The Food Administration of Vietnam yesterday announced fried egg fish goldfish to poison 107 workers of Star Company in Phu Nghia Industrial Park in Chuong My District in Hanoi.
107 workers of Star Company were hospitalized on April 8 after eating lunch with fried egg fish goldfish at the company in April 7. The fried fish was contaminated with E.coli.
New research from Iowa State University shows that a fatal neurological disease in cows can be detected earlier by examining the animal’s retinas.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), known more commonly as mad cow disease, is an untreatable neurodegenerative disorder caused by misfolded brain proteins known as prions. Classic BSE incubates for years before producers or veterinarians notice symptoms, usually discovered when the animal can no longer stand on its own.
But Heather Greenlee, an associate professor of biomedical sciences in Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, said studying the retinas of cattle can identify infected animals up to 11 months before they show signs of illness.
“The retina is part of the central nervous system,” Greenlee said. “Essentially, it’s the part of the brain closest to the outside world, and we know the retina is changed in animals that have prion diseases.”
In collaboration with Justin Greenlee’s group at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Disease Center, she recently published findings in the peer-reviewed academic journal PLOS ONE. She began studying how the retina relates to prion diseases in 2006, and the experiments that led to her most recent publication began in 2010.
The experiments utilize electroretinography and optical coherence tomography, noninvasive technologies commonly used to assess the retina. Greenlee said cows infected with BSE showed marked changes in retinal function and thickness.
The results have implications for food safety, and Greenlee said the screening methods used in her research could be adopted for animals tagged for import or export as a means of identifying BSE sooner than conventional methods.
Greenlee said she’s also looking at how similar diseases in other species affect the retina. For instance, she’s conducting experiments to find out if retinal tissue may be a valid means of surveillance for chronic wasting disease in deer.
She said she isn’t ready to publish her results, but the data gathered so far looks promising.
The research also may contribute to faster diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease in humans, both of which are caused by proteins folding incorrectly.
“Our goal is to develop our understanding of the retina to monitor disease progression and to move diagnoses up earlier,” Greenlee said. “We think this research has the potential to improve diagnosis for a range of species and a range of diseases.”
The Central District Health Department on Thursday suspended the food establishment license of a Boise restaurant linked to five cases of Salmonella poisoning.
Pho Tam, located at 1098 N. Orchard St., was shut down after health inspectors found two critical violations of food safety regulations and two other violations.
“Due to the violations identified today, we determined they were not demonstrating proper practices to prevent foodborne illness so we suspended their food establishment license,” health department spokeswoman Christine Myron said in an email sent to The Idaho Statesman.
In her email, Myron did not identify the specific violations discovered Thursday. She was out of the office and not available for questioning late Thursday afternoon.
No one answered the phone at the restaurant early Thursday evening.
The closure order came just a day after health department officials held one-on-one education training with the Vietnamese restaurant’s employees on proper food safety procedures.
Pho Tam, which has operated since 2010, has 15 days to contact the health department to request a compliance conference to discuss with owner Long Doan the major risk factors that were found and develop a plan to control the risk factors that could make customers sick.
At an inspection last June, health inspectors found five violations, two of them critical. The restaurant was written up for inadequate hand-washing facilities for workers and improper cleaning and sanitizing of food contact surfaces, both critical violations. The other violations dealt with thermometers, dishwashing machinery and the restaurant’s physical facilities.
KTVB visited Pho Tam Thursday, and the owners were on scene. They declined to talk on camera about the suspension of their license and, in fact, told our reporter on scene that the restaurant was closed for renovation.
Days after a foodborne illness was linked to Blue Bell ice cream products, a state inspection of an Oklahoma plant later tied to the infection praised the facility for having no violations and doing a “great job,” according to a copy of the inspection report.
Inspectors had no reason to check for listeria during the routine March 18 review as no problems were detected and the facility didn’t have a history of issues linked to the illness, said Stan Stromberg, director of the food safety division for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry..
“With an organism like listeria, you cannot do a visual inspection,” Stromberg said on Thursday.
Tainted Blue Bell ice cream products have sickened eight people — five in Kansas and three in Texas. Three of the five in Kansas have died and health officials there say listeria, also known as listeriosis, might have been a contributing factor in the deaths.
In the one-page report about the Oklahoma plant, provided to The Associated Press in response to an open records request, an inspector wrote “No Violations Observed!” and “Keep it up!”
Once again, most food safety is faith-based. At the market or the megalomart, mere mortals have no idea whether that lettuce or tomato or ice cream was raised in a microbiologically-aware environment. With each outbreak, more consumers are losing their religion.
Me, along with Ben Chapman, now an assistant professor at North Carolina State University, and Katija Morley (nee Blaine), who’s still busy with fruit and veg in Canada, have been doing the on-farm stuff for over 15 years and dealing with retailers and audits. But it was the January 2009 outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium linked to the Peanut Corporation of America that killed 9 people and sickened at least 714, when we decided we should organize our thoughts.
