Federal Agencies Release Report on Foodborne Illness Source Attribution Estimates for 2013

FDA and CDC released their inter-agency report for determining cases of foodborne illness attributed to food sources.  Please note - this data is from 2013.

Foodborne illness source attribution estimates for 2013 for Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter using multi-year outbreak surveillance data, United States - The Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC)

December 2017

Noted from the report with comment.

• Salmonella illnesses came from a wide variety of foods.  Salmonella illnesses were broadly attributed across multiple food categories. More than 75% of Salmonella illnesses were attributed to seven food categories: Seeded Vegetables (such as tomatoes), Eggs, Chicken, Other Produce (such as nuts), Pork, Beef, and Fruits.  [Many animals carry Salmonella and then this can contaminate produce and grain items through cross contamination probably originating with contamination from fecal deposits]
• E. coli O157 illnesses were most often linked to Vegetable Row Crops (such as leafy greens) and Beef. More than 75% of illnesses were linked to these two categories.
• Listeria monocytogenes illnesses were most often linked to Fruits and Dairy products. [Note that meat products are not mentioned here and much of this is due to the work of the meat industry which has conditions and products that are a lot more of a challenge.  I suspect that we will see FDA regulated facilities taking clues from the meat industry about Listeria control.]
• More than 75% of illnesses were attributed to these two categories, but the rarity of Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks makes these estimates less reliable than those for other pathogens.
• Non-Dairy Campylobacter illnesses were most often linked to Chicken [but the main source was raw milk.  Incredible to think about when you consider how few people actually drink raw milk]
• Almost 80% of non-Dairy foodborne illnesses were attributed to Chicken, Other Seafood (such as shellfish), Seeded Vegetables, Vegetable Row Crops, and Other Meat/Poultry (such as lamb or duck). An attribution percentage for Dairy is not included because, among other reasons, most foodborne Campylobacter outbreaks were associated with unpasteurized milk, which is not widely consumed, and we think these over-represent Dairy as a source of Campylobacter illness. Removing Dairy illnesses from the calculations highlights important sources of illness from widely consumed foods, such as Chicken.

LINK

Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration: Release of a New Report on Foodborne Illness Source Attribution Estimates for 2013
December 15, 2017

Cruise Ship Season is Here...What about Norovirus?

Planning to go on a cruise this year?  This past week, a Royal Caribbean ship, Ovation of the Sea, had 195 cases of gastrointestinal illness.  One of the largest cruise line ships, it was carrying 5800 people, and was at sea for 14 days off the coast of Australia.

Controlling illness on cruise ships is a challenge.  Over the past 4 years, there have been 10 or so ships that meet the conditions for reporting by CDC (CDC  Outbreak Updates for International Cruise Ships).  But in order to report by CDC, there is a cutoff  - "3% or more of passengers or crew reported symptoms of diarrheal disease to the ships medical staff during the voyage."  So in the recent outbreak on the Ovation, it just made that mark at 3.3% on board ill.

This table shows the other cases in the last 6 months.

ABC News
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-05/gastro-outbreak-on-ovation-of-seas-cruise-ship/9226346
Gastro outbreak on Ovation of the Seas cruise ship, almost 200 ill
By Natalie Whiting
Updated 5 Dec 2017, 2:04amTue 5 Dec 2017, 2:04am

France - Company Conducts International Recall of Baby Milk Product after 26 Ill from Salmonella

A French owned dairy conglomerate, Lactalis, is conducting an international recall of baby milk after there have been 26 reported cases of Salmonella infection. The cases have been reported since Dec 1.
 "The company said a possible source of the outbreak has been identified in a tower used to dry out the milk at a production site in May. Disinfection and cleaning measures have been put in place at the suspected site in western France." 

So did the cases come from product produced before the clean-out / disinfection, and if so, were those conditions sufficient to warrant retrieving product produced before that clean-out /disinfection?

ABC News / Associated Press

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/baby-milk-maker-orders-global-recall-salmonella-fears-51712320
Baby milk maker orders global recall over salmonella fears
By The Associated Press
PARIS — Dec 11, 2017

Food Bank Recalls Donated Candy Product for Potential Chemical Contamination

A Kansas food bank / food pantry is recalling a donated candy product due to that it may be contaminated with a chemical substance.  There has been one reported illness so far.  Six cases of this product were received and distributed by the food bank network to potentially  10 counties.  The group also states that this may be an isolated incidence.

