FSnet Aug.
12/08 -- III
GEORGIA Ag routine sampling leads to FDA import
alert
![]()
Regulation will not curtail risks to food:
Schafer
![]()
NEW MEXICO: State: E. coli cases linked to
national outbreak
![]()
TEXAS: Crypto-infected guest visits Aquatic Park
![]()
CALIFORNIA: Farm groups urge changes to federal
food-safety programs
![]()
US: Search for salmonella in vegetables is a
long process
![]()
ABSTRACT: Low incidence of foodborne pathogens
of concern in raw milk utilized for farmstead
cheese production
![]()
ABSTRACT: Content loaded within last 14 days -
survival and growth of acid-adapted and
unadapted salmonella in and on raw tomatoes as
affected by variety, stage of ripeness, and
storage temperature
![]()
ABSTRACT: 60-day aging requirement does not
ensure safety of surface-mold-ripened soft
cheeses manufactured from raw or pasteurized
milk when listeria monocytogenes is introduced
as a postprocessing contaminant
![]()
ABSTRACT: Survival of listeria monocytogenes
strains in a dry sausage model
![]()
how to subscribe
GEORGIA Ag routine sampling leads to FDA import
alert
12.aug.08
MyFox Atlanta
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7191504&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
ATLANTA -- The Georgia Department of Agriculture
food labs have confirmed Listeria monocytogenes
in a chicken salad kit shipped from Canada and
used in Publix stores, Commissioner Tommy Irvin
said Tuesday.
Publix voluntarily pulled all of the product and
these kits from all of their stores as soon as
GDA labs confirmed the presence of Listeria in
the salad and before further sampling determined
the source, Irvin said.
GDA notified the Food and Drug Administration of
the confirmed positive for Listeria
monocytogenes in the kit and FDA issued an
Import Bulletin on the kits from Tiffany Gate
Foods, Toronto, Canada.
No illnesses associated with the salad have been
reported.
GDA Consumer Protection Division inspectors
first pulled samples of the chicken salad made
with the Country Club Salad kits and Publix's
rotisserie chicken as part of the routine target
sampling protocol. As part of the procedure, the
GDA food labs then did follow-up testing on the
salad. The labs then performed separate tests on
the individual kit ingredients and the
rotisserie chicken.
Inspectors will continue to verify that all of
the salad and kits have been pulled from all
stores that may have been using the kit, Irvin
said.
Regulation will not curtail risks to food:
Schafer
12.aug.08
Reuters
Jasmin Melvin
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN1250525620080812?sp=true
WASHINGTON -- After several meat recalls this
year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture does
not see passing new regulations as a solution to
curtail risks to food, Secretary Ed Schafer told
Reuters on Tuesday.
"I don't believe that, from a USDA standpoint,
we need to increase the number of inspectors or
change the testing requirements," Schafer told
Reuters.
He noted the many innovative ways the industry
has stepped up to control bacteria in its
facilities, from using 87,000 lbs of water
pressure to kill bacteria to using black light
to detect contamination.
"If the requirement is for a bacteria-free
product going out the door, then how they get
there to me isn't as important," he said. "I'd
like to see them experimenting with new and
better equipment and ideas. You start mandating
things, and that incentive to improve goes
away."
Overall, Schafer said he is "pleased" with what
industry is doing to reduce health risks. A USDA
spokesman said less than half a percent of
samples have E. coli.
Satisfied with USDA's requirements for food
safety procedures and testing, he opposed calls
for mandatory recall authority.
Legislation proposed would require hearings,
comment periods and paperwork that would delay
when a mandatory recall could be enforced.
"I think you do a faster, better job without a
mandatory recall," Schafer said.
A new USDA plan would list retail stores that
receive tainted products linked to recalls only
when there is a good chance a person will become
ill or die by consuming the meat or poultry
product, so-called Class I recalls.
Critics see USDA's proposed rule as inadequate
because it does not cover all recalls, such as
February's recall which stemmed from the
mistreatment of animals rather than
contamination so posed low risk to consumers.
