16 hospitalized and 2 deaths now linked to ground beef recall
Following Saturday's FSIS announcement of Fairbank Farms' ground beef recall, a CDC spokesperson has been cited as saying that the cluster of illnesses has been expanded to 28. USA Today reports that CDCs Lola Scott Russel released information this afternoon that 16 of the ill have been hospitalized an additional death has been linked to the outbreak.
This week's food safety infosheet focuses on the outbreak and recall.
Food Safety Infosheet Highlights:
- Fairbank Farms recalls over 500,000 lbs of ground beef in CT, MD, VA, NC, MA, NY, NJ and PA; NH and NY deaths linked to the beef, at least 26 others ill.
- The meat juices created from thawing a frozen product like ground beef can transfer pathogens to other foods.
- Never place cooked hamburger patties on the unwashed plate that held raw patties; wash hands, counters, and utensils (like forks and spatulas) with hot soapy water after they touch raw meat.
- For a full list of recalled products, visit the FSIS release: http://tinyurl.com/yzemas7
Compelling and disgusting messages might work better
As outbreaks of H1N1 continue to strike campuses across North America, our paper “University Students’ Hand Hygiene Practice During a Gastrointestinal Outbreak in Residence: What They Say They Do and What They Actually Do,”, keeps getting a bit of run. And a common discussion topic focuses on strategies that might work to affect hand hygiene practices.
One of the solutions we talk about is tailoring messages to the target audience. This means communicate with them like they talk amongst themselves and use trusted methods to get risk-reduction info out.
Bell and colleagues at Washington State University did this with their raw milk/Abuela project a decade ago. 
Recent publications out of the UK and Australia have focused on emotion and disgust in message building and even within a target audience, gender is a factor in intervention effectiveness.
These four papers demonstrate that generic, sanitized messages might be a waste of time and resources. A better bang for the public health buck might come from something more compelling and engaging. Or as Doug mentioned to the Nebraskan, "Wash your damn hands," and follow up with the consequences of not. They may or may not actually change their practices, but maybe you got their attention.
Toronto Public Health investigating Salmonella illnesses associated with chinese restaurant; outbreak possibly linked to death
CBC and CTV are both reporting that Toronto Public Health is investigating an outbreak of Salmonella linked to a Chinese restaurant in Scarborough. The outbreak is reportedly linked to the Ruby Chinese restaurant near McCowan Road and Finch Avenue West in Scarborough. At least 19 diners have tested positive for Salmonella after eating there between Sept. 12 and Sept. 30. 
One elderly man who died ate in the restaurant during the affected time frame, but officials are still waiting for tests to confirm whether he did in fact have salmonella poisoning.
Inspectors had been called in on September 29 after complaints but found everything up to code. When they returned Wednesday they found infractions and shut the place down.
The City of Toronto's online restaurant inspection database shows that the restaurant had passed inspections without conditions eight times before.
New Food Safety Infosheet:Effects of E. coli O157:H7 linked to grilled burger leaves woman paralyzed
In Sunday's New York Times, journalist Michael Moss profiled a 2007 outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to ground beef. The tragic story focused on one of the victims, Stephanie Smith, a 22-year-old woman who was in a coma and paralyzed after acquiring the pathogen.
The video (which I can't seem to embed, but it can be viewed on the Times site) was particularly impactful and shows some of the devastating consequences of foodborne illness.
That story is the focus for this week's food safety infosheet
Food Safety Infosheet Highlights:
- Ground beef has been linked to at least 16 outbreaks since 2007.
- In 2009, this pathogen led to the recall of beef from nearly 3,000 grocers in 41 states.
- Cook all ground beef to 155°F for 15 seconds or 160°F for an instant kill.
- Clean and sanitize all surfaces (cutting boards, counters) where ground beef items were prepared.
The food safety infosheet can be downloaded here.
"it's not food poisoning, it's likely norovirus." Um, sometimes they are the same
According to the Dumfries & Galloway Standard (UK), a Dumfries hotel has temporarily shut after 20 patrons who ate there complained of illnesses.
Owner Aileen McGhie told the Standard she was not ordered to close the three-star hotel, and took the decision to do so herself in a bid to clean the premises from top to bottom.
She said: “A few people fell ill last week after being a guest or a diner at the hotel and we are still waiting for test results. I called environmental health myself and it is assumed it is an outbreak of the Norovirus. Rumours that it is food poisoning are completely false.
Um, Aileen, sometimes they are the same thing. While cruiseships and hospitals get a lot of press for norovirus, the majority of reported norovirus outbreaks are associated with foodservice settings or events, and have higher attack rates than other settings. While the difference between classical food poisoning might matter to you, many of the control measures are the same (reducing cross-contamination, good personal hygiene, doing a good job at cleaning up barf).
Owner Aiellen McGhie went on to say:
“Twenty people is not actually a high number considering the hundreds of people we had in the hotel that week."
It's possible that one dish or food handler is implicated in -- my guess is that not everyone ate everything on the menu. Foodborne illness cases are also consistently under reported and might contribute to the "low numbers". And it probably doesn't matter to the barfing customers.
New Food Safety Infosheet:Over 70 children ill from E. coli O157:H7 in two separate petting zoo outbreaks
Petting zoos, farm visits and local fairs are all settings for pathogen risks, especially for kids. Scott Weese at wormsandgerms detailed some of the risks in action that he saw recently at an Ontario site. Media reports out of the UK suggest that in the wake of the recent farm visit-linked outbreak with over 60 children ill with E. coli O157, agritourism business is down. Another 13 kids are also ill in outbreak linked to the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver.
Handwashing can reduce the risk of E. coli O157, but signs and sinks do not make people wash their hands. Operators and volunteers need to be diligent in promoting the importance of handwashing as infection control with patrons and staff and compel folks with creative messages.
CDC has a publication that operators should check out on managing public-animal contact risks (scroll down to the bottom of the page). We've combined some of that information and added our barfblog flare to come up with this week's food safety infosheet, which is downloadable here.
5 sick, 1 dead in new listeria outbreak in Canada
Canadian health types can’t seem to decide whether to go public with bad health news or whether to do it just enough to cover their asses afterwards.
A press release showed up on the Public Health Agency of Canada web site dated 21.sep.09 but it didn’t show up in any of the other notification systems like e-mail or RSS feeds. No media has picked it up. Phyllis Entis of e-food alert noticed it, so good.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is working with provincial and local health authorities, Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to investigate cases of Listeria monocytogenes in Canada.
Currently, there are six cases under investigation. The six cases were caused by the same strain of Listeria monocytogenes. This strain is relatively common and it is unknown whether or not these cases are connected to the same source.
Investigation is ongoing to determine the possible cause of illness in each individual case, and to determine if there is a common source for the infections.
One of the cases has died, and listeriosis contributed to this death. … However, most healthy people exposed to Listeria are at very low risk of being affected by the bacteria.
Why do bureaucrats insist on saying listeria is low risk? I’m sure it doesn’t feel low-risk to the sick people and dead person. Just report what is being done.
I learned about the outbreak from Puking Veronika
That's one of the responses Brae Surgeoner, Doug and I received when we asked University of Guelph students how they got information that a norovirus outbreak was happening on campus a couple of years ago. The kids were getting information through non-official channels and rumours were high. A lesson that was learned from the outbreak was to communicate with the target audience (whether it be college students or folks in a long-term care facility) with mediums they are already comfortable with.
I got an email from a couple of folks at Guelph this morning saying that our recently published Journal of Environmental Health article where the above results and conclusions were shared is making the rounds on campus. Here are some of the highlights from the interview I did with Katie Mangan at the Chronicle of Higher Education.
