FDA Issues Warning Letter to Sandwich Chain for Series of Outbreaks and Sprouter for Issues Leading to Outbreak

FDA issued Warning Letters to both Jimmy John's and a sprout distributor in light of a series of outbreaks associated with the chain.  The investigation "lays out evidence from five outbreaks, including the most recent outbreak in the state of Iowa during November and December 2019, of human infections with Escherichia coli O103, a Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC)."

A bit of this announcement seems to be grandstanding for FDA's new movement, the "New Era of Smarter Food Safety".  In this news release for the action against Jimmy Johns, it goes on to state "The FDA is currently developing a Strategic Blueprint that will outline how the agency plans to leverage technology and other tools, to create a more digital, traceable and safer food system. This work will build on the advances that have been and are being made in the FDA’s implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act to further strengthen prevention of foodborne illnesses."

So while the letter against Jimmy John's is based on outbreaks linked to the restaurant chain, the letter against the Iowa sprouter is after an invetigation associated with the an "outbreak of human infections with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O103 (E. coli O103) that sickened 22 people between November 21 and December 14, 2019."

1.  Did not test spent sprout irrigation water (SSIW) from each production batch of sprouts for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, as required by 21 CFR 112.144(b). 
2.  Did not take steps to hold all product from entering commerce before receiving results from the spent sprout irrigation water tests, as required by 21 CFR 112.147(
3. Did not take corrective actions when environmental samples of your growing, harvesting, pack

FDA In Brief: FDA Issues Warning Letters to Jimmy John’s and a Sprout Distributor for Food Safety Violations
February 25, 2020

New Consumer Product for Sanitizing Surfaces Released

P&G introduced a new surface sanitizer, Microban 24, a Quaternary Ammonium based sanitizing solution.  It is important to note that this is not designed for food contact surfaces, at least not without rewashing the surface after application and before use.

So, how important is it to have the residual sanitizing affect on a non-food contact surface?  Do you want to have chemicals left on the surface or is having clean surface enough?

While it comes at a time when Coronavirus, Covid-19, is on everyone's mind, the product has not been tested against that specific virus, so it can't make that specific claim.

Asked about Microban 24’s use as a guard against the 2019 novel coronavirus (Covid-19), the spokeswoman responded carefully, noting that because it’s a new strain, “there is not yet an acceptable EPA method for claims against it.” 

But it is claimed that it has been found effective against similar viruses.

Microban 24 Product Description
Microban 24-Hour Disinfectant Sanitizing Spray, Citrus, 15 oz - Microban provides 24-hour sanitization against bacteria even after multiple touches. Kills 99.9% of bacteria in 5 minutes, and keeps killing for 24 hours. Cleans and sanitizes in one step. Suitable for everyday use. Aerosol Sanitizing Spray suitable for use on hard surfaces and non-washable soft surfaces like upholstery, backpacks, luggage, curtains and cushions.

• Provides 24-hour sanitization against bacteria even after multiple touches.
• Kills 99.9% of bacteria in 5 minutes, and keeps killing for 24 hours.
• Cleans and sanitizes in one step.
• Suitable for everyday use on hard surfaces and non-washable soft surfaces like upholstery, backpacks, luggage, curtains and cushions.

This Week in Mislabeled Products for Week Ending February 22, 2020

Cheddar Chips in Wrong Labeled Bag Results in Milk Allergen Miss -  Saratoga Potato Chips, llc of Fort Wayne, Indiana is recalling 140 cases of Kroger Sweet & Mesquite BBQ Potato Chips 17 oz (UPC 0111100320101) with the specific lot code because it may contain undeclared milk.  The issue was discovered when some consumers reported finding cheddar cheese flavored chips in the Bag of Sweet & Mesquite BBQ Potato Chips

Product With Peanut Gets Wrong Labeled Sleeve -  Containing Peanuts Mislabeled - CJ Foods, Inc., a division of CJ America, Inc., of La Palma, CA, is voluntarily recalling Annie Chun’s Japanese-Style Teriyaki Noodle Bowls because it may contain undeclared peanuts. The voluntary recall was initiated because the company discovered some bowls that were packaged in outer sleeves indicating Teriyaki Noodle Bowls contain Pad Thai noodle, which contains peanuts that are not listed on the ingredient list or allergen information.