This points out a challenge that food banks have with donated food - numerous and varied sources of product.  Depending on a given food banks procedures, donated food can come from retail, food service or manufacturing.  Packaged foods will generally be regarded as distressed - beyond the stated sell-by-date, or will have a cosmetic packaging issue, or will have a quality issue.  They may have been stored or handled using less-than-ideal ways. Food bank receiving and evaluation procedures and documentation is also more difficult considering the numerous entry points into the system.

https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm588386.htm
Harvesters Issues Safety Alert on Bibi Frutix Candy Possible Chemical Contamination
For Immediate Release
December 8, 2017

This Week in Mislabeled Product - Week Ending December 8

Beef Bouillon with Undeclared Milk - Creative Contract Packaging LLC is voluntarily recalling 4,412 cases, or 13,236 total pounds, of two code dates of HERB-OX® Beef Flavor Granulated Bouillon, due to the potential presence of an undeclared milk allergen.  The firm discovered the issue during a routine label review.

Almond Found in Chocolate Product - ALDI has voluntarily recalled Choceur Dark Chocolate Bars as a precautionary measure due to the potential presence of almond pieces not listed on packaging. The recall was initiated after an ALDI employee identified almond pieces in the product.

https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm587882.htm
Creative Contract Packaging LLC Issues An Allergen Alert Regarding 4 Ounce Jars Of Herb-Ox® Beef Flavor Granulated Bouillon Due To Potential Presence Of Undeclared Milk
For Immediate Release
December 5, 2017

Sous Vide Cooking for Consumers - Recognizing the Risk

Sous vide cooking is gaining in popularity among consumers.  Sous vide is essentially cooking food in a sealed bag at low cooking temperatures (140F to 180F) for a long period of time. Cooking product at low temperatures in a sealed bag has advantages for flavor retention and tenderization. Unfortunately, there are some serious food safety issues that consumers may be unaware.

Food safety issues arise when the food is not adequately cooked, when cooled incorrectly, or when product is later held at incorrect temperatures.   The first concern is that the food will not reach high enough temperature to kill pathogenic vegetative cells like Salmonella or E. coli (STEC).  In traditional cooking, product is exposed to higher temperature and the center point then rises to meet that temperature.  Our standard endpoint cooking temperatures of 165F for 15 seconds for internal chicken temperature provides sufficient kill that we don't need to worry about Salmonella or Campylobacter.  With sous vide cooking, lower temperatures for longer times are used.  So the concern is that will there be sufficient heat to eliminate vegetative pathogens such as Salmonella or Campylobacter.  For traditional consumer cooking temperatures, we have ample scientific support. But for sous vide, while there is some scientific validation for commercial processing, there is less for consumer at-home cooking.  Generally people count on the direction provided by equipment manufacturers.  How valid are those directions?  And what about when people start to vary from those directions?  Perhaps they start with frozen chicken vs thawed chicken, or they decide to process at 148 instead of 155?

The other concern is cooling.  The temperatures used will not eliminate sporeforming pathogens such as Clostridium botulinum or Clostridium perfringes and so if product is not cooled quickly enough, or if product is left at room temperature for an extended time before consumption, these organisms will grow, especially in a vacuum sealed environment.  Commercial operations that use sous vide processing are required to have tight controls on cooling and refrigerated or frozen storage.  Will consumers do the same?  Fish is a particular concern because the risk of low-temperature growing Clostridium botulinum.

Photo courtesy of Zach Lampich

Consumer Reports
https://www.consumerreports.org/kitchen-appliances/sous-vide-tools-review-anova-joule/
Sous Vide Tools That Up Your Game in the Kitchen

Consumer Reports put the Anova and Joule sous vide cookers to the test to find out if slower really is better

Study - Salmonella in Drains Leads to Ongoing Salmonella Contamination Issue

A study published in Eurosurveillence discusses the investigation of a prolonged outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium associated with a restaurant.  Over a period of a year, there were 82 cases (72 confirmed, 10 possible).   The issue comes down to that Salmonella had built up in the drain system, and with leaks as well as potential bio-aerosols from the drain, Salmonella was able to continue transmission into the food preparation environment.

