US hit by two fish recalls

The US has been hit by two separate fish recalls linked to Clostridium botulinum and Listeria monocytogenes in the space of a week 

True Taste is recalling hot smoked vacuum packaged Rainbow Trout, Whitefish, Herring, Mackerel, Salmon Steak and Cold Smoked varieties Mackerel and Whitefish because they could be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum.
Ocean’s Beauty Seafoods is recalling Nathan’s Brand Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon 3 oz and LASCCO Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon 4 oz.

Botulism in True Taste fish

True Taste of Kenosha, Wisconsin, issued a market withdrawal on 18 December and it affects products with production dates beginning on 1 January 2012 to the current date.
Potential for contamination was identified after routine samples collected by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection found that the product did not meet the 3.5% minimum requirement for water phase salt.
Sample analysis reported water phase salt concentrations of 2.2% (hot smoked white fish); 3% (hot smoked herring); and 3.4% (hot smoked rainbow trout).
The recalled product is vacuum packaged and can be identified with either the True Taste Label in California and Illinois or the Lowell Foods Label in Illinois.
It has a white sticker applied to the package with the first set of numbers representing the date of processing and the second set of numbers representing the best if used by date.
No illnesses have been reported as yet but Botulism is a potentially fatal form of food poisoning.

Nathan’s brand linked to listeria

Ocean Beauty Seafoods is recalling 371 cases of ready-to-eat cold smoked salmon products because of possible contamination by Listeria monocytogenes.
The recalled products, made in Chile, were distributed to retailers from 20 November to 12 December.
The potential for contamination was noted after internal testing by the company revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in samples.
No other Ocean Beauty products are included and there have been no complaints or illnesses reported.
Lascco 4 oz Nova Salmon with the UPC 072840017517 involves 96 cases of fish and Nathan’s 3oz Nova Salmon 073030803682 involves 275 cases.

Fuente: http://www.foodqualitynews.com

Amish Wisconsin Raw Milk Trial due to Campylobacter jejuni contamination

The public needs to be educated about the dangers of raw milk

16 people, including at least 9 children, were sickened by raw milk contaminated with Campylobacter jejuni served at a 4th grade school event in Wisconsin. The same strain of Campylobacter was found by health officials in unpasteurized milk (raw milk) produced at a local farm, according to officials from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Western Racine County Health Department.

A parent served raw milk from the farm at the school event. This highlights one of the problems with raw milk: most people do not know that raw milk is a dangerous product that can cause serious injury and death. A man, who drank raw milk contaminated with Campylobacter, developed a serious neurological case of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and is now paralyzed. He can’t even breathe on his own. 

The public needs to be educated about the dangers of raw milk.  Unfortunately some raw milk advocates comment that raw milk is safe while health officials point to raw milk as the source of the outbreak. The evidence proves the former are wrong.

In the meantime stool samples submitted to the WRCHD by ill students and adults were sent to the State Laboratory of Hygiene where they tested positive for the pathogen Campylobacter jejuni.  Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) food inspectors collected milk samples from the bulk tank at the farm, all tested positive for Campylobacter jejuni.

Further testing by the State Hygiene lab showed the pathogenic strain isolated from the stool samples and the milk samples matched. Additionally, interviews with event attendees revealed that consuming the unpasteurized milk was statistically associated with illness. Health officials said that this combination of laboratory and epidemiologic evidence indicates that the illnesses were caused by the unpasteurized milk consumed at the school event.

The defendant in a long-awaited trial for raw milk violations in Wisconsin has won a further delay of the proceedings. Vernon Hershberger, the raw milk producer charged with four misdemeanors related to the sale of unpasteurized milk, was set to face trial Jan. 7.

The Sauk County court has to sort out religious-based objections that were raised in briefs filed in his defense because of his religious beliefs, the raw milk dairy farmer says he was raised Amish and still maintains many of those beliefs. The raw milk producer faces charges of distributing milk from a dairy farm with a milk producer’s license, operating a retail food establishment without a license, operating a dairy plant without a license and selling raw milk.

Source: FoodSafetyNews