Because there wasn’t much in the peer-reviewed literature.
And we’re sorta big on the science stuff.
We also try to be credible, so I invited a few others to share their expertise.
Chuck Dodd serves in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps and I had the fortunate opportunity to interact with Chuck while he was doing a PhD at Kansas State. He was most recently based in Germany and now in North Carolina. He’s seen a lot.
Roy Costa is a decent guitar player who is well-respected in food safety circles for his auditing prowess and incisive commentary.
Sol has worked with me for a shorter time, but her perspective as a graduate student in psychology at K-State has always been welcomed.
Together, we came out with a paper we could all (mostly) agree with and got it published. The main points are:
Audits and inspections are never enough: A critique to enhance food safety
30.aug.12
Food Control
D.A. Powell, S. Erdozain, C. Dodd, R. Costa, K. Morley, B.J. Chapman
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713512004409?v=s5
Abstract
Internal and external food safety audits are conducted to assess the safety and quality of food including on-farm production, manufacturing practices, sanitation, and hygiene. Some auditors are direct stakeholders that are employed by food establishments to conduct internal audits, while other auditors may represent the interests of a second-party purchaser or a third-party auditing agency. Some buyers conduct their own audits or additional testing, while some buyers trust the results of third-party audits or inspections. Third-party auditors, however, use various food safety audit standards and most do not have a vested interest in the products being sold. Audits are conducted under a proprietary standard, while food safety inspections are generally conducted within a legal framework. There have been many foodborne illness outbreaks linked to food processors that have passed third-party audits and inspections, raising questions about the utility of both. Supporters argue third-party audits are a way to ensure food safety in an era of dwindling economic resources. Critics contend that while external audits and inspections can be a valuable tool to help ensure safe food, such activities represent only a snapshot in time. This paper identifies limitations of food safety inspections and audits and provides recommendations for strengthening the system, based on developing a strong food safety culture, including risk-based verification steps, throughout the food safety system.
As Blue Bell ice cream thingies recalled more products, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control announced that eight people are now sick – including three dead — and that this is a complex and ongoing multistate outbreak of listeriosis occurring over an extended period.
Recent testing of product samples from the Blue Bell Creameries Oklahoma production facility identified Listeria monocytogenes strains in product sold at retail that were not included in the previous two recalls, including a pint of banana pudding ice cream.
On April 3, 2015, Blue Bell Creameries reported that they had voluntarily suspended operations at the Oklahoma production facility.
On April 4, 2015, Blue Bell Creameries began working with retailers to remove all products made in the Oklahoma production facility from the market.
On April 7, 2015, Blue Bell Creameries announced a third product recall that includes banana pudding ice cream pints and other products made on the same production line in the Oklahoma production facility from February 12, 2015 to
Today’s USA Today has a greatest hits of Listeria outbreaks, as well as a brief summary of why Listeria shows up and can be deadly.
As a food safety father of five daughters, Listeria is one of the things that always entered into food decisions.
I never knew what a carvery was until I went to the UK in 2010 with Amy and a young Sorenne.
We visited my great-uncle Keith in Newport, Wales, and I drove us to the carvery for lunch, and almost killed us because they drive on the wrong side of the road in the UK and those menacing traffic circles.
We ate at a carvery the other night while taking a couple of days at the beach: worst meal we ever had, but the line-dancing display by the retirees at Coolangatta was awesome.
This dude (right, exactly as shown) went with a buddy in a plastic kayak to go snorkeling at Cook Island, decided to put his line out on the way (no rod, just a line), and within 10 minutes landed this long-fined tuna off the beach at Fingal Head.
He said sashimi for dinner, frozen steaks for later.
I said, better get that thing on ice.
And then I thought Amy would kill us driving back through Mt. Tamborine. There’s so much within 100km of Brisbane.
A suspected outbreak of norovirus at a popular city pub and restaurant is believed to have affected large numbers of people across the city as well as visitors and holidaymakers.
The Echo has been inundated with reports from people, including children, the elderly and an eight month pregnant woman, claiming to have visited Toby Carvery at the Exeter Arms in Rydon Lane, Middlemoor, between Monday, March 30, and Easter Sunday, April 5, and since becoming ill with sickness and diarrhea for several days.
It is thought the number of people who may have been affected could be in excess of 100.
The restaurant and hotel temporarily closed on Tuesday, April 7, after an investigation led by Environmental Health was launched.
Concerns have also been expressed that the venue failed to close sooner and remained open over the Easter weekend.
A spokesman for Toby Carvery confirmed to the Echo that on Wednesday, April 1, staff became aware that a customer had been suffering from norovirus – the most common stomach bug in the UK.
