About Ben Chapman

Dr. Ben Chapman is a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University. As a teenager, a Saturday afternoon viewing of the classic cable movie, Outbreak, sparked his interest in pathogens and public health. With the goal of less foodborne illness, his group designs, implements, and evaluates food safety strategies, messages, and media from farm-to-fork. Through reality-based research, Chapman investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers, and organizational decision-makers; the gate keepers of safe food. Ben co-hosts a biweekly podcast called Food Safety Talk and tries to further engage folks online through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and, maybe not surprisingly, Pinterest. Follow on Twitter @benjaminchapman.

Washington company linked to Listeria monocytogenes illnesses gets a warning letter

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Ben Chapman

Like my RSS feed notification for MMWR, FDA’s warning letter email alerts get me all excited about the potential treasures within. Like bearded dragons. And Whole Foods condensate issues.

Most telling are the letters that come after an outbreak investigation and that state almost 18% of environmental samples tested positive for Listeria monocytigenes (whoa).

FDA posted a warning letter to the Oregon Potato Company, AKA Freeze Pack, which was connected to CRF Frozen Foods outbreak.

FDA’s laboratory analysis of environmental samples collected on March 8, 2016, and March 9, 2016, confirmed that nineteen (19) of one hundred and six (106) environmental swabs tested positive for L. monocytogenes.

Specifically:

– Seven (7) positive environmental swabs were collected from direct food contact surfaces in both your Processing and Packaging Rooms during the production of your IQF diced onions. These direct food contact surface areas include:

o The chiller water and the interior north wall of the water chiller. Water from this chiller is not treated and is recirculated back to the blancher/chiller and used directly on blanched diced onions as a coolant;

o A white nylon strip in the tunnel discharge chute between the IQF freezer and the finished product Packaging Room. Blanched, finished product is conveyed and comes into direct contact with the nylon strip; and

o The metal arm on your chain conveyor belt between the IQF freezer and Packaging Room where blanched, finished product is conveyed directly on this conveying system and comes into contact with the metal arm.

– The remaining twelve (12) positive environmental swabs were collected from locations in your Processing room and your Packaging Room that were in areas adjacent to food contact surfaces and non-direct food contact surfaces.

WGS analysis was conducted on the nineteen (19) L. monocytogenes isolates obtained from the FDA environmental samples collected on March 8, 2016, and March 9, 2016. The WGS phylogenetic analysis establishes that there are at least two (2) different strains of L. monocytogenes present in the facility, with one strain containing seventeen (17) isolates and the second strain containing two (2) isolates. Specifically, the WGS analysis of the strain with 17 isolates showed that the isolates are identical to each other. WGS analysis of the strain with 2 isolates showed that the isolates are identical to 8 cases of human illness dating back to 2013, and to 6 isolates from finished products. These finished products included onions (2 isolates in 2014) and green beans (3 isolates in 2015) tested by a third party laboratory, and a single isolate from white sweet corn collected and tested by the state of Ohio in 2016. Additional investigation established that at least six (6) individuals were hospitalized as a result of related L. monocytogenes associated illness.

There’s a lot of cGMP Violations noted as well including cleaning and sanitizing issues, condensation dripping over IQF production lines and lots of niches for Listeria.

An outbreak can be the horrible gift that keeps on giving

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Ben Chapman

For victims, reminders of an outbreak may be daily and can include long term sequelae from foodborne pathogens like Salmonella.

Folks on the industry talk crisis, recall, restoration and recovery. The events aren’t usually managed quickly. It can take years.

According to AP, almost a decade ago ConAgra’s Peter Pan peanut butter was linked to over 600 illnesses; and the fallout continues.

After years of investigation and legal negotiations, federal prosecutors announced last year that Chicago-based ConAgra had agreed to pay $11.2 million — a sum that includes the highest fine ever in a U.S. food safety case — and plead guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of shipping adulterated food. Investigators linked peanut butter produced in Sylvester, Georgia, to 626 people sickened by salmonella before a February 2007 recall removed Peter Pan from store shelves for months.

The charge and accompanying plea deal were revealed May 20, 2015. More than 14 months later, a federal judge has yet to hold a formal plea hearing or approve the settlement.

