US-CNN News- FDA suspects cantaloupe, salmonella link

WASHINGTON (AP) — People should throw away cantaloupes from a Honduran manufacturer believed to be linked to a salmonella outbreak.

The Food and Drug Administration issued the alert Saturday for melons from Agropecuaria Montelibano. Grocers are advised to remove from their stock any cantaloupes from this company. People should check with stores to see whether recently purchased cantaloupes came from Honduras.

So far, 50 people have become sickened in 16 states and nine have become ill in Canada after eating the cantaloupes. No deaths have been reported, although 14 people have been hospitalized, the FDA said.

The government also is seeking to detain all cantaloupes shipped to the United States by Agropecuaria Montelibano.

The FDA said it was taking this step while it continues to investigate the outbreak with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and individual states.

To reduce the risk of contracting salmonella or other foodborne illnesses from cantaloupes, the FDA recommends:

• Purchasing cantaloupes that are not bruised or damaged. If buying fresh-cut cantaloupe, refrigerate or surround it with ice.

• Washing hands with hot, soapy water before or after handling fresh cantaloupes.

• Scrubbing whole cantaloupes by using a clean produce brush and cool tap water immediately before eating.

• Cutting away and not eating bruised or damaged areas of the cantaloupe.

• Discarding leftover cut cantaloupe if left at room temperature for more than two hours.

Symptoms of foodborne salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.

The 16 states that have reported illnesses are Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. 

UK-ICWales-Abattoir inspectors took ’softly-softly’ approach

A SERIES of meat inspectors took a “softly-softly” approach towards long-standing hygiene and structural problems at the abattoir which supplied E.coli butcher William Tudor.

JE Tudor & Son was today described as one of the worst in Wales, but the inspectors said they did not want to alienate the owner by adopting a heavy-handed approach towards repeated breaches of the regulations. And one official veterinary surgeon (OV) who oversaw slaughtering at the Treorchy plant, said that he did not have enough time to compile regular hygiene reports, which would highlight the same issues every month.

The E.coli public inquiry today heard more details about the conditions inside the abattoir, which was run by William Tudor’s cousin, and the risk of contamination caused by the poor state of the building, in Howard Street.

Alvaro Pastoriza was the OV who oversaw JE Tudor & Son in 2003 and 2004, and from August 2005 – a month before the E.coli outbreak – until the abattoir closed the following year.

“When I first arrived at the premises I was overwhelmed by the condition – it was very old and in a poor condition, and working there wasn’t easy at all,” he said. “I had to start to prioritise the enforcement issues – by assessing the issues which were important to achieve the hygienic production of meat.”…more…

UK-BBC News-E.coli abattoir ‘was UK’s worst’

The slaughterhouse which supplied the butcher responsible for the south Wales E.coli outbreak had the worst hygiene record in the UK, an inquiry has heard. JE Tudor in Treorchy, Rhondda, scored 11 out of 100 in a hygiene assessment in August 1994, the lowest ever.

The abattoir was run by the cousin of William Tudor, the Bridgend butcher jailed for supplying contaminated meat.

But the Cardiff public inquiry was told a recommendation to revoke its licence was declined.

A boy of five died in the outbreak in schools in autumn 2005 and 150 adults and children became ill.

The outbreak inquiry heard evidence from meat hygiene inspectors that conditions at the abattoir in were “deteriorating rapidly” in the years leading up to the E.coli outbreak…more.

US-AZ-LAs Cruces Sun News-State health officials investigate salmonella cases in Santa Fe

SANTA FE—State health officials are investigating four cases of a rare type of salmonella in people who ate at the Flying Tortilla in Santa Fe from mid-January to mid-February. The state Health Department says it learned of the most recent case last week.

All of the patients have recovered, but the department is still trying to determine the cause of the salmonella.

Health workers notified the state Environment Department about three cases in January, and the Environment Department’s food inspectors conducted an investigation of the restaurant and found that the workers follow all food service regulations.

Health officials haven’t ruled out other sources of getting the infection.

A fifth salmonella case had no apparent connection with Flying Tortilla.

US-MA-Daily Times-FOOD RECALL: Seafood firm recalls langostinos after possible listeria contamination

BOSTON — A Boston seafood company has issued a voluntary recall of its cooked langostinos because of possible listeria contamination.