Schafer stands by his decision to exclude other
recalls as a method of curtailing "undue and
unnecessary alarm in the marketplace," adding
that other recalls pose little to no risk to
consumers.
NEW MEXICO: State: E. coli cases linked to
national outbreak
12.aug.08
Associated Press
Las Cruces Sun-News
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_10178902
SANTA FE -- Three children in Curry County are
recovering from a bacterial gastrointestinal
illness caused by E. coli bacteria which the
state Department of Health said was linked to a
multistate outbreak traced to ground beef.
The children became ill last month. The
department did not identify them.
Dr. Alfredo Vigil, state health secretary, said
officials believe two of the children contracted
the bacteria from another infected person.
"It's important for you to know E. coli can be
prevented by handling beef properly and washing
your hands thoroughly with soap and water
frequently," he said.
The state Environment Department has not
identified any retail outlets or other
distribution points in New Mexico associated
with the outbreak. The Department of Health is
working with federal investigators in the
investigation.
TEXAS: Crypto-infected guest visits Aquatic Park
12.aug.08
Star Community Newspapers
Colony Courier-Leader
http://www.colonyleader.com/articles/2008/08/12/the_colony_courier-leader/news/0048.txt
The City of The Colony on Tuesday was notified
by the Denton County Health Department that an
individual who has a confirmed case of
cryptosporidium, which was contracted while
attending another pool, was recently a guest at
The Colony Aquatic Park.
This individual knew she had cryptosporidium and
had been told by her doctor not to swim at
another facility for at least two weeks after
her diagnosis, according to a press release.
However, she chose to ignore the directive from
her doctor and reportedly attended the local
facility over the weekend.
While the city does not know if its pools were
infected with the parasite because of this
guest, the city took immediate action upon
notification from the health department to shut
the facility down and begin hyper-chlorination
per the Centers for Disease Control's
recommendations. It is likely the SeaKlear
product in use captured any parasites that may
have resulted from this guest's visit; however,
between the routine backwashing activities
performed Monday and the hyper-chlorination
conducted Tuesday, the city has done everything
possible to prevent exposure to other guests,
according to the release.
The city reiterates it still does not have a
confirmed case of cryptosporidium resulting from
anyone's use of the Aquatic Park. Actions taken
Tuesday are the result of a potential exposure
and are precautionary efforts to protect the
health and well being of guests. The Aquatic
Park will reopen Wednesday morning for normal
activities.
CALIFORNIA: Farm groups urge changes to federal
food-safety programs
13.aug.08
California Farm Bureau Federation
Ching Lee
http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=1112&ck=20D135F0F28185B84A4CF7AA51F29500
San Joaquin County farmer Richard Rodriguez says
sales for his jalapeño peppers has been flat
since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
fingered the hot peppers as a possible culprit
in a nationwide salmonella outbreak that has
baffled investigators for months.
Although the ongoing FDA investigation has
recently narrowed its focus on serrano and
jalapeño peppers from Mexico, California growers
such as Rodriguez worry that consumers may
remain skittish about all hot peppers, as they
have about an earlier product that was
implicated.
In a field next to his jalapeños sit Roma
tomatoes that he cannot move. They are an
indication that the initial FDA advisory on
tomatoes carries a serious financial sting.
Since the agency first warned consumers on June
7 against eating certain types of red raw
tomatoes, including red Roma, red plum and red
round, business has been dire for U.S. tomato
farmers and packers.
"The demand is still not there," Rodriguez said.
"A lot of these tomatoes are just not moving,
and it's brought the market down. It's going to
be four or five years before we get a recovery
on tomatoes."
Unable to sell their product, many growers
disked their fields, and packers were left with
inventory they could not move. Ed Beckman,
president of the Fresno-based California Tomato
Farmers cooperative, said tomato sales to Canada
remain off by 35 percent, while West Coast sales
were down nearly 40 percent in June.
"We're still seeing a weakness in demand," he
said. "It's coming back in food service, but at
retail, it is still on the slow side."
