I did it years before Johnny Cash (mine is 1980), but just in general (although I did have the Cash pic on my office door — the office I never used except to store stinky hockey equipment for me and Chapman once the lab folks complained).
Doug Powell responds to the support he has received from food safety types (with a few exceptions) since moving to Brisbane in 2011 to support his French professor wife.
I guess people think I don’t exist, but I am here, just not in the corporate-academic-producer group-government meeting mode.
I hang out at supermarkets and talk with people.
I went to my Commons this morning, and saw these ribs and bought a pack, not because I wanted ribs but because of the labelling.
According to Produce Retailer, online grocery shopping remains an option that most people do not use, according to a new poll.
Gallup found that 81% of U.S. consumers never order groceries online, while 11% do so at least once a month, according to a news release.
That’s nice.
I remember a line from a Kurt Vonnegut novel about how increasing technology would be silly because he wouldn’t be able to go to the bank and chat with his favorite teller.
I’m back home now after almost 3 weeks away, and it’s a shock.
Sure there’s booze and genetics, but there’s other stuff going on in my brain that we mere mortals just can’t diagnose at this time.
My brain will go to the Sports Bank in Sydney when I die.
But that may not be for a long time.
And I can’t imagine life without going to my Commons and laboratory – the supermarket – at least every other day.
I am fortunate to be surrounded by people and professionals who love and care for me. It’s quite humbling, but as Chapman has said, I’ve done my time and don’t owe anyone anything.
Ben, that’s not how it works.
I decided to change things up while my partner and daughter went to the U.S. for two weeks and I tried out a new mental health facility.
After almost three weeks I am revitalized, passionate, and engaged.
I’m writing, I’m exercising, I’m eating well, I’m heathy. These are the cornerstones of on-going functioning.
And I’m finally starting – if not to love myself – to better understand who I am, what’s actually important, and the awful, awful damage that alcohol and the pursuit of being important has done to myself and those around me.
And all those pucks to the head, the PTSD from the car crash, the four years of playing linebacker in football, and the numerous concussions from just falling down.
If it gets to on-line grocery shopping, cart me away.
I love my shellfish – mussels and scallops (oysters are sorta gross) – but the kid was diagnosed with a shellfish allergy so they’re an occasional lunch while she’s at school.
Health types in the UK report on six cases of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) following consumption of mussels in the United Kingdom (UK). The mussels contained high levels of heat-stable okadaic acid (OA)-group toxins. Here we describe the environmental and epidemiological investigation carried out in response to the outbreak.
In June 2019 (day 0), Public Health England South West was notified by the local authority of three diners who were unwell following consumption of mussels in a restaurant 5 days earlier. The local authority had determined that the restaurant had had received a batch recall notice, also 5 days earlier, from the shellfish producer for the mussels because of elevated toxin levels but this was not seen before the mussels were served that day. On day 1, PHE South West received a report from the county neighbouring the first of gastrointestinal illness linked to mussels from the same producer. A multi-agency outbreak control team was therefore convened on day 2 and led by the PHE South West health protection team.
An alert was sent to all health protection teams across England on day 2 asking about any reported cases of gastrointestinal illness following consumption of mussels. Local authorities in areas of product distribution were informed of the identified risk by email. Persons reporting illness who were identified by local authorities as having consumed the affected mussels were asked by PHE to complete a bespoke questionnaire on exposure and clinical data.
A probable case of DSP was defined as an individual with diarrhoea, three or more loose stools in 24 h, or vomiting or abdominal cramps or nausea, with date of onset from 7 days before to 1 day after notification of the outbreak, and time of onset 30 min to 24 h following consumption of mussels harvested from the affected site. Confirmed cases were as probable, but with an absence of pathogens in a stool sample that would otherwise explain illness.
Thirteen individuals reported to have been unwell after consumption of mussels were contacted. Completed questionnaires were received from seven individuals, of which three were confirmed, and three probable cases. The cases ate at four separate venues. One respondent did not meet the case definition as symptom onset was more than 24 h following consumption.