"We couldn't follow students into the bathroom, because that leads to ethical problems," Mr. Chapman says. So the researchers focused on whether students were using a plastic bottle of hand-sanitizing gel placed at the entrance of a cafeteria that had been described to them as "ground zero" of the outbreak.
"What people do and what they say with regard to hand hygiene are two different things," Mr. Chapman reports.
He says health officials should aim their messages at specific audiences, such as students living in a particular residence hall. Instant messaging and other social-media tools should be used as well.
"It really hits home," he notes, "when their classmates start changing their IM names to something like Puking Veronica."
Gotta know how to reach the kids with health messages; make it relevant and compelling. Check out www.foodsafetyinfosheets to see how we attempt to do that.
Gettin' shiggy wit it: Increase of shigella-linked illnesses in St. Louis
STLtoday reports tonight that there appears to be an Shigella outbreak going on linked to child care centers in St. Louis. Shigellosis is characterized by fever, cramps and may result in bloody diarrhea, but most recover within a week without treatment.
There have been 67 cases of shigellosis from July 1 through Monday, compared to nine cases for all of 2008, according to the St. Louis City Department of Health.
Health officials said four day care centers and one school clustered in south St. Louis city reported illnesses. Officials did not offer other specifics except to say that children ages 4 and younger are most commonly infected.
City health officials sent the shigellosis alert to day cares and schools, where the shigella bacteria is typically spread when people don’t wash their hands properly after using the bathroom or changing diapers. It can also be spread through contact with food. Shigella bacteria can remain in feces for several weeks.
Salmonella, lettuce, and lousy public reporting; silence of the Salmonella
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in her Sept. 11 address to the United Fresh Produce Association’s Washington Public Policy Conference that FDA’s intent is to keep unsafe foods from reaching the market and part of that new push will be accomplished by expanding outreach.
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Guess it didn’t reach all the lettuce growers. Or the consuming public.
That’s because The Oregonian reports today that federal and state health authorities are investigating a salmonella outbreak that peaked in Oregon in August.
This is the middle of September. This is not prevention. Or good news.
The good news is that it is over, said William Keene, senior epidemiologist at the Public Health Division in Oregon.
He said the first cases surfaced nationwide in mid-July and trailed off a month later.
At least 124 were sickened across the country, with a clustering of cases in the West.
Two people got so sick they had to be hospitalized, and one had severe symptoms, Keene said. They have now been released from the hospital. He said no one died in Oregon or elsewhere in connection with the outbreak.
Scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration still do not know exactly what poisoned people, though shredded lettuce is a leading suspect, Keene said.
The silence of the Salmonella. It would help, as with the Salmonella in produce outbreak last summer, or the listeria in Canadian cold cuts last fall, if public health types would clearly articulate, when they go public and why. And let everyone see those guidelines.
The kids might be alright, if they start washing their hands
Brae Surgeoner, Doug and I had a paper published in the September 2009 Journal of Environmental Health about some research we conducted in the Winter of 2006. The study came about because a whole bunch of kids in the University of Guelph's residence system started puking from an apparent norovirus outbreak. There were lots of handwashing signs up and we wanted to know whether they changed hygiene behavior (especially if kids were using the tools available when entering the cafeteria). Turns out that the kids weren't doing as good of a job at hand hygiene as they reported to us.
NC State's press release is below (the Kansas State release is here):
As public health experts warn of potential widespread outbreaks of H1N1 flu this school year, a new study from North Carolina State University shows that students do not comply with basic preventative measures as much as they think do. In other words, the kids aren’t washing their hands.
“Hand washing is a significant preventative measure for many communicable diseases, from respiratory diseases like H1N1 to foodborne illness agents, such as norovirus,” says Dr. Ben Chapman, assistant professor of family and consumer sciences and food safety extension specialist at NC State. The new study, which examined student compliance with hand hygiene recommendations during an outbreak of norovirus at a university in Ontario, finds that only 17 percent of students followed posted hand hygiene recommendations – but that 83 percent of students reported that they had been in compliance. Norovirus causes gastrointestinal problems, including vomiting and diarrhea. Every year there are 30 to 40 outbreaks of norovirus on university campuses, affecting thousands of students.
Chapman, who co-authored the research, says this is the first study to observe student hygiene behavior in the midst of an outbreak. Previous studies examined self-reporting data after an outbreak – and the new research shows that the self-reporting data may be inaccurate.
“Typically, health officials put up posters and signs and rely on self-reporting to determine whether these methods are effective,” Chapman says. “And people say they are washing their hands more. But, as it turns out, that’s not true.
“The study shows that while health authorities may give people the tools we think they need to limit the spread of an outbreak, the information we’re giving them is not compelling enough to change their behavior. Basically, it doesn’t work. But we do it again with every outbreak, and we’re doing it now with H1N1.”
Chapman says the study shows that health officials need to target specific audiences, such as students in a particular dorm or who eat at a particular cafeteria, and tailor their information to those audiences. For example, telling them where the nearest washrooms are, or pointing out where hand sanitizer units are located. “The more specific the information is for an audience, the better off you are,” Chapman says.
Chapman adds that health authorities also need to use language appropriate to their target audience. “For example, don’t refer to something as a ‘gastrointestinal illness,’” he says, “instead, tell them ‘this could make you puke’ or ‘dude, wash your hands.’ The idea is to craft compelling messages that create discussion in that audience. Make them talk about it.”
Chapman also says that health officials should take advantage of social media, such as text messaging and Facebook, to raise awareness. “If your audience consists of students,” he explains, “you should use media that students use.
“Campuses need to expect outbreaks will happen and plan accordingly. Have the response tools in hand.”
The study, “University Students’ Hand Hygiene Practice During a Gastrointestinal Outbreak in Residence: What They Say They Do and What They Actually Do,” was co-authored by Chapman, Dr. Douglas Powell of Kansas State University and Brae Surgeoner, a former graduate student at the University of Guelph. The study was published in the September issue of the Journal of Environmental Health.
Hep A reporting breakdown
When I was an undergrad, I used to love reading the electronic police blotter that the university police produced every night. Of most interest to me was the early Monday morning postings detailing all the weekend's post-bar excitement (like campus police called to remove "drunk and belligerent older women" from the all-male residence hall).
I didn't expect to see the same police blotter treatment after an outbreak; I didn't know that the Rock Island County Sheriff's Department would get involved.
The report [notification of a hep A positive test] normally would have been given to Cheryl Dobereiner of the health department, but she was on vacation. Also, it was filled out on an incorrect form - for hepatitis B, C or D, diseases that are considered more serious than hepatitis A. The law states that hepatitis B, C and D cases may be reported within seven days, in contrast to the more immediate 24-hour requirement for hepatitis A.
Dobereiner returned to work at Rock Island County on July 13, having been on vacation since June 23. She noticed the incorrect form used by the Metropolitan Medical Lab and called the facility.
Metropolitan Lab did not have hepatitis A on its list of diseases that must be reported within 24 hours, according to the sheriff's department report. A representative from the lab was not available for comment Monday.
Good to have Hep A on the State's Health Department's 24hr notifiable disease list (since the post-exposure shot, effective at limiting the chance of infection, is time-dependent).
It would be great to have the disease on everyone's 24hr reportable list.
Even better to have someone filling out the form correctly.
And it's hard to believe that at least 22 illnesses linked to this outbreak might have been avoided if a different person was on vacation.
Is "There's an app for that." the new "That's what she said."
Being an Office fan, "That's what she said" has not jumped the shark for me; but being an iPhone owner, "There's an app for that" has.
I'm not all loaded up with apps, and tend to stick with the low risk free ones. Today I splurged and spent $.99 on Poop the World (thanx Gonzo for the suggestion).
