Yearly Archives: 2015

Pittsburgh: a disappointment in hockey and restaurant inspection disclosure

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As Pittsburgh continues to grapple with restaurant inspection disclosure – or not — the town of Little Elm, Texas, has decided to add QR codes to the technology that is being utilized by its health services department, in order to help to improve efficiency when it comes to the effort to maintain transparency with restaurant inspection results.

QR-code-SCANVenger-Hunt-300x169Way to go Pittsburgh, you’ve been upstaged by Little Elm. Texas. That’s gotta hurt.

Through the use of this new system, it is possible for people to be able to scan the unique QR codes posted with the inspection signage for each restaurant. Upon scanning, the user will be directed to a website that contains the inspection notes that were made for the restaurant about which the mobile device user is inquiring. This system also allows the results of the inspections to be updated and distributed nearly immediately.

The QR codes based program is based on the same one that has become quite popular in nearby Plano.

The information about a restaurant’s inspection is updated by way of the QRcode as soon as it is complete. This way, residents and visitors to the town will be able to check on the latest scores for that restaurant within a matter of seconds. This, according to Mike Green, the community integrity director.

Green explained by providing an example that said “Let’s say we’re in the kitchen doing the inspection, and you pull into the parking lot of that restaurant,” adding that “As soon as we finish the inspection, the score changes online. You can literally see the newest score of the place you’re about to eat at while you’re in the parking lot.”

A growing number of municipalities are incorporating QR codes into their restaurant inspection systems as it is a highly cost efficient way to upload and share the information with the public.

 

You wanna win consumers, make test results public: Blue Bell, Foster Farms say government inspects us, like the Pinto

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With Panera removing ingredients it can’t pronounce, and Chipotle further descending into food porn, it’s not surprising the Texas Department of State Health Services and Blue Bell Creameries have agreed to several requirements for Blue Bell to resume selling ice cream from its flagship Brenham plant.

pinto,explodingThey all assume people are stupid.

Blue Bell agreed to the requirements Thursday, which include notifying the health department at least two weeks before producing ice cream so officials can assess the company’s progress.

Foster Farms says it’s leading the poultry industry in controlling Salmonella (after sickening hundreds).

Market microbial food safety at retail so people can choose.

Raw is risky: E. coli in veal tartare sickened 7

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An Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak occurred in 2013 that was associated with the consumption of beef and veal tartares in the province of Quebec. This report describes the results of the ensuing investigation.

veal.tartareMaterials and Methods: As the outbreak was identified, all individuals in the province of Quebec affected with the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 as defined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. Cases reported from other provinces in Canada were interviewed by their public health authorities and the results were reported to the Quebec public health authorities. Microbiological and environmental investigations were conducted by the Sous-ministériat à la santé animale et à l’inspection des aliments du Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec, by the Ville de Montréal’s Food Inspection Branch, and by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency at the restaurants, suppliers, and slaughterhouses identified.

Results: In total, seven individuals in three different Canadian provinces became ill following infection with the same outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. Two cases were hospitalized and one had severe hemolytic uremic syndrome. No deaths were reported. Two restaurant locations serving different tartare meals including, beef, veal, salmon, tuna, and duck were identified as potential sources of the outbreak. No deficiencies at the restaurant locations were observed during inspections by food inspectors.

Conclusions: The risk of consuming tartare can be lowered when basic hygienic rules are followed, temperature is strictly controlled, and fresh meat is used. However, even if handling, chopping, and temperature control during storage of the meat are considered adequate, tartare is a raw product and the risk of contamination is present. Consumers should be advised that consuming this product can lead to serious illness. 

Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with the consumption of beef and veal tartares in the province of Quebec, Canada in 2013

Foodborne Pathogens and Disease

Gaulin Colette, Ramsay Danielle, Catford Angela, and Bekal Sadjia

http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2014.1919

 

Multistate outbreak of human Salmonella Muenchen infections linked to contact with pet crested geckos

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We were eating dinner on the balcony – as you do in Brisbane – and our neighbor was showing his grandchild the geckos living in the utility box.

creasted-geckos-325There was no contact, but I still see a Salmonella factory.

According to the U.S Centers for Disease Control, as of May 13, 2015, a total of 20 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Muenchen have been reported from 16 states since January 1, 2014.

Three (15%) of these ill persons have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback findings have linked this outbreak of human Salmonella infections to contact with pet crested geckos purchased from multiple pet stores in different states.

Ten (91%) of 11 ill persons interviewed reported contact with a crested gecko in the week before their illness began.

CDC’S National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory conducted antibiotic resistance testing on Salmonella Muenchen isolates collected from two ill people infected with the outbreak strain.

Both isolates were susceptible to all antibiotics tested on the NARMS panel.

Antibiotic resistance testing on additional isolates collected from ill people infected with the outbreak strain is ongoing.

Faith-based food safety: China’s middle class turns to organics

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It’s a familiar pattern: Consumers, in the face of food safety outbreaks, turn to whatever hucksterism is out there.

china.food.safetyChina is no different.

