Food Safety News and Resources | March
March 2024
25 March | Food Safety News and Free Resources1 |
Recall! Norovirus in oysters (USA), plus outbreaks in Europe |
Salmonella in bagged salads (Europe) |
Uncommon mycotoxins in edible hemp seeds |
Food additive causes coeliac disease? |
Guidance: Audit checklist for IFS Food Version 8 |
Webinar - Preparing for the FDA’s Enforcement of the International Adulteration Rule |
Webinar - UV-Vis analysis of food samples: Tips and tricks for QA/QC |
Webinar - Controlling Salmonella and Cronobacter in Dry Processing Environments by Managing System Breaches |
Webinar - Dry Footwear Sanitation in Food Processing |
⚠Recall! Norovirus in oysters (USA), plus outbreaks in Europe
Oysters are being recalled in the United States due to their link with a norovirus outbreak in Minnesota. This follows a series of norovirus illnesses attributed to oysters from France, Ireland and the Netherlands in the past three months.
🦠 Salmonella in bagged salads (Europe)
Insights into an outbreak caused by Salmonella typhimurium which sickened more than 120 people in Nordic countries in 2022 have been published. Washed and bagged rocket salad produced in Sweden is the likely source. Investigators suggest that contaminated irrigation water or wildlife contamination in the field could be the cause of the contamination, although no Salmonella was detected in irrigation water or environmental samples at the implicated farms.
https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.10.2300299?
🍄 Uncommon mycotoxins in edible hemp seeds
Hemp seeds cultivated for food use in Italy were sampled for myotoxins and found to be rarely affected by common regulated mycotoxins (aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol and zearalenone). However, very high levels of alternariols were found, and these were present at up to 24.4, 308, 226 and 288 µg/kg for tenuazonic acid, tentoxin, alternariol and alternariol monoether, respectively.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19440049.2024.2311850
🧪 Food additive causes coeliac disease?
Silicon dioxide, (food additive E551), which is used as an anti-caking agent, and flavour carrier has been shown to reduce oral tolerance to dietary proteins and could play a role in the development of coeliac disease.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1035141 and https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12758
📖 Guidance: Audit checklist for IFS Food Version 8
This Guideline for IFS Food Version 8 contains an audit checklist, plus typical auditor questions, examples of non-conformances and cross-references for European and United States legislation.
🎓 Webinar - Preparing for the FDA’s Enforcement of the International Adulteration Rule, 29th March
Hosted by Safety Chain Software, in this webinar, you will learn essential tips to help you prepare ahead of an FSMA Food Defense audit, what the FDA expects a facility to have in a written food defense plan, and how to train your teams to identify Actionable Process Steps (APS) and proactively mitigate risks, including required management components.
Register here:
[FSMA Friday] Preparing for the FDA’s Enforcement of the IA Rule (safetychain.com)
🎓Webinar - UV-Vis analysis of food samples: Tips and tricks for QA/QC, 27th March
Hosted by New Food, the webinar will demonstrate the application of UV-Visible spectroscopy in food analysis and also provide best practices to maximise the efficiency and accuracy of this technique.
Register here:
UV-Vis analysis of food samples: Tips and tricks for QA/QC (newfoodmagazine.com)
🎓Webinar - Controlling Salmonella and Cronobacter in Dry Processing Environments by Managing System Breaches, 28th March
Food Safety Magazine will be hosting a webinar where technical experts from the dairy industry will explain what a system breach is and why it needs to be addressed, how to manage and reduce system breaches, and how to design breaches out of a system to help prevent pathogen contamination in dry and low-moisture environments.
Register here:
🎓Webinar - Dry Footwear Sanitation in Food Processing, 27th March
In this webinar hosted by Meritech, you will explore the key components necessary when implementing an effective dry footwear sanitation solution at your facility including: identifying the right location, validating the process, and maintaining consistency.
Register here:
📌In this week’s food fraud news 📌
📌 Emerging risks: Ecuador, Southern Africa, Morrocco;
📌 Methods: Chemometrics for organic foods, aquaphotomics for tomato powder; patented methods;
📌 Deforestation rule rumours, cocoa smuggling;
📌 Pink cotton candy, ‘slimming’ chocolates, horsemeat, honey, cat food, Halal fraud.
18 March | Food Safety News and Free Resources |
Recall: 10,000 cases of cheeses (multiple types) recalled for Listeria (USA) |
Outbreak! 500 people in hospital in mystery outbreak linked to buckwheat (India) |
Another Listeria-in-enoki mushroom recall (Canada) |
Recall: Plastic in dumplings from a permanent marker pen (USA) |
Webinar - Tips for Preventing Recalls From Undeclared Allergens, On-Demand |
Webinar - Ensuring food safety amid supply chain disruption |
⚠ Recall: 10,000 cases of cheeses (multiple types) recalled for Listeria (USA)
Shredded cheeses including Cotija, Parmesan, Swiss, continue to be recalled in an event that was initiated on 5th February.
🏥 Outbreak! 500 people in hospital in mystery outbreak linked to buckwheat (India)
Hundreds of people have been admitted to hospitals in India with symptoms including vomiting and diarrhoea after consuming foods made with buckwheat flour in multiple venues and food types. The cause of the illnesses is unknown.
⚠ Another Listeria-in-enoki mushroom recall (Canada)
Fresh enoki mushrooms that could be contaminated with Listeria are still being imported to Canada, it appears. The latest recall was sparked by a consumer complaint, although no illnesses were reported.
⚠ Recall: Plastic in dumplings from a permanent marker pen (USA)
Consumer complaints prompted a recall of dumplings due to the presence of pieces of plastic from a marker pen.