"We found the drains had failed in several places and hypothesised that a reservoir of bacteria in biofilm [15] and flooded areas in underfloor cavities may have sustained this outbreak, after repeated environmental cleaning failed. Drainage problems in one area of the kitchen led to liquid from the drains seeping into the kitchen suggesting a contamination pathway. We found isolates matching the outbreak strain on kitchen cloths, swabs from kitchen sinks, and pot wash areas suggesting contact with sinks may have provided a second contamination pathway. We also identified ineffective drain water-traps potentially allowing the movement of contaminated bio-aerosols [13]. Smoke tests demonstrated the potential for dissemination of foul air [bio-aerosols] into the kitchen."

Leakage from drains, backflow from drains, and perhaps even bio-aerosols from drains may be a source of contamination into a food environment.  It is important to put in procedures in place to prevent drain relates contamination.

Eurosurveillence
http://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.49.17-00037#f1
Surveillance and outbreak report Open Access
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.49.17-00037
Investigation using whole genome sequencing of a prolonged restaurant outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium linked to the building drainage system, England, February 2015 to March 2016
John Mair-Jenkins1,2,3, Roberta Borges-Stewart4, Caroline Harbour5, Judith Cox-Rogers5, Tim Dallman6, Philip Ashton6, Robert Johnston7, Deborah Modha8, Philip Monk4, Richard Puleston3,9

Blockchain - Opportunities and Challenges from a Food Safety Perspective

Blockchain is a term receiving a lot of hype as the must-have for food safety.  Well, at least the IT folks are pushing food safety as a main reason for investing into the technology.  There are benefits of having verifiable and seamless transactions

So what is blockchain - it is a tool by which each segment of the supply chain, or block, is identified from raw material through to the time is is sold.  The blockchain technology records each interaction with an item and assigns it a digital certificate so that the information associated with that block, or supply chain segment, can not be changed or adulterated later.  This prevents company form hiding the true origin and movement of the material as it moves through the chain.  

Traceability and recall are the real benefits.  Having such a system would allow quick identification of  recalled ingredients, and then coupling that with where those ingredients were used, and where that product was distributed or stored.

There can be endless amounts of information recorded with each transaction.  This can include 1) source information such as specific producing company, harvesting fields, or varieties harvested, 2) safety parameters such as temperatures, pH, or Aw, and 3) quality parameters.

One can establish validated contacts, or smart contacts, that help ensure product sourcing and provide means for seamless transactions.  For example, one can ensure that suppliers were indeed certified organic.  "Transactions can be verified and approved by consensus among the community, [theoretically] making fraud more difficult and significantly lowering the costs of validation and authentication" (PMA)

Are there limitations?  Sure. 1) Blockchain is not a specific thing but a process, and requires integration into a a company's existing systems....not always easy to do. How does a company's own procedures mesh into the system.  2) Coding issues, whether there are input issues or deletions, may create confusion, delays, or refusals due to misinformation.. 3) The information collected is only as good as the data input into the system. 3) It does create visibility, so what impact does that have on confidentiality of a company's process and to what degree does a company want to keep their supply chain information away from others, including potential competitors?  For example, maybe I don't want my downstream customer seeing my upstream supplier with the thought that my customer may cut me out so that they can make the product themselves.

So this is a tool that improves visibility and transactions along the supply chain.  No doubt a time saver for the food professional who has to hunt down supplier information.  It will help validate suppliers and ensure sourcing information.  But A savior for food safety?  That may be a stretch. Certainly IBM would like you to believe it.  In the end it still comes down to the basics - the blocking and tackling of people ensuring food safety basics.

To what degree are consumers demanding transparency to know exactly where their food comes from?  There are probably some out there who really, really care, but for me, I'm good with knowing my pizza is from Gigiarelli's or Pizza Perfect, my beer is from Troegs (Nugget Nectar), and my sub is from Giovanni's using those Amoroso's buns.

Supply Chain Quarterly.com
http://www.supplychainquarterly.com/news/20171201-lets-rein-in-the-blockchain-exuberance/
Forward Thinking
Commentary: Let's rein in the blockchain exuberance
By Mark Solomon | December 1, 2017

Salmonella in Turkey Likely Cause of Catered Thanksgiving Luncheon Outbreak

As a follow-up to a Salmonella outbreak associated with a catered Thanksgiving event in GA, the source of the outbreak is reported as......turkey.   In the outbreak, 5 were hospitalized and 70 received medical treatment.

