Government officials have just announced that another strain of Salmonella bacteria has been found in the raw scraped tuna product imported by Moon Marine USA Corporation. The product was recalled on April 13, 2012. The serotype Salmonella Nchanga was found in one of the unopened samples of imported raw Nakaochi Scrape yellowfin tuna. A total of 10 people in 5 states have been infected with this outbreak strain. The bacteria found in the tuna had a PFGE pattern "indistinguishable from the cluster of Salmonella Nchanga infections." This bacteria is very rare in the United States. The illness onset dates for this outbreak ranged form February 19 to April 5, 2012. The ill persons are 17 to 86 years old; the median age is 33 years. Seventy-five percent of the patients are female. One … [Read more...]
It’s A Match: Wisconsin Links Recalled Tuna To Outbreak Strain
The Salmonella Bareilly outbreak strain that has sickened at least 160 people in 20 states and the District of Columbia is a genetic match to the strain found in recalled tuna produced by Moon Marine USA Corp., Wisconsin health officials announced today. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) worked together to find the match that establishes the tainted tuna as the source of the outbreak. DATCP found Salmonella Bareilly in a sample of the recalled tuna and in a sample from a spicy tuna roll made with the recalled tuna and sent isolates of the strain to WSLH in Madison where health officials used Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) to find its genetic fingerprint. "What we do is take … [Read more...]
For Some Wisconsin Grocery Store Sushi Bars, It’s Business As Usual
At Grasch Foods, an upscale grocery store in Brookfield Wis., the tuna Salmonella outbreak caused a minor blip in sushi bar sales and then things went right back to normal, according to Seafood Manger, John Edgerton. Grasch buys only fresh fish for the sushi bar and Edgerton does most of the processing himself, he said, so the store was not among those affected by the recall of tainted ground frozen tuna product, called Nakaochi Scrape, from Moon Marine USA Corp. in California. With 14 confirmed cases of salmonellosis, Wisconsin was hit hard by the tuna sushi Salmonella outbreak, which has sickened 160 people in 20 states and the District of Columbia, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The only states with more confirmed cases … [Read more...]
Raw Tuna Scrape: Study Says Testing of Imported Seafood Inadequate
A 2011 study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) at the Bloomberg School of Public Health found that the testing the FDA conducts on imported seafood is "inadequate for confirming its safety or identifying risks." The Salmonella Bareilly outbreak that has sickened at least 160 people in 20 states the the District of Columbia has brought this issue to the forefront. The raw tuna scrape that is linked to the outbreak was imported from India. And about 85% of seafood consumed in this country is imported. According to the study, only 2% of all seafood imported into this country is tested for contamination. The European Union tests 50% of its imported seafood; Japan inspects 18%, and Canada inspects 15%. Food Poisoning Bulletin asked Dr. David Love, lead … [Read more...]
Raw Scraped Tuna Outbreak: 160 Now Sickened
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has just updated the Salmonella Bareilly outbreak associated with raw scraped tuna. Now 160 people are ill in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Twenty-six people have been hospitalized; no deaths are reported. The case count is:Alabama (2)Arkansas (1)Connecticut (6)District of Columbia (2)Florida (1)Georgia (6)Illinois (14)Louisiana (3)Maryland (14)Massachusetts (23)Mississippi (2)Missouri (4)New Jersey (8)New York (30)North Carolina (3)Pennsylvania (6)Rhode Island (5)South Carolina (3)Texas (4)Virginia (9)Wisconsin (14) Nakaochi Scrape, or raw tuna backmeat that looks like ground or chopped tuna, has been recalled and is associated with this outbreak. It was imported from India by Moon Marine USA Corporation. Consumers should not eat … [Read more...]
After Raw Sushi Tuna Outbreak, Senator, Groups Call on OMB To Release Food Safety Rules
According to a press release obtained by Food Poisoning Bulletin, on April 18, 2012, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) called on the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to implement proposed but unenacted food safety rules in light of the Salmonella Bareilly outbreak that has sickened 141 people in 20 states. Senator Casey said, "This latest salmonella outbreak should be a wakeup call for OMB that it’s time to release these food safety rules. OMB has had more than enough time to consider these safety rules. It’s time to get these rules out of the door for public comment and better protect Americans against these outbreaks." The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 mandated new rules for preventive controls on food imports, food and animal feed, and produce safety. These four … [Read more...]