The mean age of cases was 59 years (range: 37–76 years); three were male and three were female. All cases reported eating steamed mussels. Five cases ate mussels as a main course and one as a starter. Reported portion sizes ranged from 11 to 50 mussels.
The mussels were produced in an offshore marine area. A routine shellfish monitoring programme is in place throughout England and Wales, including at the affected site. As a part of this programme, the water column is sampled every 2 weeks from April to September and cell counts of potentially harmful algal species are measured. Shellfish flesh samples are also tested for the presence of selected European Union (EU)-regulated biotoxins every 4 weeks during April to September each year unless phytoplankton counts and/or shellfish toxins are quantified above specified warning limits that require further precautions, including re-testing and closure.
Lipophilic toxin determination, including that for OA-group toxins, is routinely carried out using the method specified in in the EU-Harmonised Standard Operating Procedure for determination of lipophilic marine biotoxins in molluscs by LC-MS/MS [1]. Additional flesh and water samples were taken in advance of the planned sampling date following a report to the local authority from a local fisherman of a red-coloured algal bloom six miles offshore from the production site.
The local authority determined the source of the mussels by questioning venues linked to reports of illness. Subsequently, the shellfish producer provided the outbreak control team with a complete list of all businesses who had received the affected mussels. Mussels from the site were harvested daily from 9 to 5 days before notification of the outbreak for commercial sale. The mussels were not tested by the producer for the presence of toxins. A large volume of mussels was distributed to seafood wholesalers, restaurants and pubs, and subject to the recall notice distributed by the producer 5 days before reports of illness to PHE. A limited number of businesses not linked to any known cases, including wholesalers, retailers, restaurants and pubs, responded to the recall stating they had sold some of the affected produce. No produce was found to still be in circulation at the time of the outbreak response.
Water column and shellfish flesh sampling results are summarised in Table 2. Measured densities of Dinophysis spp. in the water column increased rapidly from being undetectable 16 days before outbreak notification to 1,600 cells per litre 7 days before, coinciding with the time of harvesting of the affected batch and exceeding the England, Wales and Northern Ireland Food Standards Agency trigger level of 100 cells per litre. The level of total OA-group lipophilic toxins in mussel flesh was 338 µg OA equivalents (eq) per kg, following application of measurement uncertainty, 7 days before outbreak notification. This exceeded the maximum permitted limit (MPL) of 160 µg OA eq per kg defined by European Commission (EC) regulation 853/2004 [2]. Toxin concentrations quantified showed that an average of 94% of the OA-group toxins present in the mussels consisted of OA itself, with the remainder being dinophysistoxin 2 (DTX2).
Water column sampling 7 days before outbreak notification did not detect other harmful algal species apart from Pseudo-nitzschia spp., the causative diatom for domoic acid responsible for amnesic shellfish poisoning, at 1,320 cells per litre. This is below the trigger level of 150,000 cells per litre for this species.
Routine shellfish sampling at the same site during the same time period did not detect paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins. Trace levels of yessotoxins were detected, but along with traces of azaspiracids, they were well below regulatory levels. Amnesic shellfish poisoning toxins were below the limit of quantitation (LOQ).
In response to the elevated toxin levels quantified and reported 5 days before outbreak notification, the shellfish bed was immediately closed for harvesting as per standard practice in England. The Food Standards Agency urgently contacted local authorities of places where the affected product had been distributed to ensure that wholesalers and venues had acted upon the recall. Venues were asked whether any product had been frozen, for example in the form of stock, as this would not deactivate the toxin, but there was no evidence this had been done.
Discussion
We report on six cases of DSP associated with consumption of mussels harvested in the South West of England. Without an available validated test for relevant toxins in human samples, the diagnosis was made based on characteristic clinical symptoms, including diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea and fever/chills, elevated levels of OA-group toxins in the flesh of mussels from the same batch as those consumed, the absence of faecal pathogens in stool of cases and epidemiological evidence of exposure to the produce.
