Tag Archives: Tennessee

What happens in Tennessee: Restaurant passes health inspection despite animal carcasses

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A Chinese restaurant will remain open and even passed its health inspection, despite four critical health code violations and animal carcasses hanging behind the establishment. The Shelby County health department issued Rice Bowl Chinese Restaurant, 2705 Getwell Rd., a passing score of 70 — one point shy of failure — two days after a carcassescomplaint by The Action News 5 Investigators initiated an inspection of the property Monday. We requested the inspection after a viewer’s tip led us to find a score of animal carcasses hanging like laundry behind the restaurant. Wednesday, Elizabeth Hart, the health department’s public information officer, released the restaurant’s inspection report. It cited Rice Bowl with four critical health code violations: “dead carcasses at rear of restaurant” “pots & pans…reused, not sanitized” “mop sink stopped up with waste water” “employee washing hands (in dishwashing sink)” But those critical violations, in addition to nine non-critical violations, amounted to a 30-point deduction: a 70. Not enough points to issue the restaurant a failing score. “(The carcasses violation) is part of a follow-up inspection that will come in the next ten days,” said Hart. The Rice Bowl’s owner, identified in the report as Mi Land Lam, told The Action News 5 Investigators Monday the carcasses were duck. She said she was drying them for her own consumption. “Oh, no! For me! No customers of mine. Only for me!” she exclaimed.

Tucson News Now

Fingering food OK; Tennessee inspectors critical of state food safety law

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State health officials and members of the restaurant industry plan to ask the legislature to update Tennessee’s 1976 food safety law.

Hugh Atkins, who oversees restaurant inspections for the Tennessee Department of Health, told The Tennessean, “Our rules are so old they don’t even address sushi.”

The Tennessee Food Safety Task Force first considered tweaking compliance rules but finally decided the law itself needed a complete overhaul.

The statute, more than three decades old, does not prohibit restaurant employees from fingering your food and lists temperature requirements for already-cooked dishes that can cause mashed potatoes to get crusty and meats to get leathery.

Task force members say the law wastes resources, falls short of federally recommended standards and can penalize restaurants that operate in older buildings.

“Tattoo establishments get four inspections a year,” Atkins said. “Pools get inspections every month they are in operation.”

All food establishments have to be inspected once during the first half of a calendar year and once during the second half — even The Peanut Shop in Nashville’s historic Arcade. Atkins would prefer a once-a-year check at a candy shop so inspectors would have more time to double up on a problem restaurant.

50 fall ill after Irish Picnic in Tenn

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I watched Miller’s Crossing again a couple of times over the weekend so am steeped in all things Irish – about as far as I want to be.

In McEwen, Tennessee, they have an annual Irish Picnic and this year, at least 50 people have been stricken with what looks like a Salmonella outbreak.

The State Department of Health said a few of those who reported the illness tested positive for Salmonella enterica.

Shelley Walker with the Health Department said they are also interviewing others who attended the festival on July 27-28, but did not become sick.

They are testing various food items from the event, but have not identified the source of the illness.

3 hospitalized after E. coli outbreak at Tennessee daycare

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WBIR reports three children are in hospital following an E. coli O157 outbreak at a Cocke County daycare facility.

According to the Tennessee Department of Health, three juveniles, all of whom attend the same daycare facility in Newport, were diagnosed with E. coli O157 symptoms.

The source of the bacteria is currently unknown, but managers of the facility are working with investigators, and the families of all children who attend the daycare have been contacted.

State health department officials have not closed the facility, but are continuing to investigate the situation.

13 E. coli cases, 1 death in Tennessee, Virginia

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Reuters reports an outbreak of E.coli cases in northeastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia has sickened 13 people and resulted in the death of a young child, public health officials said on Friday.

Virginia has two confirmed cases of the E. coli strain O157:H7. Both Virginia cases affected children who had close contact with each other, and one of those children died, said Maureen Dempsey, a Virginia Public Health Department deputy chief.

Dempsey declined to confirm the age and sex of each of the children, but local media reported a 2-year-old girl from Dryden, Virginia, died on Sunday and her brother, who was also infected, was released from a hospital a few days later.

Northeastern Tennessee has 11 laboratory-confirmed cases of E.coli since June 1, said David Kirschke, medical director of the Northeast Tennessee Regional Health Office.

Three cases were O157:H7, and the remainder other strains in a category known as non-O157, he said. Kirschke said no link has been made between the Virginia and Tennessee cases.

"We’re not even sure if our cases are linked with each other," he said, adding the Tennessee O157:H7 strains also are being genetically fingerprinted to see if they are from a single source.

Still, Kirschke said health officials are treating the cases as an outbreak due to their large number, their close proximity and the short time frame of their appearance

"It seems too coincidental to have this many cases in a week," he said.

Possible food poisoning at Chattanooga Community Kitchen

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At least 15 people have been diagnosed with what appears to be food poisoning after eating at the Chattanooga Community Kitchen. The County Health Department is investigating.

Officials are interviewing people who have eaten there and supervising a clean-up of the food preparation area.

Until more is known about what made these people sick, the kitchen will only be serving broth and dry toast.
 

