Australia: The Hub at Varsity fined record $29,000 after council inspectors find cockroaches and filth

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Douglas Powell

One of the city’s most popular drinking and dining hangouts for university students has been slugged with a huge court fine after council inspectors found cockroaches and a filthy kitchen.

The Hub at Varsity Lakes has been fined more than $29,000 after the Gold Coast City Council lodged a complaint in the Southport Magistrates Court.

The court was told a council environmental health officer visited the restaurant on September 11 and identified several breaches of the Food Standards Code.

The officer found poor hygiene with workers not provided with soap and hand towels, unclean contact equipment and a build-up of food waste along with cockroaches inside the premises.

Council health officers noted the restaurant had a “history of contraventions” since April last year, and those poor standards continued after the September inspection.

A hearing before Magistrate Catherine Pirie this month was adjourned after the owner for the restaurant failed to appear.

Despite being advised by the court, neither management nor sole owner, Courtney Tennyson Bell, appeared at a second hearing last Friday.

Ms Pirie found The Hub guilty of failure to comply with the Food Standard Code and fined the restaurant $15,500 and included an order to pay court and professional costs.

Ms Bell was found guilty under executive officer liability where she failed to take reasonable steps to ensure the restaurant met the code. She was fined $13,500 and also ordered to pay costs.

Australia: Operation Trident targets illegal seafood trade

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Douglas Powell

Consumers are being urged to avoid stolen seafood this Christmas, with enforcement officers on the beat to stop illegal seafood traders.

Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Acting Director Fisheries Compliance, Patrick Tully said Operation Trident is a multi-phase operation targeting the theft or illegal sale of oysters during this peak season.

“DPI fisheries officers will be on the beat – in the streets as well as out on the water to protect the valuable crops from illegal fishers,” Mr Tully said.

“Fisheries officers work in conjunction with the NSW Food Authority and NSW Police Force – and in consultation with NSW Farmers to target oyster theft.

“The operation includes covert surveillance and overt inspections up and down the NSW coast that aims to disrupt and dismantle a black market which is responsible for ripping off hard working oyster farmers.

“Operation Trident has been a key part of the NSW Government’s crackdown on black market seafood since 2007.”

NSW Food Authority CEO Polly Bennett said the black market oyster trade poses a health risk to consumers.

“Consumers are being urged to be our eyes and ear on the streets this Christmas,” Ms Bennett said.

“Illegal seafood is often stored in the backs of unrefrigerated trucks and we strongly advise against anyone consuming seafood if they don’t know where it’s come from.

“Stolen oysters might not come from an area covered by the NSW Shellfish Program, the NSW Food Authority recommends people only buy oysters from reputable retailers as these oysters have been monitored for their safety.”

NSW Police Force’s Marine Area Commander, Superintendent Mark Hutchings, said anyone illegally trading seafood should expect to be caught.

“Police have been working closely with DPI and NSW Food Authority to target and dismantle seafood trafficking rings that are ripping off our farmers and putting people’s health at risk,” Supt Hutchings said.

“We are calling on the community, particularly restaurant or café owners, who may be approached by someone offering cheap oysters to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 and help us stop this illegal and potentially dangerous trade.

“Remember, the number-one rule of a scam is that if the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

Members of the public and any affected oyster farmers are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 if they have any information about oyster theft and the black market trade.

Food poisoning in Australia – the unwanted gift that keeps on giving

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Douglas Powell

We’ll probably do the feast of the seven fishes again this year on Xmas Eve (it’s summer and it’s hot and the seafood is fabulous).

New South Wales Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, said the extra supplies of food typical of Christmas celebrations and the warmer temperatures of summer can be a recipe for disaster.

“The most common bacteria associated with food poisoning is salmonella and statistically salmonellosis notifications follow a seasonal pattern and increase in warmer months,” Ms Hodgkinson said.

“The warm temperatures combined with the excess food over the festive period sitting on the table over long lunches that can be the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

“Added to that is that great Australian tradition of the Boxing Day leftovers, which can also present an increased food poisoning risk if not prepared and stored correctly.”

Ms Hodgkinson said fortunately, reducing those risks can be fairly simple.

