California Restaurant Source of Shigella - Number of Cases Continues to Climb

UPDATE (10/23/15)- Within a few days, the number of Shigella cases linked to a California restaurant continues to climb.  Reports now have the number at 110 cases in 4 different California Counties.

10/20/15
A California restaurant is being held responsible for up to 80 people becoming infected with Shigella with about a dozen becoming hospitalized.  Because this is a highly contagious bacterial infection, a number of secondary infections are beginning to arise. (People who are contracting the disease from someone who ate at the restaurant).

Shigella causes severe diarrhea, sometimes bloody, as well as fever and abdominal pain. Symptoms will occur within a day or two after infection and will last 5 to 7 days.  It is highly infectious, only requiring less than 20 cells to cause infection.  It spreads through contact with food or person to person which can be problematic when someone has profuse diarrhea and does not wash their hands or washes their hand insufficiently. 

 

Glove usage handling ready-to-eat foods would help...but that is not a law in CA.  In 2014, California repealed the law requiring glove usage to prevent bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food.

Getting sick workers to stay home is another issue.  Many people will still go to work even if they are ill.

 

 

Bottles of Sparkling Beverage Recalled Due to Potential for Glass Fragments

Martinelli, a California bottler of sparkling fruit juice is recalling certain lots of Martinelli’s 8.4 oz. mini glass bottles of cider and sparkling grape juice due to the possibility of small glass chips at the top of the bottles occurring when opening the bottle, which could possibly enter the beverage and cut or injure the consumer.
The company discovered the issue through their own internal testing.

 FDA Notice - Recall: Firm Press Release
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm467264.htm
Notice of Voluntary Recall of Certain Martinelli's 8.4 oz. Sparkling Beverages Due to Potential for Glass Fragments

For Immediate Release
October 15, 2015

Contact Consumers  S. Martinelli & Company   1-800-662-1868

S. Martinelli & Company of Watsonville, California, today announced a voluntary nationwide recall of certain lots of Martinelli’s 8.4 oz. mini glass bottles of Gold Medal Sparkling Cider, Sparkling Cider Northwest Blend, Sparkling White Grape, and Sparkling Red Grape, due to the possibility of small glass chips at the top of the bottles occurring when opening the bottle, which could possibly enter the beverage. Consumers could potentially be cut or injured if a chip occurs.

Fresh Whole Apples Recalled Due to Positive Listeria Test

Del Monte Fresh Produce is recalling apples for potential Listeria contamination after a customer tested fresh apples and found a sample to be positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

Listeria has not been an issue in whole fresh apples, and would be considered low risk. But caramel apples have been linked to an outbreak and sliced apples have been recalled due to the presence of Listeria.  In a recent study, Listeria was shown to grow only minimally on whole apples with caramel (no stick) and no growth when those caramel apples (no stick) were stored at refrigeration temperatures.  Even sliced apples shows minimal growth especially at refrigeration temperatures. 



FDA Notice - Recall: Firm Press Release
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm467078.htm
Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. Inc., Recalls Limited Quantity of Fresh Apples Due to Possible Health Risk
For Immediate Release October 14, 2015

Contact  ConsumersContact-US-Executive-Office@freshdelmonte.com  800-659-6500

Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., Inc., (“Del Monte Fresh”) is initiating a voluntary recall of Granny Smith green apples because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stuffiness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Research Findings on Listeria Growth in Caramel Apples

The Listeria outbreak associated with caramel apples has raised questions regarding how the Listeria was able to grow in an acidic fruit.  Researchers have found that inserting the stick in the apple was an important factor as well as also storing at room temperature.  So when the stick is inserted, it drives the organism into the apple, and the stick causes cellular damage to the apple, creating conditions that allow the Listeria to grow sufficiently when stored at room temperature.

It would be wise for those selling caramel apples to store them at refrigeration temperature and limit the shelf-life to less than 28 days.

The other point made by the researchers in this study is the concept of microenvironments existing at interfaces in food, in this case, the interface of stick and the apple.  When inserted, the stick changes the apple matrix enough to allow Listeria to grow.  Normally, the apple pH would be too low to support the growth of Listeria.

