US-International Herald Tribune-Tests find hazardous levels of mercury in tuna sushi in New York

NEW YORK: Recent laboratory tests performed for The New York Times found so much mercury in tuna sushi that a regular diet of even two or three pieces a week at some restaurants could be a health hazard for the average adult, based on guidelines set out by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Eight of the 44 pieces of sushi The Times purchased from local restaurants and stores in October had mercury levels so high that the Food and Drug Administration could take legal action to remove the fish from the market.

Although all the samples were gathered in New York City, experts believe similar results would be observed elsewhere. “Mercury levels in bluefin are likely to be very high, regardless of location,” said Tim Fitzgerald, a marine scientist for Environmental Defense, an advocacy group that works to protect the environment and improve human health. Most of the stores and restaurants in the survey said the tuna The Times had sampled was bluefin.

In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration joined with the Environmental Protection Agency to warn children and women who may become pregnant to limit their consumption of certain varieties of canned tuna because the mercury it contained might damage the developing nervous system. Fresh tuna was not included in the advisory. The tuna sushi in The Times sample contained far more mercury than is typically found in canned tuna.

Over the past several years, studies have suggested that mercury may also cause health problems for adults, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and neurological symptoms….more…

Europe-Just Food- EFSA updates listeria advice

Scientists at Europe’s food safety watchdog have updated advice on the risks in foods from listeria, a bacteria causing a food-borne disease which is on the increase.

In an opinion published today (22 January), the Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) of the European Food Safety Athority (

EFSA) recommended that efforts to reduce risks to human health should focus on risk reduction practices both during the production process of ready-to-eat foods (RTE) and at home by consumers.The panel recommended that to better assess the risk of the foods responsible for listeriosis it was necessary to investigate listeriosis cases more thoroughly and generate and analyse data on the consumption in the EU of ready-to-eat foods in which listeria can be found…more..

US-UPI-Tri-Bean salad recalled from Kroger stores

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (UPI) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of Deli Chef Tri-Bean Salad due to possible contamination.

The FDA said the salad — produced by the Inter-American Products Co., a division of the Kroger Co. — might contain Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that can cause a potentially life threatening condition called botulism. The FDA said people should not consume the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled.

The Tri-Bean Salad was sold at Kroger Co. supermarket deli counters in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The green beans in the salad were processed by the New Era Canning Co., which previously announced a similar recall of its bean products.

Consumers with questions can contact Inter-American Products at 800-697-2448.

US-Kansas City Star-Food-borne illnesses linked to later problems

WASHINGTON | It’s a dirty little secret of food poisoning: E. coli and certain other food-borne illnesses can sometimes trigger serious health problems months or years after the initial bout.

Scientists only now are unraveling a legacy that has largely gone unnoticed.

What they’ve spotted so far is troubling: high blood pressure, kidney damage, even full kidney failure striking 10 to 20 years later in people who survived severe E. coli infection as children; arthritis after a bout of salmonella or shigella; and a mysterious paralysis that can attack people who just had mild symptoms of campylobacter.

“Folks often assume once you’re over the acute illness, that’s it, you’re back to normal and that’s the end of it,” said Robert Tauxe of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The long-term consequences are “an important but relatively poorly documented, poorly studied area of food-borne illness.”

These late effects are thought to make up a very small fraction of the nation’s 76 million annual food poisonings, although no one knows just how many people are at risk. A bigger question is what other illnesses have yet to be scientifically linked to food poisoning.

A consumer advocacy group, Safe Tables Our Priority, is beginning the first national registry of food-poisoning survivors with long-term health problems….more..

US-FL-Tampa Bay Online-Miami-Made Cheese Suspected Of Having A Strain Of E. Coli

MIAMI – The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said a brand of cheese made in Miami may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria. Officials say the naturally aged white cheese made by Santa Rosa Cheese could have a type of E. coli bacteria, though not the more dangerous strain.

No illnesses had been reported in connection with the product.

