Pet hedgehogs fingered by CDC as source of Salmonella outbreak

Eleven people in 8 states have been infected with Salmonella Typhimurium after coming in contact with pet hedgehogs, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

One person has been hospitalized.

The outbreak strain was recovered in samples obtained from three pet hedgehogs in two ill patients’ homes in Minnesota.

Illnesses have been confirmed in patients from Colorado (1), Maine (1), Minnesota (2),  Mississippi (1), Missouri (3), Nebraska (1), Texas (1) and Wyoming (1).

Ten of the eleven outbreak victims reported contact with pet hedgehogs obtained from various sources, including pet stores, breeders or online. A common supplier of the hedgehogs has not been identified.

Outbreak victims are between 2 and 28 years old, with 50% of them being 12 years old or younger.

In 2013, pet hedgehogs infected with Salmonella Typhimurium were responsible for an outbreak of salmonellosis in 12 states. One person died, and 8 were hospitalized. In all, 26 people were confirmed to have been infected with the outbreak strain.

Hedgehogs are known to carry Salmonella, according to a 2005 report in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Approximately 28% of infected hedgehogs display no symptoms of the disease.

CDC offers the following advisory to pet owners and retailers of hedgehogs

  • People who own or come in contact with hedgehogs should take steps to stay healthy around their pet.
    • Hedgehogs can carry Salmonella germs in their droppings while appearing healthy and clean.
    • These germs can easily spread to their bodies, habitats, toys, bedding, and anything in the area where they live. People become sick after they touch hedgehogs or anything in their habitats.
  • Wash your hands
    • Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water right after touching, feeding, or caring for a hedgehog or cleaning its habitat. Adults should supervise handwashing for young children.
  • Play safely
    • Don’t kiss or snuggle hedgehogs, because this can spread Salmonella germs to your face and mouth and make you sick.
    • Don’t let hedgehogs roam freely in areas where food is prepared or stored, such as kitchens.
  • Clean habitats, toys, and supplies outside the house when possible. Avoid cleaning these items in the kitchen or any other location where food is prepared, served, or stored.
  • Pick the right pet for your family. Children under 5 years old, adults over 65, or people with weakened immune systems are at a greater risk for serious illness. Households with these individuals might consider a different pet.
  • Hedgehog breeders, pet stores, or others that sell or display hedgehogs should provide educational materials to employees and customers.

Recalls and Alerts: January 20 – 23, 2019

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.

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United States

Allergy Alert: Perrigo Company, in coordination with The Kroger Company, recalls Simple Truth Organic Banana, Strawberry & Apple Fruit Puree with Nonfat Greek Yogurt (LOT L8159; best by 08/06/2019; Product of Spain) due to undeclared milk. The affected product was distributed to the Kroger Family of Stores located in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Food Safety Recall: Stino Da Napoli recalls approximately 11,392 pounds of various meat products that were produced, packed and distributed without the benefit of federal inspection. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were shipped to retail stores in Ohio.

Food Safety Recall: General Mills recalls Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour (5-lb bags; Best if used by 20APR2020KC; UPC 000-16000-19610-0) due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall: Satur Farms recalls specific lot numbers of Baby Spinach and Mesclun due to possible Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Pet Food Safety Alert: FDA cautions pet owners not to feed Hare Today Gone Tomorrow Ground Chicken/Bones/Organs (1-lb fine ground, 2-lb find ground, 3-lb coarse ground, 5-lb fine ground; Processing date 12.04.2018) due to Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Canada

Allergy Alert: Paradis Végétarien Inc. recalls Paradis Végétarien brand Veg-O-Mix Mushroom Chicken Flavour (350g and 18 (6 x 3) kg; All product codes) due to undeclared egg and milk. The recalled products were distributed to hotels, restaurants and institutional customers in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.

Food Safety Recall: Marché Carrier recalls Fèves au canard et à l’érable (500 mL glass jar; All product sold up to and including 23 January 2019) due to inadequate storage temperature that could render the product unsafe for consumption.

Food Safety Recall: Canada Herb recalls Canada Herb brand Red Chili (variable weight; All product sold up to and including January 20, 2019) due to Salmonella contamination. The recalled product was sold by retailers in Ontario.  

Food Safety Recall: Hello Fresh Canada Inc. recalls the red chili ingredient included in certain Hello Fresh brand and Chefs Plate brand meal kits due to Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were supplied to consumers in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec

Food Safety Recall: Veg-Pak recalls Veg-Pak brand Hot Peppers Red Thai and Longo’s brand Hot Red Thai Chili Peppers due to Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected package sizes, product codes and UPCs, which were sold to consumers in Ontario and may have been distributed nationwide.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Belgium): Industry recalls Piacelli Lemon juice concentrate (various package sizes) due to undeclared sulfites. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (Finland): HKScan Finland Oy recalls HK Kabanossi Grillibalkania (400 g; Best before 2.2.2019) and Popsi Grillinakkia (300 g; Best before 2.2.2019) due to undeclared milk and soy.

Allergy Alert (France): Industry recalls Piacelli Lemon juice concentrate (various package sizes) due to undeclared sulfites. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (France): Petit Choisi recalls Petit Choisi brand Strawberry Mini Fourrés (Lot #353 G1; Best before 20/06/2019) due to undeclared milk.

