Dirty equipment blamed for deadly Listeria outbreak in cantaloupe

Listeriosis have occurred in 26 states in people aged younger than 1 to 96
Potentially contaminated processing equipment and problems with packing and storage of whole cantaloupes at a Colorado farm likely led to the deadliest Listeria outbreak in the United States in 25 years, which has so far claimed 25 lives in a dozen states, federal health regulators said Wednesday.
Pools of water on the floor of the Jensen Farms packing facility in Granada, Colo., equipment that was not easily cleaned and sanitized and failure to cool newly harvested cantaloupes before sending them to cold storage all contributed to the outbreak, the first-ever Listeria contamination blamed on whole melons, federal Food and Drug Administration officials said Wednesday.
"We are quite confident and certain," that those factors led to the outbreak blamed so far for 123 illnesses in 26 states, said a senior advisor to the FDA's CORE Network in the Office of Foods, who spoke at a Wednesday press conference.
The news that the problem may have been prevented through basic sanitation practices stunned Jeni Exley, whose 84-year-old father, Herb Stevens of Littleton, Colo., has been hospitalized for nearly two months after a Listeria infection caused by contaminated Jensen Farms cantaloupe. He might be able to return home finally this week, said Exley, 55, whose family is suing the farm with the help of Seattle food safety lawyer Bill Marler.
"Shame on them," said Exley. "What kind of statement can I give you without being too angry? It shouldn't have happened. They had control over it."
Investigators tested fruit samples and equipment from Jensen Farms and confirmed the presence of four outbreak strains of the listeria monocytogenes bacteria confirmed in the illnesses and deaths.
The FDA said Jensen Farms, which is based in Holly, Colo., had recently bought used equipment that was corroded and hard to clean.
For example, the equipment used to wash and dry cantaloupe showed signs of dirt and product build-up, even after it had been disassembled, cleaned and sanitized, the FDA's report said. The equipment had been previously used to process raw potatoes, officials said, which could have left listeria bacteria behind.
In addition, a truck used to haul culled cantaloupe to a cattle operation was parked near the facility and could have introduced contamination to the facility, investigators said. Low levels of Listeria monocytogenes in the field also could have introduced the bacteria into the packing facility. And the design of the plant allowed stagnant water to pool on the floor.

Source: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/CORENetwork/ucm272372.htm#report

EEUU: Entra en vigencia nueva norma para protección contra el Bioterrorismo

Notificación previa es hoy exigible para todos los productos alimentarios

Como respuesta a posibles ataques terroristas a través de alimentos contaminados la FDA (Food and Drug Administration) puso en Estados Unidos una nueva regulación que obliga a todo establecimiento que produzca, comercie exporte o venda alimentos debe estar registrado previamente con la FDA.
Además, todo cargamento embarcado o destinado a los EEUU, debe entregar a la FDA una notificación previa ("Prior notice") respecto a él o los productos alimentarios involucrados. Esta medida pretende proteger más eficientemente la inocuidad de todos los productos alimentarios ingresados a EEUU y así evitar la entrada de productos adulterados o contaminados.

La notificación previa, incluye acciones que la FDA podrá realizar. Tales como:
        *Revisar y evaluar la información de los cargamentos antes que lleguen a EEUU.
       *Optimizar los recursos para inspeccionar los cargamentos.

       *Ayudar a interceptar cargamentos de productos contaminados.

Si se exporta, transporta o importa alimentos desde/hacia EEUU, se debe entregar una notificación previa a la FDA.

Desde Julio del 2011, se puso en vigencia una actualización a la regulación vigente, donde se agregó además, las mismas exigencias para los productos destinados a alimentación de animales.
Para enviar la notificación previa, se debe acceder al sitio de la FDA (www.access.fda.gov) y seguir las instrucciones paso a paso.