I just downloaded it and the opening screen says "Get started! Track your bowel movements in real-time, share with friends, and strive for recognition in a fun and civilized manner!"
Okay. You had me at bowel movements.
This app is a bit like playing Tony Hawk, there are achievement levels like "The Daily Quad" (4 poops in a day) and "Sir Deuce-a-lot" (20 poops in a week).
The poop database is also sortable. So I've got that going for me. If you wish to follow, I'm at Defender of the can.
It appears that you can follow the poops at pooptheworld.com. While it's all fun, maybe there is a google analytics/flu tracking aspect to this. Poop the world might be an early indicator of a national foodborne illness outbreak.
Woman on life-support, 3-year-old suffering renal failure after E. coli O157 outbreak in Wales
Two people are being treated in hospital after a suspected E coli O157 outbreak in north Wales.
One woman is on a life-support machine, according to her family. Health officials say a total of four people have been taken ill.
The Llay Fish Bar in Llay, Wrexham has been closed.
The BBC has named one of the patients as Karen Morrisroe-Clutton, who has an 11-week-old baby being cared for by its grandparents. Her husband, Paul, is at her bedside at Wrexham Maelor hospital.
Rose Morrisroe, her mother, told the BBC her daughter had bought a veggie burger at the premises being investigated. She had been in intensive care since last week and was being kept in a medically induced coma. She was on a dialysis machine and had shown slight improvement.
A three-year-old girl is also being treated for renal failure in Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool.
Hepatitis A debacle in Illinois
Who knew what, when? A common theme in foodborne illness outbreak management is how was the essential information managed and responded to (whether it was knowledge of a contaminated product, linked illnesses or reporting an infected food handler). As more information trickles out about 
a food handler-linked Hepatitis A outbreak in Milan, Illinois it gets more confusing as to when the operator knew about the illness. Today a customer came forward and claims overhearing the discussion:
The woman says she was waiting in line to order at the McDonalds in Milan on June 25th, when she heard employee Cheryl Schram approach a manager behind the counter.
''She came out and she said Michelle, I was diagnosed with Hepatitis A'', said the woman who doesn't want her name used. ''I was in there and I heard her say that''.
The customer says she knows what she heard that day. ''I swear on my mothers grave''.
This week's food safety infosheet is all about the Hep A outbreak. Download it here.
Guidelines for foodborne disease outbreak response
Proving there is a Council for everything, the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response released its Guidelines for Foodborne Disease Outbreak Response today.
The guidelines in this document are targeted to local, state and federal agencies and provide model practices used in foodborne disease outbreaks, including planning, detection, investigation, control and prevention. Local and state agencies vary in their approach to, experience with, and capacity to respond to foodborne disease outbreaks. The guidelines are intended to give all agencies a common foundation from which to work and to provide examples of the key activities that should occur during the response to outbreaks of foodborne disease. The guidelines were developed by a broad range of contributors from local, state and federal agencies with expertise in epidemiology, environmental health, laboratory science and communications. The document has gone through a public review and comment process.
The Guidelines document is not intended to replace current procedure manuals for responding to outbreaks. Instead, it is designed to be used as a reference document for comparison with existing procedures; to fill in gaps and update site-specific procedures; to provide models for new procedures where they do not exist; and to provide training to program staff. The document is available in electronic and hard-copy formats for state and local health departments.
New food safety infosheet -- Harvey's E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak Report Released
The newest food safety infosheet, a graphical one-page food safety-related story directed at food handlers is also now available at foodsafetyinfosheets.ksu.edu. Infosheets are created weekly and are posted in restaurants, retail stores, on farms and used in training throughout the world.
This week's food safety infosheet focuses on a Fall 2008 E. coli O157:H7 outbreak inked to a Harvey's restaurant in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. 
Food safety infosheet highlights:
- Health authorities point to Spanish red onions as most likley source of the outbreak
- Poor sanitation of onion dicer may have prolonged the outbreak
- Equipment should be fully disassembled to allow for cleaning and sanitizing of hard to reach areas
Food safety infosheets are created weekly and are posted in restaurants, retail stores, on farms and used in training throughout the world. If you have any infosheet topic requests, or photos, please contact Ben Chapman at benjamin_chapman@ncsu.edu
You can follow food safety infosheets stories and barfblog on twitter @benjaminchapman and @barfblog.
Click here to download a pdf of the food safety infosheet.
Nestle Toll House cookie outbreak victim: "I had major headaches, diarrhea and cramping."
As the Nestle-linked E. coli O157:H7 outbreak unfolds in the upcoming days, stories about affected individuals highlighting the fallout will begin to appear. In the first one I have seen, the Oregonian reports that 15-year-old girl's craving for a treat resulted in her and her fathers illness.
Melissa made the cookies in early May. While baking, she tasted some of the dough, which a lot of people do even though it is not supposed to be eaten before baking. Her dad, 37-year-old day, Mike Kitchens, stuck his finger into the bowl as well, picking out sweet chocolate bits. The two of them soon came down with cramping and diarrhea, typical symptoms of food poisoning. Mike recovered after about four days but Melissa continued to be severely ill.
Melissa was quoted as saying "It was hard for me to do my work, I'd call my friends, but I'd get hot and sweaty and my stomach would cramp up. I tried to deal with it, but it got too be too much so I couldn't do anything. I had major headaches, diarrhea and cramping." She did manage to take all of her tests, but she suspects that she failed at least two finals which count heavily in overall grades.
Food Safety Working Group hears 'good is simply not good enough'
A White House Food Safety Working Group Listening Session was held Wednesday that marked "the beginning of a significant and critical process that will fully review the safety of our nation's food supply," according to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.
In his opening remarks, Vislack outlined several specific challenges that would require imput from the stakeholders present at the session. These included the development of an approach consistent between the FDA and USDA for preventing foodborne illnesses, as well as an active surveillance and response system for foodborne disease outbreaks.
In regards to the latter, Vislack stated, "Our regulatory agencies must actively watch for disease outbreaks and take rapid action to ensure that we have effective and targeted recalls. Such recalls are in the interests of public health and the strength of industry sectors that might otherwise be tarnished by massive recalls."
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who oversees the FDA and the CDC, also briefly mentioned the subject of foodborne outbreaks in her opening remarks, saying, "When outbreaks do occur, we must all respond quickly, both to protect public health and to speed the recovery of affected industries."
Sebelius went on to say, “We have already made good use of new tools to protect and inform the public. When peanut products were recalled, we produced a widget that was placed on more than 20,000 external Web sites and resulted in 9.6 million page views. And as we saw during the H1N1 flu outbreak, communication is critical during any kind of crisis and we will use every tool possible to get the word out."
However, she failed to mention how effective that tool was in protecting public health and speeding the recovery of the peanut industry.
As Vislack stated at the end of his opening remarks, "[W]e need to develop a way to measure our success... Lives are at stake and good is simply not good enough."
EVOO outbreak not confirmed, looks like scombroid
WRAL in Raleigh reports that the cause of an outbreak of a foodborne illness in 10 patrons of EVOO may never be found.
Andre Pierce, Wake County's director of the environmental health and safety division says regardless of the outcome [of the test results], he's confident the problem was created at the restaurant.
“If you had some source issue with a product, you would expect to have calls around the state,” Pierce said. “We didn't have anything like that …So we believe there's something that was going on possibly at that facility that was the problem. Pierce suspects a toxin or chemical caused the sickness, perhaps through cross contamination. 
Incident reports from Wake County show all of the customers who became ill ate salads. A sample of tuna was sent for testing.
“This appears to be a classic case of histamine fish poisoning,” said North Carolina State University microbiologist Dr. Lee-Ann Jaykus, who 5 on Your Side asked to review the reports. "Scombrotoxin fish poisoning is probably the leading cause of seafood associated food-borne illness,” Jaykus said.
