Category: food safety

OUTBREAK UPDATE: Salmonella infections across Ontario linked to alfalfa sprouts

Alfalfa sprouts produced by Sunsprout Natural Foods of Brantford, Ontario have caused 37 people to be infected with Salmonella, according to a spokesperson with Ontario’s Ministry of Health.

Infections have been reported from 19 of Ontario’s 34 public health units, and the cases are scattered across the province.

Four people have been hospitalized.

Sunsprout has initiated a series of recalls since August 11th. The following recalled products were distributed only in Ontario:

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is verifying that industry is removing the recalled products from the marketplace.

Ontarians are encouraged to refer to the recall notice posted on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website and follow the advice provided.

a. Ontarians are reminded to check their fridges and freezers for the recalled product and if any is found, it is recommended that it be thrown out right away

b. Individuals are encouraged to visit Health Canada’s Food Safety and You website for additional resources/tips on food safety and safe food handling, particularly individuals at high risk for serious health effects from foodborne illness (young children, seniors, or people with weak immune systems)

c. It is important for Ontarians to remember, even when not eating out regularly, foods purchased and brought into the home can be contaminated and cause illness

i.    All fruits and vegetables should be washed

ii.   Clean counters and cutting boards

iii.  Keeping cold foods cold and hot foods hot

iv.   Cook foods to appropriate internal temperature

v.    Reduce cross contamination by keeping raw foods separate from ready to eat foods and foods that have already been washed and heated, washing hands regularly and cleaning food contact surfaces between use.

OUTBREAK ALERT: Salmonella illnesses linked to dried wood ear mushrooms

Forty-one people in 10 states have been infected with Salmonella Stanley after consuming imported dried wood ear mushrooms, according to a report just released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Four of the victims have been admitted to hospital.

Wood ear mushrooms are dried mushrooms, also commonly labelled or referred to as Kikurage, Dried Black Fungus, Dried Fungus, or Mu’er/Mu Er/Mu-Err, according to the Outbreak Investigation notice posted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Illnesses have been reported in Arizona (1), California (25), Connecticut (1), Georgia (1), Illinois (5), Louisiana (1), New Jersey (2), New York City (1), Pennsylvania (2), and Wisconsin (2).

As of now, there have been no illnesses reported in Canada.

The mushrooms implicated in this outbreak were imported by Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. of Santa Fe Springs, CA and sold to restaurants in 32 states and at least 3 Canadian provinces. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has released a list of restaurants that were supplied with the suspect mushrooms.

CDPH has recovered Salmonella from a sample of the mushrooms obtained from one of the restaurants where outbreak victims from that state reported eating. The genetic sequence of the Salmonella is being analyzed in order to determine whether it is a match for the outbreak strain recovered from patients.

Wismettac Asian Foods has already initiated a recall of the implicated mushrooms in both the US and Canada.

Restaurants in the US should not prepare or serve the following product:

Shirakiku brand imported Dried Fungus (also known as Black Fungus or Kikurage), 5-lb bags:- UPC 00074410604035; All Lots with Item #60403 on the package; Product of China

Restaurants, hotels and institutions in Canada should not prepare or serve the following product:

Shirakiku brand Black Fungus (Kikurage), 2.27 kg:- UPC 0 74410 60403 5; All codes sold up to and including September 24, 2020; Product of China.

What consumers should know

Symptoms of Salmonella infections can include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, beginning from 6 hours to 6 days after being exposed to the bacteria, and typically lasting from 4 to 7 days. Children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems are susceptible to experiencing more severe illness and, in some cases, may require hospital treatment.

Consumers in the US and Canada are urged to take the following actions if they begin to experience symptoms of Salmonella infection:

  • Talk to your healthcare provider.
  • Write down what you ate in the week before you started to get sick.
  • Report your illness to the health department.
  • Assist public health investigators by answering questions about your illness.

 

 

Thomson Onion Salmonella Outbreak: Is CDC Missing in Action?

On July 21, 2020, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) informed the public of an outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections.

On July 24th, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) informed the public of an outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections apparently caused by the same outbreak strain as CDC was finding in the United States.

At the time of the initial reports, neither agency had determined the source of the outbreak.

On July 30th, PHAC updated its outbreak advisory, informing Canadians that the outbreak was linked to consumtion of red onions imported from the United States. That same day, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) posted a recall notice for red onions imported by Sysco in Western Canada.

Using the Canadian data as its starting point, on July 31st, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC announced that the US outbreak was linked to consumption of red onions produced by Thomson International, Inc. of Bakersfield, California.

Thomson International is a family-owned business, incorporated in California.

On August 1st, Thomson recalled its entire harvest of red, yellow, white, and sweet yellow onions from the 2020 growing season – approximately 18,750 tons of onions. The onions were distributed across the United States and exported to Canada.

CDC issued status updates of the size and scope of the US outbreak on August 3rd, August 7th, August 18th and September 1st, and has not been heard from since.

PHAC issued status updates of the size and scope of the Canadian outbreak on August 2nd, August 7th, August 14th, August 21st, August 31st and September 14th.

By August 7th, FDA had initiated its on-site investigation of Thomson’s Bakersfield facility, looking for the source of the Salmonella Newport contamination. By August 11th, FDA personnel had submitted 370 samples to the agency’s lab for Salmonella testing, including 278 swab samples, 82 onion samples, and 10 miscellaneous environmental samples, according to information obtained by eFoodAlert in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Not a single sample contained Salmonella.

The FDA investigation is still in progress. However, with the growing season complete and the packing plant idle, the chances of finding the source of the Salmonella Newport diminish day by day.

As of the last report from CDC, 1012 individuals in 47 states have been infected with Salmonella Newport as a result of having consumed contaminated onions. Only Louisiana, Oklahoma and Vermont have not reported any outbreak cases. Although there have been no deaths associated with this outbreak, 136 (more than 13%) of the victims have required a hospital stay.

In Canada, there have been 506 confirmed cases of Salmonella Newport in seven provinces, and 71 people (14%) have been hospitalized.

Canada v. USA – A Performance Comparison

Why was CDC unable to determine the link between red onions and the Salmonella Newport outbreak until after PHAC had made the connection?

Why has CDC not provided an update to its outbreak status report in three weeks?

Why does Canada appear to have been much harder hit by this outbreak than the United States – 13.7 cases per million Canadians versus only 3.1 per million Americans? Is this due to some quirk of distribution, or have PHAC and its provincial partners done a better job of reporting than CDC and the various state health agencies?

Has the Covid-19 pandemic hit CDC so hard that it no longer has the resources to follow-up on illness outbreaks elsewhere?

 

IF CDC IS MISSING IN ACTION, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE US POPULATION?