Study - Removing Pathogens from Produce by Brushing or by Peeling

In this month's Journal of Food Protection, a research article looks at removing pathogens from the surface of produce by brushing and peeling.  Celery, carrots, honeydew and cantaloupes were inoculated with high does of pathogens, brushed and or peeled, and then analyzed.

In the end, it comes down to this  - if, as in this study, produce is heavily contaminated with pathogens, those pathogen can be difficult to remove with either brushing or peeling, especially once the brushes or peelers become contaminated.  But in reality, with very few exceptions where GAPs are not follow, pathogens are absent from produce.

A few of the findings:

• "Pathogen removal (either E. coli O157:H7 or Salmonella) was significantly lower from contaminated cantaloupes than from other contaminated produce items".  Yeah, it's the rougher surface, so it is going to stick there.
• "Both pathogens could still be detected on all produce items brushed with any of the three brush types suggest that contamination of the peeler is a likely route for transfer of pathogens from the surface to the internal tissues."  Once your cleaning tools encounter contamination, they can spread it. 
• "The incidence of contamination for the nylon brush was significantly lower than that for the Sparta brush, which in turn was significantly lower than that for the scouring pad."  The harder to clean the brush or pad, the more that it can contaminate.
• "To reduce risk further, consumers should be advised that brushing or peeling under running water may be beneficial for limiting contamination of the utensil and thus the risk of cross contamination to noncontaminated produce items subsequently processed with the same utensil."  Keep your brushes and peelers clean.

A Sparta Brush

 

Journal of Food Protection®, Number 9, September 2015, pp. 1624-1769, pp. 1624-1631(8)

Role of Brushes and Peelers in Removal of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella from Produce in Domestic Kitchens

Authors: Erickson, Marilyn C.¹; Liao, Jean²; Cannon, Jennifer L.²; Ortega, Ynes R.²

Abstract (bulletized)

Using the Smartphone for Stealth Auditing

Is that person checking the score of the Steeler game....or I am getting audited? 


Penn State News
http://news.psu.edu/story/372963/2015/10/01/research/phone-app-allows-researchers-conduct-concealed-food-safety
Phone app allows researchers to conduct concealed food safety observations
By Jeff Mulhollem
October 1, 2015

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Smartphones are so ubiquitous, and text messaging and social media activities so common in public places, that no one questions what anyone does with their phone. That pervasiveness allows a phone application to be used in direct, concealed observations without alerting the people being observed.

That is the conclusion of food science researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, who studied whether phones could be used in place of the traditional clipboards to improve the quality of data collection related to food safety observations.

Two PCA Operational Managers Sentenced to Time in the Big House

Sentences were handed down for the two operational managers involved in the PCA Salmonella outbreak case.  Operations Manager Samuel Lightsey, 50, will serve three years in prison while Daniel Kilgore, 46, another ex-manager at the plant, will serve six.  Because they agreed to testify against the owner, Steward Parnell (who received a 28 years), their sentences were shorter as part of the plea bargain agreement.

Like the Quality Manager, these two operations managers who were probably just following orders, may have never considered the implications associated with positive Salmonella test results for the product.  Or the fact much of their product was destined for high risk individuals as part of thief foodservice sales.  Easy to justify since the owner didn't seem to worry...it was just another day of making and shipping product that may or may not have a little Salmonella.  In the end, it was a big deal.  And unfortunately for these pawns, they will be spending time in the big house. 

Think about it.....one of them picking up the phone and dialing the FDA about the positive results would have saved them, all the consumers who had gotten sick, and provided it was early on, would have limited impact to the owner and his company.  Or hell, if they had only put forth the effort to clean the damn plant to rid the source of contamination. 

USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/10/01/lenient-sentences-ex-officials-salmonella-outbreak/73149204/
Lenient sentences for ex-officials in salmonella outbreak
Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY 2:50 p.m. EDT October 1, 2015

Two ex-officials of Peanut Corporation of America drew lenient sentences Thursday for their self-admitted roles in a salmonella outbreak blamed for killing nine and sickening hundreds.

Georgia U.S. District Court Judge W. Louis Sands sentenced Samuel Lightsey, 50, a former operations manager at the peanut firm's Blakely, Ga. plant, to serve three years in prison. Daniel Kilgore, 46, another ex-manager at the plant, drew a six-year sentence from the judge.

