited, warns that this milk could cause nausea or vomiting if consumed.

Safe Holiday Eating

Meatingplace.com, an on-line meat industry publication, sponsored a survey on consumer food safety knowledge and practices this fall. They found that food safety information is reaching many consumers, but not everyone puts their knowledge to good use.

The magazine reports that more than 60% of consumers say that they thaw their frozen food in the refrigerator, and the majority of consumers know that poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165ºF. But 63% of those surveyed admitted that they rarely, if ever, used a meat thermometer, and one third claimed to be able to tell that meat was "done" simply by looking at it.

Government agencies and food safety educators spend a great deal of time and effort trying to "get the message out". While they appear to be having some degree of success, the next question is how to get consumers to implement that information.

For starters, here are a few reminders for a food-safe holiday season.

1. Use a meat thermometer when roasting your holiday turkey. You can find details at the USDA web site, and in my blogs of November 23rd and December 12.

2. Use pasteurized eggs to prepare your eggnog, or choose a recipe that includes a cooking step to prevent the possiblity of Salmonella in your eggnog. Remember, there isn't enough alcohol in the eggnog to kill Salmonella.

3. Always clean up very thoroughly after handling or preparing raw meat, eggs or poultry. Remember that Salmonella, Campylobacter and other microbes can be transferred from sponges, dishrags, countertops, sink faucets and the handles of knives and utensils - not just cutting boards.

4. Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator, not at room temperature.

5. Cool cooked food quickly - in the refrigerator, not on the countertop. Your refrigerator can handle the load. Do not try to cool the food in large, deep batches. Spread it out in a shallow layer in several containers, if necessary, to cool it rapidly. Then, once the food has cooled, you can consolidate it into a single container.

If you have any tips of your own to add, or questions about safe handling, please post a comment.

Have a happy and safe holiday!

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

Does the United States truly have the "world's safest food supply"?

This being a quiet news day (no recalls announced this morning, for a change), I decided to delve into some numbers. Here's what I found.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there were 12.71 cases of Campylobacter and 14.81 cases of Salmonella per 100,000 people in the United States in 2006.
• The Food Standards Agency reports a total of 53,052 lab-reported cases of food-borne diseases for the year 2005. This translates to 88.4 cases per 100,00 people in the UK that year. The numbers for 2006 are not yet available.
• Overall, the European Union (EU) suffered 5710 outbreaks of food-borne disease in 2006, 0r 1.16 per 100,000 people. This total includes more than 175,000 cases of Campylobacter infection, and more than 160,000 cases of Salmonella, for a total of 68.2 cases due to these two pathogens per 100,000 people.
• Canada reported 106 food-borne disease outbreaks in 2005, or 0.35 per 100,000 people. There were 19.6 reported cases of Salmonella and 29.9 reported cases of Campylobacter per 100,000 people.

A first look at the numbers seems to support the US claim of having the world's safest food supply. But there is another complication. The great majority of cases of food-borne disease are never reported.

Official government statistics are based on reported incidents. This is not a reliable number, because it is based only on those victims who visited a doctor or emergency room. A visit to a doctor's office can be an expensive proposition in the U.S. for the more than 15% of the population that is without health insurance. And co-pay policies and waiting times in countries with universal health care affect a person's decision go to the "bother" of seeking medical attention for what is a relatively mild illness. Country-to-country comparisons of unadjusted food-borne disease statistics are misleading.

In 1999, US researchers estimated that more than one person in every four (more than 25%) suffered an incident of food-borne illness each year, for a total estimate of 76 million cases annually. That same year, British researchers estimated that country's annual food-borne illness rate at one person in every five (20%). Until more recent data demonstrate that this relative performance has changed, the US accurately cannot claim the title of "world's safest food supply".

'Tis The Season For Norovirus - Always

Norovirus keeps cropping up. The New York Post reported yesterday that emergency rooms in that city are seeing 500 cases of norovirus a day. The Centers for Disease Control reports that there have been at least 14 confirmed outbreaks of the virus on cruise ships calling at US ports this year. And now, Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection has advised that there have been 93 norovirus outbreaks in childcare centers, schools and other institutions in the former Crown Colony in 2007, affecting 921 people.

Victims of norovirus infection suffer from vomiting, nausea and copious, watery diarrhea. The virus is very hardy, and survives for days on dry surfaces. It is usually spread through direct or indirect contact with contaminated vomit or feces.