DSP occurs following consumption of seafood containing high levels of the heat-stable OA-group toxins produced by dinoflagellates including Dinophysis spp., and is characterised by a rapid-onset of self-limiting gastrointestinal illness [3,4]. Recognised outbreaks of DSP are rare. Seventy cases were identified in 2013 following consumption of mussels harvested around the Shetland Islands [5] and 49 cases were identified in 1998 following consumption of UK-harvested mussels in London [6]. Outbreaks have been recorded in recent years in China, the United States, France and Canada [4,7–9].
The lowest-observed-adverse-effect level of OA is 45 to 50 µg OA eq per person [4,10]. In our study, an average main course portion of mussels (500 g in shell) would provide 41 µg OA eq., using a flesh weight yield of 24% [11]. This level of exposure is consistent with DSP as the cause of illness considering variability in portion sizes, flesh yield, body weight and toxin levels at the production site. Individual mussel sizes served were unavailable but would likely vary. Therefore, overall estimated portion weight was used to calculate the exposure dose. A limitation is that body weight (bw) was not recorded for cases and because of this, OA eq per kg bw could not be calculated.
A shellfish biotoxin programme monitoring the occurrence of harmful algal blooms and toxins in classified shellfish production areas in the UK, alongside food business operator checks, remains a robust system to protect population health. Nonetheless, a rapid increase in concentrations of Dinophysis spp. cells within the waters of the production site may have contributed to the outbreak, in tandem with shellfish harvesting occurring before official control results were reported and site closure. Whyte et al. (2014) demonstrated that a similar rapid increase in Dinophysis levels, resulting from a change in prevailing wind direction, occurred in the 2013 Shetland Islands origin outbreak [5]. Transdisciplinary research is required to predict future risk and inform monitoring, particularly given likely changes in the distribution of potentially-toxic species particularly if temperature of ocean water increases [12]. Our investigation suggested that affected produce may have been sold by restaurants and pubs with no known linked cases. Given that DSP is a self-limiting illness that may be under-reported by cases and has low awareness among clinicians, the actual number of persons affected in this outbreak is likely to be higher [13].
This outbreak highlights that clinicians and public health professionals should be aware of algal-derived toxins as a potential cause of illness following seafood consumption, and that the need for effective end-product testing of shellfish to ensure food safety remains.
Outbreak of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning associated with consumption of mussels, United Kingdom, May to June 2019
28.aug.19
EuroSurveillance
Nick Young, Charlotte Robin, Et al
https://eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.35.1900513
Gastroenteritis caused from infections with Salmonella enterica (salmonellosis) causes significant morbidity in Australia. In addition to acute gastroenteritis, approximately 8.8% of people develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and 8.5% of people develop reactive arthritis (ReA). We estimated the economic cost of salmonellosis and associated sequel illnesses in Australia in a typical year circa 2015.
We estimated incidence, hospitalizations, other health care usage, absenteeism, and premature mortality for four age groups using a variety of complementary data sets. We calculated direct costs (health care) and indirect costs (lost productivity and premature mortality) by using Monte Carlo simulation to estimate 90% credible intervals (CrI) around our point estimates.
We estimated that 90,833 cases, 4,312 hospitalizations, and 19 deaths occurred from salmonellosis in Australia circa 2015 at a direct cost of AUD 23.8 million (90% CrI, 19.3 to 28.9 million) and a total cost of AUD 124.4 million (90% CrI, 107.4 to 143.1 million). When IBS and ReA were included, the estimated direct cost was 35.7 million (90% CrI, 29.9 to 42.7 million) and the total cost was AUD 146.8 million (90% CrI, 127.8 to 167.9 million).
Foodborne infections were responsible for AUD 88.9 million (90% CrI, 63.9 to 112.4 million) from acute salmonellosis and AUD 104.8 million (90% CrI, 75.5 to 132.3 million) when IBS and ReA were included. Targeted interventions to prevent illness could considerably reduce costs and societal impact from Salmonella infections and sequel illnesses in Australia.
