‘Kind’ daughter died of norovirus

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Doug Powell

Norovirus can be terrible, but is rarely fatal.

Yet it can be.

Norovirus claimed the life of a healthy Karen Tomlinson, 38, a UK inquest has heard.

The Derbyshire Times reports Tomlinson was found dead on her living room floor by her father last September 15, Chesterfield Coroner’s Court heard on Thursday.

The inquest revealed single Ms Tomlinson, who worked as a benefits officer, was likely to have contracted norovirus from someone else.

Pathologist Dr Roger Start said: “Norovirus can be extremely debilatating and highly contagious.

“There have been numerous outbreaks both this year and last year.”

Norovirus, which causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea, is thought to contribute to the deaths of about 80 people in the UK each year.

Recording a verdict of natural causes, coroner Sophie Cartwright said: “Ms Tomlinson was a hard-working young woman who strove to live healthily.

“It’s extremely sad and tragic that she died of norovirus.”

After the inquest, Ms Tomlinson’s father Brian said his daughter was a “lovely and kind” person. He added that he loved seeing her.

Mother speaks of infant loss to E. coli

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Doug Powell

Heartbroken mum Samantha Waller today spoke of the tragic loss of her seven-week-old baby to E. coli poisoning.

And she said little son Henley was now “my guardian angel.”

Samantha, 25, of Percy Street, Middlesbrough, told the Gazette she thought about her treasured son every day.

A Teesside coroner’s inquest earlier heard Henley McLeod’s life had barely begun when he fell victim to a serious E. coli infection.

The beloved tot was found lifeless at his home.

Just the day before he died, he’d been unwell and his worried mum had taken him to the doctor’s surgery.

But an examination found nothing untoward and Samantha was allowed to take him home.

Tragically, next morning on February 3 2012, Samantha found her baby son motionless and not breathing.

Teesside coroner Michael Sheffield said every effort was made to revive the baby “tragically to no avail.” He recorded a verdict of natural causes.

6 sick; farm owner denies link to Cryptosporidium outbreak

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Doug Powell

Five visitors to Cotswold Farm Park and one member of staff are being treated for cryptosporidiosis in the UK.

The farm is run by Countryfile TV host Adam Henson.

Dr David Hunt, consultant for health protection in Public Health England (PHE) Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire told the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, “Most of the cases became unwell in April and appear to have visited the park in the Easter holidays. “The park has co-operated fully with the investigation and has put in place a number of extra measures ahead of the upcoming bank holiday to reduce the risk to future visitors.

Today, host Henson issued a statement on the Cotswold Farm Park website, saying, “It’s been incorrectly reported in some media that cases of cryptosporidium have been linked with us.”

The statement also reads, “There is currently no scientific evidence to confirm that these alleged cases, which occurred over four weeks ago, are linked to Cotswold Farm Park.

“However, we do take public health very seriously so have been proactively liaising with the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) and the local Environmental Health department, to investigate a possibility that these cases may be linked.

“Following a site visit with a HSE inspector and an Environmental health officer it was agreed that Cotswold Farm Park follows best practice procedures in our animal contact areas and we have a proactive approach to educating and informing our staff and visitors of the importance of hand washing.

“We would like to reassure our visitors that we are fully compliant with the industry code of practice for avoiding ill health from farm visits and that there is no reason to avoid contact with animals as long as the correct hand washing procedures are followed.”

Given the number of petting zoo outbreaks, adhering to an industry code of practice and bragging about it is far from convincing.

And handwashing is never enough.

But, the health types will continue with their work, and the story will unfold.

A table of petting zoo outbreaks is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/petting-zoos-outbreaks.

Edwina Currie: ‘no regrets’ over egg salmonella scare comments 25 years ago

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Doug Powell

In 1988, then junior UK health minister Edwina Currie warned the British public that most of the egg production in the UK was affected by Salmonella. The ramifications were colossal, causing egg sales to plummet.

Almost 25 years after her comments on Salmonella caused UK egg sales to implode, Edwina Currie has told The Grocer she had no regrets. While admitting she would have modified her words, in an exclusive video interview Currie said: “The basis of the warning was entirely sound.”

Food safety culture has jumped the shark: UK develops tool for inspectors

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Doug Powell

Food safety culture is often mentioned on the speaker circuit but what does it all mean? We gave it a shot, so has Griffiths and Yiannis.

The U.K. Food Standards Agency has come out with two reports prepared by a consultant that offers a thorough review of the concept but doesn’t move us any closer to implementation.

And I don’t know why the reports were targeted at inspectors, to help them assess the culture of a food business. Shouldn’t food producers, the ones who profit, be taking the lead on developing case studies, data collection, and innovative techniques to embed food safety culture within their organizations? And brag about it?

Maybe I’m just a bit thick.

“The study aimed to develop a tool which can be used by enforcement officers for those aspects of food safety culture, attitudes and behaviors that
help officers assess ‘softer’ aspects of risk presented by individual food business operators (FBOs).”

Uh-oh. Writing with dick fingers (‘softer’) usually means uncertainty vagueness, or just lousy writing.