That could soon change. U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands has ordered a teleconference with ConAgra attorneys and prosecutors on Thursday to schedule a plea date. Prosecutors told the judge in a legal filing July 29 both sides are ready to proceed after a year spent reaching out to possible victims so they could file claims for financial restitution.

“These criminal cases resonate across the world in food safety and I’m certainly an advocate of continuing to do this,” said Bill Marler, a Seattle-based attorney who specializes in food safety and represented 2,000 clients in civil suits against ConAgra after the Peter Pan outbreak. “But I think a little more prompt justice is called for. Something that goes on for a decade doesn’t necessarily make the most sense.”

Australia has an egg problem: Adelaide Hotel InterContinental edition

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Ben Chapman

There are so many egg/salmonella/Australia stories in the past few years that I spent 20 min googling to see if this was a repeat.

It’s not.

According to the Daily Mail over 40 salmonellosis cases, including 9 hospitalizations have been linked to InterContinental Adelaide.

A mother of three said her and her husband started showing the telltale signs of food poisoning two days after eating the contaminated food. According to the woman, Adelaide City Council and InterContinental suspect the cause to be eggs.

A South Australian Health spokesperson said authorities were ‘aware of a localised case of food poisoning in a city hotel’.
it is understood that up to 45 could have contracted the disease, but the exact number remains unconfirmed as the hotel chain and SA Health investigate the cause of the outbreak.

‘The issue I have is they (the hotel and the council) know there are 400 people out there potentially infected with salmonella and they’re not actively notifying them,’ the mother told the newspaper.

But InterContinental Adelaide general manager Colin McCandless said it was ‘absolutely safe’ to eat at the hotel.

Saying absolutely safe means absolutely nothing. Especially to the nine who were hospitalized.

A selection of egg-related outbreaks in Australia can be found here.

7 cases of pathogenic E. coli linked to Michigan cheese maker

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Ben Chapman

It’s been a bad week for cheese. Lots of salmonellosis cases were linked to a North Carolina artisanal creamery and a farmstead cheese maker in Michigan was linked to STEC illnesses. More details today from WOOD8.

The husband and wife who own Grassfields Cheese decided to recall 20,000 pounds of cheese — most of what they make in a year — and now they question if they will be able to recover.

“To those people that are sick, that weighs on me,” said Luke Meerman, owner of Grassfields Cheeses.

Meerman is a fifth-generation on the primarily dairy farm that has been in operation since 1882.

He and his wife, Victoria, decided 15 years ago to make organic cheeses made from the grass-fed, antibiotic-free cows raised on the family farm.

The business did not make the family rich, but it was popular online and is sold around the nation at Whole Foods.

On Monday, Meerman said he was contacted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture that cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, a bacteria that can cause serious illness in humans, were reported.

Then it was confirmed as state officials tell me that seven people have been made sick — including one in Kent County — and one person was hospitalized.

Several of the people sickened by E.coli said they had eaten restaurant meals containing Grassfields cheese. State lab workers are testing additional cheese samples.

30 cases of salmonellosis linked to Sprouts Extraordinaire

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Ben Chapman

According to CDC, sprouts are back at it again with the illnesses.

I don’t eat them, but if I did, I would want to know a whole lot about the seed source and who was growing them – fairly hard to do when they arrive as garnish on a salad or on a sandwich.

CDC is collaborating with public health officials in several states and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Reading and Salmonella Abony infections.

Thirty people infected with the outbreak strains have been reported from nine states. Of those ill people, 24 were infected with Salmonella Reading, 1 was infected with Salmonella Abony, and 5 were infected with both.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 21, 2016 to July 20, 2016. Ill people range in age from less than 1 year to 72, with a median age of 30. Fifty-three percent of ill people are female. Five ill people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.

Epidemiologic and traceback evidence available at this time indicate that alfalfa sprouts supplied by Sprouts Extraordinaire of Denver, Colorado are the likely source of this outbreak.

In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Of the 27 ill people who were interviewed, 17 (63%) reported eating or possibly eating alfalfa sprouts in the week before illness started. This proportion is significantly higher than results from a 2006 survey of healthy people, in which 3% reported eating sprouts on a sandwich in the week before they were interviewed. Ill people in the current outbreak reported eating raw alfalfa sprouts on sandwiches from several different restaurants.