🎓Webinar - Tips for Preventing Recalls From Undeclared Allergens, On-Demand
Did you know that over one third of the recall incidents in the food industry are due to undeclared ingredients on the package? In this webinar hosted by IFSQN, an expert shares his tips for preventing recalls from undeclared allergens.
11 March | Food Safety News and Free Resources |
Recall: Lead in ground cinnamon products (USA) |
Parasite in bacon causes brain cysts (USA) |
Webinar - HQF Certification for Cleaning Stations: Elevating Hygiene and Quality Standards |
Webinar - Ensuring food safety amid supply chain disruption |
⚠ Lead in ground cinnamon products (USA)
Ground cinnamon products (six brands) have been subject to warnings and sellers have been asked to voluntarily recall them after they were found to contain elevated levels of lead during testing by the FDA. Lead levels ranged from 2.1 to 3.4 parts per million (ppm). The lead could be present due to intentional adulteration but may be there due to accidental contamination or from lead absorbed by the cinnamon trees during growth - USA 06/03/2024
🧠 Parasite in bacon causes brain cysts (USA)
A man in the US whose brain was scanned after he complained of headaches was found to have pork tapeworm larvae (Taenia solium) in his brain, a condition known as neurocysticercosis. The infection has been attributed to autoinfection and eating lightly cooked pork. For more, see this week’s issue of The Rotten Apple.
https://amjcaserep.com/abstract/index/idArt/943133
🎓Webinar - HQF Certification for Cleaning Stations: Elevating Hygiene and Quality Standards, 15th March
In this webinar hosted by IFSQN you will explore the pivotal role of HQF certification in maintaining high standards of hygiene, quality, and food safety within cleaning stations, ensuring the integrity of the products they handle.
Register here:
HQF Certification for Cleaning Stations: Elevating Hygiene and Quality (webinarjam.com)
🎓Webinar - Ensuring food safety amid supply chain disruption, 20th March
Hosted by New Food, the webinar will discuss how to maintain high food safety standards despite turbulent supply chains.
Register here:
Ensuring food safety amid supply chain disruption - New Food Magazine
📌 Food Fraud News 📌
In this week’s food fraud news:
📌 Fraudulent certifications on snackfood;
📌 Fake butter, frozen fish conceals cocaine;
📌 Potato fraud, mealie meal fraud, organic rice;
📌 Warning over supply chain disruptions.
Become a paid subscriber to access The Rotten Apple’s food fraud news.
4 March | Food Safety News and Free Resources |
Blood poisoning from probiotic supplements |
Recall: Meat contaminated with mineral oil (USA) |
Baffling: Raw cheese supplier cancels its recall despite epidemiology linking it to severe illness (USA) |
Guidance: Antimicrobial Resistance in the food supply chain (Europe) |
Webinar - What’s In and What’s Out: Defining Controlled and Environmental Agricultural and Its Produce Safety Best Practices, 12th March |
Webinar - FDA Traceability Rule: Impact and Compliance, 8th March |
☠ Blood poisoning from probiotic supplements
Researchers have investigated case reports of patients who suffered and died from Clostridium butyricum bacteremia (blood poisoning) and confirmed that all infection strains matched organisms in probiotic products. C. butyricum probiotics are commonly prescribed in Asia.
The researchers concluded that probiotics containing C. butyricum should be subject to “judicious prescription practices”, especially for hospitalised patients.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/30/4/23-1633_article
⚠ Recall: Meat contaminated with mineral oil (USA)
Investigations that followed complaints of “chemical tastes” in meat products revealed that the meat had been contaminated with non-food grade mineral oil. The meat processor claimed their oil supplier had sent them a drum of non-food grade mineral oil labelled as food-grade mineral oil. The oil was seal oil and was used on food contact surfaces. More than 93,000 pounds of raw meat has been recalled.
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2024/03/restaurant-complaints-about-meat-result-in-46-ton-recall/
😮 Baffling: Raw cheese supplier cancels recall despite epidemiology linking it to severe illnesses (USA)
The maker of raw cheddar cheese which has been linked to E. coli infections, including two cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe condition that can lead to kidney failure, has withdrawn its recall after testing failed to find E. coli in product samples. Whole genome sequencing has linked 11 cases to the product, with seven of nine interviewed cases having eaten the specific brand of raw cheddar cheese in the week before becoming ill.
The maker of the cheese is also currently a defendant in court action related to its violation of a permanent injunction which intended to prevent it from selling certain raw milk products in interstate commerce.
📖 Guidance: Antimicrobial Resistance in the food supply chain (Europe)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published guidance for food safety agencies about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the food supply chain in Europe, including strategies for the prevention and control of AMR.
https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/9789289058759
🎓 Webinar - What’s In and What’s Out: Defining Controlled and Environmental Agricultural and Its Produce Safety Best Practices, 12th March
Hosted by Virginia Tech, the webinar will discuss Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and actionable steps to enhance produce safety.
Register here:
🎓 Webinar - FDA Traceability Rule: Impact and Compliance, 8th March
Hosted by IFSQN, this webinar will address the recent changes in traceability regulations and their implications for various industries.
Register here: FDA Traceability Ruple: Impact and Compliance (webinarjam.com)
📌 Food Fraud News 📌
In this week’s food fraud news:
📌 Suspected cat and dog meat seized;
📌 Mislabelling in sushi and sashimi;
📌 Paprika analysis, glyphosate in tea;
📌 Dog food brands accused of misleading pet-owners;
📌 McDonalds accused of fraud over cheese analogues.
Become a paid subscriber to access The Rotten Apple’s food fraud news.
Past Issues of Food Safety News
Food Safety News, February 2024
Food Safety News, January 2024
Food Safety News, December 2023
Food Safety News, November 2023
Food Safety News, October 2023