The spokesman confirmed that a steam clean was subsequently carried out in the restaurant and pub on Thursday after it closed, but normal trading continued over the Easter bank holiday – one of the busiest trading periods of the year.
The spokesman confirmed that on becoming aware of the threat, restaurant officials contacted the Environmental Health department at Exeter City Council, and an officer who visited on Thursday said the restaurant had followed correct safety procedures and could continue to trade.
Environmental Health officers subsequently returned to the restaurant and pub on Tuesday, April 7, after which the restaurant issued a statement on its website announcing the voluntary closure of the restaurant and adjoining hotel until further notice.
Of those affected, one person claimed to have required hospitalisation and countless others reported battling with unpleasant sickness and diarrhoea for many days.
Around 24 staff members at an animal shelter on the outskirts of the city claim to have become ill following a staff meal at the restaurant on March 31, leaving them operating the charity with worrying low staffing numbers.
Will Jennings, from Budleigh Salterton, said he visited The Exeter Arms on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 1, and by the following evening had started to vomit violently every 10 minutes for several hours.
Mr Jennings said he has suffered with a rare autoimmune disease called Behçets Syndrome with neurological involvement for two years and, similar to the elderly and very young, is particularly vulnerable to the effects of any illness, infection or virus which can be a case of “life or death” for him.
He said he had been left “very frail” by the sickness and three more of his party of six were also taken ill with the same symptoms.
Following medical advice, he said he was rushed to hospital by ambulance in a very poorly, semi-conscious state.
“I was suffering substantial pain and dehydration,” he recalled. “I was treated with intravenous fluids, anti sickness and morphine for pain relief.”
I have no problem with who funds research, as long as there is full disclosure and the methodology is available for critique in a peer-reviewed journal. That would be the public part.
The Daily Mail in the UK thinks readers are too dumb to ask for references, and begins with, “Paper towels are the most hygienic way to dry hands after going to the loo, a study has found.”
It took The Mirror to note that the University of Westminster’s snappily-titled study ‘Comparison of different hand-drying methods: the potential for airborne microbe dispersal and contamination‘ was published in the March 2015 edition of The Journal of Hospital Infection.
The research was commissioned by paper towel manufacturers and claims that single-use towels are the most hygienic way to dry off.
It probably is.
The research also claims that bathroom air dryers may be blasting bacteria directly into the faces of children.
However, a major hand dryer manufacturer has disputed the claims, calling the research “flawed”.
The university’s study was undertaken by leading microbiologist Keith Redway of the University’s Department of Biomedical Sciences and looked at the potential for microbial contamination from hand drying and the potential risks for the spread of microbes in the air, particularly if hands are not washed properly.
The peer-reviewed research – which was commissioned by the European Tissue Symposium (ETS) – used four different hand drying methods and three different test models to compare differences between the drying methods and their capacity to spread microbes from the hands of users potentially to other people in public washrooms.
Paper towels, a textile roller towel, a warm air dryer and a jet air dryer were compared using three different test models: acid indicator using lemon juice, yeast, and bacterial transmission from hands when washed without soap.
The University of Westminster scientists found that the jet air dryer spread liquid from users’ hands further and over a greater distance – up to 1.5 m – than the other drying methods.
They also recorded the greatest spread of microbes into the air at both near and far distances for each of the tested models.
Levels recorded at close distance for a jet air dryer revealed an average of 59.5 colonies of yeast compared with an average of just 2.2 colonies for paper towels.
At a distance of 0.2 m the jet air dryer recorded 67 colonies of yeast compared with only 6.5 for paper towels. At a distance of 1.5 m the jet air dryer recorded 11.5 colonies of yeast compared to zero for paper towels.
The research also looked at the body height at which microbes were spread by air dryers.
It found the greatest dispersal was at 0.6 – 0.9 m from the floor, the face height of small children who might be standing near the dryer when a parent is drying his or her hands.
Leading researcher Keith Redway said: “These findings clearly indicate that single-use towels spread the fewest microbes of all hand-drying methods.
“Cross contamination in public washrooms is a legitimate public health concern. The extent to which jet air dryers disperse microbes into the washroom environment is likely to have implications for policy guidance to facilities managers operating in a wide range of environments from sports venues and airports through to schools and hospitals.”
But Dyson, a major hand dryer manufacturer, strongly disputes the study’s findings.
A spokesperson said: “The paper towel industry has consistently failed to invent new technology or respond to environmental concerns.
“Paper towels are costly to buy and replace, and are rarely recycled, meaning they are sent to landfill or incinerated. To argue their case, the paper towel industry is continuing to commission research with flawed methodology.
