Category: E. coli O157:H7

Outbreak of HUS and Bloody Diarrhea in France

It’s the 4th of July – Independence Day in the USA – and the national meal is burgers on the barbecue.

As they do every year, the USDA, FDA and various states have been urging the public to use meat thermometers in order to ensure that their burgers are cooked thoroughly. It’s ironic, therefore, that France has been experiencing an outbreak of E. coli O157 traced to contaminated ground beef.

On June 25th the Aquitaine Regional Health Agency (ARS Aquitaine) reported that three people were hospitalized in Bordeaux, suffering from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The three victims were children – a 2 1/2 year old girl, an eight year old girl, and a 14-year old boy. All three of the victims had consumed ground beef produced by the Société des viandes élaborées d’Estillac. The meat was sold in stores belonging to the Intermarché and Netto supermarket chains in the southwest part of France.

A fourth child – a four-year old boy – also had been hospitalized, but had not consumed any ground beef.

The manufacturer initiated a recall of the implicated meat on June 23rd, without waiting for the results of lab analysis of the ground beef. Unfortunately, the recall was not in time to prevent additional illnesses from developing.

As of July 3rd, France’s Institut de Veille Sanitaire (Institute for Health Surveillance) has received reports of eight cases of HUS and four cases of bloody diarrhea, all located in Aquitaine) and Poitou-Charentes. All of the outbreak patients live in the region where the recalled ground beef was sold. All of the eight HUS victims are children, ranging from 2 1/2 years old to 14 years of age. All eight HUS victims consumed ground beef in the period before becoming ill.

Six of the eight HUS victims and one patient with bloody diarrhea have been confirmed to be infected with E. coli O157; lab tests are still in progress on the remaining outbreak victims.

This outbreak is a cruel reminder that the risk of contracting E. coli O157 is not restricted by nationality or geography. When grilling your burgers on the barbecue, please remember to use a meat thermometer to ensure that the meat has reached a safe internal temperature of 160°F (that’s 71°C).

For more information on safe food handling, check out USDA’s Barbecue and Food Safety Fact Sheet.

Recalls and Alerts: July 4, 2012

Here is today’s list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals, allergy alerts and miscellaneous compliance issues. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please submit your request using the sidebar link.

United States

  • Allergy Alert: Fruiti Pops, Inc. recalls Fruiti Pops Classic Coconut Frozen Dessert Bars (4-oz bars; UPC 763734 000011; No lot numbers or expiration dates), due to the presence of undeclared egg yolk. The recalled bars were sold by push cart vendors and ice cream trucks in Southern California between June 25, 2012 and June 28, 2012.
  • Food Safety Recall: Andante Dairy (Petaluma, CA) recalls Andante Dairy Cheese (sizes from 5 oz to 8 oz; No code dates or variety information on packages), due to a lack of proper pasteurization. Andante Dairy cheeses, except for Musette, Tomme Dolce and Etude varieties, are under a quarantine order, as the lack of proper pasteurization could have allowed the survival of dangerous pathogens. The cheeses were sold mainly to retail markets, restaurants and cheese shops in California, with very limited distribution in Chicago and New York.
  • Animal Feed Safety  Recall: PMI Nutrition Intl., LLC (Brentwood, MO) recalls LabDiet® Guinea Pig Diet (50lb; Formula No. 5025; Lot No. APR17122), Mazuri® Maned Wolf Diet (33lb; Formula No. 5MD9; Lot #APR21122), Mazuri® Small Bird Maintenance (25lb; Formula #56A6; Lot #APR15123), and Mazuri® Primate Maintenance Biscuit (25lb; Formula #5MA2; Lot #APR22122), due to the potential for an elevated Vitamin D level in these products. The recalled products were manufactured at the company’s Richmond, IN feed plant and were distributed throughout the USA and to a few international customers.