To protect yourself from contracting a norovirus infection, pay special attention to personal hygiene. If you are spending time in public areas - hotels, restaurants, department stores, nursing homes, childcare centers, cruise ships or movie theaters - be careful to avoid touching your hands to your face at any time. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, using plenty of soap and hot running water.

When Low-Tech = High Performance

Campylobacter rivals Salmonella as the most common cause of food-borne gastrointestinal disease worldwide. Both microbes are especially prevalent in poultry flocks. Cross-contamination of cooked food with raw poultry, and eating undercooked poultry are two of the most common ways that people become infected with Campylobacter.

Now, some Danish researchers have come up with a low-tech, inexpensive way to reduce the incidence of Campylobacter in poultry houses. They simply installed fly screens on all the ventilation openings. As a result, the percentage of Campylobacter-infected flocks of poultry dropped from 51% to 15%. While screening the ventilation openings in poultry houses isn't the complete answer to controlling Campylobacter, it's certainly a big help.

It's common knowledge that flies carry diseases. Isn't it nice that someone has applied that knowledge effectively?

FDA Announces Canned Food Recall

FDA has alerted consumers and food service operators in eleven states that canned green beans produced by the New Era Canning Company may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. Under no circumstances should the contents of these cans be eaten, even if they look and smell completely normal.

The 6 lb. 5 oz. cans are labelled as "GFS Fancy Blue Lake Cut Green Beans", and carry the lot number 19H7FL. The product was sold in GFS Marketplace stores in Tennessee, Indiana and Kentucky.

Clostridium botulinum toxin can be fatal. Do not take any chances with this product.

Baby Turtles - The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Not food related, but.....

North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services is reminding parents that giving a pet turtle to their kids is not a good idea.

Four children were recently confirmed to have suffered from a Salmonella infection last summer, and one of them was hospitalized due to kidney failure. But they didn't become infected from food. Baby pet turtles were the source of the infection. Veterinarians tested the turtle belonging to one of the infected children, and found the identical strain of Salmonella to the one recovered from the sick child.

Pet turtles have long been a source of occasional Salmonella illnesses in children. Health agencies warn about this over and over again. In fact, the FDA banned the sale of these turtles more than 30 years ago - in 1975. Unfortunately, some of these are still finding their way into the hands of children. And the Salmonella that they carry is finding its way from the children's hands into their bodies.

Please be warned. Pet turtles and children - especially young children - are not a good combination.

Salmonella Recall Alert - UK

The UK Food Standards Agency has just alerted consumers to a recall of two batches of hulled sesame seeds, due to Salmonella contamination. The sesame seeds, from TRS Wholesale Co. Limited, are identified by batch numbers L6313 (best before Nov. 2008) and L6181 (best before Feb. 2008).

This is the most recent in a series of recalls of Salmonella-contaminated sesame seeds that have taken place in the UK and Canada this year.

Salmonella infections can produce symptoms of diarrhea, cramps, mild fever, nausea and vomiting, which may last for several days. Depending on the age and health of the victim, the quantity and strain of Salmonella present in the contaminated food, and the amount and type of food, symptoms can vary from mild to severe; some victims might require hospitalization.

Baby Spinach Strikes Again

The problem of bacterial contamination in spinach and lettuce isn't restricted to the United States. Eurosurveillance.org, a weekly summary of disease outbreaks in Europe, reported this morning on a multi-national Salmonella outbreak.

The outbreak appears to have begun last July in Sweden, where 177 cases of Salmonella Java infection have been confirmed. Many of the victims (more than 40% of the first 116 cases) required hospitalization. Traceback of consumer information led Swedish authorities to conclude that baby spinach imported from Italy was the source of the Salmonella. The baby spinach had been sold both as a single green and in a package of mixed greens.

Unfortunately, the Swedish investigators were unable to detect Salmonella in any of the suspect baby spinach. Nevertheless, Sweden issued an alert through the EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) on August 24th.

Since then, the identical strain of Salmonella has been responsible for 50 illnesses in other European countries, including Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway and the UK. Epidemiological investigations in the UK determined that many of the victims in that country had eaten mixed greens salads. While no other food has been identified as a probable source of the outbreak, no one has yet been able to confirm by lab tests that the baby spinach was the culprit.

The EU has assessed this outbreak as a "...continuous and sustained risk to human health..." and is encouraging national health agencies to be on the alert. There will surely be more cases, so if you live in - or are planning to travel to - one of the affected countries, please avoid the spinach and the mixed green salads.