Category: food safety

Cronobacter to become notifiable disease in USA

The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) has approved a position statement recommending that invasive Cronobacter infection in infants be added to the list of approximately 120 notifiable diseases in the United States.

The position statement was developed by the CSTE in conjunction with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL).

The CSTE is a voting body comprised of State Epidemiologists from all U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia. 

The text of the statement will be released in coming weeks.

STOP Foodborne Illness, a national public health non-profit organization, hailed the announcement, predicting that the CSTE decision would have a “…meaningful impact on infant mortality.”

A look back

In February 2022, consumers were shocked to learn of four infant illnesses due to Cronobacter infections linked to consumption of powdered infant formula manufactured by Abbott Nutrition.

As the months passed and more was learned about the evolution of the contamination problem, food safety experts and members of the public began to advocate for adding Cronobacter to the list of infectious diseases reported as a matter of course to the CDC’s national surveillance database.

Notifiable versus reportable

What is a notifiable disease, and how does it differ from a reportable disease?

Although these two terms are often used interchangeably in the context of disease surveillance, they actually have quite different meanings as far as the CDC is concerned.

This screenshot from the CDC website explains the differences between notifiable and reportable diseases.

Reporting of notifiable disases is voluntary, and personal information is redacted from the reports that reach the CDC. The data from notifiable disease reports is useful for statistical surveillance, but cannot easily be used to locate the source of an outbreak.

On the other hand, reportable diseases (which are specified individually by each state or territory) MUST be reported to public health authorities by healthcare professionals, hospitals and laboratories. Reports supplied to the CDC in these instances contain information on the individual patients, and can be used to track the source and scope of disease outbreaks.

A notifiable disease may also be reportable by one or more states and territories, if those local authorities decide to make it so.

Under no circumstances does the CDC have the authority to MANDATE reporting of either notifiable or reportable diseases.

The bottom line

Adding invasive Cronobacter infection in infants to the list of national notifiable diseases is a long overdue action, which will improve the CDC’s ability to track trends in the frequency of this disease condition.

Let us hope that it will also spur additional states and territories to mandate reporting of Cronobacter infections to local public health authorities in their jurisdictions.

TAINTED formats 3
“Reads like a true crime novel” – Food Safety News

Interested in learning more about food safety and the history of foodborne disease outbreaks and investigations?

Click on the link to listen to a short excerpt, then follow the buy links to add a digital, print or audio copy to your personal library.

Chapter 6. Birth of a Pathogen

TAINTED is available in digital format from all major on-line retailers. Press the button to go directly to your preferred digital bookstore.

Amazon
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Smashwords
Chapters/Indigo

It’s Publication Day!

Calling All Pets
(and Pet Parents, Too)

Five years after the idea for a book on the pet food industry first took hold of me during a walk on Carmel Beach, I am proud to announce the official launch of TOXIC. From Factory to Food Bowl, Pet Food Is a Risky Business.

If you share your life with a companion animal—especially a dog or cat—you owe it to your pet to educate yourself about the practices that take place behind the scenes in the factories and kitchens where raw, canned, and kibbled pet foods are manufactured.

The reality behind the appetizing package labels and enticing website advertising may shock you. It will certainly disillusion you, as it did me.

The stories and investigations described in TOXIC are drawn from interviews with pet owners, public records, published articles, and FDA inspection reports. 

FULL DISCLOSURE: My husband and I are very fortunate to share our home with our 7½ year old Australian Cobberdog, Rutlands Shalom. She thrives on a home-cooked diet that I prepare for her myself.

Word On the Street

As part of the run-up to the publication of TOXIC, I supplied Advance Review copies to a number of colleagues in the writing community. Several of these individuals have already posted their reviews, and I am proud to share a few of their comments here. If you wish to read a complete review, please click on the reviewer’s name or handle.

