Australia - Woman Charged in the Needle-in-Strawberry Case

A 50 year old Queensland woman have been charged with the needle-in-strawberry contamination case in Australia.  The issue resulted in stores removing strawberries from shelves and having a huge impact the half billion dollar industry.  While a motive has not been yet listed, it was stated that the woman could receive 3, perhaps a 10 year sentence.  Doesn't seem nearly long enough.

news.com.au
https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/police-arrest-woman-over-strawberry-contamination/news-story/fbe4e890572060b129c6c100a2fcca62#.yfmcm
Police arrest woman over strawberry contamination
A 50-year-old Queensland woman has been charged over a strawberry needle contamination that sparked a nationwide crisis.

November 11, 20189:47pm
Shireen Khalil

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.

NY Artisan Cheese Processor Recalls Product Tests Positive for Listeria

Sprout Creek Farm of Poughkeepsie, New York is recalling 132 wheels of their "Margie" cheese, a soft, white rind, cow's milk cheese, because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.  The product is being recalled after an FDA inspection found Listeria monocytogenes in products that they sampled.

A few items of concern...if this product was tested and found to be positive, other products may be implicated.  Also, it is likely that FDA will see if the organism found here matches any cases of illness.

https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm625254.htm
Sprout Creek Farm Recalls "Margie" Cheese Due to Listeria Monocytogenes
For Immediate Release
November 6, 2018

Duncan Hines Cake Mix Recalled after Outbreak Strain Found in Product

Conagra Brands is recalling Duncan Hines cake mixes after being connected "with a positive finding of Salmonella in a retail sample of Duncan Hines Classic White cake mix that may be linked to a Salmonella outbreak", where five people have become infected.  The Salmonella strain, Salmonella Agbeni, matched the organism collected from ill persons as determined through the use of Whole Genome Sequencing.  "While it has not been definitively concluded that this product is linked to the outbreak and the investigation is still ongoing."

The baking process, if properly followed, will eliminate the organism,  However, people do eat raw batter and there is the issue of cross contamination that can occur in the kitchen when the powder mix gets onto food contact surfaces as well as other food.

Has this been an issue in the past?  Salmonella as well as STEC E. coli have been involved in flour related outbreaks and recalls (1, 2, 3 4, 5 ).  Improved techniques for tracking outbreaks and for identifying specific organisms using Whole Genome Sequencing have given a truer look at sources that may not have identified in the past.

https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm625144.htm

Duncan Hines Classic White, Classic Butter Golden, Signature Confetti and Classic Yellow Cake Mixes Recalled Due to Potential Presence of Salmonella

For Immediate Release

November 5, 2018

This Week in Mislabeled Products - Week Ending November 3, 2018

State Testing Lab Finds Milk in Dark Chocolate - A Brooklyn, NY is recalling its 2.82oz MarieBelle Japanese Matcha Japanese Green Tea and White Chocolate Bar, container code 101619, Cacao Market by MarieBelle Rosemary Truffle Salt 60% Dark Chocolate Bar, all container codes, and the Cacao Market by MarieBelle Orange Peels 60% Dark Chocolate Bar, all container codes, because they may contain undeclared milk allergens. The recall was initiated after routine sampling by New York State Department of Agriculture and Market Food Inspectors and subsequent analysis by Food Laboratory personnel revealed the presence of undeclared milk allergens

Tortilla Chips in the Popcorn Bag - Frito-Lay announced a voluntary recall of select 1/2 oz. bags of Smartfood Delight Sea Salt Flavored popcorn because they were inadvertently filled with cheese flavored tortilla chips that contain undeclared milk ingredients. The issue was discovered after a consumer notified Frito-Lay that their Smartfood Delight bag contained tortilla chips. Frito-Lay has informed the FDA of our actions.

https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm624518.htm
Maribel’s Sweets Inc. Allergy Alert on Undeclared Milk Allergens in Chocolate Bars
For Immediate Release
October 29, 2018

Nut Company Recalls Roasted In-Shell Pistachios After Positive Test For Salmonella

