Tag Archives: Turkey

Epidemiology can work; Salmonella Hadar found in fingered Jennie-O turkey burgers

Posted on by
Reply

Oh frozen food, you are so helpful during investigations of foodborne illness.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported last night, in its best CDC-speak,

“Collaborative investigative efforts of state, local, and federal public health and regulatory agencies have linked this outbreak to eating turkey burgers. Investigators were not able to determine consumption of turkey burgers for all case-patients. However, FSIS determined that at least three of the case-patients in Colorado, Ohio, and Wisconsin specifically reported eating Jennie-O Turkey burgers the week before their illness began. Samples of Jennie-O ground turkey burgers were collected by public health agencies from the homes of case-patients in Colorado and Wisconsin who tested positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella Hadar. Both turkey burger samples were positive for the outbreak strain. States have reported antibiotic resistance of the outbreak strain to several clinically useful drugs including ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, cephalothin, and tetracycline.

"As of April 1, 2011, 12 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Hadar have been reported from 10 states: Arizona (1 case), California (1 case), Colorado (1 case), Georgia (1 case), Illinois (1 case), Missouri (1 case), Mississippi (1 case), Ohio (1 case), Washington (1 case), and Wisconsin (3 cases). Isolation dates range from December 27, 2010 to March 24, 2011. Ill persons range in age from 1 year to 86 years old, with a median age of 29 years old. Sixty-three percent are female. Among the 12 ill persons with available information, three have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported."

12 sick with salmonella linked to turkey burgers

Posted on by
1

They may be all natural and lean, but raw, frozen turkey burgers can contain salmonella. With raw, frozen turkey thingies and burgers, and raw frozen beef patties, people have been observed to treat them like a sterile mini-Frisbee because they are frozen, leading to cross-contamination. And something like 1 per cent of Americans say they use a tip-sensitive thermometer to ensure burgers or thingies have reached a safe temperature; color is a lousy indicator of safety. That’s why it’s important to reduce loads of dangerous microorganisms in foods before they reach the food service or home kitchen.

At least 12 people throughout the U.S. are sick with Salmonella serotype Hadar, with illnesses occurring between December 2010 and March 2011. Health types determined that three of the patients in Colorado, Ohio, and Wisconsin specifically reported eating a Jennie-O ground turkey burger prior to illness onset and hospitalization; the last of these illnesses was reported on March 14, 2011.

Last night, Jennie-O Turkey Store, a Willmar, Minn. establishment, recalled approximately 54,960 pounds of frozen, raw turkey burger products that may be contaminated with salmonella. As the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) continues its investigation of illnesses related to this recall, additional raw turkey products may be recalled.

The products subject to recall include:
• 4-pound boxes of Jennie-O Turkey Store® "All Natural Turkey Burgers with seasonings Lean White Meat". Each box contains 12 1/3-pound individually wrapped burgers.

A use by date of "DEC 23 2011" and an identifying lot code of "32710" through "32780" are inkjetted on the side panel of each box, just above the opening tear strip. Establishment number "P-7760" is located within the USDA mark of inspection on the front of each box. The products were packaged on Nov. 23, 2010 and were distributed to retail establishments nationwide.

When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on FSIS’ website at www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/ Open_Federal_Cases/index.asp.
 

Fewer sick people? USDA sets new performance standards for salmonella and campylobacter in poultry

Posted on by
Reply

I’m a fan of performance standards, quality control, continuous improvement – all those things that can measure risk reduction.

(And why zero tolerances sorta suck.)

But keep it real.

“FSIS estimates that approximately 5,000 illnesses will be prevented each year under the new Campylobacter standards, and approximately 20,000 illnesses will be prevented under the revised Salmonella standards each year.”

Standards good, extrapolations based on … who knows what, bad.

Judge for yourselves. The press release is below. Full details have been published in the federal register and are available at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/2009-0029.pdf

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) today announced implementation of revised and new performance standards aimed at reducing the prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter in young chickens and turkeys. The improved standards will become effective in July 2011. With the new standards, FSIS is encouraging establishments slaughtering chicken and turkey to make continued reductions in the occurrence of pathogens – namely Salmonella and Campylobacter – in the products they produce.

After two years of enforcing the new standards, FSIS estimates that approximately 5,000 illnesses will be prevented each year under the new Campylobacter standards, and approximately 20,000 illnesses will be prevented under the revised Salmonella standards each year.

"These improved standards are a stronger buffer between foodborne illnesses and our consumers, especially our most vulnerable consumers – children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "There is no more important mission at USDA than ensuring the safety of our food, and we are working every day to lower the danger of foodborne illness. The new standards announced today mark an important step in our efforts to protect consumers by further reducing the incidence of Salmonella and opening a new front in the fight against Campylobacter."