“The NSW Food Authority recommends you follow a few common sense food safety rules – always observe good hygiene and remember to keep it cold, keep it clean, keep it hot and check the labels,” Ms Hodgkinson said.

The key to food safety over the hot Christmas period is temperature control, some handy hints are to:

Keep your fridge at or below 5°C, use a fridge thermometer to check that the temperature stays around 4 to 5°C
Make sure you have enough fridge space as fridges won’t work properly when they are overloaded or when food is packed tightly because the cold air cannot circulate
Freshly cooked food, not for immediate consumption, should have the temperature reduced as quickly as possible, keep food cool in the fridge or an esky
Hot food needs to be kept and served at 60°C or hotter, if you are reheating left overs ensure they are piping hot.
Throw out leftovers that have been sitting on the table for more than 2 hours

The Aussies are promoting thermometers; now if only the Brits would.

www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/summer.

Poisoned food found at Gina Rinehart’s Pilbara mine

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Douglas Powell

Australia’s Gina Rinehart was once the world’s richest woman, making a fortune on mining (now she is sixth).

A police investigation into possible attempted poisoning is underway after a worker at a remote mining company construction site in Western Australia noticed a bad taste as he started eating a meal.

The contractor employee also noticed discolouring in a piece of fruit he was served on Monday at the dining hall at the Pilbara site run by mining magnate Gina Rinehart’s Roy Hill company. He alerted staff who contacted police.

Analysis of the food item confirmed the presence of a dangerous chemical late on Wednesday, but it appears to be an isolated incident, with no similar reports since, police said.

It is not known what the intent of the poison was, or if there was a specific target.

Major crime squad detectives are investigating.

Pathogenicity of Salmonella strains isolated from egg shells and the layer farm environment in Australia

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Douglas Powell

Periodically? How about monthly. A table of egg-based Salmonella outbreaks is available at https://barfblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/raw-egg-related-outbreaks-australia-12-8-14.xlsx

In Australia, the egg industry is periodically implicated during outbreaks of Salmonella food poisoning. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and other nontyphoidal Salmonella spp., in particular, are a major concern for Australian public health.

Several definitive types of Salmonella Typhimurium strains, but primarily Salmonella Typhimurium definitive type 9 (DT9), have been frequently reported during egg-related food poisoning outbreaks in Australia. The aim of the present study was to generate a pathogenicity profile of nontyphoidal Salmonella isolates obtained from Australian egg farms.

To achieve this, we assessed the capacity of Salmonella isolates to cause gastrointestinal disease using both in vitro and in vivo model systems. Data from in vitro experiments demonstrated that the invasion capacity of Salmonella serovars cultured to stationary phase (liquid phase) in LB medium was between 90- and 300-fold higher than bacterial suspensions in normal saline (cultured in solid phase). During the in vivo infection trial, clinical signs of infection and mortality were observed only for mice infected with either 10³ or 10⁵ CFU of S. Typhimurium DT9. No mortality was observed for mice infected with Salmonella serovars with medium or low invasive capacity in Caco-2 cells.

Pathogenicity gene profiles were also generated for all serovars included in this study. The majority of serovars tested were positive for selected virulence genes. No relationship between the presence or absence of virulence genes by PCR and either in vitro invasive capacity or in vivo pathogenicity was detected. Our data expand the knowledge of strain-to-strain variation in the pathogenicity of Australian egg industry-related Salmonella spp.

‘Cosmetic’ milk in Australia: Raw milk remains untested

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Douglas Powell

Raw milk producers are not being subjected to the same rigorous testing as dairy farmers who produce milk for human consumption.

United Dairy Farmers of Victoria president Tyran Jones said milk from dairy farms was subjected to stringent tests to ensure its safe consumption, but no such tests existed for “raw” milk or “bath” milk.

Mr Jones said milk from his Gruyere farm, 50km northeast of Melbourne, went straight into a refrigerated vat to be chilled to 4C. “It is tested daily for bacteria. The milk factory takes a sample and sends if off for independent testing every day,” he said.

His comments come after a three-year-old child died and several others fell ill after drinking “bath” milk from Victoria’s Mountain View Organic Dairy, which is sold as a cosmetic product but has been stored next to consumables in many Victorian stores.