Beckman testified late last month in one of two
separate congressional hearings to review issues
related to the traceability of fresh produce and
the damages FDA actions have caused the nation's
fresh tomato sector. Saying "the system is
broken," Beckman questioned the FDA approach to
the outbreak.
"There's going to have to be some changes," he
said. "But we can't even suggest what that is
until FDA opens up and tells us what happened."
In a statement submitted to the House
agriculture subcommittee on horticulture and
organic agriculture, the California Farm Bureau
Federation urged lawmakers to develop a system
that would clearly define the targets of recalls
while narrowing unneeded recall actions and the
resulting financial losses.
The Farm Bureau said more funding and staffing
are needed to research and diagnose food-borne
illnesses. Better reporting and communication is
also needed between food safety agencies and
food handlers to trace illnesses, the statement
said.
Other Farm Bureau recommendations include
reviewing FDA procedures to guarantee that
products subject to recall and consumer alerts
did cause the illness before public
announcements are made; congressional
consideration of Commodity Credit Corporation
actions or other risk-management tools to
compensate producers for losses through no fault
of their own; improved traceability of product
distribution; and enhanced food safety testing
and surveillance in countries exporting food to
the United States.
The organization also pushed for public
education programs for consumers to lessen the
likelihood of food-borne illnesses.
"A level playing field is needed where everyone
is dedicated to food safety," said Jack King,
CFBF manager of national affairs. "We know that
contamination can occur at any point and
continues once received at the retail, food
service and consumer levels. Trace-back alone
will not be the end-all in food safety."
Beckman of the tomato farmers' cooperative told
the oversight subcommittee of the House Energy
and Commerce Committee that a nationwide,
mandatory food safety regulation in tomatoes is
needed. He recommended that such a program be
modeled after ones that have been implemented in
California and Florida.
Along with Reggie Brown, executive vice
president of the Florida Tomato Growers
Exchange, Beckman told the House panel that the
two states have established food safety
guidelines for farmers and handlers and
stringent field verification audits by state ag
inspectors. Packing facilities are subject to
random and unannounced government inspections,
which include verifying their ability to conduct
trace-backs on their products.
"This would not only promote food safety to
protect public health but also level the playing
field among all tomato producers so that we are
all working under the same regulatory
framework," Beckman said.
The California Tomato Farmers cooperative, which
represents about 80 percent of the fresh market
tomatoes produced in California, adopted its
inspection program last year. Florida's food
safety regulations became effective in July.
FDA has cleared tomatoes since July 17 as safe
to eat, but that will not undo the losses
farmers and packers have already incurred, which
are estimated at $100 million to $250 million.
They are now seeking compensation for those
losses. Several lawmakers have introduced
legislation to allow U.S. tomato producers to
get some of their money back, but the
multimillion-dollar compensation package faces
an uphill battle, said Beckman.
"That thing is a long shot. It's slim to next to
nothing," he said.
Meanwhile, FDA officials are still working to
trace back the source of the salmonella
outbreak, which began in April and has led to
more than 1,300 reported illnesses in 42 states
and the District of Columbia. While they've
turned their suspicions to Mexican serrano and
jalapeño peppers, they have not completely
exonerated tomatoes, saying the summertime
staple could have been responsible for some of
the earlier illnesses. But they have cleared
U.S.-grown chili peppers as a source of
contamination.
Investigators received their first break in the
case on July 21 after they found the same strain
of Salmonella Saintpaul linked to the outbreak
on a Mexican-grown jalapeño pepper in a produce
distribution center owned by Agricola Zaragoza
in McAllen, Texas, near the Mexican border. The
tainted pepper was traced to a farm in the
Mexican state of Tamaulipas.
The following week, the same strain of
salmonella was found on a serrano pepper and in
irrigation water collected from a farm in Nuevo
Leon, Mexico. The farm grows serrano and
jalapeño peppers. The Tamaulipas farm also grew
tomatoes. Produce from both farms went through
the same distribution centers, leading
investigators to believe that cross
contamination could have occurred.