Barcelona Nut Company of Baltimore, Maryland is recalling 239 cases of roasted and salted in shell pistachios, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, "Barcelona Nut Company's processor and supplier, ARO, voluntarily initiated the recall after a separate and unaffiliated manufacturer, performed a routine test which revealed salmonella. Since Barcelona Nut Company received product from the same lot, it is necessary to take precautions. Barcelona Nut Company has ceased the production and distribution of this particular lot of roasted and salted in shell pistachios as the FDA and the companies involved continue their investigation."

https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm625001.htm
Barcelona Nut Company Recalls Roasted and Salted in Shell Pistachios Because of Possible Health Risk
For Immediate Release
November 2, 2018

Formulation Error in Dry Pet Food Leads to Complaints for Vitamin D Toxicity

Nutrisca and Natural Life Pet Products, related companies out of Saint Louis, Missouri are voluntarily recalling dry dog food due to high levels of vitamin D.  The companies "became aware of the elevated levels of vitamin D after receiving complaints from three pet owners of vitamin D toxicity after consuming the product. An investigation revealed a formulation error led to the elevated vitamin D in the product."

As part of the Preventive Controls for Animal Feeds, addition of chemicals that can become a health issue may require a preventive control, in this case a way to track Vitamin D addition.

https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm625016.htm
Natural Life Pet Products Issues Recall of Dry Food Due to Elevated Levels of Vitamin D
For Immediate Release
November 2, 2018

Will Your Baby Formula Be Made from Algae?

An article in Food Navigator reports how a San Diego Company is producing breast milk proteins from algea.  Scientists at Triton introduced a gene into an algae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

San Diego start-up develops algae production platform capable of producing proteins found in bovine and human breast milk 
29-Oct-2018 By Elaine Watson

A San Diego-based firm building a production platform for food proteins from green algae says it can produce recombinant proteins identical to those found in bovine and human breast milk, which it claims could prove a game changer in the infant formula market.

https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2018/10/29/Triton-Algae-Innovations-develops-algae-production-platform-capable-of-producing-proteins-found-in-bovine-and-human-breast-milk

FDA Issues Report on E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak associated with Romaine Lettuce from the Yuma AZ Area

FDA issued a report on the E.coli outbreak associated with romaine lettuce from the Yuma AZ area that was first identified in April of 2018.  This was the largest number of E. coli O157:H7 infections in the United States in the last decade with 210 reported illnesses from 36 states, resulting in 96 hospitalizations, 27 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and five deaths.

The investigation found that there were no obvious deficiencies in the processing facility, but did have these findings for the growing area.

• The outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 was found in water from three locations along a 3.5 mile stretch in an irrigation canal near Wellton in Yuma County, Arizona.
• The outbreak strain was not found anywhere else in sampling done during the EA in the Yuma growing region of Imperial County, California, and Yuma County, Arizona, although other human pathogens were identified in collected samples.
• FDA has concluded that the water from the irrigation canal where the outbreak strain was found most likely led to contamination of the romaine lettuce consumed during this outbreak.
• FDA cannot rule out that other sources or means of romaine lettuce contamination with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 may have occurred.
• There are several ways that irrigation canal water may have come in contact with the implicated romaine lettuce including direct application to the crop and/or use of irrigation canal water to dilute crop protection chemicals applied to the lettuce crop, either through aerial or ground-based spray applications.
• How and when the irrigation canal became contaminated with the outbreak strain is unknown. A large animal feeding operation is nearby but no obvious route for contamination from this facility to the irrigation canal was identified. Other explanations are possible although the EA team found no evidence to support them.

With this, FDA makes recommendations (below) for helping to prevent these issues including putting measures in place to assure the safety of the irrigation water and to assess the risk of land use surrounding the water source.

The full investigative report can be found here.  LINK
It includes maps with sampling sites as well as test results.  Worth the read if interest in the topic.


https://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Outbreaks/ucm624546.htm
Environmental Assessment of Factors Potentially Contributing to the Contamination of Romaine Lettuce Implicated in a Multi-State Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7
November 1, 2018
This document provides an overview of factors that potentially contributed to the contamination of romaine lettuce with E. coli O157:H7 that was implicated in a 2018 multi-state foodborne illness outbreak.