FDA Issues Alert for Raw Pet Food Brands About Potential Pathogens

FDA issued an alert for raw pet food products under the Darwin’s Natural and ZooLogics brand labels.  "The FDA is alerting pet owners to a history of four recalls of and multiple complaints associated with Darwin’s Natural and ZooLogics pet foods, manufactured by Arrow Reliance Inc., dba Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, over the period from October 17, 2016 to February 10, 2018. In each instance, the company recalled these products after being alerted to positive findings of Salmonella and/or Listeria monocytogenes in samples of their raw pet food products."

There have been a number of complaints of illness and deaths associated with the product.     "As part of an ongoing investigation into complaints associated with products manufactured by Arrow Reliance/Darwin’s Natural of Tukwila, WA, the FDA has confirmed that new samples of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products raw pet foods have tested positive for Salmonella."   In addition to illness, there have also been injuries associated with bone shards.

As FDA states on this Alert, "Raw pet food is more likely than other types of pet food to contain Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. Pet owners who choose to feed raw pet food should be aware of the risks associated with these products."  But it further states, "The FDA has a zero-tolerance policy for Salmonella or other pathogenic bacteria in all pet food, meaning the agency will take action, as appropriate, against any pet food found to be contaminated with the harmful bacteria."

So why aren't these processors using High Pressure Processing to eliminate pathogens?  Why do we recall it knowing that pathogens can be present?  Why do people buy this knowing that the harm to the dog can far outweigh any benefit?  Really, if people want to feed raw meat to dogs, buy whole cuts of meat, surface sanitize and cut it yourself.  While this will not eliminate the risk completely, it is less risky than buying commercially made product.

FDA Alert
https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm596594.htm
FDA Investigates Pattern of Contamination in Certain Raw Pet Foods Made by Arrow Reliance Inc., Including Darwin’s Natural Pet Products and ZooLogics Pet Food
For Immediate Release
February 13, 2018

Online Consumer Complaint Portals - Too Much Transparency?

An interesting article in the NY Times titled Too Much Power to the People? A Food Safety Site Tests the Limits discusses the online complaint site IWasPoisoned.com and the impact it has on food companies.  According the article, the site has collected about 89,000 reports since starting in 2009.   The site provides an outlet for consumers to voice their issues, in this case, the blame for their illness.

While it has proved a key for pointing out linkages to foodborne illness associated with less-than-good operators such as Chipolte, there are some major drawbacks of having too much transparency.

"Restaurant executives have criticized IWasPoisoned for allowing anonymous and unverified submissions, which they say leads to false reports and irresponsible fear-mongering. Some public health officials have objected on the grounds that food poisoning victims can’t be trusted to correctly identify what made them sick."  

So for one, people can publicly bash a restaurant with out substantiating the restaurants involvement.  Depending on the type of agent involved in foodborne illness, the food may have been consumed hours before or days before the symptoms show up.  Unfortunately, people are apt to blame the food they last ate.

People may just want to pile on without actually being sick.  In some cases, people may do it because they don't like a given food establishment, or perhaps they favor a competitor.

The website does review complain submissions and they do provide an opportunity for those establishments which have been blamed for an illness to appeal any complaints.

However, the high level of transparency makes this information readily available for all, including news media outlets who are always hungry to report an outbreak of foodborne illness.

One fact is interesting in how a website like this makes money - they provide an early warning to investor and others willing to pay for leads on a given restaurant that may be involved in an outbreak scenario.

NY Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/business/too-much-power-to-the-people-a-food-safety-site-tests-the-limits.html
Business Day
Too Much Power to the People? A Food Safety Site Tests the Limits
The Shift
By KEVIN ROOSE FEB. 13, 2018

Dog Treats Recalled After Positive Laboratory Test

A CA pet products company is recalling a single product, bully stick dog chews, after the Colorado Department of Agriculture found that a single sample collected from a retail location detected positive for Salmonella.  According to the owner, every product lot before it tested before it leaves the manufacturing plant. This lot code in question was tested both at the company lab as well as by a third-party testing facility.

Hopefully the positive was analyzed to determine that it was not from the laboratory.  But conducting further analysis, specifically DNA testing, will help in determining the source and whether this organism was transient or established within the facility.

Is it possible for a facility to do finished product testing and still have a positive sampling?  Absolutely.  Small levels of contamination may not be found by limited finished product testing.  More important is having a comprehensive monitoring system that focuses on the environment.

FDA Recall Notice
https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm596190.htm
Redbarn Pet Products Issues Voluntary Recall of Dog Chews
For Immediate Release
February 9, 2018

Study Assesses Exposure to PAA for Food Processing Employee Safety

With peracetic acid (PAA) being used more in food processing operations, a study reported in Meatingplace looked at exposure levels to employees who work in poultry facilities.  In summary, the level of exposure to employees was below proposed threshold limits for health and safety, but the researchers recommended additional work is needed.

Meatingplace - Industry News - AM

http://www.meatingplace.com/Industry/News/Details/78054
Study assesses poultry workers’ exposure to peracetic acid
By Tom Johnston on 2/13/2018

FDA Releases 2017 Food Code - What's New in the Regulation

FDA released the 2017 version of the Food Code.  The Food Code is a model for ensuring safe food that is provided for adoption by local, state, and federal governmental jurisdictions for administration to food service, retail food stores, or food vending operations.  Every 4 years, a new version is issued with updates.   According to the release, there are 4 significant changes.   

Item #1 - Revised requirement for the Person in Charge (PIC) to be a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) (Section 2-102.12)

What’s changed – in the 2013 version, section 2-102.12 specifies that one person within the operation be a certified person. The update removes the 'one person'  but puts in that the person in charge is teh certified person.  The change makes the regulation less prescriptive, so instead of saying at least one person, now it says whoever has the duties of the person in change (2-103.11), that person has to be certified.   This may make it easier for small multi-unit operations to comply.