Serrano and jalapeño pepper production in
California is small compared to tomatoes. In
2006, total state acreage of all varieties of
chili peppers amounted to only 5,500, while
fresh market tomato acreage was more than
41,000, according to the California Department
of Food and Agriculture.
With a limited market for the specialty peppers,
growers such as Rodriguez fear that any dip in
demand will negatively impact his growing season
and bottom line.
"If you're taking them off the shelves, the
larger packing operations will find different
ways of selling them, so then they'll get into
some of the venues that I deal with--whether
it's the restaurant industry or farmers' markets
or some of the open-air markets," he said.
Pepper plants will stop producing if the ripened
crop is not harvested, he noted. Therefore,
working within such a small window doesn't allow
for much flexibility when markets are sluggish
and product movement is slow.
"So to keep the field viable, you have to keep
picking," Rodriguez said. "If you lose a couple
of weeks because nobody wants to buy them, you
either have to come out here and pay the labor
to take them off and throw them in the ditch or
the plants mature and that's it--no more
production."
US: Search for salmonella in vegetables is a
long process
12.aug.08
Victoria Advocate
Allison Miles
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/793/story/296183.html
Fresh fruits and vegetables don't grow with
barcodes or labels, said Emily Palmer, a
spokeswoman with the Texas Department of State
Health Services.
"You can't trace them instantaneously to a
manufacturer, much as you could a can of beans
or something like that," she said.
And that means long hours and weekend work for
some employees at the state health services
department, as they continue investigating
recent cases of salmonella saintpaul.
Between April and Friday, 1,401 cases of the
illness have been been identified, according to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Web site, with 554 cases in Texas alone.
Foods recently suspected of carrying the illness
include Roma tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeños and
serrano peppers and, Palmer said, research can
take a while.
Palmer said consumers are still advised not to
eat jalapeño and serrano peppers grown or packed
in Mexico, although those grown in the United
States are safe. Tomatoes are still potentially
linked to salmonella, she said, although those
currently on the market are safe.
"We have a very systematic way of doing it,"
Palmer said. "They are very specific
comparisons."
The state health department tracks Texas'
salmonella cases, Palmer said, in a three-phase
investigation.
First, she said, they send samples to the state
laboratory in Austin to determine the particular
strain of salmonella.
Next comes the epidemiological stage, she said,
where they speak with people infected with
salmonella to determine some connectivity
between what people said they ate before getting
sick. This phase includes an approximately
20-page interview and can introduce hurdles, she
said, if people don't remember everything
they've eaten.
"Most people don't have (the food) sitting
around their house a week or so later," Palmer
said. "It either was eaten entirely or it got
old and was thrown out."
Once that phase is complete, she said, the
health department begins its regulatory program,
analyzing supplier, grocery store and restaurant
documents. Finally, that information goes out to
other states, the United States Food and Drug
Administration and the CDC.
The outbreaks have been spread throughout 43
states, the District of Columbia and areas of
Canada, Palmer said, which also slows the
investigation up.
There is no central list of where foods come
from, she said, and when the health department
does its trace-backs, they have to ask where the
foods come from.
"And they may have gotten their tomatoes from
three different suppliers," Palmer said. "Or the
supplier may have made up a package of
perfectly-sized tomatoes that came from 10
different growers. So that's the kind of issues
we've been dealing with."
Ruben León said he hasn't lost business because
of the investigations, but admitted he's ready
to see them end.
"Especially in a Mexican restaurant, you use a
lot of tomatoes and jalapeños," said León, who
owns Las Palmas Mexican Cafe on Main Street. "We
use them in the pico de gallo and all of the hot
sauces. All the time."
Customers haven't complained, he said, although
they have asked questions.
In his three and-a-half years owning the eatery,
León said he's never experienced the recalls and
warnings like he's seen recently. And while he
may not like them, the restaurant handled the
issues as they came up.
