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

C. perfrigens Identified as Cause of Thanksgiving Foodborne Illness Outbreak

Shortly after Thanksgiving, an outbreak of foodborne illness was reported in California that was linked to a Thanksgiving charity event.  There were 3 deaths and another 22 others who were ill.  The causative agent was found to be Clostridium perfringens, a sporeforming pathogen that can grow rapidly when food is temperature abused.

The actual food source of the bacteria was not found, however investigators "found most of the ill people ate turkey and mashed potatoes and they all ate around the same time. Some dishes served at the event, including cooked turkey, were brought to the site after they were prepared in private homes."

A similar scenario occurred in a 2015 outbreak linked to a Thanksgiving luncheon.  In this case, 40 became ill from food contaminated with Clostridium perfrigens.  In this case however, food was prepared by a caterer.

Clostridium perfrigens: 

• Is a gram positive sporeforming anaerobe.
• Is widely distributed in the environment, but can be found in the intestines of animals and humans (but in small numbers).
• Spores are heat resistant and can survive boiling temperatures.  (Dvalues at 100C can range from 0.31min to 17.5min),
• In heat-treated foods that are temperature abused, this organism can divide in as fast as every 10 minutes.  (The heat treatment eliminates any competitive flora.)  Common food sources include cooked meat foods such as stews and casseroles that are temperature abused.
• Symptoms are caused by ingestion of large numbers ( > 106) vegetative cells or >106 spores/g of food. Toxin production in the digestive tract (or in vitro) is associated with sporulation.  This usually occurs about 16 hours after ingestion.  As the organism numbers increase, it produces an enterotoxin, and this entertoxin is responsible for the illness
• The primary symptoms are cramping and diarrhea and usually dissipate within 24 hours.

The cooling procedures in the Food Code and Appendix B for USDA are established taking C. perfringens into account.

This event points out the risk of having volunteers prepare food in their own home.  In many cases, these people have not been trained in preparing large quantities of food and/or preparing food for events outside of their own home.  In the latter, food transportation can be an issue, especially in warmer areas like California.

CBS SF Bay Area News
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2016/12/20/common-bacteria-caused-antioch-thanksgiving-dinner-deaths/
Common Bacteria Caused Antioch Thanksgiving Dinner Deaths
December 20, 2016 11:43 AM

ANTIOCH (CBS SF) — A common food-borne bacteria was responsible for three deaths and the illnesses suffered by 22 others following a Thanksgiving meal sponsored by a community church at Antioch’s American Legion auditorium, health officials announced Tuesday.

FDA Makes Complaint Database Available, Updates Process for Filing Complaints by Consumers

FDA is making its adverse-event database available.  This list voluntary reports of adverse effects from food as well as reports of drugs.

"The new data can be particularly helpful in the area of food-safety issues, Jacobson said, because the FDA has “a very limited budget, and traditionally has been behind the curve in identifying problems and trying to correct them.”
The database “gives some hint about hot spots in the food supply,” Jacobson said. “If you see large numbers, it’s probably not some random consumer making a spurious association between a headache and something they ate.” 

In the past, this information was available though the Freedom of Information Act, now, it will be available for researchers, companies, and of course lawyers.

Interestingly, FDA receives only about 7500 complaints per year.  Not a lot when you think about the number of products sold each day to 320 million people.

The FDA updated procedures for filing complaints for consumers.  FDA directs consumers on how to report non-emergency complaints.   They can call the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator assigned for each state or to go online and report to MedWatch website.

Bloomburg BNA
https://www.bna.com/fda-food-cosmetics-n73014448792/
FDA Food, Cosmetics Data Boon for Attorneys, Companies
December 19, 2016

Campbell Soup Revives Hundred Year Old Soup Recipe

A cool article in Fortune magazine about the Campbell Soup Company resurrecting one of its earliest soup recipes - a Beefsteak Tomato Soup recipe from 1915.  In sticking with the original recipe, the Company had to find a local tomato supply.  One change that was made was reducing the amount of salt.

Back in the day, there were no large supermarkets, but rather small grocery stores dotted the neighborhoods. Here, commercially processed foods such as canned soups and sliced bread were first sold, becoming staples in the diets of those hard working Americans.  These commercially made foods made lives easier for those people who worked long hours in the coal mines, steel mills, and clothing factories.

Fortune 

http://fortune.com/2016/12/19/campbell-soup-old-soup-recipe/
What Campbell Learned From a 101-Year-Old Tomato Soup Recipe

Almost all Americans have a few old family recipes on file to make beloved, home-made meals. At Campbell Soup, these recipes can go back a little further than a generation or two.

Gift Baskets Packed with Recalled Savory Twists

Those who purchased Wine County Gift Baskets in the past few months are being asked to check if they have Blue Cheese Savory Twists.  This item is being recalled by Houdini Inc because recalled dairy powder was used as an ingredient.  Consumers are to dispose of the product which may contain Salmonella.