Tennessee health officials investigating E. coli case; two children infected

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WJHL??? reports a Tri-Cities boy could receive a blood transfusion today as he recovers from an E. coli infection. Meanwhile, the Northeast Tennessee Health Office is now investigating the case and trying to identify the source of the potentially deadly bacteria.

A week ago, doctors at the Johnson City Medical Center discovered four year-old Gage Peterson had E. coli. Richard Peterson expects his son to receive a blood transfusion at some point Thursday as he remains in the hospital.

According to a Johnson City Medical Center spokesperson, three weeks prior to Peterson’s admission, another child came into the hospital with E. coli. That child is now in the pediatric ICU.
 

Face of food safety: Tennessee boy loses battle with E. coli

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The Daily Times reports that an eight-year-old Blount County, Tennessee boy, who loved more than anything spending time with his identical twin, lost his fight for life at 6:31 a.m. Monday after contracting E. coli and suffering the after-effects of the disease.???.

??????Joseph Coning, 8 (right), and his twin, Jesse, were looking forward to a family vacation on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. …

The family does not know where Joseph contracted E. coli and an autopsy will be done to try and find answers.
 

Oyster capital of America, in Chattanooga, Tennessee?

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WKRP in Cincinnati station manager Arthur Carlson once asked Andy and Jennifer to pose for a fundraising calendar, or something.

Arthur: This year’s theme? Surf City USA.

Jennifer: In Cincinnati, Ohio?

Similarly, I never thought of Chattanooga, Tennessee, as a beacon for raw oysters. But, the local health unit reports that three unassociated groups of people who ate oysters at The Boathouse Rotisserie and Raw Bar (located at 1011 Riverside Dr.) became ill. A total of 19 people reported illness after eating at the restaurant between Monday, Jan. 12, and Sunday, Jan. 18, and developed symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea 12-40 hours after eating. The majority of those ill reported eating raw oysters.

Following standard protocol, the Health Department conducted an investigation to determine the cause of the illness. The establishment fully cooperated with the Health Department’s procedures. Inspection of the restaurant along with interviews with and testing of foodhandlers at The Boathouse Rotisserie and Raw Bar did not implicate those persons or the restaurant as a source of infection.

Seventy-five percent of those tested were positive for norovirus. Confirmed by the Food and Drug Administration, the illnesses have been linked to raw shell oysters harvested off of the coast of Mississippi. Under advisement of the FDA, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is advising consumers not to eat oysters harvested from Conditionally Approved Area 2 “C” Shellfish Growing Waters in Mississippi from Jan. 5-9. These oysters may be contaminated with norovirus. …

Oysters cultivated in coastal areas close to human activities can be contaminated by human sewage, which can spread different types of viruses, including noroviruses.

Raw oysters cause seven in Tennessee to barf

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to eat raw oysters harvested from West Karako Bay, a section of Growing Area 3 in Louisiana. These oysters, harvested from Dec. 3 through Dec. 21, may be contaminated with norovirus.

Consumers who ate raw oysters on or after Dec. 3 and experienced these symptoms are encouraged to contact their health care providers and local health departments. Consumers concerned about the origin of oysters they have recently purchased should contact the place of purchase to determine if the oysters were harvested from the identified area during the Dec. 3-21 period.

FDA has received reports of norovirus infection in seven individuals who ate raw oysters on Dec. 13 at a restaurant in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Tennessee Department of Health’s test results from two of the ill patients were positive for norovirus. FDA confirmed the presence of norovirus in shell oysters harvested from the West Karako Bay section of Growing Area 3 and were served at the restaurant. Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals closed the affected growing area on Dec. 21. FDA is working with the states involved to determine if any additional actions may be necessary to ensure public health protection.

The original shipper of the oysters is Prestige Oyster Company of Theriot, La. The company shipped the oysters to Bon Secour Fisheries in Bon Secour, Ala. Bon Secour Fisheries, in turn, shipped the oysters to the restaurant in Chattanooga. Considering the shelf-life of the product, it is possible that suspect oysters from the designated area are still available in other retail and food service settings.

FDA advises that it’s always best to cook seafood thoroughly to minimize the risk of foodborne illness. Consumers can continue to enjoy oysters in many cooked preparations by following this advice:

At Restaurants and other Foodservice Establishments:
 0. Order oysters fully cooked.

In the Shell:
• Purchase oysters with the shells closed. Throw away any oysters with shells already opened.

To prepare oysters for eating, choose one of the following methods:
• Boil oysters until the shells open. Once open, boil for an additional 3-5 minutes.
• Steamer – add oysters to water that are already steaming and cook live oysters until the shells open; once open steam for another 4-9 minutes.
• Use smaller pots to boil or steam oysters. Using larger pots, or cooking too many oysters at one time, may cause uneven heat distribution, which may cause the oysters in the middle to not get fully cooked.
• Discard any oysters that do not open during cooking.

Shucked Oysters:
To prepare oysters for eating, choose one of the following methods:
 • Boil or simmer shucked oysters for at least 3 minutes or until the edges curl.
• Fry at 375 degrees for at least 3 minutes.
• Broil 3 inches from heat for 3 minutes.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

For further information contact:
FDA Food Safety Hotline: 1-888-SAFEFOOD_FDA website: www.cfsan.fda.gov