Restaurant in FL Linked to Cyclospora Outbreak

A restaurant in Florida has been linked to a Cyclospora outbreak.  The source has yet to be identified, but in many cases related to this parasite, it tends to be produce which was watered or washed with water contaminated with the parasite.

Cyclospora is a single cell parasite where humans are the only definitive host.  From the CDC:

People become infected with Cyclospora by ingesting sporulated oocysts, which are the infective form of the parasite. This most commonly occurs when food or water contaminated with feces is consumed. An infected person sheds unsporulated (immature, non-infective) Cyclospora oocysts in the feces. The oocysts are thought to require at least 1–2 weeks in favorable environmental conditions to sporulate and become infective. Therefore, direct person-to-person transmission is unlikely, as is transmission via ingestion of newly contaminated food or water.

 In the United States, foodborne outbreaks of cyclosporiasis have been linked to various types of imported fresh produce, such as raspberries, basil, snow peas, mesclun lettuce, and cilantro; no commercially frozen or canned produce has been implicated to date.

So while many may blame the restaurant, that restaurant was unlikely to have had much impact on removing the parasite if already on the produce.   And this is the challenge with Cyclospora.  Last month, a panel was put together to investigate how this parasite can be controlled.  While some preventive measures were discussed, no specific source was identified.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/jacksonville/attorneys-2-dozen-sick-after-food-poisoning-at-popular-restaurant
Attorneys: About 2 dozen sick after food poisoning at popular restaurant
Group claims to have contracted parasite from Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant
By Vic Micolucci - I-TEAM reporter, anchor
Posted: 3:10 PM, July 09, 2019
Updated: 12:41 PM, July 10, 2019

Hawaii - Restaurant Closed After Video Goes Viral of Employee Cooking Rat on Grill

A burger restaurant in Hawaii was shut down after employees posted a video where they appeared to be cooking a rat on the restaurant grill.

Corrective Action - Fire employees, replace equipment, schedule pest control operator, hire lawyer to recover costs from employees.
Will that be sufficient to recover sales?

https://www.mynbc5.com/article/burger-joint-closes-after-video-appears-to-show-rat-cooking-on-grill/25303833
Burger joint closes after video appears to show rat cooking on grill
Associated Press  Nov 26, 2018

Summary of FDA's Report on Risk Factors in Food Service Establishments

FDA compiled analysis of inspection reports of different foodservice establishments over 2013/2014 as part of a 10 year study.    The whole report can be found here, but we have summarized the most important findings:

• Most establishments had 3 or more food safety issues.
• It helps to have a Certified Food Safety Manager onsite.  Many jurisdictions do not require it.
• It is beneficial to have an established food safety management system.  Most have no system to a rudimentary system.
• While people generally cook food correctly and handle raw meats properly, handwashing and keeping TCS foods out of the temperature danger zone are the biggest issues.

Salmonella Outbreak at San Antonio Mediterranean Grill

A large Salmonella outbreak in San Antonio, TX where over 200 calls with the claim of becoming ill after eating at a Mediterranean grill.  The owner suggested that hummus may be the source.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/food/article/Pasha-Mediterranean-Grill-source-outbreak-13213466.php
Pasha Mediterranean Grill owner says he was told suspected source of outbreak
By S. M. Chavey, mySA.com / San Antonio Express-News and Peggy O'Hare
  Updated  5:50 pm CDT, Friday, September 7, 2018 

Establishment Selling Smoothies (and "Home" Made Cooked Pork) Responsible for Salmonella Outbreak

Seven people in Washington state were infected with Salmonella after eating at Burien Fresh Smoothies.

A source of the Salmonella has not yet been identified, however, one major violation was observed - "Investigators found that the restaurant was serving cooked pork prepared at the restaurant owner's home, which is not an approved food safety practice. The restaurant was directed to immediately stop serving pork-based food items and to remove them from their menu."

This practice could be responsible if Salmonella was in the pork or on the packaging.  Could be that the smoothies used fresh produce that was not properly washed.  If he brought the pork from home, perhaps he bought the strawberries from Uncle Jimmy, who grew them in his garden fertilized with fresh manure.

King County (WA) Public Health Notice
https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/communicable-diseases/disease-control/outbreak/burien-fresh-smoothies-2018-Aug.aspx
Salmonella outbreak associated with Burien Fresh Smoothies in Burien

Chipotle's Rocked by Another Food Safety Incident

Chipotle's food safety issues are back in the news as an outbreak has led the company to shut down its store in Powell Ohio.  While there were initially 2 cases reported, an online food illness reporting website has stated that they received over 100 reports representing 177 ill.  In a report issued later, health district officials are said to have received over 400 complaints.  Symptoms from one person include "diarrhea. severe abdominal pain, nausea, headaches and hot and cold flashes".

