Clostridium perfringens – Page 4

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

Some animals are scavengers, eating anything from poultry to poinsettias, and paying for their impulsive behavior with diarrhea, vomiting, or worse. Veterinarians call it “dietary indiscretion.”

The most dangerous time of year for pets in the United States is right now: the period leading up to, and including, the Christmas and New Year holidays. This is the time of year that presents both pets and people with a plethora of opportunities to be “indiscreet” eaters.

It is tempting to offer a pet a special holiday treat: an unfamiliar food, a chance to lick raw cake batter from a mixing bowl, or a dish of leftovers from the banquet table. It is easy to overlook the risks posed by Christmas decorations, snack foods, candies, and candles.

Some of these temptations are equally hazardous to the humans in our households. Both flour and raw eggs are potential sources of Salmonella, and raw flour may contain E. coli bacteria.

Leftover food that sits out for hours at room temperature during and after holiday meals are breeding grounds for toxin-producing bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus (staph) and Clostridium perfringens. Both of these pathogens can make pets and people sick with acute nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Cats, especially, are sensitive to staph toxins. In fact, the earliest test for the presence of this toxin in a food sample was the aptly named Kitten Test, in which a portion of the food was fed to kittens. An episode of vomiting within a few hours confirmed the presence of the toxin.

Clostridium perfringens can be deadly for dogs. A 2012 article published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal reported on the death due to acute bloody diarrhea, of a two-year old Pomeranian show dog that had appeared perfectly healthy the day before. Large numbers of Clostridium perfringens were found in the dog’s intestinal tract on necropsy.

Following these tips will help you to keep your pets and family members safe during the holidays.

DO refrigerate leftovers promptly.

DO handle raw meat and poultry as though contains Salmonella and Campylobacter, because it probably is contaminated with one or both of these pathogens.

DO place all chocolate, candies and plants out of reach of pets.

DO brush up on practices for the safe handling of foods.

DO visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center website to familiarize yourself with foods, plants and household products that may be toxic to your pets.

DON’T allow your pets or children to sample raw cake batter, raw cookie dough, raw pie crust or any other raw baked goods.

DON’T offer unusual food to your pets. This is not the time of year to experiment.

DON’T feed your pets raw poultry.

DON’T offer cooked bones of any type to your dog. Cooking makes bones more brittle and they may splinter and injure your pet.

DON’T set aside safe food handling practices in your hurry to prepare for the deluge of holiday guests.

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: Weis Markets recalls Weis Quality Dried Beef Party Rye dip due to undeclared egg and milk. Please refer to the recall notice for distribution information.

Food Safety Alert: New York Department of Agriculture warns the public not to consume unpasteurized raw milk from the David Phippen Farm, which does business as Breese Hollow Dairy, due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall: Meijer recalls select Meijer branded Greek and Low-fat yogurt due to the potential risk of small glass particles in the products. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected items, which were sold in Meijer stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

Food Safety Recall: Olymel S.E.C./ L.P. (Alberta, Canada) recalls approximately 4,618 pounds of raw intact pork products because the products were imported from Canada and not presented for import re-inspection upon entry into the United States. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were shipped to retail and restaurant locations in Oregon and Washington and exported to a Department of Defense Commissary in Japan.

Food Safety Recall: Guymon Extracts Inc. recalls Pork Soup with Rendered Pork Fat (from bone) fully cooked pork product (2.2 lb. – 10 polybag pillows packed in paper cartons; Lot code 010218-1; Product code 61306; Best before Dec. 22, 2019) due to a processing deviation that may have allowed potential spore-forming pathogen growth including Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium perfringens. The recalled product was shipped to distribution centers and further distributed in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Texas and Washington.

Pet Food Safety Recall: Smokehouse Pet Products, Inc. recalls Smokehouse Beefy Munchies (4 oz pkg; Lot #449294; Best by 10/25/19; UPC 78565857957) due to possible Salmonella contamination. The recalled product was sold in Washington, Michigan, North Carolina and Colorado through distributors selling to various retailers.

Pet Food Safety Recall: Raws for Paws recalls Ground Turkey Pet Food (1-lb and 5-lb chubs; Case codes 9900008, 9900009, 9900014, and 9900015) after testing by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) revealed the presence of Salmonella in some packages of Turkey Pet Food. The recalled product was distributed throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa directly to consumers and through online mail orders.

Canada

Food Safety Recall (Update): Sawler Gardens Ltd. recalls Sawler Turnip Sticks (340g; Product code 18 FE 11; UPC 6 21063 36600 3) and Compliments brand Baby Cut Turnip Sticks (340g; Product code 18 FE 11; UPC 0 68820 12504 4) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The recalled products were distributed to retailers in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, and may have been sold nationwide.

Food Safety Recall: K.J. Foods Inc. recalls KJ brand Sweet & Sour Chicken with Rice (450g; All units sold up to and including February 7, 2018; UPC 6 28568 61004 4) and KJ brand Sesame Chicken with Rice (450g; All units sold up to and including February 7, 2018; UPC 6 28568 61002 0) due to incorrect cooking instructions. If followed, these instructions may not eliminate harmful bacteria that may be present in the products. The recalled items were supplied to retailers in Ontario.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Belgium): Snack Food Poco Loco NV recalls various flavors of Tortilla Chips due to undeclared gluten. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (Belgium): Colruyt, Bio-Planet and Collect&Go recall Boni Selection Bio Tortilla Rolls à la tomate (Best by 29/5/2018) due to undeclared gluten.

Allergy Alert (Finland): Deliciest Oy recalls Frozen Vegan Dumplings with Broccoli (400g) due to undeclared egg.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): Food Safety Authority of Ireland reports the recall of various flavors and pack sizes of Trafo Tortilla Chips due to undeclared gluten. Please refer to the recall notice for additional details.

Allergy Alert (Sweden): Axfood recalls Dazzley Chocolate Lenses Milk Chocolate due to undeclared peanut, almond and hazelnut.

Allergy Alert (Sweden): Coop recalls Coop Änglamark tortillachips with mild chili flavor due to undeclared gluten.

Allergy Alert (Sweden): ICA recalls ICA I love eco Organic tortilla chips (125g; best before 2018-06-12) due to undeclared wheat and gluten.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Hamfelder Hof Bauernmeierei GmbH & Co. KG recalls Bezeichnung Cultured Butter from Bioland-Rahm (250g) because the butter may contain small pieces of rubber.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Döbelner Spezialitäten GmbH recalls Döbelner Bockwurst in natural casing (5 pieces; Best before 23.10.2019) due to possible presence of glass particles.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Geflügelhof Ertl KG recalls Quality class A Weight class M Chicken Eggs (Laying date 23.01.2018; Best before date 20.02.2018) due to the shells being contaminated with Campylobacter coli.

Food Safety Recall (Ireland): Johnston Mooney & O’Brien recalls various Bread Products due to possible presence of small metal pieces. Please refer to the recall notice for complete details on the affected products.

Food Safety Recall (Sweden): Hellströms Goda recalls Hellströms sausage (Batch #2018-01-30 1) due to Listeria contamination.

Food Safety Recall (UK): Muscle Food recalls certain meat products supplied by DB Foods Ltd due to incorrect use-by dates. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.