Federal, state, and local health and regulatory officials performed a traceback investigation from five restaurants where ill people reported eating alfalfa sprouts. This investigation indicated that Sprouts Extraordinaire supplied alfalfa sprouts to all five of these locations.

On August 5, 2016, Sprouts Extraordinaire recalled its alfalfa sprout products from the market due to possible Salmonella contamination. These products were sold in 5-pound boxes labeled “Living Alfalfa Sprouts”.

A historical selection of sprout outbreaks can be found here.

Lawsuit filed over 2014 Salmonella outbreak

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Ben Chapman

Outbreaks cost businesses a lot: loss of reputation; bad publicity; fines, and legal woes.

According to FOX 32, two separate lawsuits have been filed following a 2014 cluster of Salmonella associated with Urban Esencia Kitchen.

Nathan Sanders and Sara Lindsay claim in one suit that they ate at Urban Esencia Kitchen on Aug. 14, 2014. The following day, they began to suffer severe stomach cramps, chills and fever; and could not eat. Both received extensive medical treatment over the next several days and Lindsay tested positive for Salmonella, according to the suit.

Hunter Lehr claims he contracted salmonella after eating at the restaurant on August 13, 2014. The next day, Lehr began to suffer severe the same symptoms and coud not eat. He was admitted to the hospital for one week and tested positive for salmonella, the suit stated.

Each 3-count suit charges the restaurant with negligence, strict liability, and breach of implied warranty; and seeks a minimum of $90,000 in damages.

Show me the data (and end product testing doesn’t mean much): rockmelon edition

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Ben Chapman

After a week of breakfast meetings in St. Louis at IAFP, I’ve seen my share of sliced cantaloupe (sometimes on ice, sometimes not).

I stick to pineapple, grapefruit and strawberries on the continental buffet tables.

Dealing with the fallout of 90+ cases of Salmonella Hvittingfoss linked to Red Dirt Melons industry members are, according to SBS, putting a public relations press to reduce market impacts.

Rockmelon growers in northern Australia will begin a campaign pleading with shoppers to buy their produce in light of a widening salmonella outbreak linked to the fruit.

A total of 97 cases of salmonella linked to rockmelon have been identified by NSW Health in the past seven weeks, including 49 in NSW between June 14 and August 1.

Authorities are still unsure of the outbreak’s origin but melon farmers insist it’s safe to eat rockmelons bought after August 2.

“As far as I’m aware, all of the growers who are still producing rockmelon have had microbial tests done on their produce and they have all been clear,” the Australian Melon Association association’s Dianne Fullelove told AAP.

Salmonella in Chapel Hill creamery milk same strain as illnesses

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Ben Chapman

Chapel Hill Creamery released a press release with some more info related to the outbreak.

Chapel Hill Creamery in Chapel Hill, NC, has announced a voluntary recall of all Chapel Hill Creamery cheese products because of a potential association with an outbreak of Salmonella infections. Health officials have identified recent cases of Salmonella infection in persons who consumed Chapel Hill Creamery products. A matching strain of Salmonella has been identified in the milk from the creamery that was used during preparation of the cheese products.

Also, some interesting messages in this coverage from chapelboro.com:

Orange County Health Department director Dr. Colleen Bridger said the investigation began because of local numbers that were out of sync with normal figures.

“Orange County, Durham County, Wake County and Chatham County were all noticing that we had higher-than-usual reported cases of Salmonella,” Bridger said.

Bridger said “it’s not unusual” to see spikes in Salmonella throughout the year but these spikes were out of the ordinary. That caused officials to ask those who had tested positive for Salmonella about their eating habits in an attempt to pinpoint the source.

“In doing that questionnaire,” Bridger said, “we had one person identify that they had eaten cheese from Chapel Hill Creamery.”

Bridger said that the state Department of Agriculture reached out to the Orange County Health Department around that same time to report that they had a sample from Chapel Hill Creamery test positive for Salmonella. Bridger said further testing determined the same strain found in the sample from Chapel Hill Creamery was found in those testing positive for Salmonella.

Bridger said Chapel Hill Creamery responded immediately by issuing a voluntary recall of all Chapel Hill Creamery cheese products.