With this news, the company's stock price dropped by roughly 8%

CNBC
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/31/chipotles-new-management-still-has-the-old-problem-food-safety.html
Chipotle's new management still has the old problem: Food safety

• Chipotle shares sank more than 7 percent on reports of a foodborne illness outbreak in Ohio.
• While analysts have maintained their confidence in the brand, keeping outperform ratings and even upgrading the stock, it seems that investors remain queasy.
• This is CEO Brian Niccol's first food safety incident with the company since he began his term in March.

Sarah Whitten | @sarahwhit10
Published 1:48 PM ET Tue, 31 July 2018  | Updated 22 Hours Ago

A CO Eatery Responsible for 33 Cases of Salmonella Infection

A Denver CO Mexican Eatery has been identified as the source of a Salmonella outbreak that sickened 33 and one death.  One of the ill was an employee.  The outbreak occurred back in November

As part of the investigation, a facility inspection was conducted on November 22, 2017.  "Health department officials found four “critical” violations: cross-contamination, improper or lack of hand washing, improper hot-holding of foods, improper cooling of foods and lack of hot water at a hand sink."  The food inspector recommended that “food safety training is strongly recommended.”   Follow-up visits were conducted in November and December to determine whether their recommendations were followed.  "Follow-up inspections, however, found there were “continued problems” with cross-contamination, improper washing of the hands, improper hot-holding of foods, improper cooling of foods, and a lack of hot water at a hand sink."

At what point does one shut down a facility?

Denver Ch 7 ABC
https://www.thedenverchannel.com/lifestyle/health/one-dead-33-others-sickened-after-salmonella-outbreak-at-aurora-restaurant-health-department-says?page=2
One dead, 33 others sickened after salmonella outbreak at Aurora restaurant, health department says
By: Oscar Contreras
Posted: 12:09 AM, Feb 9, 2018
Updated: 12:09 AM, Feb 9, 2018

Rogue Employee Posting Photos of Moldy Equipment Goes Viral - Gains International Media Attention

 A new reality for food operations, especially large foodservice chains - a reported issue at one store within a chain that impacts the entire corporation.  This was recently the case for Chipotle where an outbreak at one store gained international attention dropping the company's stock price.  Now a case at a McDonalds store, where a rouge employee posted pictures online of a piece of ice cream equipment that had mold. [Yeah, he could have cleaned it, but instead decided to post pictures online..nice].   Unfortunately, this has gained international attention, being reported in major news media outlets around the world.

Clearly this was not an issue you want to see, but the overall cost of an issue like this can be huge, rippling back in the food chain to the ingredient manufacturers, transporters, etc.  Maintaining a tight system across hundreds or thousands of outlets can be tough.  So it is not only important to have systems in place for running a clean operation, but having systems that encourage employees to report issues, or even handle issues.  Good hiring practices also help.

HuffPost UK LIFESTYLE
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/former-mcdonalds-employee-claims-he-unearthed-dirty-tray-within-mcflurry-machine_uk_5979a01de4b02a4ebb72f709
Former McDonald’s Employee Unearths Gross Find Hidden Within McFlurry Machine
Natasha Hinde Lifestyle writer at HuffPost UK
2/27/17

Failure to Enforce Employee Sick Policy May Be Root to Chipotle Outbreak

In a CNBC news article, investigators found what could be a systemic issue in the under-enforcement of the employee sick policy that keeps ill workers home rather than working.  It is reported that managers from various stores were not executing the policies and forcing workers while ill.

Many have stated that norovirus is also seen at other chains but we just don't hear about it.  And while there is validity to the point that the news media and the business investors are hyper-aware of issues at Chipotle, my point is that the restaurant managers and employees should have been hyper-aware of the need to adhere to policies including the employee health policies, especially in light of the past issues that the chain has suffered.

The US Food Code states that employees who have diarrhea, are vomiting, or have jaundice must be excluded from the workplace.  Company's employee health policies must adhere to this in order to prevent the spread of foodborne illness from organisms such as Hepatitis A, norovirus, Salmonella, STEC E. coli, and Shigella.  These organisms are highly infectious and can be easily passed to consumers via food, especially ready-to-eat food.

