US-CIDRAP-USDA names chicken plants with Salmonella problems

Apr 1, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – As expected, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week began publishing the names of broiler chicken plants that have had trouble with Salmonella, listing 21 facilities where more than 10% of samples were found contaminated in recent tests.

Only two plants actually failed to meet the USDA’s standard for Salmonella in chicken: a maximum of 20% of samples contaminated. At the other 19 plants, between 10% and 20% of recent samples had Salmonella, according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

The plants listed are in 12 states and Puerto Rico. The two that failed the standard are a Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. facility in Ellijay, Ga., and a Tyson Foods Inc. plant in Center, Tex., according to the FSIS.

The USDA had said in January that it would begin listing facilities with higher Salmonella rates on Mar 28. The move is part of a control initiative the USDA first announced about 2 years ago, after several years of increasing contamination rates. About 16% of broiler chicken samples tested positive for Salmonella in 2005. The initiative includes a “risk-based” sampling program, in which FSIS focuses more of its sampling on plants that have higher Salmonella levels.

The naming of the 21 plants came on the heels of a report in which the consumer group Food and Water Watch listed 27 broiler chicken facilities in 17 states that failed at least one round of Salmonella testing between January 2006 and January 2008 by having a contamination rate higher than 20%. The nonprofit group used a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the information from the FSIS.

The group called on the USDA to publish Salmonella testing results for all chicken plants and to seek legislation to make its Salmonella standards legally enforceable. The organization also urged the agency not to reduce the frequency of sampling at plants that have the lowest contamination rates…more…

Canada-Canada.com-Cantaloupes recalled after salmonella outbreak

OTTAWA – People should throw out cantaloupes from Honduras because of the fruits’ association with a salmonella outbreak in Canada and the U.S., the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) warned Saturday.

People should not eat cantaloupes from Agropecuaria Montelibano, a grower and packer in Honduras, which were sold at Federated Co-Op stores in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, northwestern Ontario, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon.

They were also sold at Safeway stores in B.C., only.

Nine people in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick became ill between Jan. 19 and Feb. 22 after eating the fruit.

No one has died from the outbreak, said Garfield Balsom, a food safety and recall specialist with the CFIA.

“But I don’t know how severe their symptoms were,” Balsom told Canwest News Service on Saturday night, adding they likely got sick from merely handling the contaminated skin of the fruit – which many not have looked or smelled spoiled…more..

US-NutraUSA-US regulators to consult public over E. coli concerns

The US department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will next month look into solutions to significantly reduce the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in raw meat stocks following recent scares. In a public meeting which will take place on the 9 to 10 April, processors, regulators and other industry stakeholders will present their findings and debate potential overhauls of existing recall and safety practices regarding raw meat use.

The timing of the talks comes just two months after the Minnesota-based Rochester Meat Co issues a major recall of 188,000 pounds of ground beef and other products because of E. coli bacteria concerns.

The E. coli O157:H7 strain of bacteria has been found to cause serious harm, especially to children, senior citizens and those with weak immune systems.

Dr. Richard Raymond, US under secretary for food safety, said that despite major advances in battling foodborne illnesses like E-coli in the country during the last decade, reduction levels have recently levelled out.

“It is time for another series of bold, strong moves based on knowledge and science to produce further significant reductions in illnesses attributed to the products we regulate,” he stated. “We aim to prevent and not just respond to illnesses, and consumers, industry and our public health partners are critical partners in our long term strategy and we look forward to our continuing collaborative relationship to ensure food safety.”…more..

UK-News Wales-Stopping Salmonella in Wales

Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones has announced that a national programme to protect public health from Salmonella in poultry laying flocks of domestic fowl is due to come into force this month.

The programme will include updating and enhancing existing controls to reduce the number of cases in poultry by 10% annually.

Ms Jones said: “The proposed regulations will provide a framework for the National Control Programme (NCP) that details the phases of production which sampling and testing for the Salmonellas must cover.

“The programme will set a target for an annual reduction of at least 10% in the number of positive adult laying flocks, compared with the previous year. The starting baseline in Wales and for the rest of the UK, will be 8% prevalence of Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium serotypes.

“The results of nationwide survey of commercial laying flocks carried out in 2004 –2005 showed that around 8% of layer flock holdings in the United Kingdom (UK) were infected with Salmonella enteritidis or Salmonella typhimurium. This demonstrates excellent progress of industry led initiatives to reduce Salmonella prevalence in laying flocks….more..

US-Fox News Los Angeles-Salmonella Outbreak Prompts Dole to Recall Cantaloupes

Dole Fresh Fruit Co. Friday announced it has voluntarily recalled Honduran cantaloupes because of a salmonella outbreak in the United States and Canada.