Study - Growth and Survival of Vegetative Pathogens in Beef and Plant (Fake Beef) Burgers

Not that we would expect to have high levels of vegetative pathogens (STEC, E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella) in plant-based burgers, but we would consider the risk of them being there should be low, with the possible exception of Listeria.  However, the plant-based burgers are a TCS food (they have the necessary nutrients, Aw and pH) and thus will support the growth of organisms during storage. 

Storage at refrigeration and slight temperature abuse situations - At slight temperature abuse temperatures (10C), the levels of all three pathogens increased by ca. 1.0 to ca. 2.5 log CFU/g in plant-based burgers (beef burgers showed a slight decrease).
Cooking - all pathogens were reduced equally well in plant-based burgers and regular burgers.

Key - need to treat plant based burgers like regular burgers, especially regarding storage temperatures.

Viability of Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes within Plant versus Beef Burgers during Cold Storage and following Pan Frying 
JOHN B. LUCHANSKY ;  BRADLEY A. SHOYER  ;  YANGJIN JUNG  ;  LAURA E. SHANE  ;  MANUELA OSORIA  ;  ANNA C. S. PORTO-FETT
J Food Prot (2020) 83 (3): 434–442.
https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-19-449

ABSTRACT

The viability of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes within plant- and beef-based burgers was monitored during storage and cooking. When inoculated (ca. 3.5 log CFU/g) into 15-g portions of plant- or beef-based burgers, levels of STEC and Salmonella decreased slightly (≤0.5-log decrease) in both types of burgers when stored at 4°C, but increased ca. 2.4 and 0.8 log CFU/g, respectively, in plant-based burgers but not beef-based burgers (≤1.2-log decrease), after 21 days at 10°C. For L. monocytogenes, levels increased by ca. 1.3 and 2.6 log CFU/g in plant burgers after 21 days at 4 and 10°C, respectively, whereas pathogen levels decreased slightly (≤0.9-log decrease) in beef burgers during storage at 4 and 10°C. Regarding cooking, burgers (ca. 114 g each) were inoculated with ca. 7.0 log CFU/g STEC, Salmonella, or L. monocytogenes and cooked in a sauté pan. Cooking plant- or beef-based burgers to 62.8°C (145°F), 68.3°C (155°F), or 73.9°C (165°F) delivered reductions ranging from ca. 4.7 to 6.8 log CFU/g for STEC, ca. 4.4 to 7.0 log CFU/g for L. monocytogenes, and ca. 3.5 to 6.7 log CFU/g for Salmonella. In summary, the observation that levels of all three pathogens increased by ca. 1.0 to ca. 2.5 log CFU/g in plant-based burgers when stored at an abusive temperature (10°C) highlights the importance of proper storage (4°C) to lessen risk. However, because all three pathogens responded similarly to heat in plant-based as in beef-based burgers, well-established cooking parameters required to eliminate STEC, Salmonella, or L. monocytogenes from ground beef should be as effective for controlling cells of these same pathogens in a burger made with plant-sourced protein.

Study - Prevalence of Salmonella and STEC E. coli in Pork Products

A study conducted by FSIS looked at the prevalence of Salmonella and STEC E. coli in pork products.  Analysis "determined that the national prevalence of Salmonella in raw pork products was highest in comminuted products (28.9%), followed by intact cuts (5.3%) and nonintact cuts (3.9%). Less than 1% of samples analyzed were positive for the top seven STEC. Our findings indicate there is a need for additional pathogen reduction strategies for raw pork products."

Journal of Food Protection
Volume 83, Issue 3
1 March 2020
https://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp/article/83/3/552/426177/Salmonella-and-Shiga-Toxin-Producing-Escherichia
Salmonella and Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli in Products Sampled in the Food Safety and Inspection Service Raw Pork Baseline Study 
MARIA E. SCOTT;  EVELYNE MBANDI ;  STEPHANIE BUCHANAN ;  NASER ABDELMAJID  ;  CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ-RIVERA;  KIS ROBERTSON HALE;   LISA JACOBSEN ;   JENNIFER WEBB;  JENNIFER GREEN ;  PAUL DOLAN 

ABSTRACT
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) conducts microbiological baseline studies to determine national prevalence of select foodborne pathogens in federally inspected meat and poultry products and to obtain data for risk assessments. The FSIS conducted a baseline study from 1 June 2017 through 31 May 2018 to characterize and determine the prevalence of Salmonella and assess the occurrence of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in a variety of raw pork products. In total, 4,014 samples from slaughter and processing establishments were analyzed for Salmonella; a subset of these samples (1,395) from slaughter establishments were also analyzed for STEC. Analyses determined that the national prevalence of Salmonella in raw pork products was highest in comminuted products (28.9%), followed by intact cuts (5.3%) and nonintact cuts (3.9%). Less than 1% of samples analyzed were positive for the top seven STEC. Our findings indicate there is a need for additional pathogen reduction strategies for raw pork products.