“I can’t state enough how proactive Chapel Hill Creamery has been in this investigation, how cooperative they have been,” Bridger said. “They have done everything they were supposed to do in the preparation of their cheese. These things sometimes happen.

“They did not do anything wrong.”

Bridger added that “there is always a risk” when using raw milk to make cheese, which she characterized as a one percent risk.

Bridger said Chapel Hill Creamery goes “above and beyond” federal guidelines in most cases when processing and aging cheeses.

Data on practices and one-percent risks would help support these statements.

A select list of cheese/pathogen incidents can be found here.

Chapel Hill Creamery recalls all the cheese after link to salmonellosis illnesses

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Ben Chapman

Cheese is probably my favorite food. Today’s meals included a bit of goat cheese with a breakfast taco and cheddar on a roast turkey wrap. We’re international when it comes to cheese, eating stuff from North Carolina, New York, France, Belgium – and procure them from traditional grocery stores, a couple of local cheese shops or the farmers market.

All food can be contaminated; all food is at risk for foodborne illness.

Eating is a trust-based event. I trust that the folks I buy stuff from/who make it are managing hazards so I don’t have to worry about it.

A local creamery, whose products are mainstays at the places I shop, according to ABC 11, recalled what all of their products. From the text it sounds like epi has linked the cheesemakers to a yet-to-be public number of illnesses.

Chapel Hill Creamery in Chapel Hill has announced a voluntary recall of all cheese products due to a possible connection with a recent Salmonella outbreak.

Health officials said recent cases of Salmonella were identified in people who had consumed Chapel Hill Creamery products.

The company said the products involved in the voluntary recall include all codes, packages, and sizes of the following varieties of cheese manufactured by Chapel Hill Creamery and distributed through retail locations, Farmer’s Markets, or restaurants throughout North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia:

Quark
Danziger
Swiss
Paneer
Calvander
Hot Farmers Cheese
Dairyland Farmers Cheese
Smoked Mozzarella
Fresh Mozzarella
Burrata
Hickory Grove
Carolina Moon
Smoked Farmers Cheese
New Moon
Pheta

“Although there is not yet a definitive link between the CHC cheese and the illnesses, there is enough evidence to implicate the cheese and we are asking customers to not consume these cheeses or use them in food service,” said Portia McKnight, co-founder of the Creamery.

Salmonella and cheese are not new to each other. Back in 1984 hundreds of hosers got sick after eating contaminated cheese. In 1998 more Canadians were ill after contaminated cheese in Lunchables led to over 800 salmonellosis cases. A Louisiana cheese maker was linked to a cluster of illnesses in 2012. Soft cheeses were identified by California officials as a likely source of salmonellosis earlier this year. There are lots others.

There are hard cheeses, semi hard cheeses and soft cheeses on Chapel Hill Creamery recall list.

Lots of questions on this one: Is pasteurization a factor or Is this a raw milk cheese issue? Are there concerns with handling during packaging? Aging? Why are all the products being recalled.

From Chapel Hill Creamery’s website:

We milk and make cheese year-round. We’re classified as a farmstead cheesemaking facility, meaning that we use milk only from our own herd and not from any other sources. Our delicious Farmhouse Cheese is hand-crafted in small batches, producing 6 to 8 different varieties from fresh to aged.

Making cheese is a blend of art and science with a dose of intuition. It is physically demanding, but always miraculous.

We monitor the PH of the product throughout the cheese make and keep records for ourselves and for our inspectors from the Department of Agriculture.

Food Safety Talk 105, I’m Level 8, John

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Ben Chapman

Food Safety Talk, a bi-weekly podcast for food safety nerds, by food safety nerds. The podcast is hosted by Ben Chapman and barfblog contributor Don Schaffner, Extension Specialist in Food Science and Professor at Rutgers University. Every two weeks or so, Ben and Don get together virtually and talk for about an hour.

They talk about what’s on their minds or in the news regarding food safety, and popular culture. They strive to be relevant, funny and informative — sometimes they succeed. You can download the audio recordings right from the website, or subscribe using iTunes.

Episode 105 can be found here and on iTunes.

Show notes so you can follow along at home:

barfblog

safe food from farm to fork

Author Archives: Ben Chapman