I called my mother the other day and she cut me short because she was jarring beets.
“You know your father likes his pickled beets.”
OK.
It was one of our go-to phrases growing up, and I have no idea why.
Probably because beets were a staple of 1970s funky glassware along with pickles and pickled onions.
But to do beets right, you may need advice from North Carolina canning queen, Ben Chapman, who produced this infosheet five years ago.
The food recall warning issued on July 02, 2016 has been updated to include additional product information. This additional information was identified during 
the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.
A & E Distribution Inc. is recalling Fjord Laks brand Scottish Smoked Salmon from the marketplace because it may permit the growth of Clostridium botulinum if sold refrigerated. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.
If you think you became sick from consuming a recalled product, call your doctor.
Check to see if you have recalled product in your home. Recalled product should be thrown out or returned to the store where it was purchased.
Food contaminated with Clostridium botulinum toxin may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, blurred or double vision, dry mouth, respiratory failure and paralysis. In severe cases of illness, people may die.
This recall was triggered by the CFIA inspection activities. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.
The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing recalled product from the marketplace.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
A cluster of three cases of food-borne botulism due to Clostridium baratii type F occurred in France in August 2015.
Foodborne botulism is primarily caused by ingestion of food contaminated by C. botulinum. Botulism caused by C. baratii is rare.
The investigation identified the ground meat used to prepare the sauce as the most probable vehicle of C. baratii contamination. However, the ultimate source and mode of contamination of the meat remain unknown. No further case was identified in France during the shelf-life of the contaminated meat despite the wide distribution of the product, and the investigation of the producer’s stored samples was negative.
No toxin was found in frozen and defrosted ground meat but the sauce eaten by the patients was not tested. Based on the restaurant inspection results (no temperature monitoring of stored preparations) and given the known conditions of toxin production, we can hypothesise that the botulinum toxin was produced during the sauce cooking process or storage. Indeed, preparations of a large volume of meat sauce by boiling for more than ten minutes and storage at room temperature for several hours are favourable conditions including anaerobiosis and substrate requirement for Clostridium growth and toxin production.
With a bullshit name like Harmless Harvest, you gotta except some extra harmless scrutiny.
Coconut water company Harmless Harvestd will temporarily halt bottling products due to concerns by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the safety of processing methods used in the company’s Thailand facility.
The company, which for several years marketed its product as “raw”, has long leaned on high pressure processing (HPP) and proprietary processes shared with the FDA to ensure the safety of its products. But a recent warning letter from the FDA to the San Francisco-based company indicates that no longer may be enough.
In a letter dated Nov. 13, William A. Correll Jr., director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition’s office of compliance, informed Harmless Harvest of several “serious violations” of the juice Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HAACP) regulations, relating to its ability to eliminate potentially hazardous spores through microfiltration at its Thailand processing facility.
“Our review of the information and documentation provided by your firm reveals that the coconut juice products manufactured by your firm and offered for entry into the United States are processed in a manner that does not comply with the juice HACCP regulation, 21 CFR Part 120,” wrote Correll.
Among the violations listed in the letter is the claim that Harmless Harvest’s HAACP plan does not adequately demonstrate a 5-log reduction of spores of Cholostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism.
Harmless Harvest’s recently appointed CEO, Gianella Alvarez, addressed the issue in a statement published on Harmless Harvest’s website, saying the company is currently working alongside “FDA regulators, other oversight agencies and expert consultants” to make “process enhancements” that will ensure compliance with the FDA’s regulatory regulations.”
Lidl is recalling all batches and ‘best before’ dates of its ‘Deluxe’ Crayfish Soup with Saffron from stores in Northern Ireland as a precautionary measure because of the possible presence of Clostridium species. The safety of the product cannot be demonstrated.
If you have bought any of the above products, do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store where it was bought for a full refund.
If there is a problem with a food product that means it should not be sold, then it might be ‘withdrawn’ (taken off the shelves) or ‘recalled’ (when customers are asked to return the product).