FDA Warning Letter - Another Importer Without a FSVP Program for Their Imported Food Items

FDA issued a Warning Letter to Mission, LLC of, Renton, WAS for not have a FSVP (Foreign Supplier Verification Program) in place for the food items that the company was importing.  Specifically, they did not have a FSVP for imported black tea.  As part of this analysis, the company would conduct a hazard analysis on this item and determine if any of the hazards are significant, requiring control by their supplier.

WARNING LETTER
Mission LLC
MARCS-CMS 593118 — February 06, 2020

FDA Closes Investigation into 2019 Fruit Mix Salmonella Outbreak

FDA closed their investigation into the 2019 Salmonella outbreak that was linked to fruit mix from a NJ facility.  The outbreak was first identified in PA health facilities where 31 became ill.  In the end, there were 165 cases with 73 hospitalizations.  While the investigation identified Tailor Cut Produce of North Brunswick, New Jersey as the source, and identified issues at that facility including:

"the inspectors observed these general deficiencies: the firm’s hazard analysis did not identify a known or reasonably foreseeable hazard that required a preventive control; the firm did not identify a preventive control for a hazard when one was needed; and the firm did not maintain the plant in a clean and sanitary condition and keep the plant in repair",

they were not able to identify the origin of the Salmonella.


https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-javiana-fruit-mix-december-2019
Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Javiana: Fruit Mix (December 2019)
FDA’s investigation is complete. CDC announces outbreak is over.
Case Counts
Total Illnesses: 165
 Hospitalizations: 73
 Deaths: 0
 Last illness onset: January 11, 2020
 States with Cases: CA, CO, CT, DE (49), FL, GA, IL, MA, MN, NJ (50), NY (7), PA (49), VA, WA
February 18, 2020

The Importance of Naming the Coronavirus - Covid-19

An interesting article in Vox about the naming of the novel coronavirus. It was given the name Covid-19, derived from COronaVIrus Disease 2019. Not very exciting, although giving it a technical name prevents it from being labeled with a name that can unintentionally create fear...such as tying it a location, tying it to an animal or a food. One just needs to look at swine flu that  resulted in the unneeded culling of some pigs.   Or worse, having the media label it, such as was done with Mad Cow (although that was a prion and not a virus).

VOX.com
https://www.vox.com/2020/2/14/21135208/coronavirus-wuhan-china-covid-19-name-sars-cov-2
The life-and-death consequences of naming the coronavirus

A bad name for an illness can be dangerous. That’s why it took so long to settle on Covid-19.
By Umair Irfan Feb 14, 2020, 10:40am EST

Coronavirus Update - February 14, 2020

In the Coronavirus outbreak, strain designated COVID-19, the case numbers continue to grow, but a testing change by officials in China has had a impact on those numbers, causing the total number to surge higher.  CNBC reports that there are now some 64,000 reported cases wit 1,380 deaths.  There have been 15 cases confirmed in the US, but patients are under quarantine.  The risk in the US is still considered low.

From a Market Watch article - "Health authorities in Hubei Province are now counting cases that have been diagnosed solely by a computed tomography (CT) scan, not a combination of a CT scan and an RNA test. The most recent update from China’s National Health Commission states there were 15,152 new cases, a sevenfold increase over the 2,015 new cases that had been reported the day before. "

The CT method is a quicker analysis compared to the RNA tests that takes days.  The CT scans reveal lung infection, so it is not as specific.  And with a shortage of RNA test kits, many cases were being missed.

From a business perspective, one of the big casualties is the cruise ship operations.  With passenger ships having to quarantine passengers when there is a suspect case, it is easy to see why many may not want to get aboard.

WHO RISK ASSESSMENT
China Very High Regional Level High Global Level High
Market Watch