FSnet Aug

FSnet Aug. 25/08

BARFBLOG: Maple Leaf: Make your listeria data public

ONTARIO: Sandwich distributor launches recall, says products could contain tainted meat

ONTARIO: Health Hazard Alert: Certain Safeway brand and TakeAwayCafe brand sandwiches may contain Listeria monocytogenes

IRELAND: Listeria poisoning almost double

OKLAHOMA: One dead, 11 sickened in possible E. coli outbreak

US: FSIS launching new method of food safety assessments

CHINA's legislators meet, deliberating draft laws on food safety, recycling

OHIO: Restaurant inspection report

MISSOURI: Anti-Posilac celebration is premature

Persistence and metabolic activity of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in farm animal faeces.

All blood, No stool: enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection.

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BARFBLOG: Maple Leaf: Make your listeria data public
25.aug.08
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/listeria-1/maple-leaf-make-your-listeria-data-public/index.html
Relying on the government is a really bad strategy to rebuild confidence in a consumer brand. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada and any number of other agencies – 50 per cent of government press release content contains praise for other agencies -- have provided scant data during the listeria outbreak in Canada. A technical briefing last night was little more than another opportunity for government types to praise … themselves.
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/listeria-1/death-toll-from-listeria-in-canada-climbs/
When was the first onset of illness? When were the various deaths recorded, and when were they identified as cases of listeriosis? How many pregnant women have been stricken and have there been any miscarriages or stillbirths?
Yesterday, Michael H. McCain, president & CEO of listeria-embattled Maple Leaf said in a press release,
"If there is any question in the consumers' mind about any product from that plant, then the onus is on us, and the CFIA, to act decisively and swiftly to restore consumer confidence. Our actions are guided by putting public health first."
http://investor.mapleleaf.ca/phoenix.zhtml?c=88490&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1189869&highlight=
I’d keep CFIA out of it. They test the plants for listeria a few times a year. As Maple Leaf Foods spokesperson Linda Smith told CTV Newsnet Friday, officials at the plant are,
"… constantly looking for it (listeria), constantly swabbing and looking for it."
Smith said the equipment at the plant is sanitized every day and officials take about 3,000 swabs per year. The plant also has a microbiologist on site, she said.
"This plant has an excellent food safety record, excellent inspection record, excellent external auditors. We'll never know exactly how it got here."
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080822/second_death_080822/20080822?hub=CTVNewsAt11
But you do have 3,000 samples per year. If Maple Leaf really wants to restore public confidence, release the listeria data. How many positives does the Toronto plant see in a year? Were there positives leading up to the initial Aug. 17, 2008 recall? If there were no positives, why not? What is the protocol when a positive is discovered?
Consumers can handle more, not less information about the food they eat.
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2007/05/articles/ifsn-oped/whats-your-score-mate/

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ONTARIO: Sandwich distributor launches recall, says products could contain tainted meat
25.aug.08
Canadian Press
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iKLvAnJGK7KHuWtT9tWUamt4FY-g
Globe and Mail
Elizabeth Church and Omar El Akkad
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080824.wrecall25/BNStory/National/home
OTTAWA -- Despite the four deaths in the listeriosis outbreak, Federal Health Minister Tony Clement says the incident highlights the effectiveness of Canada's food safety systems.
"The surveillance system picked up a problem that was occurring and allowed us to respond efficiently and effectively to an emerging public health issue," Clement told an Ottawa news conference Sunday.
He termed it tragic that four people have lost their lives, but insisted nevertheless that "this is an example of where our surveillance system worked."
Clement acknowledged, when pressed, that there's always room for improvement. But he continued to maintain that once Ottawa was notified of the problem it acted as quickly as possible.
'In those terms, certainly, I think this was a success," he said of the federal response.
"When there's a loss of life involved it is always tragic . . . It should force us to review our protocols, review how we deal with things and see if there are better ways we can do things.
"But once we were aware of the situation (federal officials) acted very quickly."
Officials with Canada's Public Health Agency said Canadians need to remain on guard for at least a few more weeks, given Listeriosis' lengthy incubation of up to 70 days.

