Tag Archives: Fsai

2011: 9 E. coli outbreaks in Irish daycare settings; Authority urges vigilance

Posted on by
Reply

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has urged childcare workers and crèche owners to ensure they have robust hygiene practices in place to reduce the incidence of E coli.

The authority has said it is concerned at the high levels of E coli infection here, with 285 cases of human infection provisionally recorded last year.

There were nine outbreaks in children attending crèches, or who were cared for in the home by childminders.

This involved some 75 children and adults becoming ill, with seven being hospitalised last year.

The FSAI says young children and infants are particularly at risk from E coli infection, and children and workers in childcare settings can unwittingly spread infection.

Washing hands is the single most important way to stop the spread of these E coli. Young children should be helped to wash and dry their hands. Babies need to have their hands washed as often as older children.

As well as handwashing, infection can be prevented by using a safe water supply and preparing food hygenically.

Staff are asked to stay away from childcare facilities for 48 hours if they have had diarrhoea or vomiting, and they should contact the Department of Public Health for advice to prevent more cases.

The FSAI has just published a leaflet – How to Protect the Children in Your Care – which is freely available on www.fsai.ie.

See Something Say Something; rodents insects tooth false nail metal foodborne illness; food safety in Ireland 2011

Posted on by
Reply

A small dead rodent in a bag of bananas; a bolt complete with nut and washer in meatballs; food contaminated with live and dead insects; a tooth; a false nail; pieces of metal; plastic rubber tubing; and a plaster.

Those were some of the 2,415 consumer complaints lodged with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland in 2011, compared to 2,126 in 2010.

Other complaints ranged from suspected food poisoning, to poor hygiene standards, to food workers handling money and not washing their hands before handling food. All complaints received by the FSAI were individually followed up and investigated by environmental health officers throughout the country.

FSAI Information Manager Edel Conway said the increase in complaints is a positive indication of people’s heightened awareness of their right to expect high standards of hygiene and food safety.

Last year saw the FSAI launch its first digital communications campaign entitled ”See Something, Say Something!” which aimed to raise awareness among consumers of its advice line service.

Those were among the 82 Enforcement Orders served for breaches in food safety legislation in Ireland in 2011, up from 73 in 2010, a 12 per cent increase.

There were also two instances in 2011 whereby the breach of Closure Orders led to High Court action being taken by the FSAI. The High Court’s decisions to uphold the Closure Orders were welcomed and should serve as a warning that non-compliance with enforcement orders will not be tolerated.

The onus is on each individual food business to ensure that all staff handling and preparing food are uptodated on best safety and hygiene practices. If any food business operator is unsure of what is required of them by law, they can contact our advice-line on 1890 336677, visit our website, www.fsai.ie or our facebook page www.facebook/fsai.

Record 64 food outlets forced to shut in Ireland in 2011

Posted on by
Reply

Rodent droppings, maggots on meat and putrid fish were just some of the nasties found by health inspectors in food businesses last year.

Documents obtained by the Irish Independent reveal how 2011 was the worst year on record for food safety infringements, with a record number of premises forced to close because they posed a grave risk to public health. Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) figures show that 64 restaurants, pubs, shops and other food businesses were served with closure orders last year — the highest tally since it was established in 1999.

But the statistics only tell part of the story, as documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal the gory details behind the closures.
Maggots and mouldy meat at one foodstore led to the closure of its butchery department in April.

An environmental health inspector issued a closure order that remains in force to the butchery section of Cahill’s foodstore in Crookstown, Co Cork, after discovering problems including dirty bloodstained walls and flies.

"Maggots were found on the meat debris collected in the tray under the cutting plate. The meat debris, which had not been removed for some time, was hard, dried out and clumped together and mouldy," the order stated.

Out-of-date food was a recurring problem at many outlets, with putrid meat and fish leading to a closure order being served on Charlie Stewarts/Seasons 52 in Parnell St, Ennis, Co Clare, in March.

"Large volumes of malodourous meat and fish were found in refrigerated storage, which had become putrid and were clearly in advanced stages of decomposition," the order said.

New guidelines in Ireland for ready-to-eat sprouted seeds

Posted on by
Reply

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has published guidelines for the safe production of sprouted seeds to be consumed raw, following the recent outbreaks of E. coli O104:H4 in Germany and France linked to the consumption of these seeds.

These guidelines introduce pathogen control measures for seed suppliers and sprouted seed producers. These include testing and certification requirements for seeds and a disinfection step and testing for sprouted seeds. The measures are being introduced to reduce risks to consumers’ health.

Most sprouted seed outbreaks have been attributed to contamination of the seeds used for sprouting. The moist, warm conditions of sprouting can allow small numbers of pathogens present on seeds to multiply by several orders of magnitude during the sprouting period.

To avoid confusion among consumers, the FSAI is advising producers of sprouted seeds who are using these guidelines; to label their products as ‘ready-to-eat’. Sprouted seed producers who cannot implement the control measures specified in the new guidelines should continue to ensure that their products are labelled as ‘cook before consumption’. Retailers and caterers should check that their suppliers of ready-to-eat sprouted seeds are following these FSAI guidelines.

The FSAI is advising members of the public who choose to sprout seeds at home, that they should continue to cook these products before consumption. This is because seeds certified free of pathogenic bacteria are unlikely to be widely available for some time. These guidelines can be accessed on our website on the following link http://bit.ly/o9VWuW.

Unfortunately, no one knows if any particular sprouter is following the guidelines.

A table of sprout-related outbreaks is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/sprouts-associated-outbreaks.

Irish say do not eat raw sprouts

Posted on by
Reply

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland gets it right, and said this morning, don’t eat sprouts.