Scombrotoxin fish poisioning is caused by histamine and is often caused by temperature abuse of fish. Illnessess are similar to allergic reactions and can strike patrons quickly. Gotta keep that fish cold to reduce the risk.
Raleigh foodborne illnesses possibly tied to restaurant
Independent Weekly is reporting that at least eight cases of foodborne illness are being investigated and that they may be linked to a common restaurant.
The illnesses, reported April 17, may be connected to Evoo, a Mediterranean restaurant in Raleigh's Five Points.
"We are currently investigating some reports of sickness," said André Pierce, director of the environmental health and safety division of the county's environmental services department. "The investigation is ongoing and we don't have any results yet."
The story goes on to say that according to Walt Fuller, deputy director in charge of operations at the Raleigh-Wake 911 Center, shortly before 10 p.m the Center received an emergency call reporting that someone was ill at Evoo at 2519 Fairview Road.
One paramedic unit was dispatched at 9:50 p.m. and called for backup upon arriving at the scene, Fuller said. A second paramedic unit, a quick responder vehicle and a fire engine all responded. In all, nine rescuers attended victims at the restaurant.
Take care of your patrons, especially at £340
I've been following food porn backlash in the UK as a result of an outbreak of something at quasi-celebrity Heston Blumenthal's restaurant, the Fat Duck. Today Cold Mud picked up a blog post from one of the walking wounded who experienced “two weeks of serious unpleasantness”.
The poster writes:
“The only things that felt a bit dodgy on the way down were the oysters. Neither of us is a huge fan, but we both ate them because we were determined not to miss out on anything. Anyway, we were eating in one of the most famous restaurants in the world so we were confident that there wouldn't be anything wrong with them."
I especially love this quote; it demonstrates the power of trust in food sources -- this guy is famous, I have a personal connection, I don't want to miss out, he wouldn't make me sick.
At the end of the post, the author discusses the lack of communication between the Fat Duck and ill patrons, and here's where it all goes really wrong for me:
“The next day I went onto the Fat Duck website and sent them an email. At that point the news bulletins were saying that 40 or so diners had been affected and I wrote something to the effect of: 'This has happened to us as well. We loved the meal and we’re not angry but count us among the walking wounded and let us know what's happening.’
“We received no reply so I wrote quite a long letter. I haven’t received a reply to that either. I’m appalled because I was so entranced by Heston Blumenthal and he comes across as being very decent and clever. We had been so ill and, at the very least, we expected some kind of acknowledgment. We really thought they would be interested in what had happened to us."
Dude, Captain Food Porn Blumenthal, you need to respond to patrons who got sick at your restaurant. It doesn't matter whether contamination occurred in your restaurant, or if it was something contaminated prior to its arrival (Those dodgy oysters? Fresh sprouts? Whatever). You are the face and brand associated with that meal. You have folks reaching out to you for info, or just to let you know what happened to them, you need to acknowledge it. Tell them what you are doing to find out what happened, and how you manage food safety in your organization -- especially how you assess safe suppliers.
In last week's food safety infosheet (you can download it here) we focused on the fallout of a Staphylococcus aureus outbreak associated with baked hams in Kentucky -- a 72-year-old man died and a wrongful death suit has been filed against the operator. Outbreaks like this one, and the Fat Duck happen all the time. It is on operators to be proactively identify risks with their products, address them and prepare for when things go wrong. And answer emails from ill patrons. And post something on your website about the outbreak -- have that stuff ready to go, because it's one of the first places people will be looking.
On-farm food safety for peanut producers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asks an important question beyond how did the salmonella get into PCA's Blakely, Georgia Plant -- how did the 2007 Peter Pan outbreak strain get into the PCA plant?
From the AJC article:
Experts at the FDA and the CDC said they are intrigued by an unusual clue.
Two years ago the ConAgra plant in Sylvester launched a nationwide recall of Peter Pan peanut butter after consumers were sickened by a less common strain of the bacteria, called Salmonella Tennessee. It had a unique genetic fingerprint.
On Jan. 22, tests by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture found salmonella with that same genetic fingerprint in an unopened 5-pound container of King Nut peanut butter produced late last year at the Blakely plant.
The possible on-farm link to the peanut butter outbreak has been circulating around for a while (including being something ConAgra suggested during the investigation of the Peter Pan 2007 outbreak). This link reminds me of some of the stuff my good friends Linda Harris and Michelle Danyluk have looked at in the almond industry -- the environmental persistence of Salmonella PT 30 and it's subsequent transfer to the nuts (even frequent barfblogger Don Schaffner got in on some of this action). Maybe there is an environmental reservoir near of in some peanut fields. And if there is, maybe there are things that peanut producers can do to address them. The impact that this outbreak has had on peanut farmers suggests that any food safety hurdles that could be put in place is worth some investigation.
From the AJC article:
Some food safety experts questioned whether the peanut industry is aware some farming practices may increase the risk of salmonella contamination. Only one Georgia peanut farm has sought and received certification of using good agricultural practices, said Arty Schronce, a state Agriculture Department spokesman.
“My impression is the farmers really don’t have good agricultural practices,” said Michael Doyle, who has served as a consultant for ConAgra and the American Peanut Council. Doyle is director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia.
When peanuts are roasted, Doyle said, the focus may be more on achieving the right flavor rather than on safety. If salmonella is present in very large numbers, the roaster may not kill all of it, he said.
Doyle said he recently got a call from a peanut industry adviser in Georgia. “The bottom line I got from him: The farmers feel the processor is at fault and should process the salmonella out of the peanuts,” Doyle said. “They’re looking at the peanut as a commodity, rather than a food.”
I hear a lot of talk and read a lot of articles that quote food folks saying that food safety is a farm-to-fork responsibility. True. That's why it's a good idea that the peanut industry (and heck, other nut and seed folks as well -- check this out) take these two outbreaks as indicators of something bigger -- that there may be on-farm Salmonella reduction strategies employable that .
It's not up to me to assign blame for the outbreaks (That's the law and Bill Marler's job) although I'm sure that some peanut growers will feel that's what the AJC article is all about. It's not -- this is the first step in the public dialogue around the good agricultural practices that peanut growers currently have. If there isn't much there, as Mike Doyle alludes to, then it's a good idea to do the research on what the risks are figure out how to address them.
Last month's congressional subcommittee revelations revealed that there's a bad operator in the middle of this outbreak, but peanut farmers, one of the groups hit hardest by the fallout, need to make sure they are part of the solution and truly make peanut butter food safety farm-to-fork.
Salmonella outbreak in Nebraska
KETV.com reports tonight that 14 cases of Salmonella have been linked together by DNA fingerprinting in Douglas County, Nebraska:
The first cases were reported earlier this week, in which women younger than 50 -- and all the way into their teens -- were getting infected, said Dr. Ann O'Keefe.
Health experts know all illnesses have been connected to the same strain, but they don't know where it originated.
The strain has been submitted to the Centers For Disease Control and has an identical serotype to the jalapeno and tomato outbreaks in the fall (which was Saintpaul) but a different genetic fingerprint.
Officials are reviewing detailed information from multiple victims in hopes of targeting the strain's source, said state epidemiologist Dr. Tom Safranek.
In the past, Salmonella Saintpaul has been linked to tomatoes/peppers, melons, paprika and sprouts.
E. coli outbreak at Durham, NC nursing home
Raleigh ABC 11 reports the possibility of a pathogenic E. coli outbreak at the Emerald Pond retirement home in Durham, NC. It's early on, when information sometimes get's messed up, but the report says:
A spokesperson from the Durham County Health Department told Eyewitness News the department learned of at least four patients and staff members at Emerald Pond who have the bacterial illness.