FSIS developed stricter performance standards using recently completed nationwide studies that measure the baseline prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter in young chickens and turkeys prepared for market. The studies indicated that, despite improvements, there was still a risk of consumers being exposed to these pathogens through poultry.

"While the industry has made significant strides in recent years, far too many Americans continue to fall victim to these foodborne illnesses," said Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen. "These improved standards will drive the industry to do better. They are tough but achievable. And when fully implemented, they will prevent tens of thousands of Americans from getting sick."

President Obama’s Food Safety Working Group (FSWG) developed three core principles to help guide food safety in the United States: prioritizing prevention, strengthening surveillance and enforcement, and improving response and recovery. In its overall mission to ensure a safe food supply for the public, and in response to the FSWG, FSIS developed the stricter performance standards to cut the Salmonella risk in poultry products.

Manitoba Hutterite company fined for reselling turkeys to Guelph man and used for hockey fundraisers

Posted on by
1

CBC News reports that a business owned by a Manitoba Hutterite colony has been fined for selling thousands of turkeys deemed not fit for human consumption.

Hazelridge-based Heartland Colony Farms Ltd. recently pleaded guilty to a charge under the federal Meat Inspection Act in a Winnipeg courtroom and was handed a $10,000 fine.

"There are very much public safety concerns here," provincial court Judge Sid Lerner said, adding the company showed "negligent conduct" in how it allowed the roughly 13,154 kilograms of frozen turkey carcasses to be re-introduced into the food chain.

According to the facts of the case presented by federal Crown attorney Jeremy Akerstream, the colony purchased the turkeys "sight unseen" for $16,000 in 2007 after a truck ferrying them from a British Columbia plant crashed on an Alberta highway.

They were transferred from the crashed truck to two others, meaning the turkeys were no longer fit for human consumption unless they were reinspected under federally-approved guidelines, Akerstream said.

The turkeys, which were the property of an unidentified major meat processing company, were then sold in a salvage deal to the Manitoba colony.

The colony took possession of the birds and had them repackaged into clear plastic bags. They then sold and shipped the majority to a man in Guelph, Ont. for about $27,000.

In turn, he passed on the turkeys to minor hockey league clubs in Aurora and Markham, as well as to a business, the prosecutor said.

There were no illnesses reported as a result of the birds being back in the food chain, Akerstream said.

In one interview, a company official said, "he didn’t know what the big deal was, he had eaten some of the turkeys and no one got sick," Akerstream said.

When the charge was laid, many on the colony reacted with "complete and utter shock," said defence lawyer Jamie Kagan, who represented the company in court.

"This has become a very, very expensive mistake from their perspective," he said.
 

Risk comparisons are risky, and sick people are not statistics

Posted on by
Reply

Some 1,200 people have, according to legal-types in the U.K., been sickened after staying at the First Choice-owned Holiday Village Turkey resort since 2005.

Although First Choice has paid out over £100,000 to 34 claimants who stayed at the hotel in 2005 and 2007, solicitors say it has "refused to accept responsibility" over more recent cases.

First Choice said they were in negotiations with the law firm to resolve the issue amicably and couldn’t comment further, but they did manage to keep talking and do further damage:

"First Choice would like to take this opportunity to assure all its customers that we closely audit all the resorts to which we operate, including the Holiday Village Turkey, to ensure that health, hygiene and comfort levels are maintained.

"Reports of sickness in 2010 were minimal; in particular, out of the 46,000 customers who have stayed there this year, only 0.42 per cent have reported minor ailments such as a mild stomach upset.

"This figure is extremely low, and has been substantiated by the Health Protection Agency, who have confirmed that they have received no reports of infection at the property this year.”

Telling 193 paying customers that their barfing was a statistical anomaly isn’t going to win future customers. And won’t help in court.
 

Frozen turkey in a bag reduces cross contamination risk

Posted on by
Reply

Turkey after holidays is cheaper and often more appreciated.

With the football final four on television for an exhausting seven hours yesterday (note the HDTV picture at the right, with some sort of cartoon character apparently farting), I took the opportunity to try out the frozen Kroger Private Selection Ready-Roast Turkey.

I usually buy whatever is the least processed because of cost (food processing is all about adding water and air and charging more), but there was a bunch of these turkeys leftover after the holidays, and I had a $4-off coupon, so figured it cost about $0.50 a pound.