Craig Dalton of The Conversation writes that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has been investigating the role of microbiological contamination in cosmetic injuries, which has resulted in recalls in some instances. ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard recently noted that cosmetic surveys revealing microbiological contamination were a timely reminder as the trend to produce all natural and all organic products may increase pressure on manufacturers to produce cosmetics with less preservatives or less effective natural preservatives.

Complicating this issue is that bath milk is often sold in containers that look just like drinking milk containers and may be stored in refrigerators alongside drinking milk. This may provide a false sense of security leading people to believe it is a food or as safe as a food.

Nevertheless, raw milk apologist are out in force, with David Gumpert writing, the vultures are circling in force with news that an Australian three-year-old may have died from drinking raw milk.

This is news raw milk opponents have lusted after for many years, and now they mean to use it for full effect, tying it to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control that suggests illnesses from raw milk are rising. Even though raw milk is already highly restricted in Australia, there are calls for a complete ban now that raw milk has been “proven” by this death to be unacceptably risky.

Most intriguing, the farmer accused of producing the milk that led to the three-year-old boy’s death says he has been told the child was seriously ill before drinking raw milk. The child’s parents may have been providing raw milk in hopes of improving the child’s health.

Um, what about the other three kids under five-years-old who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome but have (sorta) recovered?

Australian raw milk company defends product after 3yo’s death; urgent recall after ACCC steps in

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Douglas Powell

A day after proclaiming it would continue to sell its unpasteurized bath milk following the death of a three-year old boy, Mountain View Farm is now urgently recalling the product.

Of the four other children – all under five-years old who were sickened, three developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and one cryptosporidiosis.

The recall comes after the case was referred to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which said the milk had been recalled due to “a number of recent health concerns” in young children who consumed the milk, and is sold in one and two liter containers.

The ACCC said it would also lead a national investigation of consumer law regulators into possible breaches by suppliers selling raw milk as a cosmetic product.

“The message from health agencies is clear: do not drink unpasteurized milk,” ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said. “If you have this product, do not drink it in any circumstances. Return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.”

Authorities have expressed frustration with current regulations allowing the sale of unpasteurized milk in Australia because technically it is not being sold as food.

Dr Rosemary Lester, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer said she had written to Victorian Consumer Affairs and the ACCC about the issue.

“This is correctly labeled as not [for human consumption], so it’s in the domain of consumer law, not food law,” she said.

Vicki Jones, the owner of Mountain View Farm, said she drank the milk herself, but her product was clearly labeled as not for human consumption.

“We label it as bath milk, for cosmetic use only, not for consumption. It’s quite bold, so it’s easy to see,” she said.

“I drink it, but it is a raw product, I can’t say that it’s safe to drink.”

But Ms Jones said the company would change its labels to make them even clearer.

“What do I say to [the people who drink the milk]? It’s clearly labeled. At the end of the day what they do with the milk after they purchase it is their choice,” she said.

“Whether they listen to me is out of my hands. … We would probably just put the link to the Health Department website or print what their warnings are.”

Ms Jones said she was aware of the incident and had been contacted by health authorities following the death of the child.

“Apparently [the child’s family] had purchased our milk, but I have been told the child had been previously seriously ill and that he had passed away, and that he had consumed our milk,” she said.

“The health department had taken samples of our milk [for] Salmonella, E. coli, dysentery and all the results have come back negative, or not detected.”

She also said her company ran their own tests on the milk every week for bacteria and it always came back negative.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, the company lamented, “waking up to the disgusting front page of the Herald Sun” on Thursday.

“Shame on the reporter and the people that were behind that piece of rubbish that was written. …

“To the health department, you have opened a hornets nest, not for raw milk, but for exposing the garbage that consumers are fed, the chemical laden pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics that are used to grow food to feed families.

“Shame on the system that allows this, shame on Food Safety standards, that permit and make up the levels they deem safe. Look at how many people are sick, why our hospitals are overflowing.

“Why is good quality food so expensive and out of reach of young families on low wages, the very people that need to feed our future generation.”

The organic farm has previously mocked the U.S. food authority for labeling unpasteurized milk as unsafe.

