Botulism Alert – Finland, Germany, United Kingdom and USA

Italian olives tainted with botulinum toxin sickened two members of a Helsinki family last week.

Both individuals reported having eaten Gaudiano Organic Olives Stuffed with Almonds. Lab tests confirmed that the jar from which the two patients had eaten the olives contained botulinum toxin.

The tainted olives were packed in 314ml glass jars, with a best before date of 09/2012. They were imported into Finland by Kespro as early as September 2010. The olives were sold in Finland to K-food stores KCM Big Apple (Espoo), KCM Jumbo (Vantaa) and KSM South Centre (Rovaniemi), and to a few restaurants.

The olives have been withdrawn from sale in Finland, and consumers who purchased this product are asked to return it to the store.

Germany’s Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety has learned that some of these olives also were distributed in Germany, and is asking its citizens to dispose of any of the implicated jars of olives “with household waste”.

According to a notice posted October 21, 2011 on the Rapid Alert System for Foods and Feeds (RASFF) and updated this morning (October 24th), these olives also were distributed to the United Kingdom and the USA. So far, neither the U.S. Food and Drug Administration nor Britain’s Food Standards Agency has issued a Consumer Alert or a public health advisory of any sort.

eFood Alert Advisory to Consumers in Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom and the USA:

Check your pantry for Gaudiano Organic Olives Stuffed with Almonds (Product of Italy; Best before 09/2012), and discard the product in a safe manner. DO NOT TASTE THIS PRODUCT. If you have consumed even a tiny amount of this product and begin to experience any symptoms of botulism, including blurred vision or difficulty swallowing, seek immediate medical attention.

Colorado Cantaloupes Sicken Sixteen

Cantaloupes harvested in the Rocky Ford region of Colorado are responsible for an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes that has sickened at least 16 people in Colorado (11), Indiana (1), Nebraska (1), Oklahoma (1), and Texas (2). CDC reports that 15 people have been hospitalized (that information is unavailable for the 16th victim). One death in Colorado has been attributed to this outbreak.

The number of illnesses – and the death toll – could rise significantly in the next few days; state and local health departments in several more states are investigating Listeria illnesses to determine whether they match the genetic profile of the cantaloupe outbreak strain. One of those states is New Mexico, which reports that it is investigating nine cases of Listeria infections, including three deaths. Oklahoma is investigating an additional 6 cases; Nebraska is awaiting genetic profiling on isolates from two additional Listeria patients. If all of these cases under investigation are confirmed to be due to a single strain, the total number of cases will more than double, to a total of 23 cases.

According to CDC, the outbreak strain has been found “…on cantaloupe collected from grocery stores and from an ill person’s home.” The report does not name the grocery stores where contaminated cantaloupes were procured. CDC adds that these cantaloupes were marketed as having been harvested in the Rocky Ford region of Colorado. FDA, CDC, state and local health departments, and the firms involved are cooperating to determine the exact source of the contamination.

The cantaloupes may have been distributed nationwide; however, no recall has been announced, as investigators still don’t know exactly which cantaloupes are behind the outbreak. FDA has released a short statement on its role in the investigation, but has not issued a Health Alert.

Listeria monocytogenes infections usually cause otherwise healthy adults to experience a mild form of gastroenteritis. But the infections can be serious – sometimes fatal – in susceptible individuals. Groups at high risk for serious complications include the elderly, the very young, pregnant women, cancer patients and anyone with compromised immune systems. Members of any of these high risk groups should avoid eating cantaloupe until this outbreak is over, unless the origin of the melon is clearly identifiable.

CDC offers the following Advice to Consumers:

Contaminated cantaloupes may still be in grocery stores and in consumers’ homes.

CDC recommends that persons at high risk for listeriosis, including older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women, do not eat cantaloupes marketed as coming from the Rocky Ford region of Colorado.

Consumers who have cantaloupes in their homes can check the label or inquire at the store where they purchased it to determine if the fruit was marketed as coming from the Rocky Ford region of Colorado.

Listeriosis primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, and newborns. Persons who think they might have become ill from eating possibly contaminated cantaloupes should consult their doctor immediately.

Cantaloupes marketed as coming from the Rocky Ford region should be disposed of in a closed plastic bag placed in a sealed trash can. This will prevent people or animals from eating them.