“The first stage of work identified and reviewed existing safety culture assessment tools. A total of 169 questionnaires and tools were identified. A large number of these were variations of safety climate questionnaires and had been used in safety culture research. Fifteen toolkits/questionnaires were shortlisted for potential inclusion in the detailed review. The review of the current tools noted that:

• none of the tools had been developed specifically to assess food safety culture;

• the typologies used for some tools, and elements of safety culture covered, overlap with those noted in food safety culture research;

• most tools have not been developed specifically for micro or small firms;

• many of the existing safety culture tools have some form of validation; and,

•a large majority of the tools are diagnostic.

The summary also notes a number of tools are intended for completion as a survey of staff. They measure the safety climate rather than specifically diagnose safety culture and mapped advice. This is not considered applicable by inspectors during ‘routine’ inspections of micro or small food businesses.

There’s those dick fingers again.

UK butcher fined for risking E. coli outbreak

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Doug Powell

How many times have you walked into the local butcher to be greeted by a dude in a blood soaked apron, who fills your order of raw meat and then takes payment or worse, wants to shake hands.

It’s that trust thing.

The Ilkeston Advertiser reports that an Ilkeston Market butcher, who washed his hands on a bloodstained cloth, risked an outbreak of E. coli, a court has heard.

Philip Whiting, 62, switched between cooked and raw meat although he was warned this could cause a food poisoning outbreak.

“It is lucky we are not here detailing some sort of outbreak of e-coli as a result of cross-contamination,” said Lisa Gilligan for Erewash Borough Council.

A £4,000 fine with costs of £150 and a £15 surcharge were ordered from Whiting. He admitted five breaches of food hygiene regulations on March 1 last year.

The JPs were shown photographs taken by environmental health officers who called unannounced at his trailer.

One picture was of a bucket of water – containing a bloodied cloth – where he used to wash his hands.

A cooked meat slicer was rusty and there was a dirty knife used for the cutting of cooked meats, the court in Derby heard on Monday.

Miss Gilligan said all butchers in Erewash were sent letters and a DVD after two people died in 2006 when there was cross-contamination of raw and cooked food. The visit was later made to Whiting’s trailer on the Market Place.

“There was an unacceptable risk of cross-contamination with Mr Whiting handling meat and moving immediately to serve ready-to-eat food like cheese, pork pies and cooked meat.

“Obviously there was a risk of cross-contamination and it was quite shocking to the council officers,” added Miss Gilligan.

Rob Langton, mitigating, said it was ‘ironical’ that Whiting had already ordered a new £15,000 trailer at the time of the council visit.

This arrived in May and is fitted with hand-washing facilities and storage allowing him to keep items apart.

380 now sick with Salmonella from UK Street Spice festival

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Doug Powell

Visitors to a Tyneside food festival at the center of a food poisoning probe are being urged to take part in an online survey to identify the source.

BBC News reports more than 380 visitors to the three-day Street Spice event reported symptoms including diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Salmonella has now been found in 14 samples submitted for testing.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is urging all visitors to fill in the survey to say where they ate so the source can be traced.

A spokesman for the HPA said, “A total of three vendors are highlighted in this questionnaire.

“We would not expect illness to be associated with all vendors but it is important to ascertain as much information as we can about each of them.”

An estimated 12,000 people attended the event, which took place in Times Square between 28 February and 2 March.

New food safety research from UK agency

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Doug Powell

The UK Food Standards Agency has released research results from eight projects, and are available through the Intertubes. Summaries below.

Reducing the shedding of E.coli O157 in cattle
By evaluating the current literature and engaging with stakeholders, this study examined the feasibility of introducing, in the UK, on-farm controls for reducing E.coli O157 shedding in cattle. Both vaccines and probiotics have shown promise in North American studies. Further engagement with relevant stakeholder groups indicated that the open-farm sector was interested in exploring the use of vaccines. However, demand for the application of on-farm controls for E.coli O157 by beef and dairy farmers in the UK would likely to be limited in the absence of clear evidence that such measures would be effective in protecting public health. http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/foodborneillness/ecoliresearch/fs421009/#.UT-GPKSYb_g

Potential for rapid on-site testing at border inspection posts
This project reviewed the current systems of residue and contaminant control of imported food, focusing on the use of rapid diagnostics. It questioned whether the routine use of rapid screening at border inspection posts (BIPs) was a viable option. A questionnaire and mini-demonstration exercise drew attention to the issues that need to be addressed. The report includes recommendations for further work to highlight the necessary steps to implement this type of screening on a range of food and feed commodities and products of animal origin. http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/supportingresearch/strategicevidenceprogramme/strategicevidenceprogramme/x02projlist/fs204010/#.UT-GnKSYb_g

Safety of sous vide food
Sous vide is a method of cooking food vacuum packed in a sealed plastic pouch, then cooked by submersion in a water bath. Recent years have seen an increase in the number of sous vide foods being cooked at low temperatures (e.g. 42°C to 70°C). This study involved a feasibility study on extending models in the database called ‘Combase Predictor’ . It allowed the calculation of the lethal effect, normally associated with heat treatments at relatively low temperatures, on the reduction of food pathogens. http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/supportingresearch/strategicevidenceprogramme/strategicevidenceprogramme/x02projlist/fs246004dfs102028/#.UT-HA6SYb_g