Item #2 - Added a new section that addresses the use of bandages, finger cots or finger stalls (Section 2-401.13)

What’s new – This section was added into the code. While covered in the ServSafe training, covering a wound on the hand is now detailed in the regulation - the wound is covered by bandage or cot (or stall) and then covered by a glove. (A finger cot and stall are essentially the same, but a stall generally refers to a finger covering that has a support back to the wrist).

Item #3  Harmonized cooking time/temperature parameters for intact and non-intact meat and poultry in accordance with guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) (Section 3-401.11) 

What's changed - There are two significant changes here - the first is the dwell time for ground meat, injected meat, mechanically tenderized meat - it is 155ºF for 17 seconds, instead of 15 seconds.  The second is for poultry and stuffed meat - the temperature is 165ºF is an instantaneous time, instead of of what is listed in the earlier versions as 15 seconds.

Item #4  Updated procedures for retail food establishment operations to continue during an extended water or electrical outage if a written emergency operation plan has been pre-approved by the Regulatory Authority, immediate corrective action taken and the Regulatory Authority has been notified upon implementation of the plan (Section 8-404.11) 

What's changed  - More detail was added to the regulation about continuing operation when an outage of electrical or water service is encountered.  It gives the regulatory authority and the operator means of writing and approving a plan provided there is no risk.

LINK to 2017 Food Code

The specific sections are covered below showing impacted sections of the regulation.


FDA Constituent Update
LINK To Announcement
FDA Releases 2017 Food Code

Recall Data from Past Five Years - What is Changing?

Each quarter, Stericycle Expert Solutions releases their Recall Index which analyzes the frequency, volume, and causes of U.S. product recalls.   This week they issued a 5 year summary of making these reports. From this article,  Reflections on Recalls: Five Years of the Stericycle Expert Solutions Recall Index

"The food and beverage industry experienced the most dramatic spike in units recalled over the past five years. Food products recalled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) skyrocketed 92.7 percent since 2012, and recalled pounds regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which largely oversees meat production, jumped 83.4 percent in the same period.  Technological improvements in food testing, combined with factory farming and growing automation in food production were major drivers of the increases. "

Many have interpreted this report to make it seem like things are out of control.  Not really.  Increased testing, improved testing, and a risk-averse public have more to do with the number of recalls.  Our systems of supply have not changed as much as our testing requirements and capabilities and with that, our threshold for the issues that are found.  Because of this, our food supply is becoming more safe, not less safe.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reflections-on-recalls-five-years-of-the-stericycle-expert-solutions-recall-index-300594063.html
Reflections on Recalls: Five Years of the Stericycle Expert Solutions Recall Index 
Q4 2017 Recall Index Reveals Zero Fines for Consumer Products, Continued Decreases in Medical Device Recalls, and Severity of Drug Recalls Continuing to Rise, Among Other Findings 

FDA Has Increased Number of Imported Shrimp Refusals

According to Seafood Source, the FDA has had an increase in the number of import refusals for shrimp in the month of January.    The issues were due to the presence of Salmonella while others were rejected for the presence of banned antibiotics.  

As stated in the article, many of these suppliers are on import alert which holds the import until the proper testing can be completed. Once a supplier is place on import alert, it can be very difficult to get off of that list.

Seafood Source
https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/food-safety-health/fdas-shrimp-import-refusals-rose-in-january
FDA’s shrimp import refusals rose in January
By Christine Blank

Lawsuit Against Cruise Line After Ship Has Eight Consecutive Norovirus Outbreaks

In 2016/2017, there was a norovirus outbreak on eight consecutive cruises on the Sun Princess cruise ship.  A lawsuit is being filed that "Carnival was negligent in its sanitation of the vessel, leading to continued outbreaks."   While the ship has had satisfactory inspection, this case points to the difficulty of eliminating an pathogen such as norovirus.

Norovirus is highly infectious, so there does not need for a lot of virus particle to be present.  As a non-enveloped virus, it can remain on surfaces for weeks.  Thirdly, it is resistant to normal strength sanitizers, so you have to clean and then hit with a strong sanitizer.  This can be a problem when the particles get onto carpeting, bedding, and other non-easy-to-clean surfaces.  Add this to the fact that these cruise ships are huge - this one has a capacity over 2000 passengers with 15 decks, 1000 cabins, and a slew of lounges, bars, and recreational areas.  And then, if the article below is correct, they are turning this ship around for the next cruise in hours.

Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article198720189.html
On eight cruises in a row, passengers got ‘violently ill.’ A lawsuit may be coming
By Chabeli Herrera  cherrera@miamiherald.com
February 06, 2018 06:00 PM
Updated February 07, 2018 03:10 PM

Pork Extract Broth Recalled for Improper Processing

An Okla. establishment, is recalling approximately 4,202 pounds of fully cooked pork products due to a processing deviation that may have allowed potential spore-forming pathogen growth including Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium perfringens,  It is a paitan which is a soup base made from meat, bone and cartilage extract, so contains fats and collagen to form a hearty thick broth.

This product is a cooked product that is packed in plastic pouches (pillow pack) and then frozen.  This is used as an ingredient.  Processing is not designed to rid products of spores, so the issue would have had to have been related to the cooling to freezing.  If not cooled properly, Clostridial spores, which survive the cooking, would have had an opportunity to grow.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2018/recall-009-2018-release
Guymon Extracts, Inc. Recalls Fully Cooked Pork Products Due to Possible Processing Deviation 
Class I Recall
009-2018
Health Risk: High
Feb 6, 2018