ABSTRACT: Low incidence of foodborne pathogens
of concern in raw milk utilized for farmstead
cheese production
11.aug.08
Journal of Food Protection
D'Amico, Dennis J.; Groves, Errol; Donnelly,
Catherine W.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp/2008/00000071/00000008/art00006;jsessionid=1bdri3ddnclct.alice
Overall milk quality and prevalence of four
target pathogens in raw milk destined for
farmstead cheesemaking was examined. Raw milk
samples were collected weekly from June to
September 2006 from 11 farmstead cheese
operations manufacturing raw milk cheese from
cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk. Samples were
screened for Listeria monocytogenes,
Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, and
Escherichia coli O157:H7 both quantitatively
(direct plating) and qualitatively (PCR).
Overall, 96.8% of samples had standard plate
counts of <100,000 CFU/ml, 42.7% of which were
<1,000 CFU/ml. Although no federal standards
exist for coliforms in raw milk, 61% of samples
tested conformed to pasteurized milk standards
under the U.S. Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO)
at <10 CFU/ml. All cow and sheep milk samples
and 93.8% of goat milk samples were within the
limits dictated by the PMO for somatic cell
counts. Of the 11 farms, 8 (73%) produced
samples that were positive for S. aureus, which
was detected in 34.6% (46 of 133) of milk
samples. L. monocytogenes was isolated from
three milk samples (2.3%), two of which were
from the same farm. E. coli O157:H7 was
recovered from one sample of goat's milk for an
overall incidence of 0.75%. Salmonella was not
recovered from any of the 133 samples. The
findings of this study suggest that most raw
milk intended for farmstead cheesemaking is of
high microbiological quality with a low
incidence of pathogens. These data will help
inform risk assessments associated with the
microbiological safety of farmstead cheeses,
particularly those manufactured from raw milk.
ABSTRACT: Content loaded within last 14 days -
survival and growth of acid-adapted and
unadapted salmonella in and on raw tomatoes as
affected by variety, stage of ripeness, and
storage temperature
11.aug.08
Journal of Food Protection
Beuchat, Larry R.; Mann, David A.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp/2008/00000071/00000008/art00005;jsessionid=1bdri3ddnclct.alice
Consumption of raw round and Roma tomatoes has
been associated with outbreaks of salmonellosis.
A study was done to determine whether survival
and growth of Salmonella in and on tomatoes is
affected by variety of tomato, stage of
ripeness, and storage temperature. The influence
of acid adaptation of cells and site of
inoculation on survival and growth was studied.
Salmonella grew in stem scar and pulp tissues of
round, Roma, and grape tomatoes stored at 12 and
21°C but not in those tomatoes stored at 4°C.
Survival and growth was largely unaffected by
variety and stage of ripeness at the time of
inoculation. The pathogen did not grow on the
skin of grape tomatoes stored at 4, 12, and
21°C. Survival and growth of Salmonella
inoculated into stem scar and pulp tissues of
round and Roma tomatoes were unaffected by
exposure of cells to an acidic (pH 4.75)
environment before inoculation. Results
emphasize the importance of preventing
contamination of tomatoes with Salmonella at all
stages of ripeness, regardless of variety or
previous exposure of cells to an acidic
environment.
ABSTRACT: 60-day aging requirement does not
ensure safety of surface-mold-ripened soft
cheeses manufactured from raw or pasteurized
milk when listeria monocytogenes is introduced
as a postprocessing contaminant
11.aug.08
Journal of Food Protection
D'Amico, Dennis J.; Druart, Marc J.; Donnelly,
Catherine W.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp/2008/00000071/00000008/art00004;jsessionid=1bdri3ddnclct.alice
Because of renewed interest in specialty
cheeses, artisan and farmstead producers are
manufacturing surface-mold-ripened soft cheeses
from raw milk, using the 60-day holding standard
(21 CFR 133.182) to achieve safety. This study
compared the growth potential of Listeria
monocytogenes on cheeses manufactured from raw
or pasteurized milk and held for >60 days at
4°C. Final cheeses were within federal standards
of identity for soft ripened cheese, with low
moisture targets to facilitate the holding
period. Wheels were surface inoculated with a
five-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes at
approximately 0.2 CFU/cm2 (low level) or 2
CFU/cm2 (high level), ripened, wrapped, and held
at 4°C. Listeria populations began to increase
by day 28 for all treatments after initial
population declines. From the low initial
inoculation level, populations in raw and
pasteurized milk cheese reached maximums of 2.96
± 2.79 and 2.33 ± 2.10 log CFU/g, respectively,
after 60 days of holding. Similar growth was
observed in cheese inoculated at high levels,
where populations reached 4.55 ± 4.33 and 5.29 ±
5.11 log CFU/g for raw and pasteurized milk
cheeses, respectively. No significant
differences (P < 0.05) were observed in pH
development, growth rate, or population levels
between cheeses made from the different milk
types. Independent of the milk type, cheeses
held for 60 days supported growth from very low
initial levels of L. monocytogenes introduced as
a postprocess contaminant. The safety of cheeses
of this type must be achieved through control
strategies other than aging, and thus revision
of current federal regulations is warranted.
