Food World listeria victim dies

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Ben Chapman

Listeriosis is a terrible disease, affecting mainly the elderly, pregnant women and infants – with about a 20% fatality rate. According to CBC, one of the six individuals who have contracted Listeria monocytogenes from a Richmond BC grocery store has died.

As of Friday, at least six people had been hospitalized due to Listerialinked to Foody World, at 3000 Sexsmith Road in Richmond, B.C.

Vancouver Coastal Health warned customers not to consume any produce or ready-to-eat foods made in-house at the store.

The cause of death is currently unknown, the health authority said Monday.

When fairytales turn deadly: FDA says 10 children’s deaths may be linked to homeopathic teething tablets

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Michelle Ewing of The Statesman reports the deaths of 10 children may be linked to homeopathic tablets that claim to relieve babies’ teething pain, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

FDA is looking into the deaths and 400 “adverse events” reported to the agency.

“The relationship of these deaths to the homeopathic teething products has not yet been determined and is currently under review,” the FDA said in a statement, according to CNN.

The news comes less than two weeks after the FDA warned parents against using the products amid reports of infants and children having seizures, difficulty breathing, lethargy and other health issues after taking the tablets.

On Tuesday, Hyland’s announced it will no longer distribute its teething products in the U.S.

Celebrities want to own a restaurant: Gladys Knight Chicken & Waffles scores 44 on health inspection

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Douglas Powell

The popular but troubled diner Gladys Knight Signature Chicken & Waffles scored a low failing grade of 44 on a recent health inspection.

Roaches and fruit flies, as well as grease and dirt build-ups, were noted on the Peachtree Street restaurant’s inspection, which happened last Thursday.

Under Georgia law, the restaurant will be inspected again within the next 10 days. Another failing grade could lead to Chicken & Waffles being shut down temporarily to fix the problems or even having its license revoked.

Gladys Knight has filed a lawsuit to have her name removed from the chain of restaurants now run by her son, Shanga Hankerson. Hankerson has refused.

That move came after federal revenue officials conducted a June raid at all locations of the restaurant and its corporate headquarters.

The Department of Revenue has opened an investigation of Hankerson, alleging he has failed to pay more than $650,000 in sales and withholding taxes.

‘It depends and it’s complicated’ Schaffner on the 5-second rule

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Friend of the barfblog.com shares his thoughts about the five-second rule, peer-reviewed research, and media attention. Thanks for doing this, Don.

In March 2014 I got angry. I saw an article in the popular press indicating that researchers from Aston University in the United Kingdom had “proved the five second rule was real” It was not the finding that made me angry as much as the science behind it. Or more properly the lack of science behind it.

We’ve been studying microbial cross-contamination in my lab for more than 15 years, and I have considered myself a quantitative food microbiologist for my entire career. Given those two observations, it’s only natural that I be interested in an article like this. But when I reached out to the University for more information I learned the research had not been peer-reviewed, and the best that they could offer was a PowerPoint presentation. A PowerPoint presentation is not science. Science proceeds through peer review. Like democracy it’s a terrible system, just the best one we have found so far.

After I got angry, I got busy. And like any good professor by “got busy”, I mean that a graduate student got busy doing the actual work of science. I had a brand-new MS student starting in my lab, and she had funding from another source, but needed a research project. We worked together to design an appropriate series of studies that would advance our understanding of microbial cross-contamination while at the same time could generate a press release that might get a little bit of attention. Like any good scientists we built on the work of others. We acknowledged non-peer-reviewed work from other institutions that paved the way like high school student Jillian Clarke in Hans Blaschek’s lab at the University of Illinois. We also acknowledged the first peer-reviewed research from Paul Dawson’s lab at Clemson University.

Flash forward a couple of years, we submitted our article to one of the best journals out there that publishes food microbiology research, Applied and Environmental Microbiology and after peer review and appropriate revisions our article was accepted for publication. I reached out to a colleague in the media relations department at Rutgers University, and we worked together to write a press release.

As you may have noticed, we have garnered extensive media attention with thousands of articles published around the world. The New York Times did a particularly nice piece interviewing me as well as my colleague Bill Hallman, and barfblog’s Doug Powell. It has been a fun ride, but I’m looking forward to getting back to other things. Just keeping up with the requests for interviews has been almost a full-time job, I have generally resisted the temptation to respond to commenters on the Internet, who complain about everything from the waste of grant funds (not the case, we used discretionary funds I raised myself), to suggestions that I studied the wrong thing.