New approaches for managing foodborne disease outbreaks
This desk-based study aimed to identify and review the potential of emerging molecular microbiology technologies in the management of foodborne disease outbreaks. It outlines current and emerging genomic approaches that may have the potential to improve the management of foodborne disease outbreaks and provides examples of specific stages in the outbreak investigation process which would benefit from the use of molecular approaches. http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/supportingresearch/strategicevidenceprogramme/strategicevidenceprogramme/x02projlist/fs246004C_fs101029/#.UT-GAKSYb_g

Slaughterhouse social science project
The aim of this research was to better understand the social processes in place within slaughterhouses to gain insight into the potential impact of
regulatory reform. The project aimed to deliver a better understanding of the drivers and barriers that are faced by food business organisations, veterinarians and meat hygiene inspectors in carrying out their work. http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/foodborneillness/meathygieneresearch/m01prog/fs145004/#.UT-HNqSYb_g

An evaluation of food chain information and inspection results
This review examined the value and use of food chain information (FCI) and collection and communication of inspection results (CCIR) forms. This was done to identify and implement possible changes, resulting in an improved system of recording information for surveillance purposes and official meat controls. http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/foodborneillness/meathygieneresearch/m01prog/m01list/fs145002/#.UT-F3qSYb_g

An assessment for visual-only post-mortem meat inspections
A qualitative risk assessment was carried out to establish if post-mortem visual inspection of red meat (except pigs) and large game alone represents an increased risk to public health, as well as to animal health and welfare. The effectiveness and benefits of visual-only inspection in controlling risks, compared to traditional inspection, were examined. http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/foodborneillness/meathygieneresearch/m01prog/fs245028/#.UT-GzaSYb_g

Trial of visual inspection of fattening pigs from non-controlled housing conditions This research aimed to establish if post mortem visual-only inspections, for pigs from non-controlled housing conditions (‘outdoor pigs’), can be safely implemented. More than 11,000 carcasses of fattening pigs from non-controlled housing conditions were inspected using both PMI methods (traditional and visual-only inspection). A baseline of type, frequency and distribution of conditions detected by both methods was established and then compared. http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/foodborneillness/meathygieneresearch/m01prog/m01list/fs145003/#.UT-HgKSYb_g

UK owner banned from running restaurants for life

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Doug Powell

The Guardian reports the former owner of a Worksop, U.K. restaurant who breached safety and food hygiene regulations has avoided being sent to prison.

But he was banned from ever running a food business again.

Worksop magistrates heard how Mohammed Abdul Kashem, 38, had risked causing a gas explosion or E.coli outbreak because of how he managed Monsoon in Ryton Street.

Bassetlaw Council brought the prosecution against him after officials carried out numerous inspections on the Indian restaurant.

On some occasions their improvement notices were complied with, but on others the promises were ‘filthy’.

The court heard how the restaurant had a history of non-compliance stretching back to 2010.

Monsoon closed its doors earlier this year. New owners have now transformed it into an Italian bistro.

Owner of UK E. coli petting zoo being sued for 2009 outbreak tries to blame health-types; judge says no

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Doug Powell

In August and September 2009, an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 at Godstone Petting Farm located near Surrey in the U.K. resulted in 93 illnesses, including 76 children less than 10-years-old. Seventeen of these cases, all children, suffered the most severe complications of E. coli O157:H7 infection, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), requiring intensive hospital care, and eight of these children underwent dialysis and may face long-term kidney damage.

An investigation into the outbreak revealed the main animal barn of the farm as the source of E. coli, with a high proportion of fecal samples from animals in this barn testing positive for E. coli. There was also evidence of wider environmental contamination, indicating risk of infection from both indirect and direct contact with animals.

Twin brothers Aaron and Todd Furnell were aged two when they visited Godstone Farm with mother Tracy Mock over the August bank holiday weekend in 2009.

They were struck down with E. coli, along with their older sister and more than 90 other people, and were in hospital for weeks having dialysis after suffering from kidney failure.

Their mother, from Paddock Wood in Kent, is suing farm owner Jacqueline Flaherty for damages.

get Surrey reports Ms Flaherty tried to shift blame onto the HPA and district council saying they were aware of the outbreak before her and did not do enough to protect visitors.

But judge Mr Justice Turner said Ms Flaherty had “no reasonable grounds” for her argument and ruled that the authorities did not owe a “blanket duty of care” to the farm’s visitors even if they had been exposed to a risk of injury.

He said: “Mere knowledge on their part of an outbreak or potential outbreak from the farm falls far short of giving rise to an assumption of responsibility, whatever Ms Flaherty may or may not have known.

“Ms Flaherty, in contrast, owed an incontrovertible private law duty to her visitors to take reasonable steps to keep them reasonably safe.”

The twins’ damages claims against Ms Flaherty will now proceed to a full trial unless any settlement terms are agreed before then.