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland says, sous vide, which is French for ‘under vacuum’, is a method of cooking where food is vacuum-packed in a plastic pouch and heated in a temperature controlled bath for a defined length of time.
This cooking method can present some food safety risks which should be identified and controlled. These include the potential for survival and growth of bacteria that can grow under the anaerobic (absence of oxygen) conditions created by the vacuum packaging, e.g. Clostridium botulinum.
Due to the rise in the use of the sous vide cooking in restaurants and catering establishments, the FSAI has prepared a factsheet which highlights the risks associated with this method of cooking. It provides guidance on managing these risks, in particular guidance on cooking temperatures and times. It also makes recommendations for cooling, storing and reheating food that has been cooked by sous vide.
The factsheet is available on our website at: www.fsai.ie/publications_sous_vide
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that in June 2013, a male newborn aged 9 days (delivered after a full-term pregnancy) was brought to a hospital emergency department with a 2-day history of constipation, fussiness, and poor feeding.
The mother reported her son’s symptoms as excessive crying, reluctance to suck, and difficulty in swallowing milk. Within hours of arrival, the infant became less responsive and “floppy,” and was intubated for respiratory failure. Infant botulism was suspected and Botulism Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human) (BIG-IV), licensed for the treatment of infant botulism types A and B, was administered on hospital day 2. Results of preliminary stool studies were reported positive for botulinum toxin type F on hospital day 3. Clostridium baratii type F was subsequently isolated in stool culture.
National experience with type F botulism in newborns and infants indicates that rapid clinical improvement could occur even without the administration of anti-type F antitoxin. However, 3 days after treatment with BIG-IV the newborn continued to require ventilator support and showed no signs of clinical improvement. On hospital day 6, equine-derived botulism antitoxin heptavalent (A-G) (BAT) was administered to the boy, despite the limited experience reported for its use in pediatric cases. This is the second newborn treated with BAT in the United States; the first was treated in 2008 in Colorado (1).
Within 24 hours of BAT treatment, spontaneous movements of the newborn’s extremities increased. On hospital day 8 the endotracheal tube was removed. By the following day, the boy could tolerate oral feedings, had regained muscle tone and strength in his extremities, and had normal pupillary responses. The only adverse event associated with BAT treatment was an intermittent, low-grade fever that developed within 1 hour of BAT administration and lasted 72 hours. Blood, urine, stool, and cerebrospinal fluid bacterial cultures were otherwise negative. Contrast magnetic resonance imaging of his brain showed normal findings, and cerebrospinal fluid studies for herpes simplex virus and enterovirus also were negative. The newborn was discharged on hospital day 12. At the 2-week follow-up examination, his mother reported he was doing well: taking 100% of his feedings orally, exhibiting no residual weakness, and having normal bowel movements.
The parents reported feeding the newborn ready-to-feed and powdered formula from the same brand. No other solid or liquid foods or homeopathic remedies or supplements were given before symptom onset. No classic risk factors for infant botulism were reported, such as exposure to honey or soil. The parents reported strong winds and minor construction in the area surrounding their home. Pets present in the home included cats, turtles, fish, geckos, sugar gliders, and a mouse.
Environmental samples were collected from 1) feces from all animals in the home, 2) food and water from the turtle enclosure, 3) dust from the vacuum cleaner bag and the windowsill and ceiling fan closest to where the child slept, and 4) potting soil from the only indoor plant in the home. Although Clostridium species were isolated in several of the samples, none produced botulinum toxin.
Through 2012, only 13 cases of C. baratii type F infant botulism have been reported in the United States; this is the third confirmed case in Iowa. Extensive investigations for an environmental source of toxigenic C. baratii have been undertaken, including for all three cases in Iowa (2). Unlike typical infant botulism caused by C. botulinum (3), no source has been identified and prevention strategies remain unknown for C. baratii. While C. baratii infant botulism remains a rarely diagnosed disease, health care providers should maintain a high index of suspicion especially in very young infants who present with new onset floppiness or progressive respiratory failure.
Acknowledgment
Minnesota Department of Health Epidemiology and Public Health Laboratory.