Some strands (sic) of the bacteria can cause diarrhea, while others cause urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, pneumonia and other illnesses.
The initial report of E. coli cases was made over the weekend, but the Health Department is just beginning its investigation.
Emerald Pond has closed its dining room as a precaution.
The retirement home said it's cleaning the facility and "precautions are in place."
If the outbreak does happen to be pathogenic E. coli it could get messy for elderly individuals, and is often misdiagnosed. In a 2006 article published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Reiss and colleagues write:
A growing pool of epidemiological surveys reveals that geriatric populations are at risk of severe manifestations of EHEC O157:H7 infections. A 5-year review of cases in Alberta, Canada, and in Scotland found that morbidity rates, defined as need for hospitalization, in those aged 60 and older were similar to or worse than those in young children. Of 703 patients requiring inpatient medical treatment in Alberta, Canada, during the study period, rates of hospitalization in persons aged 60 and older were nearly twice as high (68.9% of reported cases) as those of children younger than age 5.
Given the absence of fever, and often only the complaint of ‘‘bleeding per rectum,’’ it is not surprising that cases will be initially misdiagnosed as hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, or another source of painless lower gastrointestinal bleeding. 
A review of nursing home outbreaks and epidemiological data indicate that nursing home patients are indeed at high risk for EHEC O157:H7 infection and related complications, although common perception may still place EHEC and associated HUS/TTP in the category of a pediatric infectious disease.
The mention of infected staff member(s) puts an interesting twist on things -- raising the possibility that an infected food handler is involved.
Some retailers slow to pull peanut products; test results need to be public
Shelly Awl, a clerk at a gas station on Cheshire Bridge Road in Atlanta, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution yesterday,
“It’s so confusing. I wish they would communicate better what is safe and what is not.”
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At a gas station in North Fulton, Karan Singh eyed with suspicion a pile of energy bars, cookies and snacks that had been laid at the check-out counter for purchase, telling a customer,
“I don’t think I should sell these to you. These might not be good.”
While many stores — particularly major supermarkets — appear to be keeping up with the recalls, smaller stores seem to be less consistent, according to some spot checks by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The salmonella outbreak linked to a South Georgia peanut-processing plant has spawned one of the largest product recalls in American history. The list of products that are off-limits has risen to 1,550, with new names coming out daily.
However, at Publix stores, spokeswoman Brenda Reid said recall alerts from suppliers and the FDA are immediately e-mailed to stores, which then have three hours to respond that they have removed the recalled item from the shelf. If it’s not accomplished, company managers continue to contact the store and will even send a representative there. District managers also check during their visits, she said.
The recalled item is also logged into the store’s computer, so if a customer finds one, the cashier will be alerted and will not be able to ring it up, Reid said.
Kroger stores are alerting customers who have a Kroger Plus Card of any recalled purchases through automated phone calls.
And in a feature tomorrow, the Journal-Constitution reports federal food regulators describe the 2007 Peter Pan peanut butter salmonella outbreak traced to a Georgia plant in 2007 as “a wake-up call.” But that realization did not lead officials to scrutinize at least one other peanut processor: the Peanut Corporation of America in Blakely.
They didn’t even know the plant made peanut butter.
The FDA first learned of possible salmonella contamination at ConAgra four years ago — two years before officials traced hundreds of illnesses to Peter Pan.
In early 2005, an anonymous tipster told the FDA that ConAgra’s internal testing had detected salmonella in a batch of peanut butter the previous October, agency records show. Company executives confirmed the test results to an FDA inspector but refused to turn over lab reports unless the agency requested them in writing. The inspector left the plant, records show, and never again requested the reports.
Congressional investigators later learned that FDA policy discouraged written document requests. Federal courts, the FDA said, had ruled that if manufacturers turned over material in response to a formal request from the government, those documents could not be used as evidence in a criminal prosecution against them.
But in the vast majority of cases, investigator David Nelson told a House subcommittee in 2007, the FDA pursues neither documents nor criminal charges. Nelson termed the agency’s actions “nonsensical.”
The FDA cited no violations following the 2005 inspection in Sylvester, said Stephanie Childs, a spokeswoman for ConAgra, which is based in Omaha, Neb. Long before the inspector arrived, Childs said, the plant had destroyed the contaminated peanut butter.
This is why when companies claim they test for Salmonella, like in this ad for Jif (upper left, thanks Barb) that ran today, it’s sorta meaningless without some sort of public disclosure or oversight.
It's cold in North Carolina; and there is more Salmonella here
It's been cold here in North Carolina lately. The past few mornings it has been clear and sunny, but with temperatures in the mid-teens. Perfect weather for hockey. 
On Thursday night Dani, Jack and I went to the Leafs/Hurricanes game. We took advantage of the cheap tickets ($25 each, and Jack gets in free until he's two). My beloved Leafs took a 4-0 lead before almost totally collapsing and pulled out a 6-4 win. Both teams looked like they might have had some foodborne illness, and left the remnants on the ice. It was a really sloppy game. Maybe they had been eating peanut butter.
Public health officials announced yesterday that an additional three North Carolinians have been added to the national Salmonella Typhimurium. It was reported that one of the new cases was a resident who died in November due to a blood infection caused by Salmonella.
Today, the FDA updated it's information related to the outbreak. The FDA website says:
The FDA has notified PCA that product samples originating from its Blakely, Ga., processing plant have been tested and found positive for Salmonella by laboratories in the states of Minnesota, Georgia and Connecticut. The state of Minnesota reported to FDA that its samples of King Nut peanut butter are a genetic match to the strain of Salmonella that has caused illnesses in the state and around the country. King Nut is a distributor of PCA product.
Because identification of products subject to recall is continuing, the FDA urges consumers to postpone eating peanut butter-containing products until further information becomes available about which products may be affected. Efforts to specifically identify those products are ongoing.
At this time, there is no indication that any national name brand jars of peanut butter sold in retail stores are linked to the PCA recall. As the investigation continues over the weekend, and into next week, the FDA will be able to update the advice based on new sampling and distribution information.
Elk or Bison to blame for Montana's loss of "Brucellosis free status"
On September 3rd, 2008, Montana lost its brucellosis-free status due to two cases of infected cattle. It was a big blow since last February the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared all 50 states to be free of brucellosis — the first time that had happened in 74 years.
Montana’s livestock producers will now be required to test bulls and nonspayed females, 18 months of age or older, 30 days before interstate shipment.
Ranchers in Montana and surrounding states are taking action to prevent any further spread of brucellosis. A brucellosis plan of action has been proposed by the Montana Department of Livestock, which includes surveillance, vaccination, traceability/animal identification, fencing/pasture management, and other measures to help the state regain its brucellosis free status. If no additional cases of brucellosis in livestock are found, the state will be able to apply for Class Free status to USDA APHIS in late May of 2009. Also, Montana needs to prove to USDA that no additional cases of brucellosis in cattle exist in the state.
Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria of the genus Brucella.
It is a devastating illness for herds as it causes cattle to spontaneously abort if pregnant. Humans become infected by coming in contact with animals or animal products that are contaminated with these bacteria. To prevent infection, herdsman should use rubber gloves when handling viscera of animal; a
ll consumers should not have unpasteurized milk, cheese or ice cream.