The event was catered by a pizza shop / bistro. While this shop produces many different Italian specialty dishes, turkey is not one of the items listed on the catering menu.  So with the large number of people attending (1800) and preparing an item not normally prepared, perhaps the demands of this event were beyond the capability of the bistro?  Small misses, an undercooked bird or cross contamination from unclean food contact surfaces, could have led to Salmonella being in the served product.

The Daily Tribune News
http://www.daily-tribune.com/newsx/item/9520-food-source-identified-in-toyo-tire-salmonella-outbreak
Food source identified in Toyo Tire salmonella outbreak
06 Dec 2017  Written by  Staff Report

State of USDA Organic - Growing Demand, But Beware of Fraud

USDA released summary of Investigation Reports for the USDA Certified Organic program.  While the demand for organic foods is increasing, so do the number of certified organic operations.  As with any financial opportunity, there will be those who take advantage of the situation through fraud, or those who will fail to meet the requirements needed to remain certified.

According to the Organic Trade Association, "Organic sales in the U.S. totaled around $47 billion in 2016, reflecting new sales of almost $3.7 billion from the previous year. Organic food now accounts for more than five percent of total food sales in the U.S. Organic food sales increased by 8.4 percent from last year, blowing past the stagnant 0.6 percent growth rate in the overall food market. Sales of organic non-food products were up 8.8% in 2016. "

To get a sense of the issue, we took summary data from USDA Enforcement Activity Reports  as well as the data posted for fraudulent organic certificates.  While there are those who say the issues involving organic are getting worse, this assertion may or may not be accurate.  It is difficult to tell how fraud and noncompliance are trending because it is difficult to know the reasons for the number of investigations being conducted and whether procedural changes in these investigations has changed over the past years.  But, it is clear that fraud and noncompliance issues do occur regularly.

In comes down to this.  For those purchasing organic, whether to redistribute or to use for processing, it is important to determine that the supplier is compliant and is currently listed in good standing.  This is especially important for imported products where bribes and fraudulent claims may be a bigger issue. 

For consumers, a big issue is someone calling produce organic without the official designation.  And of course there are those that say that USDA Organic is too full of loopholes allowing 'less then true organic' to meet the USDA standard.

Organic labeling fraud is booming
While organic market growth is at a double-digit pace, not all that’s labeled organic is so. Fraud and food safety issues abound.
John Vogel | May 30, 2017

Vaccinated Form of Brucella Causes Illness from Consumption of Raw Milk

While raw milk can be a risk for natural contamination from organisms such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, but there is also a concern from the vaccinated form of Brucella, RB51. RB51 is a weakened strain of Brucella that is given to cows to create immunity. In September, a woman became ill with Brucella after drinking raw milk from a vaccinated cow. "In rare cases, a cow's milk can contain traces of the vaccine. The only way to avoid this risk is by pasteurizing the milk, the CDC says. "

From, "Adverse events in humans associated with accidental exposure to the livestock brucellosis vaccine RB51" (J.Vaccine.2004.02.041)

Brucella spp. are small, non-motile gram-negative coccobacilli known to cause disease in a number of vertebrate species including humans. B. abortus is one of four Brucella species associated with systemic disease in humans. Human brucellosis was once a common public health problem in the United States, but it is now rare with approximately 100 cases reported yearly through national surveillance. Brucellosis in humans is a systemic disease that can manifest with an acute or an insidious onset. Signs and symptoms of the disease include: continued, intermittent, or irregular fever of variable duration; headache; weakness; chills; arthralgia; depression; weight loss; and generalized body aches. The disease can persist for periods ranging from days to years.

CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/udder-milk-company-raw-contamination-brucella-bacterial-cdc/
Raw milk contaminated with bacteria could make people sick, officials warn
By Sarah G. Miller Livescience.com November 21, 2017, 3:34 PM

If you consumed raw milk in the past six months, you may need antibiotics. "People who bought and drank raw milk from a company called Udder Milk may have been infected with a rare but potentially serious germ called Brucella abortus RB51" and should seek medical care, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday in a statement.