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Blank Children’s Hospital, Des Moines, Iowa, 2Division of Acute Disease Prevention, Emergency Response, and Environmental Health, Iowa Department of Public Health, 3Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program, California Department of Public Health (Corresponding author: Amaran Moodley, amaran.moodley@unitypoint.org, 515-241-8300)
References
Al-Sayyed B. A 3-day-old boy with acute flaccid paralysis. Pediatr Ann 2009;38:479–82.
Barash JR, Tang TWH, Arnon SS. First case of infant botulism caused by Clostridium baratii type F in California. J Clin Microbiol 2005;43:4280–2.
CDC. Botulism. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2014. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/botulism/.
I still have fond memories of a misspent youth building houses in the summer, drinking schnapps, eating pickled herring, and talking philosophy with my Danish mentor, John.
He was also a great dancer.
So it pains me a little to note that, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Elite Salads International is recalling Elite Salads brand schmaltz herring products from the marketplace because they may permit the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.
Recalled products
| Brand Name | Common Name | Size | Code(s) on Product | UPC |
| Elite Salads | Schmaltz Herring | 200 g | All codes up to and including Best Before: May. 08, 2015 | 7 77739 10035 5 |
| Elite Salads | Schmaltz Herring | 200 g | All codes up to and including 15MA08 | None |
| Elite Salads | Schmaltz Herring | 454 g | All codes up to and including 15MA08 | None |
| Elite Salads | Spicy Schmaltz Herring | 200 g | All codes up to and including Best Before: May. 08, 2015 | 7 77739 10005 8 |
| Elite Salads | Spicy Schmaltz Herring | 200 g | All codes up to and including 15MA08 | None |
| Elite Salads | Spicy Schmaltz Herring | 454 g | All codes up to and including 15MA08 | None |
This recall was triggered by the CFIA’s inspection activities. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.
P.E.I.’s health minister says the province’s new Public Health Act aims to cure what he calls “chronic non-compliance” among those who prepare and serve food to the 
public.
Canadian Press reports Doug Currie says the need for an updated act, which recently passed second reading in the provincial legislature, was heightened by two high-profile cases of food-borne illnesses.
But he says planning started in 2008, when the department began looking at public health legislation in other Canadian provinces.
“There’s been chronic non-compliance under the old act. We had legislation, but there wasn’t a thrust to be able to use the act to allow owners and operators to comply with the … legislation.”
In May, health officials determined more than 200 cases of food-borne illness resulted from a fundraising supper at a local church.
The likely cause was a toxin found in cooked beef that was not stored at the proper temperature.
Following that case, food service at the Stanhope Beach Resort was halted after 
more than 100 people contracted norovirus from contaminated food or water.
Currie said those were prime examples of what can happen when food isn’t handled properly, something the new act will hope to address.
That’s a lot of sick people for a population of 140,000.
Foodborne illness outbreaks resulting from Clostridium perfringens were often large and caused substantial morbidity from 1998 to 2008, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Julian Grass, MPH, a surveillance epidemiologist at the CDC Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch, and colleagues presented the findings in Atlanta at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases 2012.
"Our finding that meats are by far the most common vehicle of C. perfringens outbreaks speaks to the need for proper cooking, cooling, and hot holding of these foods," Grass told Medscape Medical News.
"We thought it was particularly interesting that outbreaks peak during the holiday season, when people tend to gather in large groups to eat foods such as roasts, gravies, and poultry that are cooked in large .jpg)
batches or prepared ahead of serving," he added.
According to the researchers, C perfringens is estimated to be the third most common cause of foodborne illness in the United States, causing 1 million illnesses each year.
Restaurants, the most common setting of food preparation, were responsible for 44% of outbreaks. Other settings included catering facilities (19%), private homes (13%), prisons or jails (11%), and schools (4%).
About half of the outbreaks were attributed to a single food commodity; of those, beef was implicated in 46% of the outbreaks. The next most common causes were poultry, which caused 30% of outbreaks, and pork, which caused 16%.
In all, 91% of outbreaks with an identified single food commodity could be attributed to meat or poultry products.