Who’s to blame for the source of the brucellosis disease? Livestock officials point to wild elk and bison in the area, though there has been much discussion as to whether these are the true culprits. A four-foot high, seven-mile long electric fence has been erected near Gardiner to steer bison that migrate out of Yellowstone National Park to acceptable grazing land. In terms of sheer numbers, the Yellowstone region's 25 elk herds dwarf the three herds of bison. And unlike bison, which move in groups, elk move freely over the region's numerous mountain ranges, often alone or in small numbers. Livestock officials say infected elk herds around Yellowstone must be culled, but hunters are pushed back saying that efforts should focus on vaccinating cattle or eradicating the disease in bison.
There is also the probability that neither of these species are the ones responsible for the infected cattle. The fact that both the 2007 and the current brucellosis detections have occurred in Corriente cattle, a breed closely associated with brucellosis, has many questioning whether cattle, and not Yellowstone wildlife, are responsible for the transmissions resulting in Montana losing its brucellosis free status.
Government authorities continue to work with local officials toward regaining its status as a state free from brucellosis.
Kellogg connection to Salmonella outbreak?
Kellogg has asked stores to halt the sales of some of their peanut butter snacks as it was announced that one of their suppliers is Peanut Corp. of America.
This connection might be what was missing for many of the outbreak victims who have not been associated with eating peanut butter. Maybe they had some peanut butter snacks? I'm sure the state and federal epidemiologists will be/have been looking at this link.
From the press release:
"PCA is one of several peanut paste suppliers that the company uses in its Austin® and Keebler® branded peanut butter sandwich crackers.
Kellogg Company's investigation has not indicated any concerns, nor has the Company received any consumer illness complaints about these products. Nonetheless, Kellogg Company is taking precautionary measures including putting a hold on any inventory in its control, removing product from retail store shelves, and encouraging customers and consumers to hold and not eat these products until regulatory officials complete their investigation of PCA and Kellogg provides further information as to the resolution of this issue.
With 2007 sales of nearly $12 billion, Kellogg Company is the world's leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, frozen waffles, and meat alternatives."
Good move by Kellogg for sure. If one of your suppliers is suspect, or has been linked to illnesses, take a look at where that product might have been used and figure out whether the risk has made it to your customers.
In a local connection for me, it was reported by ABC 11 here in Raleigh that the sandwich crackers on hold are solely produced at a plant in Cary, North Carolina. The FDA isn't saying whether they are inspecting the Cary plant.
Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter
As Doug posted earlier, it looks as though peanut butter has been implicated in the current 400+ person outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium. Earlier tonight AP cited CDC sources as saying that the Salmonella also may have contributed to three deaths. AP reports that it looks like Minnesota Dept of Health has yet again cracked the case and recovered the outbreak strain from an opened jar of King Nut brand peanut butter, and has epidemiolgy to back it up:
"The commonality among all of our patients was that they ate peanut butter," said Doug Schultz, a spokesman with the Minnesota Department of Health. While the brand of peanut butter couldn't be confirmed in every case, the majority of patients consumed the same brand, he said Monday.
Here's a food safety infosheet that focuses on the outbreak. You can download it here.
Tracking foodborne illness - Salmonella in the U.S., 2008
The PBS news video is a couple of months old, but is a decent instructional tool for what various government agencies did during the Great Salmonella Outbreak of 2008.
Someone says they're sorry; Harvey's president apologizes
Harvey's Canada president Rick McNabb said Tuesday at a North Bay, Ontario, hotel that he’s sorry for the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has now stricken 190 people, of which 36 are laboratory confirmed.
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". . . On behalf of our company, I just want to say how sorry we are that something happened here, despite the fact that we don't know what it is, but it's clear we were associated with it."
McNabb said the local franchise operator, Cindy Gibb, is distraught and this is overwhelming for her.
I speak to her daily," he said. She's hurt, sorry and scared. The best-case scenario for everyone is to find the source."
Harvey's restaurant in North Bay, Ontario, focus of E. coli outbreak
The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit in Ontario, Canada, is investigating a number of possible food sources related to seven laboratory confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 and an additional 20 illnesses.
Dr. Catherine Whiting, Medical Officer of Health, North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, said that many cases were traced back to Harvey’s restaurant located at 1899 Algonquin Avenue in North Bay, adding,
“To protect the health of the public, and based on initial analysis, I ordered the closure of the Harvey’s restaurant on Algonquin on Sunday evening at 9 pm as a precautionary measure. At that time, our health inspectors conducted a thorough inspection of the premises and collected food samples for testing. Until we receive the lab results, we cannot confirm the source of the E. coli contamination. At this point in the investigation, it appears to have been limited to this North Bay location.”
The Health Unit continues to investigate all possible food sources and Harvey’s is cooperating fully with the investigation.
Harvey’s President Rick McNabb said,
“The health and safety of our guests is our most important priority. We are cooperating fully with the Health Unit to determine the cause, and we take this matter very seriously.”
For more information, visit the Health Unit’s web site at www.healthunit.biz or call (705) 474-1400, or 1-800-563-3808.
17 confirmed and suspected dead in Canadian listeria outbreak
The listeria outbreak in Canada goes from bad to worse as authorities announced Sunday afternoon (Aug. 31/08) there are now 11 confirmed and 6 suspected deaths linked to consumption of Maple Leaf deli meats; further, 33 are confirmed ill and another 25 are suspected of being ill with the outbreak strain. However, no comprehensive timeline for the onset of illnesses has been provided.
The developments over the past week are difficult to keep straight. As journalists probe how this happened – how the risk of Listeria monocytogenes was managed – a number of revelations have emerged:
• employees are alleging that sanitation at the suspect plant was substandard prior to the outbreak and that daily cleaning procedures were not consistently followed or thorough enough;
• U.S. Department of Agriculture audits found that 19 of 20 Canadian plants were not complying with sanitation standards, while Canadian inspectors were not always aware of their duties, "and were not well trained in the performance of their inspection tasks;" Canadian regulators urged the Americans to soften their language;
• Rick Holley of the University of Manitoba said Canada lacks the surveillance systems that could lead to better detection of foodborne illnesses, in stark contrast to the United States, which takes a much more active approach to addressing food safety through the FoodNet system.
• until Friday, when David Williams, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, revealed that most of the fatalities in Ontario occurred in July, no details had been released on when individuals died or when they first became sick;
• a separate outbreak of listeria in cheese has emerged in Quebec sickeneing 47 people and leading to the suspension of product sales from the Île aux Grues cheese company;
• an additional separate outbreak of Salmonella in cheese in Quebec has killed one and sickened at least 87 others and lead to additional recalls of three cheeses manufactured by Fromages La Chaudiere Inc.; and,
• Canada’s minister of agriculture and agri-food, Gerry Ritz, held a news conference Thursday to assure Canadians "our food safety system is the best in the world" and that work will continue to improve it.
And now, a message from Canada's chief public health officer that went on youtube Thursday.
Does Maple Leaf read barfblog?
They've got pictures now.
After posting on Sunday night about the confusion around Maple Leaf's multiple brands and differing
packaging, and seeing consumer reaction to the same, I'm happy to see that Maple Leaf has stepped up with some better comminication. In the below clip from CBC Toronto, one concerned Canadian shopper shows her frustration by saying "it's kind of hard to tell... a lot of things you don't know if they come from the Maple Leaf thing".
My favourite Maple Leaf thing has always been Doug Gilmour, circa 1993.
Maple Leaf foods has posted a viewer-friendly graphic (at the bottom of the notice) of how to determine if a product is part of the recall. I especially like the inclusion of variances of the establishment code.
Possible food poisoning outbreak at Florida State sorority
Looks like I picked the wrong week to visit Florida.
Thirty years before Stephen Colbert used the picture of himself in a picture in a picture, Lloyd Bridges was doing it in the movie, Airplane (right).
And tonight, according to WCTV in Tallahassee, rumors are circulating that more than 70 girls in the Phi Mu house at Florida State University have become very ill and some maybe even hospitalized in a possible outbreak of foodborne illness.