There have not been any reported illnesses to date related to the dairy powder ingredient, but this is an example of how far ingredients can move in the supply chain.  It is also a reminder of how a supplier's supplier can impact downstream sales, including repackers like this gift basket purveyor.

WPRI.com

http://wpri.com/2016/12/19/salmonella-risk-prompts-recall-of-gift-basket-snack/
Salmonella risk prompts recall of gift basket snack
By Shaun Towne Published: December 19, 2016, 5:18 pm Updated: December 19, 2016, 5:27 pm

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — If you bought or received a Wine Country Gift Basket in the past few months, Rhode Island health officials are urging you to check for one snack in particular.

CSPI's 10 Worst Food and Supplement Scams of 2016

CSPI's '10 of the Worst Food and Supplement Scams of 2016' is a good reminder that some foods are not as they are made to appear. That is, the marketing does not match what is actually the product inside the container. For example:

"Suja Green Delight. A 12-ounce bottle of this “green” smoothie costs about $4. Its first ingredient is cheap, nutrient-poor apple juice, not the kale, spinach, or other veggies that consumers probably expect. Suja’s King of Greens and Easy Greens also have more apple juice than any of their greens."

 It is worth a look at how marketers try to capitalize on trends and unsuspecting consumers.

CSPI - Center or Science in the Public Interest
10 of the Worst Food and Supplement Scams of 2016
From the Files of Nutrition Action Healthletter
December 19, 2016
https://cspinet.org/news/10-worst-food-and-supplement-scams-2016-20161219

Additional Recalls Linked to Powdered Dairy Milk Recall - Updated

List updated on 12/21/16.  This was initially posted on 12/12/16. - Additional Recalls Linked to Powdered Dairy Milk Recall

Secondary recalls, or recalls issued for using an ingredient that was recalled, are coming in the aftermath of the dairy powder recall earlier this month. Last week, 2 recalls were issued by two different companies for pancake and waffle mix.

These recalls listed here have the dairy powder product being used as an ingredient.  In some, they are part of a dough mix.  In other product, the dairy powder was used as an ingredient in the flavor / seasoning mix.  The concern would be if the mix were to get onto a surface that was not then adequately cleaned, or if product made with the mix was not adequately cooked.

In addition to the FDA announced recalls, there are a number of recalls occurring in foodservice / retail establishments.  Albertson's and Safeway is recalling bakery items that used the dairy powder in cream mixes.  H-E-B is recalling similar items made with cream mix.  The cream mix was made by Dawn Food Products

FDA RECALL NOTICES

USDA Recommends Using 'Best if Used By” Date Label

As part of its initiative to help reduce the amount of wasted food in this country, USDA is recommending that manufacturers use the term 'Best if Used By" for the label date when the product should be used by the consumer. They feel that by having a standardized terminology on the package, consumers will be more apt to adhere. The hope of course, is that they will use the product before that date.

Date marking is not required with the exception of infant food.  However, it is a good idea to have a time which the product is considered having sufficient quality for consumption.  Manufacturers do not want to have half-spoiled product on the shelf, nor do they want to have people throwing away good food.

To get to the USDA document - Link.


USDA News Release
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/newsroom/news-releases-statements-transcripts/news-release-archives-by-year/archive/2016/nr-121416-01
USDA Revises Guidance on Date Labeling to Reduce Food Waste
Encourages Industry to use “Best if Used By” on Product Labels

FDA Advisory Against Eating Cheese from PA Goat Cheese Operation

FDA is advising consumers not to eat cheese from a PA firm due to Listeria.  The issue was discovered when "Apple Tree recalled four lots of products manufactured in March and July 2016 on September 20, 2016, after samples of these lots collected by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes". FDA conducted an inspection, and in addition to finding unsanitary conditions, they found Listeria in the environment and the finished product."

Apple Tree Goat Dairy is a family run operation that focuses on boutique / small lot production of organic cheeses.  And while it is easy to get caught up in the mystique of this type of operation, issues can occur.  Just like the Chipotle case, firms dealing with food still must execute on the fundamentals. That includes understanding the risks, putting in controls for those risks, monitoring those controls, and verifying that they work.  This is all part of the craft..it is not just making products, but making products in a safe and sanitary fashion.  And for a cheese operation, that means controlling Listeria.

We see this all too often with food entrepreneurs...they have a great idea on making a product, but never make sufficient effort to learn the fundamentals of food safety and sanitation.  The microorganisms don't care if is organic, family run operation or even a multi-billion dollar facility...if these organisms are not controlled, they will infiltrate and establish themselves in the facility and potentially the product.

FDA Advisory
http://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/SafetyAlertsAdvisories/ucm531535.htm
FDA Advises Consumers Not to Eat Apple Tree Goat Dairy Goat Cheese Products Because of Possible Listeria Contamination
Products Test Positive for Listeria Monocytogenes
December 2, 2016