“A study conducted by Campden BRI’s (an independent membership-based organisation carrying out research and development for the food and drinks industry worldwide) hygiene specialists found that there are no practical differences between any of the hand drying techniques investigated (paper towels, conventional air dryers and the Dyson Airblade) with regard to microbial aerosol generation.
“The very low numbers of airborne microbes resulting from use of each of the hand dryers would make an insignificant contribution to the overall background microbial loading of the air.”
Recent Listeriosis outbreaks associated to contaminated leafy vegetables have marked the need for technologies to minimize safety issues in fresh and fresh-cut produce.
US scientists at Texas A&M University have studied the effectiveness of washing treatments as a postharvest practice to minimize the growth of the pathogen and L. innocua on fresh baby spinach leaves under different storage temperatures and to evaluate the feasibility of using L. innocua as a surrogate to the pathogen. The objectives of the study were:
1. to determine the response of L. monocytogenes and L. innocua to different washing treatments with or without chlorine (200 mg/L) at room temperature (∼22°C);
2. to assess the effect of natural microbiota load on growth of both microorganisms at different storage temperatures, from 5 to 36°C;
3. to validate the use of L. innocua as a surrogate of L. monocytogenes for further studies with fresh baby spinach leaves.
Scientists developed predictive models to investigate the effect of simulated storage temperature on the growth patterns of L. monocytogenes and L. innocua.
Results showed that each microorganism had a different significant response to the type of washing treatment at room temperature and the pathogen was harder to remove from the leaves than the L. innocua was.
Although, the natural microflora on fresh baby spinach leaves affected the growth parameters (Maximum grow rate, lag time, maximum population density) for both bacteria, the effect was not significant. Thus, in the specific case of spinach leaves, the study shows that L. innocua may be a suitable surrogate for L. monocytogenes in growth studies.
Growth data for L. monocytogenes and L. innocua on fresh baby spinach leaves at 5–36 °C were modelled using the Baranyi and Ratkowsky (secondary) models which were validated by comparing the root mean square error (RMSEs) and biases between the growth data and model predictions. The secondary models showed good agreement between observed and predicted values.
The validation results show that these models could provide reliable estimates for growth of L. monocytogenes and L. innocua as a function of temperature. These models may be used by processors to evaluate the impact of postharvest practices such as storage and washing on the growth of Listeria in baby spinach leaves evaluated in this study. These models can provide useful input to quantitative risk assessment models.
Basri Omac, Rosana G. Moreira, Alejandro Castillo, Elena Castell-Perez, “Growth of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innocua on fresh baby spinach leaves: Effect of storage temperature and natural microflora”, 2015, Postharvest Biology and Technology, Vol. 100, 41–51.
The owner of an East Yorkshire pub has appeared in court after a diner found dog excrement on the restaurant floor.
Out-of-date food was also sold to customers and prepared in a mouldy kitchen at The Steer Inn in Wilberfoss.
Darren Crossfield appeared before Beverley Magistrates’ Court, where he and the company, The Steer Inn (Pocklington) Ltd, of which he is the sole director, pleaded guilty to 17 food safety and hygiene offences.
The court heard how food safety officers from East Riding Council visited The Steer Inn in January last year, following a complaint from a diner who had found dog dirt on the floor.
A number of inspections were carried out by officers, who found in the kitchen food that was mouldy and unfit for human consumption.
Food that had exceeded its sell-by date was also being served, while raw meat was being prepared in direct contact with ready-to-eat salad items, posing a serious risk of cross- contamination.
Mr Crossfield, 52, of Elvington, told the court he had taken over the premises with no knowledge of running a kitchen or a restaurant.
He said he had worked in pubs and bars before with no problems but admitted that he had been naive.
Mr Crossfield said he had been led to believe his chef had the necessary food hygiene qualifications.
We’ve driven by this place during our various times in Bradenton on Florida’s Gulf side, and decided to pass.
In the eight years of operating his business, the owner of Jose’s Real Cuban Food Jose Baserva says he has had mostly minor violations resulting from health and food safety inspections.
A recent closure caused by more serious violations isn’t stopping him.
“You know why I don’t go to AA?” owner Jose Baserva said. “Because it’s for quitters, and I’m not quitting. I’m not going anywhere.”
In the past month, Jose’s Real Cuban Food, 8799 Cortez Road W., has been closed temporarily three times by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Inspectors found at least one high-priority violation during each visit. The state defines high-priority violations as “those which could contribute directly to a foodborne illness or injury.”
“You’re gonna have roaches,” Baserva said. “I’ve never been in a restaurant where I haven’t seen one. We don’t have roaches having dinner with my customers or anything like that.”
Baserva said he hires a professional exterminator for services once per month and sprays pest control himself twice per month.
The most recent closures were spurred by a complaint to state regulators. Complaints led to 11 out of the 13 inspections since April 2013, according to the state database.
Representatives from the state regulators did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.