The Agriculture Department said consumers who have bought the cheese should return it to the store. Retailers should return it to the manufacturer.

US-MA-Boston Herald-Officials find 16 listeria samples at milk processing plant

Listeria has been found in 16 of more than 100 tests done at a Shrewsbury milk processing plant that was identified as the source of a deadly outbreak of the bacteria.

Public health officials say one environmental swab, one skim milk sample and seven flavored milk samples tested positive for the same strain of listeria found in four of the five cases linked to this outbreak. Seven samples tested positive for a different strain.

Three elderly men have died since last June after drinking bacteria-contaminated milk from the plant….more…

US-MN-Cattle Network.com-Minnesota Firm Recalls Ground Beef Products Due To Possible E. coli

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2008 - Rochester Meat Company, a Rochester, Minn., firm, is voluntarily recalling approximately 188,000 pounds of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

The problem was discovered through an investigation initiated by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services and the California Department of Public Health into five illnesses in Wisconsin and one illness in California. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a physician.

 

The ground beef products subject to recall were produced on Oct. 30, 2007, and Nov. 6, 2007. The products subject to recall were shipped to distributors nationwide for further distribution to restaurants and food service institutions. These products were not available for purchase by consumers in retail establishments.

The following products are subject to recall:

 more….

US-MI-Ashley County Ledger-FDA Warns About Potential for Botulism in Canned Green Beans

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers about a potential Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum) contamination of canned cut green beans manufactured by New Era Canning Company, New Era, Mich., and labeled as “GFS Fancy Blue Lake Cut Green Beans.” C. botulinum is the bacterium that causes botulism.

The bacterium produces a toxin that can result in a life-threatening illness or death. To date, no illnesses have been reported in connection with this incident.

The canned cut green beans were distributed to retailers, restaurants and foodservice institutions by Gordon Food Service, Grand Rapids, Mich., with lot code 19H7FL and UPC code 93901 11873, in large institutional-sized, 6 pound 5 ounce (#10) cans. The green beans were distributed to food service customers in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia and sold through GFS Marketplace stores in Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. There is no evidence of primary distribution outside the United States…more

US-AZ-Arizona Republic-Farmers ratchet up efforts to keep crops clean

YUMA – Around the lettuce and spinach fields in Yuma, growers are chopping down trees, bulldozing abandoned houses and even digging out cactuses.

They are chasing away people who tromp through their fields: those who help themselves to produce, children who take a shortcut to school and especially those who walk their dogs.

Since a September 2006 E. coli outbreak tied to California spinach that killed three and sickened about 200 people in 26 states, produce growers and shippers, first in California and now in Arizona, have adopted strict standards designed to keep the fields as clean as they can.

“There is a lot more focus on food safety, especially in leafy greens,” said Paul Muthart, general manager of the 8,000-acre Pasquinelli Produce Co. in Yuma. “The market is definitely changing, and people want to know that the lettuce and spinach they buy is safely guarded.”

For about five months every year, the Yuma area produces an estimated 80 percent or more of the nation’s lettuce, spinach and other leafy produce because it has the acreage and the climate. In the summer, most of the nation’s leafy greens come from California. more….

US-WA-The Daily News Online-Dairy pays fine to settle tainted milk case

The owners of Woodland’s Dee Creek Farm have paid their state fine, finally ending the 2005 e-coli outbreak case.

The dairy, owned by Anita and Mike Puckett, sickened 18 people when e-coli contaminated their raw, or unpasteurized, milk in December 2005. Five children were hospitalized, two in critical condition.

While investigating the outbreak the state found several violations, such as not having a dairy license and not properly testing animals for diseases. The dairy was fined $8,000 for violations.

The Pucketts appealed the fine, stating they didn’t need a license because they sold shares of their cows and not the milk directly. The Legislature clarified the law after the case.

The day before the appeals hearing, though, the Pucketts agreed to pay the fine and end the matter. They stated they still maintained their innocence. State officials, though, said paying the fine admitted guilt…more..