The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has started testing ground beef, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains (STEC) that are adulterants. They include the "Big Six" O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145 as well as O157. The testing started on February 1, 2023. This new program was announced in the Federal Register on June 4, 2020. Before this new program, the government only tested beef manufacturing trimmings for the Big Six and O157:H7. Otherwise, all raw beef products are tested for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella bacteria. FSIS has also started testing for the non-O157 STEC in ground beef samples collected at retail stores and in samples of imported raw beef products. Any positive results will be subject to … [Read more...]
How Many Food Poisoning Outbreaks Were Unsolved in 2022?
How many FDA-regulated food poisoning outbreaks were unsolved in 2022? Taking a look at the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table, there were 25 multi-state outbreaks in 2022 that the FDA believes were linked to foods that agency monitors. Of those 25 outbreaks, 13 outbreaks were unsolved. The minimum number of people sickened in those unsolved outbreaks was 483. Every year in the United States, 48,000,000 people are sickened from contaminated food. There are 128,000 hospitalizations and about 3,000 people die. The FDA and USDA started using outbreak tables to inform the public about these events. The tables do not have much information until there is some action that consumers can take. However, before the tables were introduced, the public was never informed about these … [Read more...]
Morasch Meats Diced Beef Recalled For Possible E. coli O157:H7
Morasch Meats Diced Beef is being recalled for possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. There are no confirmed reports of illnesses related to the consumption of this product. The recalling firm is Morasch Meats of Portland, Oregon. The recalled product is raw frozen diced beef. It was produced on August 24, 2022. The item is 30 pound box packages that contain Beef Diced 3/10# bags. The case code on the product is FM010152, the lot code that is stamped on the label is 082422, and the date 8/24/2022 is printed on the case label. Each case has three 10 pound vacuum-sealed, clear plastic bags of the diced beef. The product has the establishment number "EST. 4102" stamped inside the USDA mark of inspection. The beef was shipped to distributors in Oregon for further distribution to … [Read more...]
Recall Roundup For The Week of December 3, 2022
We're bringing back the recall roundup! This is a collection of all Class 1 recalls issued during the past week. Class 1 recalls include those items where there is a "reasonable probability that eating the food will cause health problems or death." So let's get started. The first recall is for James Farms Frozen Raspberries, for possible hepatitis A contamination. The recalling firm is Exportadora Copramar. The berries were imported from Chile. The frozen raspberries were packaged in two 5 pound bags per 10 pound carton. The UPC number on this product is 76069501010, with the lot code CO 22-165. They were sold through Restaurant Depo/Jetro locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. A public health … [Read more...]
Public Health Alert for E. coli in Carne Molina Ground Beef
A public health alert for possible E. coli O157:H7 in Carne Molida ground beef has been issued by the USDA. This ground beef was sold at La Michoacana Meat Market in Greenville, Texas. No illnesses have been reported to date on connection with the consumption of this product. A recall was not requested because this item is no longer available for sale, but the product could still be in consumers' homes, especially their freezers. The raw ground beef was ground in store on November 28, 2022. It was packaged behind the meat counter in varying weights per consumer request. The recalled item is Carne Molida regular/ground beef with packed on dates that range from November 28, 2022 to December 1, 2022, and the sell by date of December 1, 2022 printed on the label. The ground beef was … [Read more...]
Alleged Wendy’s E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak Ends With 109 Sick
The alleged Wendy's E. coli O157:H7 outbreak has ended with 109 sick and 52 hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC states that officials were unable to confirm the food source, but 83% of patients interviewed said they ate at a Wendy's fast food restaurant before they got sick. And many of those patients said they ate burgers and sandwiches made with romaine lettuce. The case count by state is: Indiana (11), Kentucky (2), Michigan (67), New York (1), Ohio (24), and Pennsylvania (4). That's an increase of 12 more patients since the last update on September 1, 2022. The actual number of people sickened in this outbreak is likely higher than this number, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states listed. The patient age range … [Read more...]
New Salmonella Litchfield Outbreak on FDA CORE Table
A new Salmonella Litchfield outbreak has been listed on the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. Twenty-eight people are sick. We do not know the patient age range, illness onset dates, or whether or not anyone has been hospitalized. Traceback has been initiated in this new outbreak, but there has been no recall, no on-site inspection, and no sample collection and analysis has been started. The CDC has not mentioned this outbreak yet because there is no action consumers can take at this time to protect themselves. Other outbreak investigations have been updated. For the cyclospora outbreak in a not yet identified food (reference #1080), sample collection and analysis has been initiated and an on-site inspection has been initiated. For the Salmonella Mississippi outbreak in … [Read more...]
Learn How Cross-Contamination Can Make You Sick
September is Food Safety Education Month. And it's a good time to learn about how to stay safe in the kitchen. First up, learn how cross-contamination can make you sick and how to avoid it with tips from FoodSsfety.gov. Cross-contamination occurs when raw foods such as meats, poultry, seafood, and shell eggs, or juices or drips from those products, come into contact with foods that are eaten uncooked, with kitchen surfaces, with your hands, and with utensils and plates. Other surfaces that can be contaminated include cutting boards, cupboard door handles and pulls, the kitchen faucet, and the kitchen sink. Bacteria that can cross-contaminate foods include E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Clostridium perfringens, and Listeria monocytogenes. And they can all make you … [Read more...]
Wendy’s Romaine E. coli Outbreak Case Count Rises to 97
The Wendy's romaine E. coli outbreak case count has risen to include at least 97 sick in six states, with 43 hospitalized. Ten people are suffering from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That is an increase of 13 new illnesses, five new hospitalizations, two more with HUS, and two new states: New York and Kentucky. The patient case count by state is: Indiana (11), Kentucky (1), Michigan (58), New York (1), Ohio (24), and Pennsylvania (2). Illness onset dates range from July 25, 2022 to August 15, 2022. The patient age range is from 3 to 94 years. Of 81 people who gave information about their health to investigators, 43, or 53%, have been hospitalized, which is a very high hospitalization … [Read more...]
FDA Updates 10 Outbreaks on CORE Investigation Table
The FDA has updated 10 outbreaks on CORE Investigation Table that are still active, including adding a new Salmonella outbreak to the list. The case counts have increased for five of the 10 outbreaks. An outbreak of Salmonella Mississippi has sickened at least 99 people, which is a very high number for a first announcement. In that investigation, traceback has been initiated but no product has been identified. For the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in an unidentified food, which is probably the Wendy's romaine lettuce outbreak, traceback has been initiated, on-site inspections have been conducted, and sample collection and analysis has begun. For the mystery Salmonella Senftenberg outbreak, the case count has increased from 22 to 25. For the mystery Salmonella Braenderup outer, the … [Read more...]