But before we close the books on this one, I do want to respond to Aaron Carroll, a medical doctor who became interested in the topic when he co-authored a book on medical myths. Carroll insists that it’s not any of the factors we studied that are important, but rather how dirty the surface might be. He is certainly correct in that the level of contamination, as well as the type of contamination are important (pro tip: coliforms don’t make us sick), but the degree to which those microbes transfer is also essential in determining risk. As I’ve said in many interviews, if there are no pathogens present on the surface, the risk is zero. The immune state of the person doing the eating also makes a difference. The risk for someone who is immunocompromised is higher than the risk someone who has a healthy immune system.

So as any listener to our food safety podcast will know, it turns out “it depends” and “it’s complicated.” The level of contamination, the type of contamination, the nature of the surface, the nature of the food, as well as the immune state of the person all matter in determining risk of eating food off the floor.

Longer contact times increase cross-contamination of Enterobacter aerogenes from surfaces to food

Applied and Environmental Microbiology; Appl. Environ. Microbiol. November 2016 vol. 82 no. 21 6490-6496

Robyn C. Miranda and Donald W. Schaffner

http://aem.asm.org/content/82/21/6490.abstract?etoc

Abstract

Bacterial cross-contamination from surfaces to food can contribute to foodborne disease. The cross-contamination rate of Enterobacter aerogenes on household surfaces was evaluated by using scenarios that differed by surface type, food type, contact time (<1, 5, 30, and 300 s), and inoculum matrix (tryptic soy broth or peptone buffer). The surfaces used were stainless steel, tile, wood, and carpet. The food types were watermelon, bread, bread with butter, and gummy candy. Surfaces (25 cm²) were spot inoculated with 1 ml of inoculum and allowed to dry for 5 h, yielding an approximate concentration of 10⁷ CFU/surface. Foods (with a 16-cm²contact area) were dropped onto the surfaces from a height of 12.5 cm and left to rest as appropriate. Posttransfer, surfaces and foods were placed in sterile filter bags and homogenized or massaged, diluted, and plated on tryptic soy agar. The transfer rate was quantified as the log percent transfer from the surface to the food. Contact time, food, and surface type all had highly significant effects (P < 0.000001) on the log percent transfer of bacteria. The inoculum matrix (tryptic soy broth or peptone buffer) also had a significant effect on transfer (P = 0.013), and most interaction terms were significant. More bacteria transferred to watermelon (∼0.2 to 97%) than to any other food, while the least bacteria transferred to gummy candy (∼0.1 to 62%). Transfer of bacteria to bread (∼0.02 to 94%) was similar to transfer of bacteria to bread with butter (∼0.02 to 82%), and these transfer rates under a given set of conditions were more variable than with watermelon and gummy candy.

IMPORTANCE The popular notion of the “five-second rule” is that food dropped on the floor and left there for <5 s is “safe” because bacteria need time to transfer. The rule has been explored by a single study in the published literature and on at least two television shows. Results from two academic laboratories have been shared through press releases but remain unpublished. We explored this topic by using four different surfaces (stainless steel, ceramic tile, wood, and carpet), four different foods (watermelon, bread, bread with butter, and gummy candy), four different contact times (<1, 5, 30, and 300 s), and two bacterial preparation methods. Although we found that longer contact times result in more transfer, we also found that other factors, including the nature of the food and the surface, are of equal or greater importance. Some transfer takes place “instantaneously,” at times of <1 s, disproving the five-second rule.

Lionel Messi vomits while sitting on the Barcelona bench- proves to the world he is human after all

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Douglas Powell

I don’t know who Lionel Messi is but he seems to be some soccer dude, and apparently he is mortal and can barf.

Messi (who was only a sub) sitting on the bench during the first half of Barcelona’s match against Deportivo La Coruna. He’s sitting there, watching the game… when he starts to vomit.

Some of you might not think much of it. You might think the fact Messi came on later in the game and scored in a 4-0 win suggests this was just a strange, inconsequential moment.

However, this clip takes on a much bigger significance once you look at the considerable history of Messi puking.

Why does this keep happening? There are several theories, but the one offered by former Argentina head coach Alejandro Sabella might be the most revealing. “Nerves. I reckon that in these moments there is anxiety more than anything.”

Not something Messi probably wanted the world to hear, but if that’s true, it does prove a couple of things.

The stress of being a football genius is far greater than many of us realize.
Barcelona’s main man does have at least one human flaw which proves he is not a hi-tech footballing cyborg from the future.

Salami, fermented sausage and risk in Italy

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Sorenne loves her salami — or smallgoods as they are sometimes called in Australia.