“Some members of the Greek community say it is possible that this outbreak is affecting more than one house and the rumors have many other sororities taking precautions to protect their members.”
Kara Beth Yancey, a FSU sorority member, says her house is going to take more precautions to prevent a similar situation.
"We're not going to stop ordering in but we are going to be a little more cautious on what kind of food we're ordering in."
I wonder what kind of food they’re going to limit the ordering in of? Amy, Courtlynn and me, we’re in Venice, Florida, so maybe we can avoid some of that ordered in food.
Texas: Crypto suspect in child's death
6-year-old Rosemary Stagaman of Richardson died last Tuesday morning in Dallas County. Health officials believe that the death was due to a cryptosporidium infection, but the medical examiner is still waiting on toxicology tests to determine the exact cause of her death. Her family says she tested positive for crypto after swimming in the Greenwood Hills Community Pool. Tests will take 10 days to confirm whether cryptosporidium played a part in the child’s death. If it is related, it would be the first death from the waterborne illness in recent memory.
Since June 2008, Dallas County has confirmed 41 cases of crypto. The crypto outbreak in the area began at Burger’s Lake in Fort Worth. Tarrant County has reported 81 cases of crypto, with 67 of them coming from Burger’s Lake.
All 30 pools of the YMCA of Metro Dallas, along with the city pools, were temporarily closed and hyperchlorinated in an attempt to wipe out the nasty parasite.
Experts are unsure of why there’s been a spike in outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis in recent years. It could be due to poor hygiene standards practiced by parents.
The crypto parasite has a thick outer shell, making it resistant to normal levels of chlorine. Available treatments include hyperchlorination and UV filters. Crypto enters the pool through fecal matter and the infection is especially dangerous to the young an the elderly, as well as the immunocompromised. Swimmers should wash their hands with warm soap water and also take a shower before entering the pool and after using the bathroom.
Illness in Texas jail affects 543 inmates
At one point at least 543 prisoners were experiencing signs of illness. Jail staff suspected that the illness may have been caused by an earlier meal, and officials quarantined numerous food items. Bologna sandwiches and food served with them were being examined for contamination.
Test results from the sampled food have not yet been released.
Possible suspects could be norovirus, Salmonella or E. coli, among others. In an outbreak such as the one in the Galveston County Jail, the close proximity of the prisoners to one another can increase the severity of an outbreak.
Arizona: Phoenix pool closures due to Cryptosporidium
Phoenix city officials have announced that all city pools will be closed after reports of 35 people who swam at Starlight Pool, including 14 from the pool staff, developing symptoms of cryptosporidium.The city of Phoenix says that while the water at all of its pools has been tested and "has continued to meet all water quality standards," it is taking extra precautions. To treat the pools, parks staff is super-chlorinating all of the pools to a level of 40 parts per million of chlorine and maintaining that level of chlorine for 40 hours. The Centers for Disease Control recommends 20 parts per million, but the City of Phoenix is using 40 parts per million to be safe.
Last summer Utah suffered an outbreak of cryptosporidium. Colorado has also suffered outbreaks. Hopefully this summer’s outbreak will be quickly contained and taken care of to avoid large numbers of sickness.
And of course, when using the bathroom at the pool, always wash your hands.
New International Food Safety Network Infosheet -- Foodborne illnesses prompt fine at golf course in Western New York
Click here to download the infosheet.
Doug Powell appears on National Public Radio
Yesterday Doug appeared on NPR Science Friday. The topic was the recent outbreak of Salmonella that has now officially sickened 228 persons in 23 states.
A podcast of the episode is now available online, and can be heard at this location.
UPDATE: No evidence of infectious disease outbreak in train passenger death
illness of another six passengers are not related.
Federal, provincial and local public health officials say there is no evidence of an infectious disease
outbreak in connection with the death of a passenger on a VIA train en route today from Vancouver to Toronto. Lab results so far are all negative for the flu and other respiratory illness.
The train is expected to resume its journey later today.And that makes Charlie happy.
Update: Via Rail train quarantined in N. Ontario after mystery illness hits passengers
Ambulances and police scrambled to the tiny hamlet of Foleyet early Friday morning and have now quarantined the train, which was carrying about 260 passengers and 30 crew members.
As many as 10 people were reported to have flu-like symptoms and at least one person has been airlifted to the Timmins and District Hospital.
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The illnesses appeared to be contained to two train cars.Only emergency response personnel were being allowed on or off the train and could only get on board with full protective gear.
Deborah DesRochers, chairwoman of the town of 380 about 100 kilometres southwest of Timmins, said,
"The whole place is being overrun with ambulances and police cars, and we've got helicopters. They've got the train quarantined. They're trying to isolate what it is."
Provincial police Const. Marc Depatie said officials are still trying to determine exactly what caused the illnesses on the train and whether they're at all related to the fatality.
"We don't know if the element is viral or bacterial or a case of food poisoning."
Chipotle hep A climbs to 14
With 14 cases and so far no employee testing for any signs of Hep A, I wonder if this outbreak is
linked to a common food vehicle from a supplier, or one mixed/prepared in store. Wonder if there has been a spike in what is thought to be sporadic Hep A cases associated with other outlets suppliers sent product to.Today's ifsn infosheet: ground beef products linked to outbreak
keeping foods separate, using clean equipment and handwashing. You can download the infosheet here.
Be appropriate in the kitchen
We hear that some companies build their food safety training around the infosheets, and we are in the midst of evaluating their impact on changing practices with food handlers. As we wrote last week, (and today's sheet is a good example) through iFSN's infosheets, we try to put a compelling spin on food safety information, attempting to draw in even the laziest, creepiest and stonedest of food handlers.
Safe Food Caf� - Petting zoos and their risk
Food Safety on film
Video Link
iFSN's YouTube profile
Should bagged salads be washed again?
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No. Prewashed bagged salads should not be washed again at foodservice or at home.At least that's what a panel of scientists with expertise in microbial safety of fresh produce concluded after reviewing recent research.
A paper published in the current issue of Food Protection Trends, published by the International Association for Food Protection presents guidelines developed by the panel, together with materials reviewed by the panel to develop the guidelines concluded that,
"leafy green salad in sealed bags labeled “washed” or “ready-to-eat” that are produced in a facility inspected by a regulatory authority and operated under cGMPs, does not need additional washing at the time of use unless specifically directed on the label. The panel also advised that additional washing of ready-to-eat green salads is not likely to enhance safety. The risk of cross contamination from food handlers and food contact surfaces used during washing may outweigh any safety benefit that further washing may confer."
Meanwhile, Eurosurveillance reported last week that
"Early in October 2007, an increase in notifications of human cases infected with Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 was seen in the Netherlands. All cases reported diarrhoea, and most also had bloody diarrhoea. No cases developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). The onset of illness for the first cases was in mid-September.
"STEC O157 strains that contained both stx1 and stx2 genes were isolated from 36 patients. Subtyping of these isolates by pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) showed, for 33 cases, an identical pattern not previously observed in the Netherlands. One further isolate was nearly identical to the 33. The two remaining isolates, which were isolated from the siblings of a confirmed case, have not yet been typed.
:The PFGE pattern was compared to the pattern found in Iceland, which appeared to be identical. The Iceland outbreak of STEC O157 is described in an accompanying article. …
"The Dutch Food and Safety Authority (FSA) is investigating the distribution channels of packed fresh vegetables and the individual ingredients. Samples of lettuce and other raw vegetables are being taken, as well as environmental samples at vegetable growers and shredding plants that may be involved. One shredding company for fresh vegetables also cuts and packs lettuce products for Iceland. …
"Five cases had consumed lettuce packaged and imported from the Netherlands, as verified either by questionnaire (three cases) or by supermarket purchase records (two cases). Intensified surveillance in lettuce with increased sampling began in mid-October and is ongoing. Culture results have so far been negative.
