A new Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has been added to the FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. It joins six other outbreaks, some that have been solved, and some not. The new outbreak has sickened at least three people. No food has been identified in this outbreak. And the FDA has not issued a recall, initiated traceback, inspected any facilities, or collected samples for testing. The unsolved Salmonella Newport outbreak has added a new strain: Salmonella Oranienburg. In that outbreak, at least 43 people are sick, an increase of one more patient since the last update. The FDA has initiated traceback and has collected samples for testing. The deadly Salmonella Sundsvall and Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak linked to recalled Malichita and Rudy cantaloupes has sickened at … [Read more...]
Consumer Reports Lists 10 Risky Recalled Foods From 2017-2022
Consumer Reports lists 10 risky recalled foods from 2017 to 2022 that you should know about. These foods were recalled because of bacterial contamination and many were linked to foodborne illness outbreaks. The 10 risky recalled foods that are listed in rank order include: Leafy Greens. These types of vegetables were linked to 50 outbreaks and recalls. There were 614 illnesses and 11 deaths as a result of E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes bacterial contamination on these products, including the deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to Fresh Express packaged salads that sickened and hospitalized 10 people in 10 states, and the Wendy's E. coli romaine outbreak that sickened at least 109 people in six states. Contaminated water used to irritate crops is one source of these … [Read more...]
FDA Launches Safety Strategies Starting with Onions and Enoki
The FDA has launched new food safety strategies to help protect the public, starting with onions and enoki mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms. Those products have been linked to several food poisoning outbreaks in the last few years, including the deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to enoki mushrooms in 2020. There was also a Salmonella Stanley outbreak in 2020 linked to wood ear mushrooms that sickened at least 55 people. Before these enoki and wood ear mushroom outbreaks, the FDA was not aware of outbreaks liked to those products in the last 20 years. The 2021 Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak linked to onions sickened more than 1,000 people. And the 2020 outbreak of Salmonella Newport linked to red onions sickened 1127 people. The enactment of the FDA's Food Safety … [Read more...]
Little Bear Vidalia Onions Recalled For Possible Listeria Contamination
Little Bear Vidalia onions are being recalled for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with the consumption of these onions. The recalling firm is A&M Farms of Lyons, Georgia. The onions were packed on one pack line between June 20 and June 23, 2022. Consumers can identify the recalled Little Bear Vidalia onions by the purchase locations, PLU number 4159, and the Little Bear brand on the PLU sticker. The onions were sold in bulk in the produce section of certain retail stores. The onions were available for sale June 23 and 24, 2022 at Wegmans stores in the Rochester New York area, in Massachusetts, and at the Erie West and Erie Peach Street Wegmans stores in Pennsylvania. The onions were also available for sale … [Read more...]
Wegmans Vidalia Onions Recalled For Possible Listeria Contamination
Wegmans Vidalia Onions are being recalled for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The onions were sold in three states: Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts. The Wegmans Vidalia onions were sold by the pound. The product may have a 4-digit PLU sticker with the numbers 4159 or 4166. They were sold from June 23, 2022 through June 24, 2022 at these Wegmans stores: In Massachusetts, in Burlington, Chestnut Hill, Medford, Natick, Northborough, and Westwood. In New York, in Alberta Drive, Amherst Street, Auburn, Brockport, Calkins Road, Canandaigua, Chili-Paul, Cicero, Corning, Dewitt, Dick Road, East Avenue, Eastway, Elmira, Fairmount, Fairport, Geneseo, Geneva, Great Northern, Holt Road, Hornell, Irondequoit, Ithaca, James Street, Jamestown, John Glenn, Johnson City, … [Read more...]
Most Onion Salmonella Patients In TX, OK, MO, IL, VA, MD, FL, WI, MN
The fresh onion Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak has ended, but the investigation continues. Most onion Salmonella patients live in nine states: Texas (248), Oklahoma (129), Florida (75), Virginia (71), Maryland (66), Missouri (59), Illinois (54), Wisconsin (31), and Minnesota (27). Those patients make up 73% of the total cases. At least 1,040 Americans in 39 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C. were included in the official case count, which, according to epidemiologists and the outbreak multiplier, means that there could be more than 30,000 Americans sickened. At least 260 of 778 people interviewed were hospitalized, for a hospitalization rate of 33%, more than 50% higher than the typical rate for a Salmonella outbreak. The patient age range was from less than one year to … [Read more...]
Fresh Onions Salmonella Oranienburg Outbreak Over With 1040 Sickened
The fresh onions Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak is over with at least 1040 sickened in 39 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, with 260 hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That'a an increase of 148 more cases since the last update that was issued on November 16, 2021. The patient case count by state is: Alabama (7), Arkansas (19), California (15), Colorado (3), Connecticut (5), Florida (75), Georgia (5), Hawaii (1), Illinois (54), Indiana (2), Iowa (4), Kansas (17), Kentucky (10), Louisiana (10), Maryland (66), Massachusetts (15), Michigan (12), Minnesota (27), Mississippi (3), Missouri (59), Nebraska (10), New Jersey (5), New Mexico (16), New York (23), North Carolina (26), North Dakota (4), Ohio (8), Oklahoma (129), … [Read more...]
Nine Multistate Salmonella Outbreaks in 2021 Sickened More Than 1,200
Nine multistate Salmonella outbreaks in 2021 sickened more than 1,200 Americans and hospitalized 250, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The only Salmonella outbreak that has continued into 2022 is the Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak linked to fresh onions imported from Mexico. All of these outbreaks were linked to a specific product, and all were associated with at least one recall or public health alert. The outbreaks include: Plainville Farms ground turkey Salmonella Hadar outbreak In this outbreak, 33 people in 14 states were sickened and four were hospitalized. The patient case count by state was: Arizona (1), Connecticut (2), Indiana (1), Maine (1), Maryland (1), Massachusetts (7), Missouri (2), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (3), New York (4), … [Read more...]
New Romaine E. coli Outbreak Over As It’s Announced
A new romaine E. coli outbreak is over as soon as it's announced on the FDA's CORE Investigation Outbreak Table. Four people are sickened. The investigation into the outbreak, however, is still considered active. We do not know where the ill persons live, the patient age range, or if anyone has been hospitalized or has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. The FDA's statement reads, "The outbreak of four illnesses of E. coli O121:H19 (reference# 1050) has been linked to romaine lettuce. The information collected over the course of this investigation indicated that romaine lettuce was the likely source of this outbreak; however, it appears that this outbreak is over, and there is no actionable advice for consumers. FDA has been conducting a traceback … [Read more...]
FDA CORE Outbreak Table Has Six Active Investigations
The FDA CORE Outbreak Table has six active food poisoning investigations currently; all but one has been identified or solved. The Salmonella Javiana outbreak, which was announced on November 24, 2021, is still not identified, and the number of people sickened in that outbreak has increased to 64. No recall has been initiated, although traceback has begun, on-site inspection has been started, and sample collection and analysis has been initiated. When there is some concrete action that consumers can take, the FDA should update the investigation. The other five active outbreaks include: The E. coli O157:H7 9outbreak linked to Simple Truth and Nature's Basket Organic Power Greens, which has sickened at least 13 people in six states. Four people have been hospitalized, and one … [Read more...]