Now its gone all artsy or artisanal but there’s still a microbiological risk.

As of the start of the 21st century, consumers have developed a growing interest in so called “traditional or artisanal” food. The renewed interest in this type of food is explained by consumers’ perception of these products. In fact, traditional food has a general positive image across Europe, and European consumers trade off the relative expense and time required for preparation of traditional food for its specific taste, quality, appearance, nutritional value, healthiness and safety (Almli et al., 2011 and Guerrero et al., 2009). Such food is often produced by small farms, and so the rural economy benefits from the increase in activity and profits through direct sales at local food markets (Berlin et al., 2009 and Carey et al., 2011).

Although the term “traditional foods” is widely used, the concept of traditional food products embraces different dimensions and there are hardly any definitions that clearly define traditional foods. In order to identify “traditional” foods, the EU legislation (EC, 2006a, EC, 2006b and EC, 2012) has defined criteria based on product designations that are linked to geographical origin or traditional production methods. In addition, the EuroFIR FP6 Network of Excellence provided a definition of traditional foods which includes statements about traditional ingredients, traditional composition and traditional type of production and/or processing method (Weichselbaum et al., 2009).

Among European countries, Italy is the lead producer of traditional foods and products such as foods with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), followed by France, Spain, Portugal and Greece (ISMEA, 2013). Additionally, it is estimated that Italy has around 5000 traditional local food products without any certification (CIA, 2015), which could represent an important resource contributing to the development and sustainability of rural areas, providing ample variety in food choice for the consumer and a remarkable income for the economy. With its 371 typical products, Veneto Region is the fourth Italian Region according to number of traditional food products after Toscana, Campania and Lazio (Mipaaf, 2014). In addition, since 2007, Veneto Region has implemented regional legislation which defines a simplified procedure to sell small quantities of traditional food products at local level directly from the producer to the consumer (DGR, 2007 and DGR, 2008). In Veneto Region, many typical fermented sausages such as salami and soppresse are produced with traditional technologies, and so the legislation has been focused firstly on these products and subsequently on other types of meat products (poultry and rabbit meat) and products of non-animal origin (canned food; fruit juices; flour and dried vegetables; bread and bakery products; extra virgin olive oil).

In relation to fermented sausages, the legislation defines the production season, the maximum number of animals that can be reared and the minimum rearing period for pigs on the production farm as well as the minimum hygienic pre-requisites of the work areas used for processing pork meat into fermented sausages. Since these sausages are mainly produced following traditional practice in small processing units, starter cultures are not added to the minced pork meat and ripening is carried out in rooms with less temperature and relative humidity control than that used by industrial manufacturers. Therefore, deviations in temperature and/or humidity can result in insufficient fermentation-drying processes, meaning the absence of pathogens in the final products is not assured. The presence of food-borne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157, and Salmonella spp. in fermented sausages has been reported.

Concerning L. monocytogenes, the pathogen was detected at the end of ripening in 40% of “Salsiccia Sarda” (a traditional Italian fermented sausage) with contamination levels always lower than 100 cfu/g ( Meloni et al., 2012), while a prevalence of 15% was reported in fermented sausages produced in northern Italy (De Cesare et al., 2007). Other studies conducted on traditional fermented sausages at the end of the ripening period showed a L. monocytogenes prevalence of 10% in France ( Thevenot et al., 2005), 16% in Spain (Martin et al., 2011), 42% in Greece (Gounadaki et al., 2008) and 60% in Portugal (Ferreira et al., 2007). The prevalence of Salmonella spp. in traditional fermented sausages is lower than Listeria: the presence of Salmonella was reported in two out of 38 batches of traditional Portuguese sausages (alheiras) ( Ferreira et al., 2007) and in three out of 21 (14%) batter samples of traditional Greek fermented sausages but not in the final products (ready to be sold) (Gounadaki et al., 2008). In relation to verocytotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC), including E. coli serotype O157:H7, for which meat and meat products are considered the main source of infection for humans, an overall VTEC prevalence of 16% was found in fresh pork sausages collected in the southern part of Italy ( Villani et al., 2005).