The strain that caused the outbreak in Iceland was identified by the Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens at the Health Protection Agency in the United Kingdom as STEC O157, phagetype 8, carrying the stx1 and stx2 shigatoxin genes. The PFGE pattern of all nine Icelandic isolates was identical to the strain that caused the current STEC O157 outbreak in the Netherlands."
Washing probably wouldn't have done much. When it comes to fresh produce, food safety begins on the farm. And don't eat poop.
Listeria kills 2, sickens 12 in Norway
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Aftenposten reported Friday that two patients at the National Hospital in Oslo, Norway, died as a result of an infection linked to listeria and another 12 have been sickened since Oct. 1.Hospital officials were cited as saying the source of the bacteria has not yet been pinpointed, but they said it may have come from contaminated cold food, possibly cheese. All refrigerated food at the hospital has been discarded, but officials said new cases may still arise as the bacteria's incubation period can last for up to a month.
Pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems are especially susceptible to listeria. A recent Australian study found that over half of expectant mothers received no information about the risks associated with listeria and certain foods.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommendations for persons at high risk, such as pregnant women and persons with weakened immune systems, includes:
-Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, or deli meats, unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
-Avoid getting fluid from hot dog packages on other foods, utensils, and food preparation surfaces, and wash hands after handling hot dogs, luncheon meats, and deli meats.
-Do not eat soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, and Camembert, blue-veined cheeses, or Mexican-style cheeses such as queso blanco, queso fresco, and Panela, unless they have labels that clearly state they are made from pastuerized milk.
-Do not eat refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads. Canned or shelf-stable pâtés and meat spreads may be eaten.
-Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is contained in a cooked dish, such as a casserole. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna or mackerel, is most often labeled as "nova-style," "lox," "kippered," "smoked," or "jerky." The fish is found in the refrigerator section or sold at deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens. Canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood may be eaten.
Listeria kills 2, sickens 12 in Norway
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Aftenposten reported Friday that two patients at the National Hospital in Oslo, Norway, died as a result of an infection linked to listeria and another 12 have been sickened since Oct. 1.Hospital officials said the source of the bacteria has not yet been pinpointed, but it may have come from contaminated cold food, possibly cheese. All refrigerated food at the hospital has been discarded, but officials said new cases may still arise as the bacteria's incubation period can last for up to a month.
Pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems are especially susceptible to listeria. A recent Australian study found that over half of expectant mothers received no information about the risks associated with listeria and certain foods.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommendations for persons at high risk, such as pregnant women and persons with weakened immune systems, includes:
-Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, or deli meats, unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
-Avoid getting fluid from hot dog packages on other foods, utensils, and food preparation surfaces, and wash hands after handling hot dogs, luncheon meats, and deli meats.
-Do not eat soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, and Camembert, blue-veined cheeses, or Mexican-style cheeses such as queso blanco, queso fresco, and Panela, unless they have labels that clearly state they are made from pastuerized milk.
-Do not eat refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads. Canned or shelf-stable pâtés and meat spreads may be eaten.
-Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is contained in a cooked dish, such as a casserole. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna or mackerel, is most often labeled as "nova-style," "lox," "kippered," "smoked," or "jerky." The fish is found in the refrigerator section or sold at deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens. Canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood may be eaten.
CBS confuses raw, probiotic
I'm not sure the kids sickened in all the outbreaks linked to raw milk would think they got a load of beneficial bacteria.
Sprouts in Sweden
Eurosurveillance reports today on an outbreak of Salmonella linked to raw alfalfa sprouts in summer 2007 in Sweden, which sickened at least 51 people.
Almost two years ago, Salmonella in mung bean sprouts sickened 650 Ontarians.
Kingston, Ontario, was ground zero for the great Salmonella sprout outbreak of 2005. After 15 students at Queen's University visited the emergency ward. puking and pooping, they tested positive for the same strain of Salmonella, a link was made to raw bean sprouts, and the city decided on Nov. 23, 2005 to warn the public. The next day, Dr. Sheela Basrur, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, advised the entire province not to eat raw or cooked bean sprouts, including those from grocery stores, home refrigerators or those served at restaurants.
Like undergarments for Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, sprouts were de facto banned.
As the number of confirmed sick people rose into the hundreds, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on November 25, 2005, finally issued an advisory for mung bean sprouts manufactured by Toronto Sun Wah Trading Inc. -- the largest sprout growth facility in the province.
There was lots of press and a bit of outrage, but after bans, investigations, and promises of doing things differently, raw sprouts again became widely available, as soon as three weeks after the outbreak was identified. To borrow the words of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration official commenting on the return of fresh spinach to supermarket aisles in Oct. 2006, the product was "just as safe as it was before the outbreak."
And if it has, the Canadian public would be the last to know.
On December 16, 2005, Kingston lifted its city-wide ban on sprouts after receiving clearance from CFIA, but the local medical officer of health, Dr. Ian Gemmill, was reluctant, stating, "I'm all for getting a definitive answer to this, but so far, our colleagues at CFIA have not provided us with a process that will assure that bean sprouts are not contaminated."
They still haven't.
Two years later, such advisories have been magically lifted and sprouts are being placed ever so gingerly on gourmet, supposedly healthy sandwiches, in the complete absence of any evidence that raw sprouts are any safer than they were before the outbreak.
The consumption of raw sprouts has been linked to over 30 outbreaks of foodborne illness throughout North America in the past 15 year affecting tens of thousands of people (a complete list of North American sprout outbreaks is available at http://www.foodsafetynetwork.ca/en/article-details.php?a=2&c=6&sc=36&id=865).
The first consumer warning about sprouts was issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 1997. By July 9, 1999, FDA had advised all Americans to be aware of the risks associated with eating raw sprouts and that the best way to control the risk was to simply not eat raw sprouts. FDA stated that it would monitor the situation and take any further actions required to protect consumers.
At the time, Canadian media depicted the U.S. response as panic at the disco, quoting Health Canada officials who said while some people were at risk, sprouts were generally a low-risk product.
The 650 sick Ontarians were undoubtedly comforted by such assurances.
Sprouts, by nature, present a special food safety challenge because the way they
are grown -- high moisture and high temperature -- is also an ideal environment for bacterial growth. In addition to their cantankerous temperament, sprouts are impossible to wash, making CFIA’s standby warning to consumers to wash their produce even more pointless than usual.
Because of continued outbreaks, the sprout industry, regulatory agencies, and the academic community, at least in the U.S., pooled their efforts in the late 1990s to improve the safety of the product, including the implementation of good manufacturing practices, establishing guidelines for safe sprout production and chemical disinfection of seeds prior to sprouting.
That approach appears to have reduced the risk in the U.S. as the number of sprout outbreaks has declined. Not so in Canada, where CFIA routinely touts its best practices document.
But are these guidelines actually being followed? And even if they are, is anyone checking?
Thousands of sick people and two years after the world's largest sprout-related outbreak, in a brazenly bizarre demonstration of Canadian politeness, no victims have stepped forward to complain (several have declined to go public at the last minute), no sprout growers have publicly defended their industry, no government-type has publicly stated why raw sprouts are now safe to eat, and no journalist has bothered to follow up. And there has never been any sort of official write-up on the outbreak.
Sprouts in Canada are just as safe and just as dangerous as ever. Sweden too.
Douglas Powell is scientific director of the International Food Safety Network at Kansas State University,
dpowell@ksu.edu
foodsafety.ksu.edu
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