Salmonella Oubreak Associated with Cucumbers....671 Affected and 3 Deaths

Update on Cucumber Salmonella Outbreak.....CDC now reports that

• Since the last update on September 22, 2015, 113 more ill people have been reported from 19 states. Given the 14-day shelf life of cucumbers, it is not unexpected to continue to see illnesses reported after the recalls.
• Alabama was added to the list of states with ill people, bringing the total number of states to 34.

This takes the total number of infected to 671 individuals, with 3 deaths.  Interesting, more than half of those infected, about 340, were children (<18 years old)

  

 

 

CDC Outbreak Notice

 http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/poona-09-15/

Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Poona Infections Linked to Imported Cucumbers

Read the Recall & Advice to Consumers, Restaurants, and Retailers >>(http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/poona-09-15/advice.html)

CDC, multiple states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Poona infections. This investigation is ongoing. CDC will provide updates when more information is available.

• 671 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Poona have been reported from 34 states, an increase of 113 cases since the last update on September 22.
• 131 ill people have been hospitalized, and three deaths have been reported from Arizona (1), California (1), and Texas (1).
• 51% of ill people are children younger than 18 years.

The Cost of Foodborne Outbreaks - And Blue Bell as an Example of Mishandling an Outbreak

Foodborne outbreaks can have a devastating effect on those who become ill, but also will huge financial impact on those companies in terms of lawsuits, recall, and loss in sales.  Mishandling an outbreak can magnify those costs.

Fortune Magazine published two articles on the topic (links and excerpts below).  One looked at how Blue Bell was slow to act after their product was linked to Listeria...both knowing they had an issue and not solving it, and then with the recall in terms of performing 'recall creep' - where a series of recalls are issued where each subsequent recall entails increasing scope of products.  Recall creep has occurred often because companies fail to understand the extent of the risk.  The downside is that it drags out the recall and gives a worse perception of the company.  Comes back to the old saying - 'the first loss is your best loss'.

The other Fortune article looks the total cost of a foodborne outbreaks, which they estimated at $55.5 billion.  Recalls can cost companies from $30 million to $99 million, and in 5% of the cases, greater than $100 million.

Fortune Magazine
http://fortune.com/2015/09/25/blue-bell-listeria-recall/
How ice cream maker Blue Bell blew it - Excerpts

by Peter Elkind @peterelkind September 25, 2015, 12:00 PM EDT

Patrons of SC Fast Food Establishment Exposed to Hepatitis After 2 Employees Test Positive

Thousands of people were potentially exposed to Hepatitis A after eating at one of two Hardees fast food restaurants in South Carolina.  Notification of the potential exposure was broadcast after two employees had tested positive for the virus.

According to reports, some 5000 people had already been vaccinated. There is a window from the time of exposure to about 2 weeks out when a vaccination can prevent the disease. As we know,  Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the Hepatitis A virus. It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months.

A lawsuit has already been filed for those 'who may have been infected".

Food operations, especially those who work with ready-to-eat foods, should institute a Food Workers Health Hygiene Program.  Information is available from FDA as well as many state government websites.

WSPA.com
http://wspa.com/2015/09/18/hepatitis-a-exposure-at-2-spartanburg-co-hardees/
Possible Hepatitis A Exposure at 2 Spartanburg Co. Hardee’s
DHEC Published: September 18, 2015, 5:27 pm Updated: September 20, 2015, 8:45 pm 

For customers and staff who ate at either of these restaurants between Sep. 6 and 15, there is still time to get post-exposure treatment (the vaccine).

This first date will change daily (for e.g., for Monday, it will be Sep. 7 and 15) to reflect the 2 week post-exposure treatment window.

Vermont Burger Joint Linked to E. coli Outbreak

A Vermont burger joint has been linked to  7 cases of E. coli. 

Of course it is one of these gourmet burger joints...where they perhaps like to undercook the burgers?..  To see if this is the case, I went to the reviews.

Trip Advisor  (these were within the first 20 reviews I checked)
"We went to Worthy Burgers after hearing much hype about what great burgers they served, I am always looking to a great burger. There were 4 people in our party and we all agreed that although the burgers were good, they fell short of what we would consider a great burger. One of our main complaints was the all the burgers were prepared rare. They do clearly state the burgers will be service pink in the middle, but all 4 burgers were red in the middle. My wife asked if her burger burger could be cooked more and they willing prepared another burger but that was also arrived rare. They should realize not everyone likes their burgers rare and asked how you would like it cooked.