In addition, food-borne outbreaks associated with the consumption of fermented meats are reported in the literature. In Veneto Region of Italy, in January 2004, a family outbreak of E. coli O157 infection caused by a dry-fermented traditional salami made with pork meat and produced in a local plant occurred ( Conedera et al., 2007). In Norway, an outbreak caused by E. coli O103:H25 involving 17 patients was attributed to the consumption of fermented sausages ( Sekse et al., 2009). Concerning Salmonella, an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium DT104A involving 63 cases associated with the consumption of traditional pork salami was reported in Lazio Region of Italy ( Luzzi et al., 2007). Another outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium associated with the consumption of unripened salami was reported in Lombardia Region of Italy ( Pontello et al., 1998). L. monocytogenes outbreaks associated with the consumption of fermented sausages have not been reported, to our knowledge, even though L. monocytogenes has been implicated in several listeriosis outbreaks linked to the consumption of pre-sliced ready-to-eat deli meats ( Thevenot et al., 2006). The infective doses of the above-mentioned micro-organisms can vary widely according to several factors such as the strain, the susceptibility of the host, and the food matrix involved. In case of L. monocytogenes in susceptible individuals, it is unlikely that fewer than 1000 cells may cause disease ( EFSA, 2007). Concerning Salmonella the infective dose is variable but often low numbers of cells (between 10 and 1000) are sufficient to cause disease, the same for EHEC which is known for its low infective dose ( Strachan et al., 2005 and Teunis et al., 2010). The difference in dose-response relationship between the three pathogens may also, to some extent, explain the difference in stringency in surveillance. In European Regulation 2073/2005 (EC, 2005), tolerance of up to 100 cfu/g of L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meat products is accepted at the end of shelf life, whereas usually action limits of absence of Salmonella and EHEC per 25 g are applicable.

In order to avoid the marketing of potentially hazardous traditional fermented pork sausages (Italian salami and soppresse) produced within the Veneto region, this study was initiated by the regional competent authorities in collaboration with the small-scale producers with the following aims: a) investigate the production process of traditional salami and soppresse in Veneto Region of Italy; b) identify the microbiological hazards associated with this type of food, and finally; c) identify control measures easily applicable directly by the Food Business Operator (FBO) with the supervision and control of the regional Competent Authority (CA) in order to manage the hazards associated with this type of traditional meat product.

Artisanal Italian salami and soppresse: Identification of control strategies to manage microbiological hazards

Journal of Food Microbiology

Volume 61, February 2017, p. 5-13

Roccato, Anna. Et al.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740002015301143

Disinfection tolerance of C. perfringens on farms and in processing

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Clostridium perfringens is a Gram-positive, aerotolerant anaerobic spore-forming bacterium that causes a wide variety of diseases in humans and animals, primarily as a result of its ability to produce many different toxins (Markey et al., 2013). In humans, C. perfringens is responsible for gas gangrene, enteritis necroticans, food poisoning, and antibiotic-associated diarrheas ( Myers et al., 2006). Currently, C. perfringens type A food poisoning ranks as the second most commonly reported foodborne illness in Canada (Thomas et al., 2013).

In poultry, avian-specific C. perfringens strains cause necrotic enteritis, an economically significant poultry disease that costs the global industry over $2 billion annually in losses and control measures (Stanley et al., 2014). In some countries, this disease appears to be on the rise because of removal of antibiotic growth promoters (Stanley et al., 2014). C. perfringens is also a cause of various enterotoxemia in other animal species. Isolates of animal origin constitute a risk for transmission to humans through the food chain.

In order to persist in the environment, many bacteria have evolved the ability to form biofilms (Davey and O’Toole, 2000 and Jefferson, 2004). In fact, the predominant organizational state of bacteria in nature is biofilms (Costerton, 1999). Important features of cells in biofilms include: aggregation in suspension or on solid surfaces, increased antibiotic tolerance, and resistance to physical and environmental stresses (Davey and O’Toole, 2000, Davies, 2003 and Hall-Stoodley and Stoodley, 2009). It is now generally accepted that the biofilm growth mode induces bacterial tolerance to disinfection that can lead to substantial economic and health concerns (Bridier et al., 2011). Although the precise mechanism of such tolerance remains unclear, a review has recently discussed the subject as a multifactorial process involving the spatial organization of the biofilm (Bridier et al., 2011). More recently, we, and others, have described the formation of biofilms in C. perfringens (Charlebois et al., 2014 and Varga et al., 2006). We demonstrated that the biofilm formed by C. perfringens could protect the cells from an exposure to atmospheric oxygen and to high concentrations of antibiotics and anticoccidial agents ( Charlebois et al., 2014). It has also been observed that the biofilm formed by C. perfringens could protect the cells from an exposure to 10 mM of hydrogen peroxide even though this bacterium is catalase-negative (Varga et al., 2006). The capacity of C. perfringens to be part of dual- or multi-species biofilm has recently been reviewed ( Pantaleon et al., 2014) and C. perfringens biofilm was detected in many types of multi-species biofilm including biliary stents (Leung et al., 2000 and Pantaleon et al., 2014).

