For a strain of Salmonella to persist in a facility for over a decade is not unusual, and points to the difficulty of eradicating an entrenched environmental contaminate like Salmonella. In a news article, it was stated that the current outbreak began after construction was conducted. "It is thought that the disassembly of partitions and repair of floors in the building at the beginning of 2017, may have led to the accidental release of the bacteria, despite controls put in place to contain the spaces under construction." And this type of event may provide the organism to reemerge from a subterranean location. If they occurred, probably not at a sufficient level to raise concern.
I think it is also important to point out that the company had been doing testing. The facility "conducted more than 16,000 analyzes on finished products, all of which proved to be compliant." This points to the limitations of testing when one is looking for small levels of contamination.
BBC News
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42908706
Lactalis baby milk scare in France: Salmonella taint 'began in 2005'
1 February 2018
The French dairy group at the centre of a baby milk scandal, Lactalis, has admitted some of its products may have been tainted over more than a decade.
Millions of boxes of powdered milk have been recalled worldwide following a salmonella outbreak last year.
Researchers say that the exact same strain of salmonella was responsible for another outbreak in 2005.
The company said it was possible other babies could have been affected by Lactalis products since then.
In a newspaper interview published on Thursday, Lactalis CEO Emmanuel Besnier said tests had shown that a factory at the centre of the latest scare, in Craon in north-western France, was also responsible for the 2005 outbreak.
Baby milk scandal explained in 100 and 500 words
BBC News
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42908706
Lactalis baby milk scare in France: Salmonella taint 'began in 2005'
1 February 2018
The French dairy group at the centre of a baby milk scandal, Lactalis, has admitted some of its products may have been tainted over more than a decade.
Millions of boxes of powdered milk have been recalled worldwide following a salmonella outbreak last year.
Researchers say that the exact same strain of salmonella was responsible for another outbreak in 2005.
The company said it was possible other babies could have been affected by Lactalis products since then.
In a newspaper interview published on Thursday, Lactalis CEO Emmanuel Besnier said tests had shown that a factory at the centre of the latest scare, in Craon in north-western France, was also responsible for the 2005 outbreak.
Baby milk scandal explained in 100 and 500 words
The factory - owned by Lactalis since 2006 - was closed in December after it emerged that contamination had started in one of its drying towers.
How many babies have been affected since 2005?
In the 2005 outbreak, 146 children fell ill. In last year's outbreak, at least 38 cases in France and Spain were traced to Lactalis milk.
On Thursday, researchers from the Pasteur Institute in Paris said the salmonella bacteria had remained at the Craon factory until it was closed.
As a result, they said, a total of 25 babies had been affected between 2005 and 2016.
Mr Besnier appeared to point to a similar conclusion in his interview with Les Échos newspaper.
"The possibility that babies consumed tainted milk over this period cannot be ruled out," he said.
What are the consequences for Lactalis?
The crisis, Mr Besnier said, would "cost Lactalis hundreds of millions" of euros.
Lawsuits have been filed by parents who say their children became sick after drinking Lactalis products.
Moreover, the company has recalled nearly a whole year's output from the Craon factory - about 12 million boxes of powdered milk - which had been distributed to 83 countries.
A company spokesman told the BBC last month that those countries were in continental Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. The UK, US and Australia were not affected.
Lactalis has annual sales of €17bn ($21bn; £15bn), production sites in 47 countries and employs 15,000 people in France alone.
What are the dangers?
Salmonella can cause diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and severe dehydration. It can be life-threatening, especially in young children.
The illness, caused by intestinal bacteria from farm animals, is dangerous for the very young and the elderly.
None of the affected children have died in this outbreak.
The government crackdown
Products from Craon have been banned while French authorities are carrying out investigations. Lactalis says it is fully co-operating.
The government has warned the company it must expect penalties over its handling of the affair.
It also threatened to impose sanctions against retailers last month, after it emerged that several major supermarket chains had continued to sell products that could have been contaminated.
How many babies have been affected since 2005?
In the 2005 outbreak, 146 children fell ill. In last year's outbreak, at least 38 cases in France and Spain were traced to Lactalis milk.
On Thursday, researchers from the Pasteur Institute in Paris said the salmonella bacteria had remained at the Craon factory until it was closed.
As a result, they said, a total of 25 babies had been affected between 2005 and 2016.
Mr Besnier appeared to point to a similar conclusion in his interview with Les Échos newspaper.
"The possibility that babies consumed tainted milk over this period cannot be ruled out," he said.
What are the consequences for Lactalis?
The crisis, Mr Besnier said, would "cost Lactalis hundreds of millions" of euros.
Lawsuits have been filed by parents who say their children became sick after drinking Lactalis products.
Moreover, the company has recalled nearly a whole year's output from the Craon factory - about 12 million boxes of powdered milk - which had been distributed to 83 countries.
A company spokesman told the BBC last month that those countries were in continental Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. The UK, US and Australia were not affected.
Lactalis has annual sales of €17bn ($21bn; £15bn), production sites in 47 countries and employs 15,000 people in France alone.
What are the dangers?
Salmonella can cause diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and severe dehydration. It can be life-threatening, especially in young children.
The illness, caused by intestinal bacteria from farm animals, is dangerous for the very young and the elderly.
None of the affected children have died in this outbreak.
The government crackdown
Products from Craon have been banned while French authorities are carrying out investigations. Lactalis says it is fully co-operating.