The recalled “Icybay Cooked Langostinos” from Slade Gorton & Company were sold in one pound packages to retailers in Massachusetts and Maryland and in five pound packages to wholesalers in 19 states. The company initiated the recall Friday after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency found a sample believed contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause fatal infections.

Slade Gorton & Company says it and the FDA are investigating the source of any potential problem.

The company says no sicknesses related to the product have been reported.

A langostino is a crustacean between a shrimp and a lobster, also called a squat lobster.

US-WI-WCCO News-Wis. Family Sues Minn. Meat Company Over E. Coli

MADISON, Wis. (AP) ― A Wisconsin family has filed a federal lawsuit against a Minnesota meat company alleging its beef made them sick with E. coil bacteria.

Karen and James Evans of Fitchburg claim they got sick and so did their children from eating hamburgers at a Fitchburg Tony Roma’s in December. Karen Evans had to be hospitalized for nearly 10 days.

They allege Rochester Meat Co. of Rochester, Minn., produced the burgers and was negligent for allowing E. coli to infect their meat.

The company in January issued a recall of nearly 200,000 pounds of beef over concerns it may have been contaminated with E. coli.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. Company officials didn’t immediately return a message Thursday.

US-Washington Post-Report Criticizes FDA Over Spinach Packers

Since 2001, nearly half of all federal inspections of facilities that package fresh spinach revealed serious sanitary problems, but the Food and Drug Administration did not take “meaningful” enforcement action, a House committee report released yesterday found.

The most common problems uncovered by FDA inspections of 67 facilities included inadequate restroom sanitation, litter piles and indoor condensation posing a risk of food contamination by microorganisms. Inspectors also found buildings vulnerable to rodent infestation and workers with uncovered hair and poor hygiene.

Twenty serious outbreaks of E. coli have been traced to fresh lettuce or spinach since 1995. One of the most troublesome was a 2006 outbreak in bagged spinach processed by California-based Natural Selection Foods that sickened more than 200 people and was linked to three deaths The FDA acknowledged gaps in its food safety efforts after that episode. But the report by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee says the problems were worse: It showed that spinach facilities were inspected about once every 2.4 years despite federal guidelines that say most should have been visited at least annually.

The FDA did not refer any of the problem facilities to its internal enforcement authorities, nor did the agency send warning letters or seek injunctions. It did refer one inspection to state authorities, the report said…more..

US-PA-Post Gazette News-State warns consumers about raw milk from Butler dairy

Consumers who have purchased raw milk from Fisher’s Dairy farm in Portersville, Butler County, should discard it immediately due to the risk of Listeria Monocytogenes contamination, state Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff said today.

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized or homogenized. Pennsylvania farms selling raw milk must be permitted and inspected to reduce health risks associated with the unpasteurized products, according to a news release. In 2006, Fisher’s Dairy gave up its raw milk permit, but state inspectors found that the dairy had begun selling raw milk again without a permit, according to the release.

“During an investigation of the dairy, inspectors purchased raw milk which tested positive for Listeria Monocytogenes,” said Mr. Wolff. “If consumers have raw milk from this farm, they should discard it immediately.”..more..

Canada-Yahoo News-Beech-Nut voluntarily recalls pear juice after concern about arsenic contamination

TORONTO – Beech-Nut Nutrition says it’s voluntarily recalling pear juice after a warning from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Loblaws.

CFIA and Loblaws are cautioning consumers the affected product may be contaminated with arsenic. The recall involved 128-millitre containers of Beech-Nut Pear Juice from concentrate with Vitamin C added.

There have been no reported incidents or injuries as a result.

But as a precautionary measure, customers are asked to discontinue use of the product immediately.

US-HI-Honolulu Advertiser-Sekiya’s allowed back in business after E.coli outbreak

Sekiya’s Restaurant in Kaimuki has been cleared to resume operations after it dumped all its food and disinfected the restaurant from top to bottom following the worst outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 in the state’s history.The state Department of Health reinstated Sekiya’s permit to conduct food service operations after it passed its final inspection last night, health officials said today.

Health officials said the restaurant completed an “intensive mitigation plan” after it was told its permit would be suspended on Feb. 23.

Seven people who had eaten at Sekiya’s came down with E. coli 0157:H7 since December.