It is easy to overlook microenvironments that exist in food.  They can arise in multicomponent foods with particulates, in foods at the packaging interface, or in foods that allow moisture migration to surface changing the moisture content.  The interaction at these interfaces can impact preventive factors such as pH,  water activity (Aw), or preservative concentration.

 

MBio - American Society of Microbiology

http://mbio.asm.org/content/6/5/e01232-15

Growth of Listeria monocytogenes within a Caramel-Coated Apple Microenvironment

Kathleen A. Glass,  Max C. Golden,  Brandon J. Wanless,  Wendy Bedale,  Charles Czuprynski

+ Author Affiliations

Food Research Institute, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Address correspondence to Kathleen Glass, kglass@wisc.edu.

Editor Stefan H. E. Kaufmann, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology

ABSTRACT

A 2014 multistate listeriosis outbreak was linked to consumption of caramel-coated apples, an unexpected and previously unreported vehicle for Listeria monocytogenes. This outbreak was unanticipated because both the pH of apples (<4.0) and the water activity of the caramel coating (<0.80) are too low to support Listeria growth. In this study, Granny Smith apples were inoculated with approximately 4 log10 CFU of L. monocytogenes (a cocktail of serotype 4b strains associated with the outbreak) on each apple’s skin, stem, and calyx. Half of the apples had sticks inserted into the core, while the remaining apples were left intact. Apples were dipped into hot caramel and stored at either 7°C or 25°C for up to 11 or 28 days, respectively. Data revealed that apples with inserted sticks supported significantly more L. monocytogenes growth than apples without sticks under both storage conditions. Within 3 days at 25°C, L. monocytogenes populations increased >3 log10 in apples with sticks, whereas only a 1-log10 increase was observed even after 1 week for caramel-coated apples without sticks. When stored at 7°C, apples with sticks exhibited an approximately 1.5-log10 increase in L. monocytogenes levels at 28 days, whereas no growth was observed in apples without sticks. We infer that insertion of a stick into the apple accelerates the transfer of juice from the interior of the apple to its surface, creating a microenvironment at the apple-caramel interface where L. monocytogenes can rapidly grow to levels sufficient to cause disease when stored at room temperature.

Bags of Spinach Recalled Due to Sample Testing Positive for Salmonella

Dole Fresh Vegetables is recalling bags of Spinach after testing conducted by the Michigan Dept. of Ag detected a sample positive for Salmonella.  Only two lot codes - A27409B & A27409A, with an Enjoy By date of October 15 and UPC 7143000976, are being recalled.  There have been no reported illnesses.



 




FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm466811.htm
Dole Fresh Vegetables Announces Precautionary Recall of Limited Number of Spinach Salads

For Immediate Release
October 13, 2015

Contact Consumers   Bil Goldfield   William.Goldfield@dole.com   (818) 874-4647
Consumer Response Center  (800) 356-3111
Firm Press Release

Dole Fresh Vegetables is voluntarily recalling a limited number of cases of bagged salad. The product being recalled is Dole Spinach coded A27409B & A27409A, with an Enjoy By date of October 15 and UPC 7143000976 due to a possible health risk from Salmonella. Dole Fresh Vegetables is coordinating closely with regulatory officials. No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall.

CDC Announcement - October 15th is Global Handwashing Day

While many may scoff, or even mock, those federal officials for putting such effort into creating a 'day' for such a menial task as handwashing, perhaps this is an opportunity to remind all those who handle food of the importance of handwashing.  You may even want to go as far as having a handwashing retraining event....A Handwashing Celebration Extravaganza!

SHOW US THOSE CLEAN HANDS!


CDC News Release
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6439a10.htm?s_cid=mm6439a10_e
Announcement: Global Handwashing Day — October 15, 2015
Weekly
October 9, 2015 / 64(39);1124

October 15, 2015, marks the 8th annual Global Handwashing Day. This observance increases awareness and understanding of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent disease around the world.