The government has warned the company it must expect penalties over its handling of the affair.
It also threatened to impose sanctions against retailers last month, after it emerged that several major supermarket chains had continued to sell products that could have been contaminated.
Cleanroom Technology
https://www.cleanroomtechnology.com/news/article_page/Lactalis_on_source_of_Salmonella_contamination_at_Craon/139107
Lactalis on source of Salmonella contamination at Craon
2-Feb-2018
Europe | Food+ | Infection control
Manufacturer outlines prospect of future production as causes of contamination at the baby milk and nutritional products plant in western France have been identified
Lactalis Group has released new information that sheds light on the source of the Salmonella Agona contamination that affected the the infant milks and nutritional products manufactured at its Craon plant in western France. The contamination led to a massive international product recall that has been ongoing since December last year.
Since the French regulators' alert on 1 December, Lactalis has worked with the authorities and external experts to identify and understand the origin and cause of the salmonella contamination of products made at Craon.
The site at Craon comprises two drying facilities: Tower 1 and Tower 2. A statement released on the company website said that investigation has confirmed the presence of salmonella is confined to Tower 1.
Contamination has been identified at the foot of Tower 1 and was present sporadically over several months in a manner sufficient to present a risk to several areas in the Tower.
It is thought that the disassembly of partitions and repair of floors in the building at the beginning of 2017, may have led to the accidental release of the bacteria, despite controls put in place to contain the spaces under construction.
Tower 1 is dedicated to the manufacture of small volumes of nutritional products and involves the use of specific equipment that can not be cleaned by the usual automated technologies. It was during the cleaning operations of these circuits, after the works, that the contamination took place.
The company also admitted that the tower could have been producing salmonella-tainted baby milk since 2005.
Based on the number of cases recorded by the Institut Pasteur, France’s reference centre for monitoring salmonella, it is possible that some 25 babies were infected between 2006 and 2017 with the same strain of salmonella, in addition to the more recent cases identified.
In the statement, Emmanuel Besnier, President Director General of the group, said the company now understands the origin and the causes that led to the health accident, and that the company has been able to draw lessons from this for the future.
Besnier pointed out the incident should not obscure a reality. "In 2017, we conducted more than 16,000 analyzes on finished products, all of which proved to be compliant. These analyses carried out by an outside laboratory therefore raise the question of their effectiveness," he said in the statement.
The Lactalis boss has said that if the analyses of the finished products had revealed the presence of Salmonella Agona, the company would not have of course marketed the products and we would have avoided the crisis.
According to Besier, prior to the December alert, Lactalis did not know about the contamination of some of the products made in Craon. "Our reinforced controls since then and our investigations to understand the causes reveal that our control plan needs to be improved. In accordance with the commitments made a few weeks ago, we will present an action plan, very quickly, to the concerned authorities."
Amid the crisis, the company made the decision to stop the activity in Tower 1. The decision considers a mobility proposal for its employees. "In the coming weeks, we will share with the Authorities a plan to restart Tower 2 and packaging lines. In parallel, I am already working on a project to build a new facility," Besnier said in the statement.
As a result of the investigations, the company plans to completely stop activity at Tower 1. However, in the coming weeks, Lactalis will share with the authorities a plan to restart of Tower 2 as well as packaging lines, and it is already working on a project to build a new facility.
Meanwhile, a judicial investigation to determine who was responsible is set to continue.
Tower 1 is dedicated to the manufacture of small volumes of nutritional products and involves the use of specific equipment that can not be cleaned by the usual automated technologies. It was during the cleaning operations of these circuits, after the works, that the contamination took place.
The company also admitted that the tower could have been producing salmonella-tainted baby milk since 2005.
Based on the number of cases recorded by the Institut Pasteur, France’s reference centre for monitoring salmonella, it is possible that some 25 babies were infected between 2006 and 2017 with the same strain of salmonella, in addition to the more recent cases identified.
In the statement, Emmanuel Besnier, President Director General of the group, said the company now understands the origin and the causes that led to the health accident, and that the company has been able to draw lessons from this for the future.
Besnier pointed out the incident should not obscure a reality. "In 2017, we conducted more than 16,000 analyzes on finished products, all of which proved to be compliant. These analyses carried out by an outside laboratory therefore raise the question of their effectiveness," he said in the statement.
The Lactalis boss has said that if the analyses of the finished products had revealed the presence of Salmonella Agona, the company would not have of course marketed the products and we would have avoided the crisis.
According to Besier, prior to the December alert, Lactalis did not know about the contamination of some of the products made in Craon. "Our reinforced controls since then and our investigations to understand the causes reveal that our control plan needs to be improved. In accordance with the commitments made a few weeks ago, we will present an action plan, very quickly, to the concerned authorities."
Amid the crisis, the company made the decision to stop the activity in Tower 1. The decision considers a mobility proposal for its employees. "In the coming weeks, we will share with the Authorities a plan to restart Tower 2 and packaging lines. In parallel, I am already working on a project to build a new facility," Besnier said in the statement.
As a result of the investigations, the company plans to completely stop activity at Tower 1. However, in the coming weeks, Lactalis will share with the authorities a plan to restart of Tower 2 as well as packaging lines, and it is already working on a project to build a new facility.
Meanwhile, a judicial investigation to determine who was responsible is set to continue.
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