Market microbial food safety at retail to reduce the nonsense.

Emily Xu, a young mother who runs a children’s reading and writing studio in Shanghai, says food safety is a big concern for her and many of her friends, particularly since their children were born. “The more you learn about [food safety scandals] the more upset you will be. Sometimes you just feel helpless because you can’t change the air or you can’t change the soil, you can’t change the way farmers do the farming. And it seems the government can’t do anything to help. More and more, I have friends who choose to emigrate.”

Many urban residents seek out alternative food sources. Organic food and imported products have risen in popularity and are considered a safer option than the traditional “wet” markets where fresh vegetables, meat and fish are sold. In cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, the number of specialist and boutique food shops selling organic food is growing, especially among the Chinese middle class and expatriate community who have disposable income and are willing to pay a premium for good-quality, safe food.

Many city residents are buying directly from farmers they trust who grow vegetables without pesticides. Community-supported farms have become increasingly popular, says Wang, along with farmers’ markets. A small group of consumers has also begun to grow food themselves, sometimes renting land on the outskirts of the cities.

However, all of these options are relatively expensive and not open to most average-income families. Those who can’t afford the premium price of organic or imported food “basically have not much choice”, says Wang. She believes access to safe food should not be dependent on income. “Everyone has the right to safe food, it’s a joint responsibility of companies, the government and consumers ourselves to make this happen by altering chemical-intensive agriculture to a more ecological and sustainable way of growing food.”

 

More goop: Micro risk in fish spas

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In fish spas, clients may submerge their hands, feet or whole body in basins with Garra rufa fish, for dead skin removal.Skin infections may result from using these spas, transmitted from fish to clients, through either fish or water, or from client to client.

fish.spaThe microbiological water quality was determined in 24 fish spas in 16 companies in the Netherlands through analysis of a single water sample per fish spa. Water samples were tested for the presence of Aeromonas spp., Vibrio spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, nontuberculous mycobacteria, and faecal indicator bacteria by using standard culture methods. The majority of the examined fish spas contained Aeromonas spp. (n = 24), P. aeruginosa (n = 18), Vibrio spp. (n = 16) including V. cholerae non-O1/O139 and V. vulnificus, and several rapid growing Mycobacterium spp. (n = 23) including M. fortuitum, M. conceptionense, M. abscessus and M. chelonae. Faecal contamination of the fish spa water was low. Based on the detected concentrations of Aeromonas spp., Vibrio spp., and P. aeruginosa, the detected Mycobacterium spp., and the health implications of these bacteria, the health risk from using fish spas is considered limited for healthy people with an intact skin and no underlying disease.

 The Microbiological Quality of Water in Fish Spas with Garra Rufa Fish, the Netherlands, October to November 2012

Eurosurveillance, Volume 20, Issue 19, 14 May 2015

F M Schets, H H van den Berg, R de Zwaan, D van Soolingen, A M de Roda Husman

http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=21124

 

FDA alleges California crab, halibut importer violated food safety rules

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter to a California seafood firm, alleging violations of food safety rules.

Mr-Krabs-SpongeBob-SquarePants-300x214In an April letter stemming from February inspections, the government said that T&L Trading’s live king crab and halibut had been prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions that may have rendered them injurious to health.

A phone call to the company in Montebello, California, on Thursday morning went unanswered.

Among the alleged violations, the company wasn’t in compliance with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point regulations because it did not have product specifications designed to ensure fish and fishery products the company imports are not injurious to health or have not been processed under insanitary conditions, the FDA said.

The firm also did not monitor the safety of water that comes into contact with food or food-contact surfaces, the condition and cleanliness of food contact surfaces or the prevention of cross contamination with sufficient frequency to ensure compliance with good manufacturing practice requirements, the FDA said.

Lost in translation: My way

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In late November, 2014, I ventured off to Tokyo to do a week of shooting for a food safety documentary.

powell.japan.video.may.15 murray.lost.translationLike most TV, me and another dude, formerly of the UK Food Standards Agency, spent a lot of time sitting around and driving places, but it ended with a 2-hour documentary on food safety in Japan.

Here is the two-minute version.

And I had to do that airport entry-greeting 10 times before the director was happy, after going to the bathroom and changing into a suit after a 12-hour flight.

I had to buy a new suit, because I hadn’t worn one in 15 years.

 

 

Norovirus from swimming in a lake

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In July, 2014 a norovirus outbreak linked to a lake near Portland, Oregon sickened 70 people. Those who swam in the lake were 2.3 times more likely to develop vomiting or diarrhea than those who visited the park but didn’t go in the water.

kids.cottage.00More than half of those who got ill were children between 4–10 years old. Experts believe the outbreak began after a swimmer infected with norovirus had diarrhea or vomited in the water and other swimmers swallowed the contaminated water. To prevent other people from getting sick, park officials closed the lake to swimmers for 10 days.