A photo shared by the Facebook page of the business on November 20 implies the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizes the use of harmful substances while wrongly demonizing raw milk.

Jones defended using the image on her Facebook page, saying she questioned many substances in foods and the FDA should do the same.

Asked whether the image was misleading because of what it implied about raw milk, Jones said: “Maybe the FDA need to revisit the use of chemicals in food.

“I question the use of some chemicals used in food production and the effect it has on children.”

Some people took to the Mountain View Facebook page to criticize the company following news of the child’s death. “Where is the warning that you claim is on your Facebook page against drinking raw milk,” one person wrote.

Others defended the company, describing the media coverage as a “witch-hunt.”

David Tribe, a University of Melbourne professor and friend of the barfblog.com, collected several images from the Mountain View web site, which are included here.

Dr. Lester said she was worried unpasteurized milk was intentionally being given to children despite being labeled not for human consumption.

“There are two issues that concern me – one is the movement out there that people think that something raw is wholesome and better for you, which is clearly not the case,” said.

“Secondly was the potential for confusion with milk that really is for human consumption, given these products are being sold alongside milk for human consumption.”

It was not clear whether the child in this particular case was intentionally given the raw milk.

53 sickened with campy in chicken liver pate in 2013, lawsuit likely in Australia

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Douglas Powell

Victims of a mass food poisoning at Australian National University celebration last year intend to launch legal action against the caterer.

The Canberra Times reports that 53 students fell ill with gastroenteritis after the end of year celebration at Burgmann College.

Some have engaged lawyers with the intention of suing Scolarest, the company that feeds the college of 350 students.

An ACT Health investigation found the likely cause of the outbreak had been “insufficient cooking of campylobacter contaminated chicken livers used in the pate.”

The outbreak was first identified in October 2013 after ANU health service was swamped by gastroenteritis cases among residents of Burgmann College.

Victims reported suffering from symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, cramps, sweating, headache, nausea, and back pain.

ACT Health were notified and found a Valete or valedictory dinner function attended by about 289 people at the college on October 25 was the likely cause.

Fifty-three of the guests were struck down and analysis found those who ate the chicken liver pate carried an increased risk of illness.

Testing of victims revealed the presence of Campylobacter jejuni.

Leftover pate from the function tested positive to the bacteria; however, the strain was different to that found in victims.

But a summary of the ACT Health report on the probe concluded that the poisoning was likely to have been caused by the pate.

Canberra law firm Aulich Civil Law confirmed it had been engaged to act on behalf of 20 poisoned students.

Burgmann College caterer, Scolarest, which is part of the Compass Group, said it had the claims under review.

I child dead, 4 sick in Australia from raw milk; US says outbreaks quadrupled

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Douglas Powell

Amidst reports that the number of U.S. outbreaks caused by non-pasteurized milk increased from 30 during 2007–2009 to 51 during 2010–2012, a child in Victoria (that’s in Australia) has died and four have become ill from raw milk.

Unpasteurised milk is illegal to sell for human consumption in Australia, but the product consumed by the child was classed as cosmetic so was allowed on the shelves.

The child recently died on the Mornington Peninsula after drinking what was marketed as a cosmetic product and labeled “bath milk”, the Victorian Health Department said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that the average number of outbreaks from contaminated unpasteurized milk more than quadrupled from three a year between 1993 to 2006 to about 13 between 2007 and 2012.

Overall, there were 81 outbreaks in that last period, sickening nearly 1,000 people, including 73 who were hospitalized. The CDC said that more than 80 percent of the illnesses happened in states where retail sales of raw milk are legal.

Most outbreaks were caused by Campylobacter spp. (77%) and by nonpasteurized milk purchased from states in which nonpasteurized milk sale was legal (81%). Regulations to prevent distribution of nonpasteurized milk should be enforced.