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ONTARIO: Health Hazard Alert: Certain Safeway brand and TakeAwayCafe brand sandwiches may contain Listeria monocytogenes
25.aug.08
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Garfield Balsom
OTTAWA -- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Lucerne Foods are warning the public not to serve or consume the Safeway brand and TakeAwayCafé brand sandwiches described below because these products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The following Safeway brand and TakeAwayCafé brand sandwiches are affected by this alert.
(see http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2008/20080825e.shtml )
The Safeway brand sandwiches have been distributed in Alberta and Saskatchewan through Safeway stores. The TakeAwayCafé brand sandwiches have been distributed in Alberta through Mac’s Convenience stores.
This recall is being initiated as some of these sandwiches contain various ready-to-eat deli meat products recalled by Maple Leaf Consumer Foods, Burlington, ON. There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these sandwiches.
Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with this bacteria may cause listeriosis, a foodborne illness. Listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness, however, infections during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth.
The manufacturer, Lucerne Foods, Calgary, AB, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.
For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).
CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).
For information on Listeria monocytogenes, visit the Food Facts web page
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/causee.shtml.
For information on receiving recalls by e-mail, or for other food safety facts, visit our web site at www.inspection.gc.ca.

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IRELAND: Listeria poisoning almost double
25.aug.08
Independent.ie
Eilish O'Regan
http://www.independent.ie/health/lastest-news/listeria--poisoning-almost-double-1462416.html
Two people have died in four years from the food bug listeriosis, which affected a record number of patients here in 2007. A new report reveals there were 21 cases of listeriosis in Ireland last year compared to 11 in 2004 when it first became mandatory to report outbreaks.
Listeriosis can be picked up from infected food, particularly pâté, certain cheeses, and unwashed fruit and vegetables, including pre-packed salad.
Many healthy adults pick up the listeria germ and have no symptoms but it can seriously affect older people, very young children and those whose defences are weakened due to a lowered immune system.
It is potentially harmful to unborn babies, so pregnant women need to be especially careful. A report from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has shown that between 2004 and 2007 an adult and a newborn baby died from the infection. Three babies in the womb also died.
Last year the main increase in cases here was among pregnant women and newborn babies, according to the report. Five of the pregnant women were non-Irish, with three from Eastern Europe, one from Asia and one from Africa.
It said the trend here is different to the rise in cases in Germany, England and Wales where, increasingly, it is found in adults who are not pregnant.
The report states: "In 2007 a number of patients reported recent consumption of foods considered high risk for listeriosis, in particular soft cheese and sliced cooked meats."

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OKLAHOMA: One dead, 11 sickened in possible E. coli outbreak
25.aug.08
Tulsa World
Deon Hampton
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sports/article.aspx?articleID=20080824_2__Onepe36814
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/e-coli/one-dead-11-sickened-in-oklahoma-e-coli-outbreak/index.html
One person died and 11 others are suffering from illnesses possibly related to E. coli, a St. Francis Hospital spokeswoman confirmed late Sunday.
The identity of the person hasn’t been released and it is believed the person died over the weekend, the spokeswoman said.
The 11 people with illnesses remained as St. Francis patients late Sunday, the spokeswoman said. Leslea Bennett-Webb, communications director for the Oklahoma Department of Health, confirmed at least 10 people were taken to the hospital after eating at a restaurant in Locust Grove.
She said St. Francis notified them about the victims Friday.
However, she said, between 12 to 20 more people in Beggs, Pryor and Bixby were treated at various Northeast Oklahoma hospitals with similar symptoms this past week.
There have been discussions the illnesses are related to E. coli, but it hasn’t been confirmed, Bennett-Webb said. These illnesses are a very severe and bloody form of diarrhea, she said.

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US: FSIS launching new method of food safety assessments
25.aug.08
Meatingplace.com
Tom Johnston
http://www.meatingplace.com/MembersOnly/webNews/details.aspx?item=9485
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service is rolling out a new methodology of conducting food safety assessments (FSAs) at 5,300 HACCP meat processing plants aimed at improving the consistency of inspections and documenting findings.
Under the new program, those plants can expect a random FSA at least once every four years, creating a set cycle for all plants, which had not been the case in the past.
A new set of questions also will provide a structure by which Enforcement, Investigations and Analysis Officers (EIAOs) can better collect data for input in a database. Those questions will be made available to processors by late September.
"I don't need a cookie-cutter approach to FSAs, but I need a certain structure that they don't have today," Ken Peterson, assistant administrator of FSIS's Office of Field Operations, toldMeatingplace.com on the sidelines of National Meat Association's summer conference in Telluride, Colo.
Peterson said in the interview that his office is trying to prioritize visits based on risk. Between now and next summer, he said, the new method will be applied to the 700 to 800 plants that produce 95 percent of all commodities, from slaughter to canning. Meaning, the agency is starting with the largest establishments and will work its way down.
Listeria testing added
In addition, for those 2,400 or so plants that produce ready-to-eat product or other product at risk of harboring listeria monocytongenes, the FSAs will now include testing and sampling for that pathogen in plant areas including belts, drains and product, Peterson noted.
Previously, FSAs did not including pathogen sampling and testing. In-plant USDA inspectors conduct testing and sampling on a daily basis. FSAs, conducted by EIAOs, are broad inspections that assess all food safety aspects of a plant, including its products, processes and environment.
The new FSA methodology is part of an overall effort by FSIS to create uniformity of inspections. The initiative includes the implementation of a matrix with which FSIS officials can track the effectiveness of inspector training.