Fuente: http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/PriorNoticeo
fImportedFoods/default.htm

Aporte: Eduardo Castillo

Bridging the GAP: Bringing big Food Safety regulations to Small Farms

Smaller and mid-sized farms need GAPs certification
For large farming operations, food safety audits are commonplace. Most buyers require them before purchasing produce. However, small farms are rarely inspected by auditors, because the cost of implementing a safety plan can be too expensive.
That's where bridging the GAPs - a program need to be designed to help small and mid-sized growers find a way to meet food safety guidelines - comes in.
Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) is a set of protocols approved established worldwide that farmers can follow to prove they're growing and harvesting in a way that minimizes the risk of crop contamination.
The obstacles that stand between small and midsized farms and GAPs certification are multiple but the key elements include:

- Employees must be educated in sanitation practices and have access to clean hand-washing and waste facilities

- Sick workers are not allowed to handle food or processing surfaces

- Irrigation water has been tested and does not flow from an uphill source that could be contaminated with human or animal feces

- Livestock are not in close proximity to crops, and fences around fields keep out wild animals

- Raw manure is applied to crops at least 120 days before harvesting and records are kept of composted manure treatment

- Records (register) are kept of what crops are planted in what field, what date they're planted and harvested and where they were sold, so that produce can be traced back to its origin in the case of a recall

Another problem farmers raised was the requirement that storage containers be new or sanitized before use, and not stacked if they've touched the ground. Buying new crates is expensive, and not stacking clean crates that have been on the ground next to crops drags out the harvesting process.

One of the things these farmers are unfamiliar with is the documentation needed to prove that they're taking measures to meet GAPs. Letting raw manure compost for 120 days doesn't mean anything if you don't record the dates on which it was added, turned, checked for temperature and then applied to plants.

Conservación del jamón cocido: avances tecnológicos

La aplicación de electrones acelerados al jamón cocido envasado al vacío reduce la carga microbiana.

Investigadores españoles desarrollaron un estudio para prolongar la vida útil del jamón cocido envasado al vacío. Para ello probaron sistema de ionización que no alterara textura, apariencia, olor y el aroma. El estudio se basa en la necesidad de comercializar Alimentos Listos para  consumir, sin aditivos y de largo periodo de vida útil. Por ello se debe asegurar que el alimento es inocuo, desde el punto de vista de la contaminación microbiológica.

Cuidar la salud del consumidor es el objetivo de las tecnologías de alimentos, especialidad a la que pertenecen los responsables del estudio, cuyo objetivo ha sido aplicar técnicas de conservación que sean eficaces en la reducción de microorganismos alterantes y la eliminación de patógenos sin afectar en las cualidades organolépticas del alimento.

En busca de nuevas  tecnología que sean menos agresivas con el alimento, pero eficaces en la eliminación de patógenos. Es el caso de los métodos no térmicos como la ionización, que permite controlar la inocuidad del alimento sin afectar de manera apreciable las propiedades organolépticas y nutricionales.

La irradiación con electrones acelerados, un tipo de tratamiento alimentario por ionización, es un  método eficaz para eliminar patógenos que se encuentran en los alimentos, como Salmonella spp, Listeria monocytogenes, Yersinia enterocolitica y el E. coli O157:H7.

Para determinar la dosis (de ionización) adecuada para obtener el resultado esperado se realizaron ensayos y modelos matemáticos que describieran el efecto de la dosis del tratamiento tanto en la calidad  como en el periodo de caducidad  de los productos y en la inactivación de los microorganismos alterantes y patógenos, ha sido posible calcular la dosis de tratamiento óptima.

El estudio reveló que la dosis que maximiza los valores de los atributos sensoriales de los alimentos irradiados es de 0.96 KGy, lo que asegura una calidad sensorial adecuada hasta por 80 días. Se aplicó valores más altos de hasta 2KGy que garantizan aún más la inocuidad microbiana y no afectan la apariencia visual del producto, sin embargo producen cambios mínimos en la calidad sensorial que usualmente el consumidor no alcanza a detectar.