Borrowing from Pete Snyder’s why-not-cook-from-frozen, the bird arrives trimmed, stuffed and frozen, inside of some plastic bag. This is particularly nifty because it eliminates cross-contamination risks. Take the bag containing the turkey, put in a roasting pan, make a few slices in the plastic and cook for about 4 hours. After confirming a proper temperature was reached with a tip-sensitive digital thermometer (I went to about 175F because of the stuffing, not just piping hot), slice and serve with homemade whole wheat rolls from scratch, drink more beer and wine and watch bad football. Converse (not the shoes).

The spices and stuffing overwhelmed the flavor somewhat and I didn’t serve on a decorative serving platter, but overall the convenience – and reduced cross-contamination risk – worked well.
 

Vacationing Brits sue after salmonella sickness in Turkey

Posted on by
Reply

A group of 107 angry travellers say they fell ill after eating under-cooked food and using a swimming pool contaminated by human waste at Sarigerme Holiday Village in Dalaman, Turkey in 2009.

The group is suing First Choice Holidays and Flights for compensation.

A High Court writ claims buffet food was lukewarm and items like chicken were not cooked properly.

Flies and wasps also allegedly infested food areas and a pool had human waste in it.

Last night a First Choice spokeswoman said their lawyers are in talks with a no-win no-fee legal firm to resolve the case.

"We closely audit all the resorts to which we operate, including the Holiday Village Turkey, to ensure that health, hygiene and comfort levels are maintained."
 

Clostridium in holiday meal sickens 34 in Thunder Bay

Posted on by
Reply

The Slovak Legion in Thunder Bay, Ontario (that’s in Canada, and it’s cold) hosted a Christmas meal on Dec. 14, 2010; at least 34 diners ended up barfing.

Clostridium prefringens (that’s perfringens – dp) has been identified as the bacteria that caused the illnesses. It was found in the cooked turkey sample and stool samples that were submitted for testing.

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit notes almost all food-related outbreaks of C. perfringens are associated with inadequately cooled or reheated meals such as turkey dinners. Outbreaks are usually traced to large-scale food premises.

To prevent food-related illness:
• Educate food handlers on correct food safety practices
• Serve meat dishes hot, or as soon as they are cooked
• Do not partially cook meat and poultry one day and reheat the next
• Divide large amounts of food into smaller containers to allow rapid cooling

Try out our holiday meal food safety infosheet at foodsafetyinfosheet.com.


 

Real-time turkey: Carl Custer version

Posted on by
2

Food safety sage Carl Custer (left, exactly as shown) shares his version of turkey time today from Bethesda, Maryland:

My nephew comes over with three gallons of peanut oil and a brined turkey to use my tamale steamer/turkey fryer. Instructions say 350°F oil for 52 minutes. At 35 minutes I pull it out and check deep thigh temperature with a Comark PDT 300.

It’s 175°F. ¡Ay carumba! Into the kitchen and double check deep breast temperature: 145! Male puppy! Back to the fryer for another 10 minutes.

Deep breast temperature in several places is now >170°F.

Earlier, a brine injected turkey goes into the grill/smoker at 7:00 a.m. Yawn.

It’s cold and drizzly so difficult to keep air temperature >200°F even with tarp and wind shields. Pull turkey at noon; it’s 150°F. Put into a 350°F oven with an 8 cm "L-shaped" probe. I wrap the probe with a wet paper towel so it doesn’t act as a "potato nail" and give a false high reading. An hour later it’s 160°F and coasting up to 168°F.

Mmmm mmmm good and safe.

Time may be on your side but temperature is better.

Carl also notes the raw birds were handled with latex gloves, and sinks were washed with detergent & paper towels, followed by 70% ethanol.

Texas Aggie food microbiologist, Carl Custer, sojourning in Merryland for past 38 years, smokes turkey (and other animal parts) following scientific principles.

Real-time turkey: using a thermometer to ensure safety

Posted on by
Reply

Color is a lousy indicator. So are those pop-up thingies that Michele wrote about last night. There was one on my bird that I was apparently supposed to insert. Or not. It  popped after 20 minutes. Useless.

Poultry should be cooked to an end-temperature of 165F or 74C, as measured by a tip-sensitive digital thermometer. The problem with 15-pound turkeys is that the breast was creeping up to 140-150F, while the stuffing and other parts were languishing at 120. Foil over the breast helps, but it’s always a problem; and why gravy was invented.

This isn’t perfect, and cross-contamination is always a concern, but I removed the two turkey breasts, ensured they were fully cooked, scooped out the stuffing and brought it to a safe temperature in the microwave. The remainder of the bird went back in the oven.

A delicious meal was had by all. To avoid problems with Clostridium perfringens, I took the remainder of the turkey apart within an hour, the good meat in the refrigerator, the rest into the stock pot – turkey stock is really one of the best parts of the (subsequent) meal.

Stick it in.