Allergy Alert (Iceland): Samkaup recalls Piacelli brand Lemon Juice concentrate and Piacelli brand Lime juice concentrate due to undeclared sulfites. Please refer to the recall notice for additional details on the recalled products.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): Industry recalls Piacelli Citrilemon Lemon Juice Concentrate (200 mL; Best before date 20/07/2020) due to undeclared sulfur dioxide.

Allergy Alert (Luxembourg): Industry recalls Piacelli Lemon juice concentrate (various package sizes) due to undeclared sulfites. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Finland): Lidl Suomi Ky recallsBergmann Bovine minced meat, 10% (1kg pkg; Batch #1901520; Use by 15.1.2019; Product of Germany) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): Casino recalls Casino Ça Vient d’Ici brand Ardêche dried sausages (250g; Lot #3540010; Best before 17/02/2019) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): La Société Beaume Drobie recalls MMM ! – AUCHAN brand Saucisse sèche d’Ardèche IGP (250g; Lot #3540010; Best before 13/02/2019) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): Facchini srl recalls Terra &Vita brand Capricciosa (150g; Lot #A15L6M255; Best before 25/01/19) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Luxembourg): Auchan recalls MMM ! – AUCHAN brand Saucisse sèche d’Ardèche IGP (250g; Lot #3540010; Best before 13/02/2019) due to Salmonella contamination.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Food Safety Recall (Singapore): Mac Taste Bakery & Confectionery Pte Ltd recalls Da Ji Da Li brand Peanut Puff / Kok Chye (300g; Best before 30.09.2019; Product of Malaysia) due to foreign matter (metal fragment) contamination.

Australia and New Zealand

Food Safety Recall (Australia): Target Australia recalls The Fabulous Food Company Candy Cane (40g; Best Before August 2019; Keycode 59595465) due to foreign matter (plastic) contamination.

Lystn disputes report of Salmonella in A+ Answers raw dog food

The following story by Phyllis Entis first appeared in Food Safety News and is reposted here with permission

The day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning for pet owners earlier this month, pet food manufacturer Lystn LLC fought back, claiming samples that tested positive for Salmonella could have been contaminated in a lab used to test the dog food.

Lystn, the manufacturer of Answers Pet Foods, offers a range of raw pet foods “enhanced” with kombucha, raw cultured whey, cultured raw goat’s milk and kefir. According to the company, the probiotic bacteria in the fermented ingredients offer protection against Salmonella.

Lystn describes this approach on its website as “safety through inhibition” and claims the fermentation process to be the “most natural and effective way” to make their products “as safe and healthy as possible.”

In 2009, A.R. Hoyle and co-workers reported that lactic acid bacteria could decrease the numbers of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef during storage. However, several studies have shown that use of lactic acid bacteria is most effective when incorporated into a combined strategy employing other complementary treatments.

On Dec. 10, 2018, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) obtained a random sample of A+ Answers Straight Beef Formula 4lb. Pounder for Dogs, Lot 2018 02/08 20. On or about Dec. 20, NDA advised both Lystn and the FDA that it had found Salmonella in the sample.

Lystn requested and received from the NDA a split sample of the implicated lot, and confirmed the presence of Salmonella in this sample, according to the company’s statement. A second split sample provided to Lystn by NDA at the company’s request produced a negative result.

In its press release, Lystn expressed its “belief” that the initial split sample provided by the NDA “. . . may have been cross contaminated in the lab, transport or elsewhere and should not be considered a representative sample.” The company offered no evidence to support the assertion. 

Lystn also disputed the appropriateness of FDA’s zero tolerance policy for Salmonella in raw pet food.

No FDA spokesperson was available for comment because of the partial government shutdown.

The NDA inspector and lab personnel used appropriate chain-of-custody procedures for handling the pet food sample, according to a spokesperson for the state. The sample was handled and analyzed in a Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) lab, under full compliance with all sanitation and handling procedures. 

No other testing was performed in the lab at the same time. Access to a BSL-2 lab is restricted while testing is being conducted in order to limit any possible risk of inadvertent contamination of the sample, the environment, or personnel, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

The lab personnel used both positive and negative controls as part of their testing protocol, and submitted the purified Salmonella culture to the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) for molecular testing. NPHL identified the culture as Salmonella Cerro. The positive control used as part of the testing procedure was Salmonella Arizonae.

According to Lystn, the company stopped distribution of the lot in question, and the product was removed from retail store shelves within the state of Nebraska. 

Although Lystn asserted in its Jan. 15 statement that the product was not recalled, the company’s action met FDA’s definition of a product recall, which is “. . . a firm’s removal or correction of a marketed product that the FDA considers to be in violation of the laws it administers and against which the agency would initiate legal action.”

The company chose not to implement a nationwide recall of the contaminated production lot, as the product was only tested by NDA and not by FDA, according to the Lynst statement.

Lystn’s customers are welcome to return any unused portion of the affected product for full refund, according to the company’s press release, which stated “. . . if a customer is uncomfortable with an ANSWERS’ product, they may return it, or any unused portion, to the place of purchase for a full refund. The Straight Beef Formula 4lb. Pounder for Dogs product comes in a cardboard milk carton box marked with lot code 2018 and a Best Use By Date (BUBD) of 02/08 20 sticker on the carton.”

The implicated lot was distributed from Aug. 17, 2018 to Sept. 14, 2018, and sold through retail stores within the United States.

A Lystn spokesperson was unable to release further details at this time, stating that the company was in the process of completing its investigation on the products from NDA as well as working with FDA.