Fuentehttp://www.consumer.es/seguridad-alimentaria/noticias/

Aporte: Carmen López

Health Benefits of Broccoli Require the Whole Food, Not Supplements

A necessary enzyme called myrosinase is missing from most of the supplement forms of glucosinolates.

Some vitamins and nutrients, like the folic acid often recommended for pregnant women, are actually better-absorbed as a supplement than through food. Adequate levels of nutrients like vitamin D are often difficult to obtain. But the particular compounds that we believe give broccoli and related vegetables their health value need to come from the complete food.

The reason, researchers concluded, is that a necessary enzyme called myrosinase is missing from most of the supplement forms of glucosinolates, a valuable phytochemical in cruciferous vegetables. Without this enzyme found in the whole food, the the body actually absorbs five times less of one important compound and eight times less of another.

Intensive cooking does pretty much the same thing. If broccoli is cooked until it's soft and mushy, its health value plummets. However, it can still be lightly cooked for two or three minutes, or steamed until it's still a little crunchy, and retain adequate levels of the necessary enzyme.

Broccoli has been of particular interest to scientists because it contains the highest levels of certain glucosinolates, a class of phytochemicals that many believe may reduce the risk of prostate, breast, lung and colorectal cancer. When eaten as a raw or lightly-cooked food, enzymes in the broccoli help to break down the glucosinolates into two valuable compounds of intensive research interest -- sulforaphane and erucin.

Studies have indicated that sulforaphane, in particular, may help to detoxify carcinogens, and also activate tumor suppressor genes so they can perform their proper function.

Most supplements designed to provide these glucosinolates have the enzyme inactivated, so the sulforaphane is not released as efficiently. There are a few supplements available with active myrosinase, and whose function more closely resembles that of the whole food, but they are still being tested and not widely available.

Small amounts of the myrosinase enzyme needed to break down glucosinolates are found in the human gut, but the new research showed they accomplish that task far less effectively than does whole food consumption.

Although broccoli has the highest levels of glucosinolates, they are also found in cauliflower, cabbage, kale and other cruciferous vegetables.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111011112501.htm

Aporte : Fernando Fuentes Pinochet

Gut Microbiome shapes change in human Health and Disease

The size of one microbial metagenome (one host's microbiome) is 150 times larger than the human genome
Wageningen scientist Professor Willem M. de Vos recently explains how the microbes that are closest to our hearts – gut microbes – could underpin a new way of thinking about human biology. As well as looking at our own genes, we can now include those of our microbes in studies of human health and disease. This is a significant shift in the way we approach human biology.
Normal gut microbes impact in our health by producing vitamins, priming our immune system and contributing to resistance to pathogens. For example, recent studies have shown that the insulin resistance of patients with type 2 diabetes is linked to the intestinal microbiota composition and can be beneficially altered by replacing it with the microbiota of healthy donors.
The genes of our gut microbes, also known as the microbiome, act as a personalized organ that can be modified by diet, lifestyle and antibiotic usage. This organ is fed partly by us and partly by our diets. Professor de Vos and colleagues have classified the human microbiome into three enterotypes: clusters of microbiomes with similar compositions and nutrient-processing preferences. These enterotypes are characterized by bacteria with different capacities to degrade carbohydrate and mucin (a gel-forming protein). Our gut microbes get carbohydrates partly from our diet, whereas the mucin is produced by our own body.
Although these enterotypes are separated by species composition, it doesn't necessarily follow that abundant functions are provided by abundant species. To investigate the relationship between the microbiome and health, scientists must establish the functions of the products of their microbiomes.
"We have evolved with the microbes in our gut, our microbes inside, and have discovered that they talk to us and we feed them with, among other things, the mucins we produce. We now are trying to unravel their functions and understand exactly what these microbes and their products mean to human health" said Professor de Vos.
The size of one microbial metagenome (one host's microbiome) is 150 times larger than the human genome and encodes 100 times more genes than our own genome. This extensive gene catalogue could enable us to study potential associations between microbial genes and human phenotypes and even environmental factors like diet, throughout the length of our lifetime.
Source: Society for Applied Microbiology http://www.sfam.org.uk/en/events/index.cfm/EMI_Lec

One-Fifth of consumers more vulnerable to foodborne illness

As many as 20 percent of consumers are more vulnerable to foodborne illness due to their age or health conditions that affect their immune systems.