Salmonella ‘Superbug’ Kills One – Sickens Seventy-Seven

Since March 9, 2011, a strain of Salmonella Heidelberg that is resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics has sickened 77 people in 26 states. Twenty-two (38%) of the 58 people for whom the information is available have been hospitalized.

Thus far, illnesses have been reported from Alabama (1), Arizona (2), California (6), Georgia (1), Iowa (1), Illinois (7), Indiana (1), Kentucky (2), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (1), Michigan (10), Minnesota (1), Missouri (2), Mississippi (1), New York (2), North Carolina (1), Nebraska (2), Nevada (1), Ohio (10), Oklahoma (1), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (5), South Dakota (3), Tennessee (2), Texas (9), and Wisconsin (3).

The illnesses have been linked to the consumption of ground turkey from an as-yet unidentified source. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a Public Health Alert for Frozen, Fresh Ground Turkey Products on July 29th. Nearly one-half (49%) of the outbreak victims with available information reported having eaten ground turkey in the 7 days before they were interviewed.

According to CDC, cultures of four ground turkey samples – purchased between March 7th and June 27th from retail locations as part of the government’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System – were positive for Salmonella Heidelberg. Three of the four samples proved to be from a common production facility. The source of the fourth sample is still being determined. None of the four products that were found to contain Salmonella Heidelberg have been linked specifically to illnesses.

This is the second Salmonella outbreak in 2011 that is linked to the consumption of ground turkey products. As of April 1, 2011, twelve people in ten states were infected with an antibiotic-resistant strain of Salmonella Hadar after consuming turkey burgers from Jennie-O Turkey Store® inWillmar, MN. The poultry processor recalled 54,960 pounds of frozen, raw turkey burger products after samples of the burgers tested positive for the outbreak strain. State labs reported that the Salmonella Hadar outbreak strain was resistant to ampicillin, amoxicinnin/clavulanate, cephalothin and tetracycline.

The source of the Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak has not yet been identified; at least, its identity hasn’t been revealed. And no new recall of ground turkey products has been announced.

Ground turkey – like ground chicken – is a high risk food for Salmonella contamination. While turkey meat is perceived to be a healthy choice compared to ground beef, the relatively high baseline level of Salmonella in poultry products raises substantially the risk of undercooking and cross-contamination during handling.

CDC and FSIS are reminding consumers that, for safety, raw ground poultry must be cooked to an internal temperature of 165ºF – and that the final temperature must be verified using a meat thermometer. Neither cooking for a specific number of minutes nor relying on the color of the meat, is a safe way to determine when ground poultry – or any raw meat – has been thoroughly cooked.

More information on the source of the contaminated ground turkey products should become available soon. Federal, state and local agencies are collecting and collating additional product information – including date and location of purchase of ground turkey meat – from outbreak victims as part of their traceback investigation.

Meanwhile, CDC offers the following advice to consumers, retailers and other food handlers:

Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry including frozen, fresh ground turkey. Then, disinfect the food contact surfaces using a freshly prepared solution of 1 tablespoon unscented liquid chlorine bleach to 1 gallon of water.

Cook poultry thoroughly. Ground turkey and ground turkey dishes should always be cooked to 165 °F internal temperature as measured with a food thermometer; leftovers also should be reheated to 165 °F. The color of cooked poultry is not always a sure sign of its safety. Only by using a food thermometer can one accurately determine that poultry has reached a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F throughout the product. Turkey can remain pink even after cooking to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F. The meat of smoked turkey is always pink. Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, older adults, and persons with impaired immune systems. For more information, please see this FSIS fact sheet about safe food handling.

If served undercooked poultry in a restaurant, send it back to the kitchen for further cooking.

Cross-contamination of foods should be avoided. Uncooked meats should be kept separate from produce, cooked foods, and ready-to-eat foods. Hands, cutting boards, counters, knives, and other utensils should be washed thoroughly after touching uncooked foods. Hands should be washed before handling food, and between handling different food items.

Refrigerate raw and cooked meat and poultry within 2 hours after purchase (one hour if temperatures exceed 90° F). Refrigerate cooked meat and poultry within two hours after cooking. Refrigerators should be set to maintain a temperature of 40 °F or below.

Persons who think they might have become ill from eating possibly contaminated ground turkey should consult their health care providers. Infants, older adults, and persons with impaired immune systems are more likely than others to develop severe illness.