Cost of salmonella infections in Australia, 2015
September 2019
Journal of Food Protection vol. 82 no. 9
LAURA FORD,1 PHILIP HAYWOOD,2 MARTYN D. KIRK,1 EMILY LANCSAR,3 DEBORAH A. WILLIAMSON,4 and KATHRYN GLASS1*
Norman Sharpless and Frank Yiannas of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration write that fresh papayas are most often eaten raw, without cooking or processing to eliminate microbial hazards; and therefore, the way they are grown, harvested, packed, held, processed and distributed is crucial to minimizing the risk of contamination with human pathogens.
Since 2011, American consumers have been exposed to eight outbreaks caused by Salmonella serotypes linked to imported, fresh papaya. And, just this June we started an investigation into an outbreak of Salmonella Uganda illnesses tied to the consumption of whole, fresh papaya imported from Mexico. While the 2019 outbreak is ongoing, the first seven outbreaks accounted for almost 500 reported cases of illness, more than 100 hospitalizations, and two deaths.
This trend has to stop. The pattern of recurrent outbreaks we have observed since 2011, including the 2019 illnesses, have involved Salmonella infections traced back to, or are suspected of being associated with, papaya grown in Mexico. The recurring nature of these outbreaks is a clear indication that more must be done within all sectors of the papaya industry to protect its customers and to meet its legal obligations. This includes growers, importers and even retailers that can and must do more.
This is why today we have issued a letter calling on all sectors of the papaya industry to take actions to prevent these outbreaks in the future. We are urging growers, packers, shippers and retailers in the papaya industry to review their operations and make all necessary changes to strengthen public health safeguards.
Our letter calls on the papaya industry to assess the factors that make their crops vulnerable to contamination. If a foodborne pathogen is identified in the crop or growing environment, a root cause analysis should be performed to determine the likely source of contamination. Procedures and practices that minimize that contamination must be implemented.
We are strongly encouraging the papaya industry to examine the use and monitoring of water used to grow, spray (pesticides, fungicides), move, rinse or wax crops to identify and minimize risks from potential hazards. All sectors of the industry should adopt tools and practices needed to enhance traceability since papayas are a perishable commodity, to more rapidly facilitate the tracking of involved product to expedite its removal from commerce, prevent additional consumer exposures, and properly focus any recall actions.
And finally, they should fund and actively engage in food safety research to identify the potential sources and routes of contamination by microbial pathogens and develop data-driven and risk-based preventive controls.
In response to this most recent Salmonella Uganda outbreak, the FDA deployed an inspection team to the packing house and farm that was linked to the contaminated papayas via traceback and epidemiological evidence. The findings of those visits will be made public when their investigation is complete. We have also increased sampling and screening of papayas at the border. In addition, the FDA is actively collaborating with our counterparts in the Mexican government regarding this current outbreak through the agency’s Latin America Office to determine ways to further our collaborative prevention efforts.
The U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits food producers from introducing, or delivering for introduction, into interstate commerce adulterated foods (meaning foods that are potentially harmful to consumers). Additionally, there are new requirements under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The Produce Safety Rule under FSMA sets science- and risk-based minimum standards for domestic and foreign farms for the safe growing, harvesting, packing and holding of covered produce, which includes papayas. Another FSMA rule, the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) makes importers responsible for verifying that the foods they bring into the U.S., including papayas, have been produced in a manner that meets applicable U.S. safety standards.
I prefer mangoes.
With hundreds of new Coast Guard Academy cadets, or swabs (how perfect is that – dp), starting their military training, staff at the medical clinic on campus have had their hands full during the summer months.
Julia Bergman of Military writes that the outbreak was magnified two weeks ago, when a bacterial infection began spreading among swabs.