"My rare burger was a large, almost meatball like sphere of meat centered in a dry, almost stale bun with three wilted rings of bermuda onion. Its degree of doneness was so far from rare the best color description I could say it was, was grey with no pink discernible.
Not to be outdone, L's medium rare burger was a lighter shade of pale grey than mine"

And a professional review in Seven Days:
"The burger was slightly underseasoned, a paler cousin to the world-class patties at Worthy’s closest Burlington cognate, the Farmhouse Tap & Grill. A thin strip of pink made it look juicier than it actually was. "

Yep, you need to cook that select grass fed burger to the right temperature, just like any hamburger.  And for those that like that rare hamburger, or refuse to use a thermometer - is it worth the risk?


Valley News
http://www.vnews.com/news/18747830-95/vt-officials-continue-e-coli-investigation
 Vt. Officials Continue E. Coli Investigation


By Jordan Cuddemi  Valley News Staff Writer
Friday, September 25, 2015   (Published in print: Friday, September 25, 2015)
 
South Royalton — A South Royalton restaurant voluntarily closed for several days recently and switched food vendors after being contacted by state officials who are investigating an E. coli “cluster” that has sickened at least five people.

Cucumber Salmonella Outbreak - Cases Now at 558 with 3 Deaths

CDC's last repost on the Salmonella outbreak associated with cucumbers had the case count at 558, with 112 requiring hospitalization and 3 deaths.  This number of cases per day has begun to decrease since the two associated recalls were issued on September 4th and September 11th, however looking at the EPI curve, this duration of this outbreak is close to 3 months.

The cucumbers were said to be imported from Mexico and were then packed by US produce companies for shipment across the county...resulting in illnesses in 33 states.

In 2014, there was a Salmonella outbreak associated with cucumbers from Maryland and in 2013, an outbreak of E.coli O157:H7 associated with slice cucumber on sandwiches.

The pH of cucumbers is approximately 6.  While there are limited studies on the growth of Salmonella on cut cucumbers, evidence suggests that there may be a slow increase in numbers when the product is stored at non-refrigerated temperatures.  This may compound the primary issue, which is that cucumbers are grown on or near the ground, and if that ground is contaminated, such as occurs when using improperly treated manure as a fertilizer, then that contamination is transferred to the cucumbers (via direct contact, hands, splashing water, little critters, etc) could adhere to the surface of the cucumber.  Using contaminated irrigation water can lead to contamination of the cucumbers.  Finally, cucumbers can become contaminated during handling and rinsing / hydrocooling.  Point source contamination issues in the packing house can spread that contamination to  a large number of cucumbers.  More study is needed on cucumbers and contamination issues associated with growing, harvesting, storage and consumer handling.
 

CDC News Release

http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/poona-09-15/

Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Poona Infections Linked to Imported Cucumbers

Posted September 22, 2015 3:15 PM ET

 

Highlights

Read the Recall & Advice to Consumers, Restaurants, and Retailers >>(http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/poona-09-15/advice.html)

CDC, multiple states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Poona infections. This investigation is ongoing. CDC will provide updates when more information is available.

• 558 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Poona have been reported from 33 states, an increase of 140 cases since the last update on September 15.
• 112 ill people have been hospitalized, and three deaths have been reported from Arizona (1), California (1), and Texas (1).

Poultry Products Recalled Due to Metal Shavings Generated by Ice Machine

A Mississippi establishment is recalling approximately 550,000 lbs of poultry products after metal shavings were found by one of their customers.  The manufacturing established reported that a faulty ice machine was to blame.  The product being large cases and combos, so this indicates the product was packed on ice.

The ice machine....that neglected piece of equipment.  Whether packing product on ice, adding ice as an ingredient to facilitate cooling, or adding to our beverage, ice is just as much as part of the process as the other ingredients used.  Ice machines have often been cited for high microbiological counts when the machines are not cleaned.  Here, a malfunctioning machine had metal-on-metal contact, probably in the ice chopper/flaker that generated the metal shavings.

In these cases, ice machines are part of the process and need to identified as a source for microbiological, physical, and probably even chemical hazards.  Good preventive maintenance and periodic quality checks should be included with regard to controlling metal as a physical hazard,

USDA Recall Notice
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/FSIS-Content/internet/main/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2015/recall-124-2015-release
Sanderson Farms Recalls Poultry Products Due To Possible Foreign Matter Contamination
Class I Recall 124-2015
Health Risk: High Sep 24, 2015
En Español

Congressional and Public Affairs  Katherine Scheidt   (202) 720-9113

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2015 – Sanderson Farms, a Hazlehurst, Miss. establishment, is recalling approximately 551,090 pounds of poultry products that may be contaminated with extraneous metal materials the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.