More Bad Press for Chipotle as Workers Throw Jabs Regarding Food Safety Practices

A new report was made public on allegations from 47 workers on food safety practices at Chipotle in NY City.  In the Business Insider article, "workers said that bonuses paid to restaurant managers are based on performance goals "that include minimizing labor costs," creating a "highly pressurized environment." That pressure can lead to "cutting corners on food safety," workers said. Bloomberg previously reported on the workers' allegations on February 5."

It goes on to report that "Workers also said that managers at locations across New York City are often tipped off about when their restaurant will be audited for cleanliness, and that managers "have relaxed rule following outside of inspection periods" but increase food safety protocols "when an audit is imminent." "Workers also raised concerns about lack of training, understaffing, and aging equipment."

The restaurant chain stated that all matters will be investigated.

Delish.com
https://www.delish.com/food-news/a30798397/chipotle-employees-food-safety-cocern/
Chipotle Employees Say That Workers 'Cut Corners' When It Comes To Food Safety
Chipotle is following up on every allegation.
By Alexis Morillo
Feb 6, 2020

PA Dairy Closed After Owner Charged with Securities Fraud

A PA dairy has closed after it's majority owner was charged with fraud in that he lured investors, mostly local Mennonite and Amish, to invest in a failing organic dairy, about $60 million.  "Court documents said Riehl, 68, lured investors to a fund that made most of its loans to Trickling Springs and paid off older investors with money from new investors. He and a co-conspirator also sold promissory notes in an effort to prop up the struggling creamery, lying to investors that it was profitable when in reality it was losing money, according to court documents."

AP Newswire
https://apnews.com/b0a809bf713992bb5ff7e5889e9a2f07
Prosecutors: Owner of shuttered organic dairy ran $60M fraud
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
January 31, 2020

Patrons Ill After Doing Shots of Cleaning Chemical Stored in Liquor Bottle

Never put food in non-food containers and never put chemicals in food containers.  A simple rule.  Unfortunately, people do it all the time and the results can be disastrous.  Such as a recent case where a bar worker put cleaning solution into a used liquor bottle.  Somehow that liquor bottle with cleaner inside made it's way back to the bar and was then accidentally served as shots to two patrons (as well as the bartender).  Not a way to clean out the pipes.

KIRO 7
https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/customers-accidentally-served-shots-toxic-cleaning-solution-movie-theater-bar/B7DEYUY5GBARHP44UXR4ALTMKU/
Customers accidentally served shots of toxic cleaning solution at movie theater bar
By: Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Updated: January 31, 2020 - 12:24 PM

Deer Hunters Contract Toxoplasmosis From Undercooked Venison

A recent study published by CDC involves a group of hunters who became infected after all consumed undercooked deer meat.  A group of 10 hunters traveled from Canada to Illinois for a deer hunt.  After returning, about 8 days later, six of the 10 hunters had symptoms of fever, severe headache, myalgia, and articular pain.  It was diagnosed as an acute toxoplasmosis

"Human T. gondii infection is caused by ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat; ingestion of soil, water, or food contaminated with oocysts; or, less frequently, directly from feline feces"

"Little is known of the natural epidemiology of T. gondii infection in white-tailed deer. Given that deer are strict herbivores, it is believed that they become infected postnatally by ingesting oocysts from the environment (7). When ingested, the parasites form tissue cysts in the skeletal muscle and other tissues. When the infected deer die, tissues are scavenged by feline carnivore species, including bobcats and cougars (7). The life cycle then continues, and these cats shed more oocysts into the environment. Estimated Toxoplasma spp. prevalence among white-tailed deer varies across the United States from 15% to 74% (Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota) (7,9,10,12)."

"Recommendations include not eating raw or undercooked game meat and cooking to an internal temperature of at least 160°F. They also recommend washing hands with soap and water after handling raw meat and cleaning all materials that come in contact with raw meat thoroughly after use. In addition, cysts and oocysts of toxoplasmosis might be destroyed by freezing the meat (23,24). Because the prevalence seems to be high in wild animals in which study prevalence was determined, freezing the meat seems to be efficient to destroy cysts and oocysts."