Europe

  • Allergy Alert (UK): The Co-op recalls Co-operative Truly Irresistible Fairtrade Peruvian Dark Chocolate with Dried Sweetened Cranberries (Best before 1 February 2013 and 2 February 2013), because the products contain milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate.
  • Allergy Alert (Denmark): Stella’s Bakery recalls Romkugler (300g; 5 pcs), Tree trunks (350g; 4 pcs), Butter Tart (400g), Cinnamon Tang (350g), and Day/Night Rivets (350g; 4 pcs) with production dates of 3 July 2012 or earlier, due to the presence of undeclared milk powder.
  • Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Britvic Soft Drinks UK recalls Robinsons Fruit Shoot and Fruit Shoot Hydro packs featuring the new Magicap (All batch codes and best before dates), because the caps may become fully or partially detached. The recalled product was not distributed directly in Ireland, but some retailers may have bought affected packs from Northern Ireland or the UK.
  • Food Safety Recall (Multiple countries): Britvic International recalls Teisseire Fruit Shoot (20 cl; Best before 02-2013 and 03-2013) due to a technical problem with the bottle caps. The product was sold in Belgium and France beginning in June 2012 in individual bottles and in multi-packs.
  • Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Dansk Supermarked Indkøb recalls ATCO Hazelnuts (200g plastic bags; Lot 2384; Best before 31/10-2012; Product of Germany), due to mold growth in individual bags of the hazelnut kernels.
  • Food Safety Recall (France): Auchan and Simply Market recall Pouce brand Sardines in tomato sauce (120g; Best before 20/01/2015, 21/01/2015 and 26/01/2015), because the products may contain histamine.
  • Outbreak Alert (France): Health authorities have received reports of eight cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and four cases of bloody diarrhea since May 28th in Aquitaine and Poitou-Charentes. All eight HUS victims are children; 6 of them are confirmed to be infected with E. coli O157. Seven of the eight HUS cases are residents of Aquitaine. All of the 12 outbreak victims reported having consumed ground beef – in most cases, purchased at Intermarché or Netto stores.
  • Food Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2012.0916): Benzalkonium chloride in dietary food supplement from Slovakia, via the Czech Republic; distributed to Poland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0917): Dead mouse in pizza from Italy; distributed to Italy and Japan.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0918): Mold infestation in hazelnut kernels from Germany; distributed to Denmark.
  • Food Supplement Safety Notification (EU #2012.0919): Unauthorized 1,3 dimethylamylamine in food supplement from the USA; distributed to Finland.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0921): Didecyldimethylammonium chloride in chilled citrus fruit from South Africa; distributed to France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2012.0923): Salmonella in beef meat from the Netherlands; distributed to Sweden.

Australia and New Zealand

  • Food Safety Recall (Australia): Coles Supermarkets recalls Coles Lite Sour Cream (300ml plastic tub; Use by 02/08/12), due to E. coli contamination. the recalled product was sold in Coles Supermarkets in Western Australia only.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Outbreak Alert Update (Cuba): Cuba’s Health Ministry has confirmed that three people have died and 53 more are infected in a cholera outbreak in the south-east part of the country. BBC News reports that about 1,000 people have received medical attention so far – most of them from the town of Manzanillo.

Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket’s recall web site.

*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.
**Includes Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs and Pak N’ Save.

Recalls and Alerts: July 1, 2012

Here is today’s list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals, allergy alerts and miscellaneous compliance issues. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please submit your request using the sidebar link.

United States

  • Pet Food Safety Recall: Mars Petcare US recalls PEDIGREE+® Healthy Weight Premium Ground Entree in Meaty Juices, PEDIGREE® Weight Management Meaty Ground Dinner Beef & Liver Dinner in Meaty Juices, and PEDIGREE® Weight management Meaty Ground Dinner Chicken & Rice Dinner in Meaty Juices canned dog foods (13.2-oz cans; Lot codes beginning with 209, 210, 211 or 212; Best before dates between 2/24/2014 and 3/23/2014), because the products may contain small pieces of blue plastic. The recalled canned dog foods were distributed to retail customers throughout the USA, including through Food City and Walmart stores.
  • Boil Water Advisory (New Jersey): A Boil Water advisory remains in effect for 22 towns in Monmouth County following the collapse of three large water pipes at the New Jersey American Water Co. water treatment plant at Swimming River Reservoir. An outdoor water ban remains in place for all of Monmouth County.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (New York State): The number of outbreak victims in Onondaga County has increased to 34, according to The Post-Standard. Twenty-one people are confirmed to have been infected with Shigella, and an additional 13 probable cases are awaiting confirmation. The source of the outbreak has not been established. About one-half of the victims are children under 10 years of age.

Canada

HAPPY CANADA DAY TO ALL OF OUR CANADIAN READERS!

Europe

  • Outbreak Alert (UK): Thirty people contracted food poisoning after consuming a four-course meal at the Boundary Rooms suite at PROBIZ County Ground in Hove while while attending a cricket match. The Sussex County Cricket Club believes that the victims may have become ill from contaminated chicken parfait.
  • Outbreak Alert (UK): Four people were hospitalized with salmonellosis after eating at the Copper Beech pub in Darlington between June 2nd and 19th. An additional 15 people also became ill, but did not require hospitalization. The pub has closed its kitchens until the source of the contamination can be identified.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety News (Japan): A nationwide ban on serving raw beef liver in restaurants takes effect today (July 1st). The ban was decided upon following an outbreak of E. coli O157 killed five people and sickened approximately 180. The outbreak victims became ill after consuming raw beef serviced at a yakiniku barbecue chain. The outbreak victims did not eat dishes that contained liver, but E. coli O157 was found in beef liver during the outbreak investigation.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Outbreak Alert (Cuba): Journalists are reporting the death of two people and the hospitalization of 50 due to an outbreak of cholera in Manzanillo. Government officials have not commented on the outbreak, but the municipality has been declared to be in “quarantine.”

Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket’s recall web site.

*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.
**Includes Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs and Pak N’ Save.