“Children are prime targets for norovirus and other germs that can live in lakes and swimming pools because they’re so much more likely to get the water in their mouths,” said Michael Beach, Ph.D, CDC’s associate director for healthy water. “Keeping germs out of the water in the first place is key to keeping everyone healthy and helping to keep the places we swim open all summer.”

 Norovirus Outbreak Associated with a Natural Lake Used for Recreation — Oregon, 2014

15.may.15

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Amy Zlot, MPH, Maayan Simckes, MPH, Jennifer Vines, MD, Laura Reynolds, MPH, Amy Sullivan PhD, Magdalena Kendall Scott, MPH, J. Michael McLuckie, Dan Kromer, MPA, Vincent R. Hill, PhD, Jonathan S. Yoder, MPH, Michele C. Hlavsa, MPH

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6418a2.htm?s_cid=mm6418a2_e

 

CDC: Reductions in foodborne STEC, some Salmonella, not so much the others in 2014

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It’s becoming an annual rite: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports progress on some bugs, and no progress on others in the food supply. Batz could probably explain it better than I.

cdc.surveillance.2014But the data is important to focus policy efforts and make improvements.

In 2014, rates of infection from a serious form of E. coli and one of the more common Salmonella serotypes decreased compared with the baseline period of 2006-2008. Meanwhile, some other less common types of Salmonella increased. Campylobacter and Vibrio rose again in 2014, continuing the increase observed during the past few years. Today’s report summarizes the rates of infection per 100,000 population and tracks illness trends for key foodborne illnesses.

Infection with Shiga-toxin producing E. coli O157, which can sometimes lead to kidney failure, decreased 32 percent when compared with 2006-2008 and 19 percent when compared with the most recent three years. These infections are often linked to consumption of undercooked ground beef and raw leafy vegetables. Salmonella Typhimurium, which has been linked to poultry, beef, and other foods, was 27 percent lower than it was in 2006-2008, continuing a downward trend begun in the mid-1980s. Two other less common types of Salmonella, Javiana and Infantis, more than doubled for reasons that are unclear. Salmonella Javiana is concentrated in the southeastern United States, but has been spreading within the Southeast and to other areas of the country. However, when all Salmonella serotypes are combined, there was no change in 2014.

Campylobacter increased 13 percent and Vibrio increased 52 percent compared with 2006-2008. Yersinia has declined enough to meet the Healthy People 2020 goal.

cdc.surv.14The data are from FoodNet, CDC’s active surveillance system that tracks nine common foodborne pathogens in 10 states and monitors trends in foodborne illness in about 15 percent of the U.S. population. Today’s report compares the 2014 frequency of infection with the frequency in the baseline period 2006-2008 and in the three most recent years. Overall in 2014, FoodNet logged just over 19,000 infections, about 4,400 hospitalizations, and 71 deaths from the nine foodborne germs it tracks. Salmonella and Campylobacter were by far the most common– accounting for about 14,000 of the 19,000 infections reported.

“We’re cautiously optimistic that changes in food safety practice are having an impact in decreasing E. coli and we know that without all the food safety work to fight Salmonella that more people would be getting sick with Salmonella than we are seeing now,,” said Robert Tauxe, M.D., deputy director of CDC’s Division of Foodborne Waterborne and Environmental Diseases. “The increasing use of whole genome sequencing to track foodborne illness cases will also help; however, much more needs to be done to protect people from foodborne illness.” 

The recent decline in the incidence of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157 follows several years of increasing scrutiny for beef products. Since 1994, the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken STEC O157:H7 extremely seriously and made a number of changes in its regulatory oversight of the beef industry to protect public health.”We are encouraged by the reduction of STEC O157:H7 illnesses, which reflects our science-based approach to beef inspection, and we look forward to seeing further reductions in Salmonella and Campylobacter infections as our improved standards for poultry take effect later this year, ” said Al Almanza, Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at USDA. “Data sources like FoodNet allow us to be strategic in developing our food safety policies, and we will do everything within our power to keep reducing cases of foodborne illness from all meat and poultry products.”

Under the provisions of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is planning to publish major new regulations in 2015. The regulations are geared toward ensuring produce safety, implementing preventive controls on processed foods, and improving the safety of imported foods.

“Prevention of illness is the fundamental goal of our new rules under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act,” said Michael Taylor, deputy commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at FDA.  “We have worked with a wide range of stakeholders to devise rules that will be effective for food safety and practical for the many diverse elements of our food system. Once the rules are fully implemented, FoodNet will help us evaluate their impact.”

The FoodNet report also includes results of culture-independent diagnostic tests (a new method for diagnosing intestinal illnesses without needing to grow the bacteria) done in the many hospital laboratories in the FoodNet sites. In 2014, the results of more than 1,500 such tests were reported. More than two-thirds of the tests were for Campylobacter. Other tests performed were for STEC, Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio. Some of the tests had a positive result. However, the infections were not confirmed by culture, and so CDC experts did not include them in the overall FoodNet results for 2014.