Emerging and Infectious Diseases
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/2/19-1218_article
Volume 26, Number 2—February 2020
Acute Toxoplasmosis among Canadian Deer Hunters Associated with Consumption of Undercooked Deer Meat Hunted in the United States
Colette GaulinComments to Author , Danielle Ramsay, Karine Thivierge, Joanne Tataryn, Ariane Courville, Catherine Martin, Patricia Cunningham, Joane Désilets, Diane Morin, and Réjean Dion

WHO Updated Coronavirus Information Indicates Increase in Case Numbers

WHO provided an update that indicates a 10 fold increase in the number of cases from last week.  CDC is monitoring the situation, and as of 1/31/20, there have been 6 confirmed cases in the US.

This is not really a food related issue in that it is transferred via infected people to other people, but China has put a ban on the wildlife trade  (which is not a bad thing anyway).

World Health Organization
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200130-sitrep-10-ncov.pdf?sfvrsn=d0b2e480_2
Novel Coronavirus(2019-nCoV) Situation Report - 10
SITUATION IN NUMBERS 
Globally  7818 confirmed 
 China   7736 confirmed
              12167 suspected 
              1370 severe   
              170 deaths       
Outside of China       82 confirmed      18 countries
US 5 confirmed  (now 6)
Canada 3 confirmed
Ukraine 0 confirmed (the baushkas will have none of that going on)

FDA Issues Warning Letter to AZ Candy Company

An Arizona candy company was issued a Warning Letter by FDA.
The main issues were:
1) In the hazard analysis, they did not evaluate all of the ingredients used in the product.  The hazard analysis must evaluate every ingredient in the process.
2) There was an issue with the environmental monitoring.  I have a little issue here with the FDA's statements.  Environmental monitoring is specific for the facility.  There should not be a need for testing for Listeria in a candy facility.  Not to say environmental monitoring is not needed, however, I would like to see some additional support for the comments FDA is stating in this item.
3) The firm was buying raw nuts and roasting them, but the firm claimed that Salmonella was not a hazard because there was Supplier Control.  But clearly, the firm would have a Process Preventive Control in terms of Roasting.
4) The firm did not have a good pest control program.

From the report, Item 1.
Your hazard analysis for your RTE peppermint snow mints, chocolate pretzel clusters, and cinnamon honey peanut butter did not include an evaluation of all ingredients used to manufacture these products.
Specifically,
a. The hazard analysis for "[Chocolate] Molding," which applies to its use in peppermint snow mints, did not identify or evaluate potential hazards for the ingredient crushed peppermint/candy cane, such as recontamination with environmental pathogens and unapproved colors/additives.
b. The hazard analysis for "[Chocolate] Molding," which applies to its use in chocolate pretzel clusters, did not identify or evaluate potential hazards with the ingredient pretzels, such as recontamination with environmental pathogens.
c. The hazard analysis for (b)(4), which applies to the performance of this activity to make cinnamon honey peanut butter, did not identify or evaluate potential hazards for the ingredient ground cinnamon, such as Salmonella spp. and heavy metals, and for the ingredient honey, hazards such as drug residues and pesticides.

Chicago Establishment Recalls Ground Beef After 2 Complaints of Clear Plastic in Product

Amity Packing Company Inc., a Chicago, Ill. establishment, is recalling approximately 2,020 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically clear, thin pliable plastic.  The problem was discovered after Pre Brands LLC. received two consumer complaints reporting findings of clear, thin pliable plastic in raw ground beef.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2020/recall-003-2020-release
Amity Packing Company Inc. Recalls Raw Ground Beef Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination 
Class II Recall
003-2020
Health Risk: Low
Jan 24, 2020

FDA Issues Warning Letter to Manufacturer of RTE Ingredient

FDA issued a Warning Letter to an Ohio firm that manufacturers RTE ingredients.  The problem was that the firm had a Listeria issue (discovered by their customer who tested the product and probably reported via the Reportable Food Registry).  Upon inspection by the FDA, the firm did not have good cleaning procedures and was not responding to Listeria positive samples.  The firm did not not implement effective corrective action procedures to include that root cause analysis, specifically - "did not perform an investigation to locate a potential source of contamination or make any changes to your sanitation practices."  The firm also had some poor practices including the use of high pressure hoses as well as improper cleaning of transfer pipes.