What started as a few swabs reporting similar symptoms — fever, nausea, vomiting — ultimately grew to about 40 people — both swabs and second-class cadets overseeing their training, who were suspected of having the same infection. Swabs are separated by companies and it became clear that the symptoms were being reporting primarily by swabs assigned to two of the companies.
“When you start putting together your epidemiological hat, really quickly you’re like, ‘Oh, we need to contain this,'” said Capt. Esan O. Simon, medical director at the clinic, who’s only been on the job about two months.
Clinic staff contacted the microbiology team at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, who were able to quickly analyze the labs and determine that it was a bacterial infection.
At the clinic, which employs about 60 people, it was an all-hands-on-deck effort with staff working around the clock to manage the situation. Within a three-hour period, they screened more than 400 people, including cadets and officer candidates.
Infections can spread quickly on college campuses. Swabs live and train alongside one another. Add to that the stress of their seven-week summer training.
Initially the sick swabs were told to stay in the barracks and wear face masks, and they were instructed on how to clean bacteria from their rooms.
When the number of cases started creeping up, clinic staff separated the sickest of the swabs from their peers and placed them in a separate wing in the barracks to prevent the infection from spreading.
“You didn’t want the folks in the same food line as the whole entire campus and that kind of thing,” Simon said.
A system was devised to deliver meals and administer medication to the isolated swabs, to minimize their exposure to the rest of the campus.
Staff were able to quickly contain the situation, which could have been a lot worse, said Cmdr. Dave Milne, a spokesman for the academy. Only a few cadets are still sick.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority warns pregnant women and women planning to become pregnant to avoid ginger supplements and ginger-containing shots.
Will Chu of Nutra reports the warning comes after the Danish Technical University (DTU) and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration carried out a new risk assessment that found a higher abortion risk in animal studies.
In the report, the DTU said the results did not exclude the possibility that large ginger quantities could also increase this risk in humans.
“The DTU Food Institute concludes that in many cases ginger root ingestion from a single ginger shot will be larger (up to 20-23 grams (g) per day) than the fresh or dried amount typically eaten in the diet.
“Experiments in rats indicate that ginger can affect the normal foetal development,” says the report, dated 21 December 2018.
“The studies conducted so far in humans did not investigate whether ginger can have a harmful effect early in pregnancy. Animal studies suggest that it may be a particularly sensitive period.
“There is a small safety margin between the daily dose linked to harmful effects during pregnancy in rats and the amount of ginger that can be consumed with one ginger shot,” the report continues.
Along with the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health assessed the Danish report, supporting its conclusions and issuing the warning against taking ginger shots and supplements with ginger.
All washing might do is “remove the snot that some 3-year-old blew onto the food at the grocery store,” says the ever-forthright Powell at Kansas State. Washing “lowers the pathogen count a little, but not to safe levels if it’s contaminated.”
I said that in a Feb.15, 2012 interview with USA Today.
And a coupe of days ago a former MS student and friend sent me this:
Scientists are warning that eating too much flaxseed could cause cyanide poisoning.
Also known as linseed, it is rich in fibre, omega-3 fatty acids and micronutrients, and in the current trend is added to breakfast cereal or blended into smoothies.
But the seeds also contain a naturally occurring compound called amygdalin, a type of ‘cyanogenic glycoside’ that can produce cyanide gas as it degrades.
Scientists are warning that eating too much ground flaxseed could cause cyanide poisoning and adults could end up ill if they consume just three teaspoons of it in one sitting
Stephen Adams of the Daily Mail reports more cyanide is released if the flaxseed has been ground – a form in which it is commonly sold, as the seeds themselves are quite hard.
Now scientists at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have published a report warning that eating as little as a third of a teaspoon of ground flaxseed can be dangerous for a small child.
Adults could end up ill if they consume just three teaspoons of it at one sitting. Signs of cyanide poisoning include headache, confusion, agitation, irregular heart beat and trouble breathing. In severe cases, it can be lethal.
Long-term damage including neurological problems can result from repeated exposure.