Pasteurization is an effective way to improve milk safety; however, in the United States, illness related to consumption of nonpasteurized milk continues to be a public health problem. The first statewide requirements that dairy products be pasteurized were enacted in Michigan in 1948 (1). In 1987, the US Food and Drug Administration banned the interstate sale or distribution of nonpasteurized milk. However, the laws regulating intrastate sales are set by each state (2). Regulations for intrastate sales of nonpasteurized milk vary from complete bans to permitting sales from farms or retail outlets (2). Even in states in which sale of nonpasteurized milk is illegal, milk can often be obtained through other means. For example, some states allow cow-share or herd-share agreements, in which buyers pay farmers a fee for the care of a cow in exchange for a percentage of the milk produced (3,4).

Consumption of nonpasteurized milk has been associated with serious illnesses caused by several pathogens, including Campylobacter spp., Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli, and Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium (3,4). Despite the health risks associated with consuming nonpasteurized milk, the demand for nonpasteurized milk has increased (3,5,6). Recently, many state legislatures have considered relaxing restrictions on the sale of nonpasteurized milk (2,6). We report that the number of outbreaks associated with nonpasteurized milk increased from 2007 through 2012.

The Study

A foodborne disease outbreak is defined as the occurrence of >2 cases of a similar illness resulting from ingestion of a common food. State and local health departments voluntarily report outbreaks to the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through a standard web-based form (www.cdc.gov/nors). We reviewed outbreaks reported during 2007–2012 in which the food vehicle was nonpasteurized milk. Outbreaks attributed to consumption of other dairy products made with nonpasteurized milk, such as cheese, were excluded. We analyzed outbreak frequency, number of illnesses, outcomes (hospitalization, death), pathogens, and age groups of patients. Data on the legal status of nonpasteurized milk sales in each state were obtained from the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (7–9) and an online search of state regulations. The sources from which nonpasteurized milk was obtained or purchased were categorized according to the description from the state outbreak reports, when available.

During 2007–2012, a total of 81 outbreaks associated with nonpasteurized milk were reported from 26 states. These outbreaks resulted in 979 illnesses and 73 hospitalizations. No deaths were reported. The causative agent was reported for all outbreaks. Of the 78 outbreaks with a single etiologic agent, Campylobacter spp. was the most common pathogen, causing 62 (81%) outbreaks, followed by Shiga toxin–producing E. coli (13 [17%]), Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium (2 [3%]), and Coxiella burnetii (1[1%]) (Figure 1). Three outbreaks were caused by multiple pathogens (Figure 1). The number of outbreaks increased from 30 during 2007–2009 to 51 during 2010–2012. During 2007–2009, outbreaks associated with nonpasteurized milk accounted for ≈2% of outbreaks with an implicated food; during 2010–2012, this percentage increased to 5%. The number of outbreaks of Campylobacter spp. infection also increased, from 22 during 2007–2009 to 40 during 2010–2012.

How milk was obtained was reported for 68 (84%) outbreaks. Nonpasteurized milk was obtained from dairy farms (48 [71%] outbreaks), licensed or commercial milk sellers (9 [13%]), cow- or herd-share arrangements (8 [12%]), and other sources (3 [4%]). Of the 81 outbreaks, 66 (81%) were reported from states where the sale of nonpasteurized milk was legal in some form: Pennsylvania (17 outbreaks), New York, Minnesota (6 outbreaks each), South Carolina, Washington, and Utah (5 outbreaks each). A total of 15 (19%) outbreaks were reported in 8 states in which sales were prohibited. Among these outbreaks, the sources of nonpasteurized milk were reported as a dairy farm (6 outbreaks), cow or herd share (4 outbreaks), and unknown (5 outbreaks).

Conclusions

Within this 6-year period, the number of outbreaks associated with nonpasteurized milk increased. The number of outbreaks caused by Campylobacter spp. nearly doubled. The average number of outbreaks associated with nonpasteurized milk was 4-fold higher during this 6-year period (average 13.5 outbreaks/year) than that reported in a review of outbreaks during 1993–2006 (3.3 outbreaks/year) (4). This increase was concurrent with a decline in the number of states in which the sale of nonpasteurized milk was illegal, from 28 in 2004 to 20 in 2011 (7–9) and with an increase in the number of states allowing cow-share programs (from 5 in 2004 to 10 in 2008) (8,9). The decision to legalize the sale of nonpasteurized milk or allow limited access through cow-share programs may facilitate consumer access to nonpasteurized milk (5). The higher number of outbreaks in states in which the sale of nonpasteurized milk is legal has been reported elsewhere (4).