In addition to the elderly, susceptible people include young children, pregnant women, alcoholics, diabetics and people stricken with AIDS, HIV, various cancers, multiple sclerosis and other diseases that affect their immune systems.

The British medical researchers compiling findings from scores in the U.S. and Europe reconfirms that some people are more vulnerable than others to foodborne pathogens. In most outbreaks of Salmonella, E. coli and other microbial agents, a disproportionate number of reported victims are very young or very old.

The research seeks to quantify that increased risk, and concludes that in the U.S., UK and other developed countries, between 15 percent and 20 percent of the population are more susceptible to foodborne pathogens.

Vulnerability arises often because of immune suppression, through either disease processes or the medications used to manage them, and at the extremes of age or in pregnancy. The vulnerability means that fewer bacteria, especially foodborne or waterborne organisms, are needed to cause disease and increase the severity of the disease.

The key strategy is a diet of food that is less likely to carry pathogens. Their list of "higher risk" foods include:

• Raw or undercooked meat or poultry.

• Raw, undercooked fish, or precooked seafood such as shrimp or crab.

• Unpasteurized milk or foods containing raw eggs (i.e. homemade eggnog).

• Raw sprouts or unwashed vegetables.

• Soft cheeses made from unpasteurized milk, such as feta, brie, etc.

• Hot dogs and luncheon meats that have not been reheated.

• Unpasteurized, refrigerated pates or meat spreads.

Source: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/10/one-fifth-of-americans-more-vulnerable-to-foodborne-illness/

Aporte: Fernando Fuentes Pinochet

En Colombia detectan L. monocytogenes en lotes de vienesas y jamón de pollo

Autoridades de Salud llaman a retirar los productos del mercado
El Instituto Nacional de Vigilancia de Medicamentos y Alimentos (Invima) de Colombia detectó la presencia de Listeria monocytogenes en el lote 4361111 de vienesas de pollo (Zarpollo Salchicha de Pollo) y el 3371117 de jamón de pollo (Premium Zarpollo Jamón de Pollo), de la empresa Zarcárnicos S.A, según un comunicado de la entidad.

En la nota, la entidad explicó que pidió a las autoridades de salud “verificar que no se encuentren en el mercado los productos en mención y, en caso de hallarse, tomar las medidas sanitarias de seguridad pertinentes”.
Asimismo, hizo un llamado a la comunidad para que informe a las autoridades sanitarias la posible presencia de estos productos alimenticios en supermercados o ventas de derivados cárnicos y por ningún motivo consumirlos.
La  Listeria monocytogenes es un patógeno resistente a condiciones medioambientales comolas altas concentraciones de sal o acidez, baja concentración de oxígeno y a temperaturas de refrigeración, explicó el Invima. Además el patógeno es capaz de sobrevivir por largos períodos en el medio ambiente, en los alimentos, en las plantas de elaboración y en biofilms en los refrigeradores tanto industriales como domésticos.

FUENTE: http://www.agromeat.com/45501/hallan-en-colombia-la-bacteria-listeria-en-lotes-de-salchichas-y-jamon-de-pollo
Enviado por : María Patricia Cuevas.