CNBC OnLine
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/25/chipotles-recent-norovirus-outbreak-could-be-the-result-of-lax-sick-policy-enforcement.html
Chipotle's recent norovirus outbreak was the result of lax sick-policy enforcement

• A self-identified Chipotle employee alleged in a Reddit post last month that a manager required them to work while sick.
• A Chipotle employee from a different state told CNBC that it was only after the norovirus outbreak last week that their manager began enforcing the sick policy.
• Chipotle's sick policy may not be the only one that managers are overlooking.

Sarah Whitten | @sarahwhit10 

7/27/16

Food Safety Instructor Sentenced for Falsifying Exams

In Illinois, an approved instructor was sentenced to 18 months in prison for allowing students to get a certificate without taking the food safety class or exam.  For seven years, he took payoffs from students in exchange for him sending falsified documentation to that State that they took the 15 hour course and passed the exam, when they actually did neither.

The bribe was for $175.  Which isn't much per occurrence, but over time, could amount to a substantial amount.   Hard to tell how many people took the bribe. The fine was for only $5000, which is nothing compared to 18 months in the big house.

Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Northern District of Illinois
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/lynwood-man-sentenced-18-months-pocketing-bribes-exchange-allowing-food-service-workers
Lynwood Man Sentenced to 18 Months for Pocketing Bribes in Exchange for Allowing Food Service Workers to Bypass Sanitation Training and Testing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 20, 2017

CDC Study - Allergen Control in Restaurants?

In a CDC study published in MMWR, researchers found that less than half of the restaurant staff members have been adequately trained on the food allergies in a foodservice operation - knowing what are the food allergens, how to prevent cross contact, and what to do if someone has a food allergy.  They also found that few restaurants had separate equipment or areas designated for the preparation of allergen-free food.  One fourth of surveyed managers reported having no ingredient lists or recipes for menu items.

Is there an expectation that all restaurants will have a true allergen control program?  Having an allergen control program that actually controls allergens can be difficult for food establishments, especially smaller ones.  At the least, foodservice workers should know the food allergens used in an establishment and whether their establishment can actually control allergens.  It can be a bigger mistake to say you are controlling allergens and are really not.  Challenges for restaurants include a wide variety of food served, limited space and equipment, high volume of product flowing through the kitchen at any given time, and higher staff turnover.

In talking with many people who have severe food allergens, the burden often falls on them to either avoid food establishments or to ask the right questions when ordering food.

CDC - MMWR
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6615a2.htm?s_cid=mm6615a2_e
Restaurant Food Allergy Practices — Six Selected Sites, United States, 2014

Weekly / April 21, 2017 / 66(15);404–407

Investigation Continues into Chemical Contamination in Juice that Injured Two Children

In a very bizarre case, two children ingested a toxic chemical while at a restaurant.   According to the report, a 10 year old boy threw up blood and his half sister, aged 4, vomited after drinking apple juice out of foam cups at a Lancaster eating establishment.  

So far, methanol was one of the identified chemicals.  So this is not your typical food operation cleaning chemical.  Also, since only two children at the same table became ill, the contamination event occurred from point of dispensing to point of consumption.  So thus the criminal investigation.

Lancaster online
http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/east-lampeter-police-investigate-if-incident-of-children-drinking-caustic/article_cc170c5e-02a3-11e7-b682-8bd62449c9a2.html
East Lampeter police investigate if incident of children drinking caustic substance at restaurant was criminal or accidental

State Health Department Investigates Own Foodborne Illness Outbreak

An outbreak of foodborne illness affected 70 of the 200 NM State Health Department employees who attended the departmental holiday luncheon.  Epidemiologists from the Department are now investigating their own outbreak.  The luncheon was catered.  No word yet on the cause or the source.

Santa Fe New Mexican
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/staff-members-ill-after-department-of-health-luncheon/article_32e58635-07a0-5aaf-a4df-4ac5b6ea76e9.html
70 staff members ill after Department of Health luncheon

Chipotle Still Struggling on the Fundamentals

An interesting read in the Washington Post on the troubles that Chipotle is having. After the loss in business related to the outbreaks, sales are still down.  The issues is poor execution of the fundamentals of running an establishment...cleaning, service, etc

"Instead, the company is having trouble getting the basics right: Throughput is down, meaning customers are facing frustratingly long lines. The dining room tables and drink stations are often a mess. And patrons are constantly finding that the burrito assembly line is out of an ingredient or two."

To me, these issues and the food safety issues are all part of the 'fundamentals'...both in training employees on them and then being able to execute them.  Whether those are food safety, or customer service, it is all the base of running an successful establishment.

Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2016/12/14/a-year-after-food-safety-scares-chipotle-has-a-new-set-of-problems/?utm_term=.f259cc611d71
A year after food safety scares, Chipotle has a new set of problems
By Sarah Halzack
BusinessDecember 14 at 6:00 AM

Study - Restaurant Servers Poor At Communicating Risk of Undercooked Meat

A recent study shows that restaurant servers do a poor job in explaining the risks when customers order undercooked meat, specifically hamburgers.  The majority of servers (77 percent) gave customers unreliable information conveying the risks of undercooked meat.   As we know, raw hamburger can have pathogens such as E. coli STEC and Salmonella.  While it is the consumers choice to buy rare or medium rare hamburgers, they should understand the risk. 

In the end, informing customers helps the restaurant protect themselves from liability.   Just last year, an outbreak in Vermont occurred when a restaurant was purposely selling undercooked hamburgers.  Of course there is the case that was the impetus for enacting the regulation requiring HACCP regulations in meat operations - Jack in the Box.

Meatingplace
http://www.meatingplace.com/Industry/News/Details/70439
Study: Restaurants not good at explaining risks of undercooked meat to customers
By Michael Fielding on 12/9/2016

The Rise of the Grocerant and Addressing Food Safety Issues

An article in the Wall Street Journal addresses the food safety issues for grocers that are moving into more sophisticated prepared meals to-go.  These hybrid operations, dubbed 'grocerants' by some, are both grocery store and restaurant.  As consumers demand more of these fresh ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat offerings, store operations will  have to address the food safety challenges that comes with these types of processes.

According to the graphic in the article, sushi and soups are currently the type two types of foods.  But there is an increase in operations making more complex meals.
Here are some of the challenges:

School Lunch Provider Recalling Sandwich Items After Positive Listeria Environmental Samples

A California foodservice provider, one that specializes in providing school lunches, is recalling sandwich products after FDA  environmental sampling found Listeria monocytogenes on multiple food contact surfaces,  The products were distributed nationwide but it is unlikely that any of the school districts still have product.

A few things that are icky about this:

1) A place making packaged sandwiches for kids in LA and shipping them nationally.  You would think that someone locally could make sandwiches.  They would probably be fresher.  I wonder what kind of shelf-life they have on this product.

2) A facility making sandwiches for kids does not have a solid food safety program.  Perhaps better stated....they had a bad food safety program because FDA found multiple LM positive food contact surfaces.  Seriously, that is nasty.

3) It is unlikely that these products would be reheated sufficiently, if at all, to destroy the pathogen.

FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm507583.htm
Let's Do Lunch, Inc., dba Integrated Food Service, Voluntarily Recalls Certain Ready-To-Eat Sandwiches Because Of Possible Health Risk

Chipotle Retains Food Safety Gurus as Board Wants Ability to Pick Executive Board

Chipotle shareholders approved a proposal to give the chain's board approval to be able to nominate directors to the board.  At the same time, the chain acknowledge that it had hired two additional food safety experts.

Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-chipotle-shareholders-idUSKCN0Y2049
Business | Wed May 11, 2016 6:22pm EDT
Chipotle shareholders vote for more power to pick board
LOS ANGELES | By Lisa Baertlein

Chipotle Hires Food Safety Expert, Back on Some Food Safety Initiatives

Chipotle's food safety issues make for a great case study.  The company has finally hired a food safety expert (should have learned this from the Jack-in-the-Box E. coli Outbreak).  Additionally, they are  backing off on some of the corrective actions they stated they were going to implement.   Some were probably not really needed or may have had too much impact on the quality of the product.  But that is what happens when poop-hits-the-fan and a whole host of consultants are brought in to fix the situation.


Market Watch
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chipotle-taps-ksu-professor-for-food-safety-post-2016-03-15-164853242
Chipotle taps KSU professor for food-safety post
 By Jesse Newman
Published: Mar 15, 2016 4:32 p.m. ET

Impact of Food Safety Issues on Chipotle Bigger than Expected

The impact of food safety issues on Chipotle have been much more than expected.  They estimate that 7% of customers may never return.  Then there are the "costs to address food safety, increased staffing needed to serve free food and the volume of fresh produce wasted due to lower traffic and testing were all higher than expected."  Chipotle shares are still off 28% from last year.

Wall Street Journal
http://blogs.wsj.com/cfo/2016/03/17/chipotle-food-safety-problems-may-cost-it-up-to-7-of-customers-cfo/
Chipotle Food-Safety Problems May Cost It Up To 7% of Customers: CFO
1:13 pm ET
Mar 17, 2016 
By Maxwell Murphy