"Samples collected on Sept. 9 found evidence of listeria bacteria on various surfaces around the store, leading inspectors to issue 15 stop-sale and stop-use orders. Inspectors last tested food samples from the Margate store on Aug. 6. Six samples were collected and no listeria was found. No illnesses have been reported."
Before it shut down, the store tried to sell of its product at fire sale prices. Unfortunately, this included product that may have been subject to Listeria contamination. This caused the State to issue an order to cease all operations. Some of this product came from quarantined area.
It is a rare occurrence where a retail store is shut down by the State due to Listeria positive samples...it is also rare that a state department monitors Listeria in a retail operation to begin with. In this case, the initial sampling occurred in the first quarter of the year with Listeria being found. The retail established dumped product and resumed operations. In September, the store was respected and Listeria was found again. Easy to guess that if the State had sampled a month after the initial sampling, they would have found it.
South Florida Sun Sentinel
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-bz-penn-dutch-immediate-shut-down-20190919-itojdrhlpndtni7xs2366k2bwi-story.html
State shuts down Penn Dutch in Margate for ‘endangering public health’ over listeria
By Doreen Christensen
South Florida Sun Sentinel |
Sep 19, 2019 | 8:22 PM
Penn Dutch Meat & Seafood was shut down by the Florida Department of Agriculture for possibly distributing food tainted with dangerous listeria, posing an imminent threat to public health.
State food inspectors issued the immediate final order to the company to cease operations and close its Margate store Thursday, according to a news release from Commissioner Nikki Fried’s office.
The store, at 3201 N. State Road 7, violated previous orders to stop using areas that tested positive for listeria, a Sept. 18 report said.
Now, customers must decide if they should trash any fresh or frozen going-out-of-business sales because it may be tainted with listeria.
Penn Dutch President Greg Salsburg did not respond to voicemails or emails seeking comment Thursday night. Paul Dumars, Penn Dutch’s chief financial officer, said the company had no comment at this time.
“I’m selling everything at or below cost until it’s all gone,” Salsburg said after announcing a closing sale in an email to customers and in a post on the company’s Facebook page.
During the feeding frenzy sparked by the sale, a food inspector arrived to find three employees with a cart leaving and entering a room that was supposed to be off limits. That could have contaminated other parts of the store — and food — with listeria. Inspectors also found tape broken on the rear door of the area, known as a future room, the report stated.
“Moving equipment, products, and people in and out of the listeria monocytogenes positive areas increases the potential for the spread of pathogens, and exposes Penn Dutch’s customers and employees to a pathogenic bacteria capable of creating a serious health risk," Fried said in the news release. "As the state’s consumer watchdog, our department takes potential foodborne illness extremely seriously, and the listeria bacteria has a 20 percent mortality rate.”
The bacteria can develop into an infection called listeriosis, which is dangerous to elderly, children, people with compromised immune systems and, especially, pregnant women.
Samples collected on Sept. 9 found evidence of listeria bacteria on various surfaces around the store, leading inspectors to issue 15 stop-sale and stop-use orders. Inspectors last tested food samples from the Margate store on Aug. 6. Six samples were collected and no listeria was found. No illnesses have been reported.
Listeria was found in the future room, seafood department, fish cooler, deli slicing room, chicken production room, ready cooler and deli, according to Monday’s report. Food in the contaminated areas was destroyed Tuesday as state inspectors watched, according to Cleon Cooper, administrator for the department’s retail division.
After the confirmation of positive samples, a “ReInspection Required” summary was served and later violated during the going-out-of-business sale.
“Penn Dutch was provided an opportunity to remedy the situation by disposing of possibly dangerous contaminated products and sanitizing tools and workspaces. It’s unfortunate that Penn Dutch chose to disregard our directives and endanger public safety,” Fried said.
It would be nearly impossible to sample every square inch and identify all of the locations where the pathogens could have spread, said Matthew Curran, the department’s director of the division of Food Safety.
"To be safe and protect public health, it is necessary and reasonable to quarantine every possible location pathogens are likely to be present.”
Under those circumstances, it is difficult to know if any food consumers purchased might be tainted with listeria. Products must be heated thoroughly to a precise temperature and cooked sufficiently to kill bacteria, the release said.
The department does not recommend consumption of food containing harmful pathogens, regardless of preparation. Consumers should discard contaminated food and sanitize any areas and containers that the food may have touched.
“Putting that responsibility on the consumer would be irresponsible and pose a serious public health risk — pathogens such as listeria monocytogenes can readily spread in a kitchen and throughout a home, and cause harm or even death,” the release said.
Rest of article - https://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-bz-penn-dutch-immediate-shut-down-20190919-itojdrhlpndtni7xs2366k2bwi-story.html
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