ABSTRACT: Survival of listeria monocytogenes
strains in a dry sausage model
11.aug.08
Journal of Food Protection
Tolvanen, Riina; Hellström, Sanna; Elsser,
Dieter; Morgenstern, Heike; Björkroth, Johanna;
Korkeala, Hannu
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp/2008/00000071/00000008/art00002;jsessionid=1bdri3ddnclct.alice
The survival of five inoculated Listeria
monocytogenes strains (DCS 31, DCS 184, AT3E,
HT4E, and HR5E) was studied in dry fermented
sausages prepared using two different starter
cultures (starter A and B) with or without a
protective Lactobacillus plantarum DDEN 2205
strain. L. monocytogenes was detected throughout
ripening in every sausage sample in which the L.
plantarum DDEN 2205 strain had not been used.
The use of either starter A, with a high
concentration of protective culture, or starter
B, with a low concentration of protective
culture, resulted in L. monocytogenes-negative
sausages after 17 days of ripening. Differential
survival was noted among the L. monocytogenes
strains during fermentation. Strains AT3E and
DCS 31 survived in sausages with protective
cultures more often than did the other strains,
whereas HT4E and HR5E were inhibited during
ripening by all starter and protective cultures
used. Protective cultures such as L. plantarum
may be used as part of a hurdle strategy in dry
sausage processing, but variations in
susceptibility of different L. monocytogenes
strains can create problems if other hurdles are
not included.
FSnet is produced by the International Food
Safety Network at Kansas State University, and
is supported at the Gold Fork level by: Marler
Clark.
FSnet is supported at the Sterling Fork level
by: CropLife Canada, Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs , New
Zealand Food Safety Authority, Monsanto Canada,
and the Ontario Cattlemen's Association.
Fsnet is supported at the Silver-plate Fork
level by: The National Restaurant Association,
Unilever, Sholl Group/Green Giant Fresh, Feedlot
Health Management Services, McDonald's, and
Syngenta Crop Protection Canada.
The Food Safety Network presents a unique
opportunity to bring together all those
associated with agriculture and food, to enhance
the safety of the food supply. To provide
financial support to the Food Safety Network,
please visit
http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu/en/donations.php.
For information on collaboration or
fee-for-service opportunities, please contact
Dr. Doug Powell: dpowell@ksu.edu
To subscribe to the html version of FSnet, send
mail to:
(subscription is free)
listserv@listserv.ksu.edu
leave subject line blank
in the body of the message type:
subscribe fsnet-L firstname lastname
i.e. subscribe fsnet-L Doug Powell
(replace fsnet-L with fsnettext to subscribe to
the text version)
To unsubscribe to the html version of FSnet,
send mail to:
listserv@listserv.ksu.edu
leave subject line blank
in the body of the message type: signoff fsnet-L
(replace fsnet-L with fsnettext to unsubscribe
from the text version)
For more information about the FSnet research
program, please contact:
Dr. Douglas Powell
associate professor
dept. diagnostic medicine/pathobiology
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS
66506
cell: 785-317-0560
fax: 785-532-4039
dpowell@ksu.edu
http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu
archived at
http://archives.foodsafety.ksu.edu/fsnet-archives.htm
|
|