From the Letter

• "Specifically, your food safety plan identified environmental pathogens as a hazard requiring preventive controls and identified sanitation controls to address the hazard, but you did not fully implement your “Sanitation Standard Operating procedure (SSOP), We also gathered documentation that one of your customers tested and found your aji amarillo paste to be positive for L. monocytogenes." 
• "In addition, a review of records of your weekly environmental monitoring program for Listeria spp. shows that (b)(4).  (b)(4) collected by FDA during our most recent inspection were positive for L. monocytogenes. Furthermore, your finished aji amarillo paste product was found to be positive for L. monocytogenes (b)(4)."
• "Whole genome sequencing analysis showed the L. monocytogenes isolates from the environmental swabs collected by FDA were the same strain as that in the finished product aji amarillo paste tested by your customer. Your environmental testing results and these findings demonstrate that your sanitation procedures have been inadequate to significantly minimize or prevent the hazard of L. monocytogenes in your facility"
•  "You did not implement your written corrective action procedures to address the presence of an environmental pathogen or appropriate indicator organism detected through your environmental monitoring, as required by 21 CFR 117.150(a)(1)(ii). Specifically, in your food safety plan, you identified (b)(4). (Environmental monitoring is a verification activity for preventive controls as reflected in 21 CFR 117.165(a)(3).) Your environmental monitoring program lists the following corrective actions after a presumptive positive for Listeria spp.: (b)(4). Your weekly environmental monitoring program for Listeria spp. (b)(4). Each time, your corrective actions were limited to (b)(4). You did not perform an investigation to locate a potential source of contamination or make any changes to your sanitation practices."
• "You did not clean and sanitize utensils and equipment in a manner that protects against allergen cross-contact and against contamination of food, food-contact surfaces, or food-packaging materials, as required by 21 CFR 117.35(a). On March 28, 2019, our investigator observed an employee using a high-pressure hose to spray the mezzanine floor with water while performing sanitation operations. Water overspray created a mist surrounding the open medium ribbon blender used to manufacture aji amarillo paste. On April 2, 2019, our investigator observed water overspray around the blue (b)(4) pallets on which employees were cleaning product transfer hoses, (b)(4) blades, a (b)(4), (b)(4) hopper, and (b)(4) fixtures used in the manufacture of the aji amarillo paste. Our investigator also observed an employee cleaning a product transfer pipe without cleaning the full interior of the pipe."

FDA Warning letter
https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/yost-foods-inc-581473-09102019
Yost Foods, Inc 
MARCS-CMS 581473 — September 10, 2019

This Week in Mislabeled Products for Week Ending February 1, 2020

Chicken Soup Packed in Wrong Package, Allergen Missing  - Bakkavor Foods USA, Inc. is voluntarily recalling 840 units of Harris Teeter’s Fresh Food Market Mushroom Barley Soup, 16 oz with “SELL BY” date codes 03/09/20 because it may contain undeclared milk.  The recall was initiated after it was discovered that Chicken Wild Rice Soup containing Milk was distributed in Mushroom Barley Soup packaging that did not reveal the presence of Milk. The problem was discovered when a Harris Teeter employee was stocking store shelves and noticed the discrepancy.

Non-Dairy Creamers Can Contain Caseinate, a Dairy Protein And Must Be Declared as Milk - Beepa’s of Beloit, WI is recalling Goulash, because it may contain undeclared milk.  The recall was initiated after it was discovered that product containing Milk was distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of Milk in the sub ingredients of the non dairy creamer.

Pizza Packed in Wrong Package, Allergen Missing - Astrochef LLC., a Rockwall, Texas establishment, is recalling approximately 7,363 pounds of pepperoni stuffed pizza sandwich products because the product is mislabeled and contains undeclared soy, - the products are labeled as pepperoni stuffed pizza sandwich products but may contain meatball stuffed pizza sandwich products inside the package.  The problem was discovered when the firm received consumer complaints about products labeled as Mega Sandwich Pepperoni Stuffed Pizza that contained a meatball stuffed pizza sandwich product.