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CHINA's legislators meet, deliberating draft laws on food safety, recycling
25.aug.08
Xinhua News Agency
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/25/content_9705091.htm
BEIJING -- The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, started a five-day session here Monday to review draft laws on food safety and recycling, among other issues.
Five bills would be deliberated during the fourth session of the 11th NPC Standing Committee.

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MISSOURI: Anti-Posilac celebration is premature
24.aug.08
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
David Nicklaus
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/columnists.nsf/davidnicklaus/story/59CD50594E3F9818862574AD000C17FD?OpenDocument
When Monsanto announced two weeks ago that it was getting out of the milk-hormone business, anti-biotechnology groups were quick to take credit.
Greenpeace declared the exit "a big victory for consumers." The Center for Food Safety crowed that Monsanto was leaving "the failing artificial growth hormone business."
Now that the rest of the story is in, the groups' victory celebrations seem premature. Not only did Monsanto get a good price — $300 million plus an opportunity to participate in future profits — but it sold its Posilac business to a company that's deeply involved in animal agriculture.
The buyer, Eli Lilly's Elanco division, sold nearly $1 billion worth of animal medicines, feed additives and related products last year, including other "productivity enhancers" for the dairy industry. The company said the deal "means farmers have continued access to this vital technology, and that consumers can continue to have access to affordable, wholesome milk."
For its part, Monsanto has sharpened its focus on genetically modified seeds. The anti-biotech crowd doesn't like those products, either, but they've been phenomenally successful for the company. By helping corn, soybean and cotton farmers fight pests and increase yields, Monsanto has been able to triple its profits, and more than triple its share price, in the last three years.
This isn't a company, in short, that needs to retreat from anything. "Essentially, we are going to focus on what we do best," Monsanto spokeswoman –Danielle Jany said in explaining the Posilac sale. "We're really excited that it is going to a business focused on animal agriculture and to a business that has a history with the product." Elanco has distributed Posilac outside the United States for more than a decade.

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Persistence and metabolic activity of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in farm animal faeces.
24.aug.08
National Center for Biotechnology Information
Williams AP, McGregor KA, Killham K, Jones DL
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18715227?dopt=AbstractPlus
Ruminants, and to a lesser extent monogastric farm animals, are known to be natural reservoirs of Escherichia coli O157:H7, and contact with contaminated faeces has been linked to human infection. This study used a nontoxigenic, chromosomally marked, lux reporter strain to compare the persistence and activity (bioluminescence) of E. coli O157:H7 over 21 days in the faecal liquor of five farm animals: horse, sheep, cow, pig and piglet. Samples were inoculated with the lux E. coli O157:H7 (7.82 log CFU mL(-1)) and stored at 20 +/- 1 degrees C. The organism was recovered from all samples throughout the experimental period, although lower numbers were recovered from horse faecal liquor relative to all other types (P

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All blood, No stool: enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection.
24.aug.08
National Center for Biotechnology Information
Yoon JW, Hovde CJ
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18716441?dopt=AbstractPlus
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 is a pathotype of diarrheagenic E. coli that produces one or more Shiga toxins, forms a characteristic histopathology described as attaching and effacing lesions, and possesses the large virulence plasmid pO157. The bacterium is recognized worldwide, especially in developed countries, as an emerging food-borne bacterial pathogen, which causes disease in humans and in some animals. Healthy cattle are the principal and natural reservoir of E. coli O157:H7, and most disease outbreaks are, therefore, due to consumption of fecally contaminated bovine foods or dairy products. In this review, we provide a general overview of E. coli O157:H7 infection, especially focusing on the bacterial characteristics rather than on the host responses during infection.

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