Alerta en Francia por la detección de L. monocytogenes en una muestra de oreja de cerdo cocinada procedente de España

Las autoridades francesas avisan a la AESAN

El pasado 28 de septiembre las autoridades francesas avisaron a la Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (AESAN) de que en un control realizado por la empresa de distribución Leader Price en Francia, en una muestra de oreja de cerdo cocinada lista para el consumo, se había detectado la presencia de Listeria monocytogenes. El producto objeto de la notificación es de la marca Regal Catalán, lote 07072011 y fecha de consumo preferente 05/10/2011.
El producto había sido distribuido por la empresa mayorista Rousillon Salaison de Francia y distribuido por el establecimiento Carnes Esman, SL de Girona (10.13132/GE).
La AESAN adelanta esta información el mismo día 28 de septiembre a la Agencia de Protección de la Salud para que inicie la investigación. El día 29 aparece en la prensa francesa la información para advertir a los consumidores sobre la presencia de Listeria monocytogenes en el producto en cuestión y ese mismo día se notifica el caso a través del Sistema Coordinado de intercambio Rápido de Información (SCIRI).
Realizadas las investigaciones en la empresa Carnes Esman y de acuerdo con la información facilitada por dicha empresa, el producto es elaborado por una empresa ubicada en la Cataluña Central. Carnes Esman manifiesta asimismo que el producto objeto de la alerta ha sido comercializado en su totalidad al cliente de Francia.
Las investigaciones en la empresa elaboradora han permitido establecer que el lote afectado ha sido vendido íntegramente a la empresa Carnes Esman. En estos momentos continúan las investigaciones a fin de averiguar las posibles causas de la contaminación

FUENTE: http://www.agromeat.com/45504/las-autoridades-francesas-avisan-a-la-aesan-sobre-la-deteccion-de-listeria-monocytogenes-en-una-muestra-de-oreja-de-cerdo-cocinada-procedente-de-espana
Enviado por: Maria Patricia Cuevas

Salmonella Concern Prompts Chef Salad Recall

The food involved is a lot of grape tomatoes.
A Cincinnati company is recalling approximately 57 pounds of salad containing meat and poultry, because the grape tomatoes used in the salads may be contaminated with Salmonella, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Saturday. Greencore USA was notified by its grape tomato supplier, Pearson Foods, that a specific lot of grape tomatoes was being recalled due to potential Salmonella contamination. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the recall of grape tomatoes on Sept. 28, 2011.
There are no reports of illness.
The recall include 5.6 oz. plastic bowl containers of "Thornton's Quick Café's Chef Salad" with an "Enjoy By" date of "09/30/11", "10/02/2011" or "10/03/2011."
Each package bears a label with the establishment number "P38518" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The salads being recalled were produced on Sept. 26 and Sept. 28, 2011, and were distributed to retail stores in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.
Consumers with questions regarding the recall should contact the company's Technical Manager, Mary Young
Aporte: Lilian Rojas

Fuente: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/10/chef-salad-recalled/

Aumentan casos confirmados por Salmonella typhi en el país

26 casos confirmados por el Instituto de Salud Pública
El Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile, informó que a 26 se elevó el número de casos confirmados por Salmonella typhi en el país, de los cuales 20 de ellos se concentran en la Región Metropolitana, precisando que el 50% del total de pacientes han debido ser hospitalizados.
Según el Reporte Epidemiológico semanal del ISP, que resume las cepas recibidas y confirmadas por el organismo, consigna que para la presente semana 39 el número de casos confirmados por esta enfermedad es mayor si se comparan los casos registrados durante todo el año 2010, y muy superior para los meses de agosto y septiembre (ver infografía).
El Instituto de Salud Pública reitera el llamado a la población de intensificar las medidas preventivas: lavarse las manos con agua y jabón, antes de comer o preparar alimentos y después de ir al baño; lavar frutas y verduras con agua corriente y no estancada, mantener los alimentos refrigerados, consumir sólo agua potable y si no se dispone de ella, hay que hervirla, entre otra medidas.