However, susceptibilities of C. perfringens mono- and dual-species biofilms exposed to most disinfectants are currently unknown. This study was undertaken to investigate the tolerance of C. perfringens mono- and dual-species biofilms to disinfectants used in farms and food processing environments.

Tolerance of Clostridium perfringens biofilms to disinfectants commonly used in the food industry

Journal of Food Microbiology

Volume 62, April 2017, p. 32-38

Charlebois, Audrey. Et al.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740002015300927

Be the bug: Cross-contamination amongst beef fillets

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Douglas Powell

The objective of the present study was to determine the factors affecting the transfer of foodborne pathogens from inoculated beef fillets to non-inoculated ones, through food processing surfaces.

Three different levels of inoculation of beef fillets surface were prepared: a high one of approximately 107 CFU/cm2, a medium one of 105 CFU/cm2 and a low one of 103 CFU/cm2, using mixed-strains of Listeria monocytogenes, or Salmonella enterica Typhimurium, or Escherichia coli O157:H7. The inoculated fillets were then placed on 3 different types of surfaces (stainless steel-SS, polyethylene-PE and wood-WD), for 1 or 15 min. Subsequently, these fillets were removed from the cutting boards and six sequential non-inoculated fillets were placed on the same surfaces for the same period of time. All non-inoculated fillets were contaminated with a progressive reduction trend of each pathogen’s population level from the inoculated fillets to the sixth non-inoculated ones that got in contact with the surfaces, and regardless the initial inoculum, a reduction of approximately 2 log CFU/g between inoculated and 1st non-inoculated fillet was observed. S. Typhimurium was transferred at lower mean population (2.39 log CFU/g) to contaminated fillets than E. coli O157:H7 (2.93 log CFU/g), followed by L. monocytogenes (3.12 log CFU/g; P < 0.05). Wooden surfaces (2.77 log CFU/g) enhanced the transfer of bacteria to subsequent fillets compared to other materials (2.66 log CFU/g for SS and PE; P < 0.05).

Cross-contamination between meat and surfaces is a multifactorial process strongly depended on the species, initial contamination level, kind of surface, contact time and the number of subsequent fillet, according to analysis of variance. Thus, quantifying the cross-contamination risk associated with various steps of meat processing and food establishments or households can provide a scientific basis for risk management of such products.

Effect of inoculum size, bacterial species, type of surfaces and contact time to the transfer of foodborne pathogens from inoculated to non-inoculated beef fillets via food processing surfaces

Journal of Food Microbiology

Volume 62, April 2017, p. 51-57

Gkana, E. Et al.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740002016303744

Pepper leads to esophageal hole

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Ben Chapman

When I was a kid my dad made me eat a bunch of spicy food. I’m not sure why, but if he ordered hot wings at a restaurant the convention was that I had to try one. I’m a fan of heat now – but ghost peppers aren’t something I want to try.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a ghost pepper eating contest led to a whole in a competitor’s esophagus.

After eating a hamburger laced with ghost pepper puree, the man began vomiting and retching violently. Suffering from severe abdominal pain he was admitted to hospital where doctors discovered a 2.5-centimetre hole in his oesophagus.

The chili eater underwent emergency surgery and spent 23 days in hospital.

The ghost pepper, or bhut jolokia, was considered the world’s hottest chilli until 2013 when it was surpassed by the Carolina Reaper pepper.

Doctors writing in The Journal of Emergency Medicine have warned that the rise of food challenges may complicate diagnoses.

In this spicy situation, doctors initially assumed the man’s symptoms related to discomfort after his meal, before discovering the rupture in his oesophagus.

Stay classy Guelph: Paramedics met with angry vomit-tossing woman, fan runs on ice

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Douglas Powell

A crew of paramedics just managed to dodge being soaked with a bucket of vomit thrown by an angry woman, cops in Guelph, Ont., say. Guelph Police said officers were called to a residence on the city’s York Road to assist an EMS crew with a problematic patient.

An irate woman became infuriated with the crew and threw a bucket of vomit at them.

Cops say she missed and instead soaked expensive medical equipment with the vomit causing damage.

Patrica Pegalo, 22, of Guelph was arrested at the scene and charged with mischief over $5,000.

Meanwhile, an overexcited Guelph Storm Junior A hockey fan decided to show his enthusiasm by scaling the glass during a game with the home town Mississauga Ice Dogs.

No streaking was involved.