“As the former global pathogen product manager at a major testing manufacturer, I found this book a fantastic companion to Tainted by Phyllis Entis.” – George Nagle (Amazon USA reviewer)

“TOXIC provides an eye-opening look at the pet food industry’s failures.” – Amy M. Reade (Amazon USA reviewer)

“Well, wow! As with Entis’s first book, TAINTED, this new installment is frighteningly eye opening.” – PeaceLoveHope (an Amazon USA Vine Voice reviewer)

“My thanks to the author for this meticulous insight – would that it weren’t necessary to hold those responsible constantly to account, but it is … and this book does that with aplomb.” – MeandtheMutts (Amazon UK reviewer)

A Peek Inside the Book

If you have read this far, please let me entice you further with a short excerpt from Chapter 9: Pentobarbital’s Pervasive Presence. I interviewed Mark Johnson via email for this story.

Mark was a California cattleman and his dogs were his workforce. He maintained a string of Border Collies and Australian Shepherd mixes to help with herding. Mark first purchased Gravy Train canned dog foods in 2015, using the products as supplemental feedings and as rewards for his dogs. In January 2018, when disaster struck, Mark owned thirteen dogs, ranging from ten months to approximately seven years old. One of his six female dogs was pregnant.

Typically, Mark purchased five cases of dog food weekly, patronizing the local Walmart and Big Lots stores for his supplies. In early January 2018, he replenished his supply of canned food with a purchase of two Gravy Train varieties: Chunks in Gravy with Beef Chunks, and Chunks in Gravy with T-Bone Flavor Chunks. On or about January 12th, all thirteen dogs fell sick within hours after eating the Gravy Train dog food. He took all of the dogs to his local veterinarian. Within two days of having consumed the dog food, all thirteen dogs were showing signs of kidney failure and were euthanized at the veterinarian’s recommendation.

Although the veterinarian performed a necropsy on one of the dogs, neither he nor Mark reported the dog deaths to the FDA. According to Mark, the veterinarian died shortly after the incident, and Mark was unable to retrieve his files. As of November 2018, Mark was still searching for replacement herding dogs that were in need of a good home.

How To Order TOXIC

TOXIC. From Factory to Food Bowl, Pet Food Is a Risky Business is available in digital format from all major ebook retailers, and can be purchased in paperback on Amazon. 

Alternatively, you can have your favorite bookstore order a copy of TOXIC for you.

If you prefer to borrow your reading material from a local library, please consider asking your librarian to add TOXIC to the library’s collection.

Raw cookie dough blamed for Salmonella outbreak

The CDC, the FDA, and several state agencies are working together to investigate 18 cases of Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses in 6 states.

Two people have been hospitalized.

The illnesses are believed to be linked to Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake raw Chocolate Chip Cookie and S’mores Bars dough.

The implicated products are sold in Papa Murphy’s stores across the United States.

The company has temporarily stopped sale of their raw cookie dough products.

Outbreak-related cases of Salmonella Enteritidis have been reported by the states of California (1), Idaho (4), Missouri (1), Oregon (4), Utah (2), and Washington (6).

At least two of the victims infected with the outbreak strain did not eat at Papa Murphy’s.

Investigators are working to identify the contaminated ingredient in the raw cookie dough products.

Advice for consumers

  • Check your refrigerator and freezer for Papa Murphy’s chocolate chip cookie dough or S’mores bars dough. Throw away any remaining raw cookie dough even if it didn’t make you sick, and wash all surfaces and utensils that may have come into contact with the raw dough.
  • Due to the potential for contamination, never eat any raw cookie or dessert dough that is supposed to be cooked or baked. Papa Murphy’s Chocolate Chip Cookie and S’mores Bars dough are not meant to be eaten raw.
  • Always wash hands, work surfaces, and utensils thoroughly after contact with raw dough or batter.
  • Keep raw food or dough separate from other foods while preparing them to prevent any possible contamination from spreading.  Carefully clean and sanitize surfaces and utensils that came in contact with raw dough.
  • Contact your healthcare provider if you think you may have symptoms of Salmonella infection after eating Papa Murphy’s Chocolate Chip Cookie and S’mores Bars dough.
TAINTED formats 3
“Reads like a true crime novel” – Food Safety News

Interested in learning more about food safety and the history of foodborne disease outbreaks and investigations?

Click on the link to listen to a short excerpt, then follow the buy links to add a digital, print or audio copy to your personal library.

Chapter 6. Birth of a Pathogen

TAINTED is available in digital format from all major on-line retailers. Press the button to go directly to your preferred digital bookstore.

Amazon
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Smashwords
Chapters/Indigo