The German outbreak of E. coli O104 that has killed 45 and sickened some 3,800 has now spread to the Bordeaux region of southern France and sickened at least 10 people.

The N.Y. Times reports this morning what food safety types have been saying all along: a common supplier sprout seed might be the ultimate source of the E. coli O104 and if those seeds are still in circulation, other outbreaks could occur.

William E. Keene, a senior epidemiologist at the Oregon Public Health Division, said it was urgent to find out if the seeds used by the German grower had come from the same source as the seeds linked to the French cases.

At least five of the French cases involved kidney failure, and tests on two of those people showed they were infected with the O104:H4 strain. The eight people infected in the Bègles area were adults, age 31 to 78. In addition, two children were sickened in another town and they were presumed also to have E. coli infections, although it was not clear if they had the same strain.

The source of the bean sprouts or the seeds from which they were sprouted is not known at this time and is the subject of ongoing investigation. The implicated bean sprouts are unlikely to have originated in the German organic bean sprout farm as this farm is closed and it is known not to have exported bean sprouts.

This raises the possibility that contaminated seeds are on the market. Therefore as a precautionary measure, and until investigations are concluded, FSAI advises, for the time being that consumers should not to eat raw bean sprouts or other sprouted seeds and caterers should not serve raw bean sprouts or other sprouted seeds.

Who knows what kind of crap is sprouting by your kitchen windowsill or in your herb garden.

Given the number of dead and dying related to this outbreak, the traceback has been an enormous failure.

A table of international sprout outbreaks is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/sprouts-associated-outbreaks.
 

Faith-based food safety not enough, Dublin restaurant told to cook burgers

Posted on by
Reply

A Dublin restaurant has been told by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to stop serving burgers cooked rare and medium-rare or face legal action.

The Rathmines restaurant Jo’burger has been warned by the Environmental Health Officer with the HSE to serve only well-done burgers or prove that undercooked meat can be served without the risk of E. coli bacteria and other contamination.

Jo’burger received a written warning this month that continuing to serve burgers cooked rare or medium rare could represent a “risk to public health.”

Restaurant owner Joe Macken said he had first been warned about the issue of undercooked burgers when the restaurant opened over three years ago. He responded by putting a disclaimer at the bottom of the menu, telling customers: “We will serve your burger as you request it, rare to well-done. Rare and medium-rare burgers are undercooked. Note eating of undercooked or raw meat may lead to food borne illness.”

He said the rare and medium-rare burger was a popular choice among his customers.

Asked how he could be sure his customers would not get sick, he said he was not sure. “But we have a belief in our product,” he said, and in the abattoir that produces the mince and sends it to them vacuum-packed. “The last thing they want is an E.coli outbreak.”

Fairs, festivals and food safety

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve been hanging out at fairs and the sorts lately, like the Wamego Tulip Festival and Phillipsburg Rodeo. I always check for handwashing stations where there is contact with the animals and food involved. However, the animals are not the only risk at fairs and festivals and the consumer cannot always be the scapegoat.

Thirteen businesses and food stalls were ordered to shut down at the Oxegen and the Dún Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures in Ireland due to food safety violations.

“The FSAI said that it is unacceptable that some food businesses are continuing to breach food safety laws and warned all food business operators to place robust food safety systems and hygiene practices top of their agenda.”

Consumers should wash their hands and do everything they can to avoid foodborne illness, but when the food handlers are the problem there’s not much the consumer can do.
 

Seven food outlets closed over food safety in Ireland; basic hygiene continues to be an issue

Posted on by
2

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said seven food businesses were ordered to shut down over safety breaches in just the last month.

The chief executive of the FSAI, Prof Alan Reilly, said "it was unacceptable" that so many orders had been issued in June, adding,

"Food businesses that chose to ignore the law will not be tolerated. Consumers have a right to feel confident that the food they are purchasing is safe to eat and every enforcement order undermines that confidence, which affects not only the premises involved, but the industry as a whole.”

Prof Reilly further said there was "no excuse for food businesses to be unaware of their legal responsibilities to protect consumer health."

“We would stress to food businesses the importance of maintaining the highest standards of food hygiene at all times. One of the simplest ways to ensure food is produced safely is that basic hygiene standards are met and yet this continues to be an issue for some food businesses."
 

I thought it was Wales: Ireland has highest rate of disease-causing E. coli in Europe

Posted on by
Reply

The Irish Times reports that the number of “verotoxigenic” E.coli cases reported in Ireland is more than five times the EU average and has almost doubled in the space of a year, according to the report compiled by the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa).

Verotoxigenic E.coli affects the digestive system. Some 225 cases were reported in 2008, of which 213 were confirmed. Ireland’s average of 4.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants compared to 3.3 in the next highest country, Sweden, and 1.9 in the UK. Irish cases have increased more than threefold in four years.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said the increase may be due to the contamination of private wells by heavy rainfall during the summer of 2008.

Maybe the Irish are paying more attention than the rest of Europe.
 

Ireland reports 17% increase in food safety enforcement orders in 2009

Posted on by
Reply

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today stated that there were a total of 54 Enforcement Orders – including 34 Closure Orders — served for breaches in food safety legislation in 2009 compared with 46 in 2008, an increase totaling 17%.

The FSAI today re-emphasized that it is unacceptable that food businesses were continuing to breach food safety laws and warned all food business operators to place robust food safety measures and hygiene practices top of their agenda for the new decade or face the full rigors of the law being imposed.

Prof Alan Reilly, Chief Executive, FSAI, said,

“Consumers have to be confident that the food they are eating is safe to eat and the FSAI will continue to take a zero tolerance policy to breaches of food safety legislation. Food business operators should take full advantage of the information and support made available by the FSAI and its official agencies to ensure a basic and consistent food safety management plan is developed and put in place in line with legislation.”