The Center for Food Safety (CFS) has forced the FDA to complete the high risk food designations and reporting requirements that were part of the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). CFS filed a lawsuit against the FDA in October 2018 for delaying those requirements. Now, the FDA must designate "high risk" foods by September 2020 and establish the reporting requirements for those foods by November 2022. The settlement was decided in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Ryan Talbott, CFS staff attorney, said in a statement, "This is a major victory for public health. FDA has sat on its hands for years, neglecting to make these high-risk designations, while outbreaks caused by Salmonella, E. coli, and other pathogens have sicken and killed … [Read more...]
FDA Inspects Del Monte Facility After Vegetable Tray Salmonella Outbreak
Today, the FDA inspects Del Monte facility that produced vegetable trays linked to a Salmonella outbreak. At least three people in Wisconsin and one in Minnesota have been sickened after allegedly eating these products. The Del Monte facility is located in Kankakee, Illinois. On May 21, 2019, the Wisconsin Department of Health issued a press release stating that vegetable trays produced by Del Monte Fresh Produce that were sold at Kwik Trip convenience stores in Minnesota and Wisconsin have sickened at least four people. There was no word on whether or not any patients have been hospitalized. Illness onset dates for this outbreak range from April 13 to April 27, 2019. Kwik Trip has removed all Del Monte vegetable trays from their stores. However, the trays may have been sold at … [Read more...]
Raw Ground Tuna Salmonella Newport Outbreak Ends With 15 Sick
The raw ground tuna Salmonella Newport outbreak has ended after sickening 15 people in 8 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That tuna, produced at JK Fish in Vietnam, was imported by Jensen Tuna in Louisiana. The case count by state is: Colorado (1), Connecticut (1), Illinois (1), Iowa (1), Minnesota (1), New York (2), North Dakota (4), and Washington (4). Two people were hospitalized in this outbreak. Illness onset dates range from January 8, 2019 to March 31, 2019. The patient age range was from 24 to 85 years. No deaths were reported. Officials used the PulseNet system to find people sickened in this outbreak. Whole genome sequencing performed on the isolates taken from ill persons showed that they were closely related … [Read more...]
Kwik Trip Del Monte Vegetable Trays Linked to Salmonella Outbreak in WI and MN
A new Kwik Trip Del Monte vegetable tray outbreak has sickened three people in Wisconsin and one person in Minnesota with Salmonella food poisoning, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health. Last year, a cyclospora outbreak that was linked to Del Monte vegetable trays, also sold at Kwik Trip and Kwik Star locations in the upper Midwest, sickened at least 250 people. All patients sickened in this outbreak have told officials they ate a Del Monte vegetable tray purchased from a Wisconsin or Minnesota Kwik Tip before they started feeling ill. Kwik Trip is cooperating with the investigation and has removed all Del Monte vegetable trays from their stores. Patients in this new outbreak got sick between April 13 and April 27, 2019. The Wisconsin press release states that it is … [Read more...]
Salmonella Concord Outbreak Linked to Karawan Tahini Sickens Four
A Salmonella Concord outbreak linked to Karawan Tahini and Halva brand tahini has sickened four people in three states and hospitalized one person. The original outbreak notice stated that the tahini was imported from Israel. The recall notice, which was posted on May 16, 2019, says the tahini was imported from Palestine. This outbreak is not related to the 2018-2019 Salmonella Concord outbreak linked to Achdut Tahini. That earlier outbreak, which ended in February 2019, sickened eight people. The tahini in that outbreak was imported from Israel and was sold under several different brand names, including Achdut, Soom, Pepperwood, and Baron. In this new outbreak, the case count by state is: New York (2), Massachusetts (1), and Texas (1). The last illness onset date was March 23, … [Read more...]
Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee Hardest Hit in Ground Beef E. coli O103 Outbreak
The states that have been the hardest hit in the ground beef E. coli O103 outbreak are Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Those states combined have 173 of the 196 people sickened in this outbreak. The outbreak does seem to be slowing down, according to the epidemiological Date of Illness Onset chart. Most cases were diagnosed in mid-March 2019, and have trailed off since then. But even though two companies have recalled raw ground beef products, the outbreak continues to grow. According to the epi chart, there could be as many as 50 more cases in this outbreak before it ends. States are investigating more illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. This outbreak actually begin in Kentucky, when public health officials there noticed a spike in E. coli cases. At first, … [Read more...]
Oysters From Mexico Linked to Multistate Shigella Vibrio Outbreak
Oysters from Mexico are linked to a multistate Shigella, Vibrio, E. coli, Campylobacter, and norovirus outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some patients were sickened with more than one pathogen. This outbreak was reported by the California Department of Public Health on May 7, 2019; all of the patients at that time lived in California. Now 16 people from five states are ill in this outbreak. Two people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. No deaths have been reported. One recall, by DiCarlo Seafood in Wilmington, California, has been issued. The case count by state is: Alaska (1), California (12), Illinois (1), New Hampshire (1), and Nevada (1). Illness onset dates range from December 16, 2018 to April 4, 2019. The patient age … [Read more...]
Raw Tuna Salmonella Outbreak: FDA Adds JK Fish of Vietnam to Import Alerts
In the wake of the frozen ground raw tuna recall and Salmonella Newport outbreak that is linked to Jensen Tuna, the FDA has added JK Fish of Vietnam to Import Alert 16-20 for fish from foreign processors. This lets the government detain product from that firm without any physical sampling and analysis. The Import Alert is guidance to FDA field personnel. This applies to foreign processors and products that have failed to meet the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) requirements for a specific product. The government believes that the recalled ground tuna was sold to restaurants and retailers and not directly to consumers, and that it was used to make sushi and other dishes. If you choose to buy or eat sushi or any product made with uncooked raw ground tuna, ask … [Read more...]
Butterball Ground Turkey Salmonella Schwarzengrund Outbreak Ends
The Salmonella Schwarzengrund outbreak linked to recalled Butterball ground turkey has ended with 7 sick in 3 states. One person was hospitalized in this outbreak, and there were no deaths. The case count by state is: Minnesota (2), North Carolina (2), and Wisconsin (4). Illness onset dates ranged from December 19, 2018 to March 16, 2019. The patient age range was from less than one year to 71. Butterball recalled more than 78,000 pounds of raw ground turkey products on March 14, 2019 that were shipped nationwide. The turkey was also packaged under the Food Lion and Kroger brands. The turkey was produced in July 2018. Some of this turkey, with establishment number "EST. P-7345" and a sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18, could still be in consumers' freezers. Check your freezer to … [Read more...]
Final Update on Raw Turkey Salmonella Reading Outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued the final update of the raw turkey Salmonella Reading outbreak. At least 358 people in 42 states have been sickened. More than 130 people were hospitalized in this outbreak, and one death was reported. The government says that the outbreak strain of Salmonella Reading is present in live turkeys and in many types of raw turkey products. The number of reported new illnesses is decreasing, but people could continue to get sick. The last reported illness was on March 31, 2019. The case count by state is: Alabama (4), Alaska (2), Arizona (5), Arkansas (2), California (30), Colorado (7), Connecticut (5), Delaware (1), District of Columbia (5), Florida (13), Georgia (2), Hawaii (4), Idaho (4), Iowa (50), Illinois (25), … [Read more...]