The cantaloupes were distributed for sale throughout the United States and parts of Canada in cardboard cartons with the brand “Dole” and “PRODUCT OF HONDURAS” printed on each of the side panels of the carton, according to William Goldfield, Dole’s communications manager. They were packed and shipped by an independent third-party grower, Agropecuaria Montelibano of San Lorenzo Valle, Honduras, Goldfield said. …more…

New Zealand-NZ Herald.com-Distributor fined for selling salmonella-infected food

A food distribution company has been fined $30,000 for knowingly supplying salmonella-infected tahini (sesame seed paste).

Shefco NZ Ltd pleaded guilty in Auckland District Court today for offences dating back more than four years.

The court was told the case dated back to September 2003 following an outbreak of salmonellosis.

During routine testing for the source of the outbreak, contaminated product was found on Shefco’s premises.

The affected stock was held while the company negotiated with the supplier in Lebanon but despite this some of the tahini was distributed.

Ultimately the stock was destroyed,…more..

US-AP via Courier Post-USDA might hold back names of retailers in certain meat recalls

WASHINGTON (AP) — Under pressure from the food industry, the Agriculture Department is considering a proposal not to identify retailers where tainted meat went for sale except in cases of serious health risk, The Associated Press has learned.Had that been the rule in place last month, consumers would not have been told if their supermarkets sold meat from a Southern California slaughterhouse that triggered the biggest beef recall in U.S. history.

The plan is being considered as the USDA puts the final touches on a proposed disclosure rule. It had lingered in draft form for two years until getting pushed to the forefront in February, when 143 million pounds of beef were recalled by Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. in Chino, Calif., after undercover video by an animal-rights activist showed workers abusing crippled cows.

Agriculture Department spokesman Chris Connelly confirmed Wednesday that the agency is weighing whether to make naming the stores mandatory only for so-called “Class I” recalls, which pose the greatest health hazard. The Chino recall was categorized as “Class II” because authorities determined there was minimal risk to human health.

Currently, the government discloses only a recall itself. It does not list which retailers might have received recalled meat. The same holds true for recalled vegetables.

Consumer groups and Democratic lawmakers contend that the public should have access to the names of retailers in all meat recalls. As originally written, the rule would have applied to all meat recalls….more…

UK-Food Standards Agency-Gama Ltd recalls sesame seeds

Gama Ltd has recalled some of its sesame seeds because of the presence of salmonella. Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause food poisoning. The Agency has issued a Food Alert for Information.The products recalled are:

• Gama Sesame Seeds
• Pack sizes: 150g, 500g, 1kg, 2kg and 25kg
• Best before: All date codes between 11/04/08 and 02/07/08

The company has recalled the affected products. Point-of-sale notices will be displayed in its stores explaining why the product has been recalled and the actions customers can take if they have bought the affected product.

UK-News Wales-E. coli victims need isolating

A new study into the 2005 South Wales E. coli outbreak suggests that isolating children with the infection may cut by half further spread within the household.

Large community foodborne outbreaks of E. coli O157 have been recorded in many countries including Wales, says the National Public Health Service for Wales.

An outbreak of E. coli O157 occurred in September/October 2005 with cases recorded in 44 different schools in the South Wales valleys. In total 157 people, mainly children, fell ill and a five-year old child died. The source of the outbreak was identified as cooked meat supplied to the school meals service by butcher John Tudor and Son.

Once a person has contracted an E. coli infection, it is relatively common for the infection to be transmitted to a close associate, such as a family member. A new analysis of the 2005 South Wales outbreak, based on records collected at the time by Environmental Health Officers, was undertaken by epidemiologists at the National Public Health Service (NPHS) Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC).

This analysis finds that person-to-person transmission was responsible for 5-8% of infections and that half of these cases could potentially have been prevented if the first case could have been taken out of the home, say by admission to hospital, or in some way isolated. The study is being published in the April 15 issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases…more..

Europe-API via Yahoo News- Alert over French E.coli meat sales

SAINT LO, France (AFP) – French officials said Tuesday they had issued a health warning after thousands of people were sold beef contaminated with the E.coli virus in supermarkets across much of the country.

Some 2.35 tonnes of unfit beef mince and burgers, from a slaughterhouse in northern France, were sold across the north and the Paris region, a veterinary services official said, confirming a report in Le Parisien newspaper.

Usually spread through contaminated food or drink, E.coli can cause stomach cramps, diarrhoea, nausea and fever, and can lead to potentially fatal kidney failure for the very young and the elderly.

Le Parisien suggested that “tens of thousands” of people were at risk of infection.

“Up until now, no one has fallen sick,” said the official, Frederic Macqueron.

All the stores in question issued recall notices on Thursday and Friday for the meat, put on sale between March 10 and 18, he added.

Dozens of similar health alerts were issued each year, but that only two or three people fell seriously ill, he said.