Aporte: Lilian Rojas
Fuente: http://www.ispch.cl/noticia/15096

Cadena de Frío en los Alimentos será controlada por envase inteligente

 España: Envase reaccionará a las diferencias  de temperatura

Un nuevo tipo de envase  seguirá la huella  de la temperatura   de distribución del alimento a lo largo de la cadena alimenticia, información que conocerá el consumidor al momento de adquirir el producto. Su funcionamiento se basará en el uso de tintas, denominadas Inteligentes, sensibles a los cambios de temperatura  y que reaccionarán cuando la cadena de frío haya sufrido una alteración, este proyecto que está siendo estudiado en España

Los indicadores podrían mostrar un historial a través de un código de color. Así se garantizaría a los consumidores la calidad e idoneidad de los alimentos refrigerados como los congelados, lo que contribuiría a aumentar la confianza de los consumidores. Esto también puede ser usado por los consumidores una vez adquirido el producto ya que les permitiría controlar la calidad en su casa.

El proyecto denominado I+D Smart Cold Pack, ha sido puesto en marcha por iniciativa del Instituto Tecnológico del Embalaje, Transporte y Logística (Itene) y del Instituto de Öptica ,Color e Imagen (Aido). En estos momentos estos organismos están trabajando en obtener tintas  inteligentes a bajo costo.

También los encargados de dar a conocer este proyecto informan que esta tecnología provocaría un abaratamiento en el costo debido a la integración de los indicadores en el proceso de producción tradicional. Destacan que los productos que utilicen estos envases tendrán mayor valor agregado en cuanto a la calidad con respecto a otros alimentos similares

 Fuente: consumer.es/seguridad-alimentaria/2011/09/26/203580.php.

Aporte: Carmen López A

Campylobacter Found in Raw Milk in New York

After two people were sickened by Campylobacter, the New York state departments of health and agriculture on Thursday warned consumers in Tompkins County and surrounding areas not to drink unpasteurized milk produced at Jerry Dell Farm in Freeville, due to possible contamination.

The state Health Department said it notified the farm on Sept. 22 that two people who had consumed its raw milk were infected with Campylobacter enteritis.

Tests completed Thursday at the New York State Food Laboratory found that the unpasteurized milk produced at Jerry Dell Farm, and collected on Sept. 22, contained Campylobacter, the health department said.

The farm had voluntarily suspended milk sales and will be prohibited from selling raw milk until subsequent sampling indicates that the product is free of pathogens.

The health department advised anyone who still has milk purchased from Jerry Dell Farm to discard it immediately, and said individuals experiencing gastrointestinal illness symptoms after consuming milk purchased from Jerry Dell Farm should contact their health care provider.

Jerry Dell Farm holds a permit to legally sell raw milk at the farm. Producers who sell raw milk to consumers in New York must have a permit and must sell directly to consumers on the farm where the milk is produced. These producers must also post a notice at the point of sale indicating that raw milk does not provide the protection of pasteurization. Farms with permits to sell raw milk are inspected monthly by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Marketing.

Fuente: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/

Aporte: Fernanda Sepúlveda

Recalled meat delivered to Air Force Base in Delaware

Tyson Fresh Meats has recalled more than 131,000 pounds of E. coli-tainted ground beef, some of which was delivered to Dover Air Force Base.

The recall affects meat distributed to Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.  In Delaware, the company says the only bad meat was sent to the Air Force base.  The base commissary received three boxes of the 73 percent, 3-pound chubs.

The Delaware Division of Public Health hasn't heard any reports of illness associated with eating the tainted meat.  Anyone who is concerned that they might have become ill from eating the bad meat should call the Public Health hotline at 1-888-295-5156 or 302-744-1033.

The meat was produced on August 23 in Emporia, Kansas, and is stamped with the code "EST 245D" and "best Before or Freeze By SEP 12, 2011."

Fuente: http://www.newsworks.org/

Aporte: Cristián García