Gluten Free Cheerios Recalled Due to Transportation Error that Caused Contamination

General Mills is recalling 1.8 million boxes of gluten-free Cheerios after FDA received 125 complaints from people having an adverse reaction, primarily gastrointestinal issues associated with celiac disease, an extremely painful disorder triggered by the ingestion of gluten.

According to the report - "The company said Monday the foul-up occurred when the Lodi plant lost rail service and its gluten-free flour was transferred from rail cars to trucks.....General Mills said oat flour was contaminated when bulk rail cars full of the stuff were offloaded into bulk trucks, Foster said. The bulk trucks were believed to recently have carried wheat, she said."
An incredible error for a product purchased specifically because it is supposed to contain no gluten.

It is important to see how a monumental error can occur when responding to a crisis. In this case, people worked around the loss of rail service only to contaminate product by not considering the gluten issue in the stopgap measure - off loading into uncleaned transport vehicles.

Untrained logistics/transportation people?  This is a reminder of ensuring that all people within the organization are trained in food safety - both general food safety as well as the food safety issues specific to the activities that with which they are tasked.

From Celiac.org
https://celiac.org/celiac-disease/what-is-celiac-disease/
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that can occur in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. It is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide. Two and one-half million Americans are undiagnosed and are at risk for long-term health complications

When people with celiac disease eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley), their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. These attacks lead to damage on the villi, small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine, that promote nutrient absorption. When the villi get damaged, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly into the body.

Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/fda-says-125-people-complained-about-problems-from-gluten-free-cheerios/330957131/
FDA says it received 125 complaints about gluten-free Cheerios before recall
General Mills said it knows how the gluten got into its flour and has taken steps to prevent it.

Federal food regulators said Tuesday they have received 125 reports of adverse health effects — mostly gastrointestinal problems — from consumers who ate gluten-free Cheerios.

After hearing of such complaints, General Mills Inc. on Monday recalled 1.8 million boxes nationwide of gluten-free Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios, concluding they inadvertently contained wheat, which contains gluten.

Whole Foods Roquefort Cheese Recalled Due to Listeria Positive Sample

Whole Foods is recalling Papillon Organic Roquefort Cheese after FDA sampling found the whole uncut wheels of cheese positive for Salmonella.

Papillon is a brand of cheese made in France and imported into the US.


FDA Recall Notice
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm466185.htm
Whole Foods Market Voluntarily Recalls All Cut, Wrapped And Weighed Papillon Organic Roquefort Cheeses Because Of Possible Health Risk

Is Quat Binding Making Your Sanitizer Ineffective?

Quat binding or quat absorption is a phenomena that occurs when storing cotton wash cloths in buckets of sanitizer strength quaternary ammonia, and the cotton material inactivates the quat to a point where it is not longer at the proper strength.  So while you think you are sanitizing a surface, you are essentially just wiping it with water.  Same thing can occur with mops or common rags.

Two solutions are to spray apply the sanitizer to the surface and then wipe.  Or you can use microfiber cloths that will have less of an inactivating effect.

CleanLink.com
http://www.cleanlink.com/hs/article/What-Is-Quat-Binding-And-Why-It-Must-Be-Prevented--18491
What Is Quat Binding And Why It Must Be Prevented
 BY Becky Mollenkamp
Posted 6/25/15

The science behind quat binding and how it can be prevented

Quaternary ammonium chloride (quat) is an active ingredient in disinfectants that are used widely throughout the industry. These disinfectants are popular because of their effectiveness against germs, bacteria and viruses; their relatively low toxicity at proper dilution; low odors and; long shelf life.

When used properly, quat disinfectants can be very effective. But if used incorrectly, quat binding can occur, drastically reducing the cleaning efficacy.

Quat binding, also known as quat absorption, is still a relatively new and misunderstood issue in the jan/san industry. It is garnering more attention, however, because of its potential to negatively impact cleaning results. The phenomenon of quat binding occurs when the active ingredient (quaternary ammonium chloride) becomes attracted to and absorbed into fabrics. The science behind how this happens is simple: Quats are positively charged ions and cotton and other natural textiles are negatively charged; positive attracts negative.