The legal status of nonpasteurized milk sales in 1 state can also lead to outbreaks in neighboring states. In a 2011 outbreak of Campylobacter spp. infections associated with nonpasteurized milk in North Carolina, where sales of this product were prohibited, milk was purchased from a buying club in South Carolina, where sales were legal. Another outbreak of Campylobacter spp. infection in 2012 implicated nonpasteurized milk from a farm in Pennsylvania, where sales are legal; cases from this outbreak were reported from Maryland, West Virginia, and New Jersey, all of which prohibit sale of raw milk (10). All patients residing outside Pennsylvania had traveled to Pennsylvania to purchase the milk (10).

Outbreaks associated with nonpasteurized milk continue to pose a public health challenge. Legalization of the sale of nonpasteurized milk in additional states would probably lead to more outbreaks and illnesses. This possibility is especially concerning for vulnerable populations, who are most susceptible to the pathogens commonly found in nonpasteurized milk (e.g., children, senior citizens, and persons with immune-compromising conditions). Public health officials should continue to educate legislators and consumers about the dangers associated with consuming nonpasteurized milk; additional information can be obtained at http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/raw-milk-index.html. In addition, federal and state regulators should enforce existing regulations to prevent distribution of nonpasteurized milk.

Ms Mungai is a surveillance epidemiologist at the Atlanta Research and Education Foundation and at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her interests include infectious disease epidemiology and food safety.

References

Steele JH. History, trends and extent of pasteurization. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2000;217:175–8 . DOI PubMed

Weisbecker A. A legal history of raw milk in the United States. J Environ Health. 2007;69:62–3 .PubMed

Oliver SP, Boor KJ, Murphy SC, Murinda SE. Food safety hazards associated with consumption of raw milk. Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2009;6:793–806. DOI PubMed

Langer AJ, Ayers T, Grass J, Lynch M, Angulo FJ, Mahon BE. Nonpasteurized dairy products, disease outbreaks, and state laws—United States, 1993–2006. Emerg Infect Dis. 2012;18:385–91. DOI PubMed

Buzby JC, Gould LH, Kendall ME, Timothy FJ, Robinson T, Blayney DP. Characteristics of consumers of unpasteurized milk in the United States. J Consum Aff. 2013;47:153–66.

David SD. Raw milk in court: implications for public health policy and practice. Public Health Rep. 2012;127:598–601 .PubMed

National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. NASDA releases raw milk survey 2011 [cited 2012 Nov 2]. http://www.nasda.org/file.aspx?id=3916

National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Dairy division of national association of state departments of agriculture raw milk survey, November, 2004 [cited 2012 Nov 2]. http://www.nasda.org/File.aspx?id=1582

National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. NASDA releases raw milk survey 2008. [cited 2012 Nov 2]. www.nasda.org/File.aspx?id=2149

Longenberger AH, Palumbo AJ, Chu AK, Moll ME, Weltman A, Ostroff SM. Campylobacter jejuni infections associated with unpasteurized milk—multiple states, 2012. Clin Infect Dis. 2013;57:263–6. DOI PubMed

Suggested citation for this article: Mungai EA, Behravesh CB, Gould LH. Increased outbreaks associated with nonpasteurized milk, United States, 2007–2012. Emerg Infect Dis [Internet]. 2015 Jan [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2101.140447

Aldi hotdogs contaminated with Listeria in Australia

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Douglas Powell

I didn’t know they had hot dogs in Australia. There’s sausages, snags and snots, but not a lot of hot dogs.

Apparently I need to go to ALDI’s: or maybe not.

Canberrans are urged to check any hotdogs bought from Aldi that might be contaminated with Listeria.

ACT Health Protection Service director John Woollard said shoppers needed to check their freezers for any Strassburg and Skinless hotdogs.

Tibaldi Australasia Pty Ltd in association with Aldi supermarkets is recalling Aldi Berg Strassburg and Aldi Berg Skinless Hotdogs from stores in the ACT, as well as Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria after the products were found to be contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.

Mr Woollard said the items should not be eaten.

And how was this Listeria contamination detected?

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