UK’s FSA Publishes 2014 Food Safety Priorities

A major portion of the plan addresses Campylobacter, Britain’s most common cause of food poisoning.

In the plan, FSA is proposing to study how to modify processing equipment to limit Campylobacter contamination, how the pathogen attaches to chicken surfaces, why practices required for good hygiene are inconsistently applied and how to improve adherence, what factors affect variations in Campylobacter disease rates, which antimicrobial treatments could remove surface contamination, how frequently cross-contamination occurs in household kitchens and what might be the best practices for safely cooking chicken.

FSA also plans to promote new food safety guidance regarding Listeria monocytogenes in hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare settings.

With the emergence of Hepatitis E in pork and Hepatitis A in berries and processed foods, these viruses are another concern. “Evidence points to these viruses being more heat stable than bacteria and this has raised questions concerning current processing or cooking conditions,” the plan states. So the agency plans to review literature and do further experiments to analyze heat stability.

In early 2013, curry leaves used in a ready-to-eat dish in Northeast England led to an outbreak of nearly 1,000 cases of Salmonella, Shigella and Enteroaggregative E. coli. As a result, FSA plans to address the need for better advice on curry leaf risk reduction.

The agency will also be studying the proportion of foodborne pathogens acquired in the home as opposed to external settings, the diversity of Enteroaggregative E. coli strains, exposure to metals and other elements in the U.K. diet, potential alternatives for food preservatives, the risks associated with buying food online, and bacteriophages – viruses that can kill bacteria and reduce microbiological contamination of foods.

And, in light of the horsemeat scandal earlier this year, FSA wants to develop tools for detecting horsemeat in heavily processed foods and determining the origin of foods.

Some projects FSA has already undertaken include reviewing the available rapid testing methods for detecting marine biotoxin in shellfish and researching toxoplasma in food and livestock.

Other aspects of the plan address food allergies and nutrition.

Source: http://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/news/2013/aug/campylobacter#.UrwhO7SQNn8

FDA Proposes New Rule on ‘Antibacterial’ Soaps

Antibacterial hand soaps and body washes should demonstrate their products are safe and more effective than normal soap.

U.S. regulators on Monday 16 issued a proposed rule that would require makers of antibacterial hand soaps and body washes to demonstrate their products are safe and more effective than soap and water in preventing infection and the spread of bacteria.

"Although consumers generally view these products as effective tools to help prevent the spread of germs, there is currently no evidence that they are any more effective at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.

The FDA said research has suggested long-term exposure to antibacterial chemicals, such as triclosan in liquid soaps and triclocarban in bar soaps, could have hormonal affects and allow bacteria to mutate into harder-to-control strains.

The agency said companies that fail to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of their products would have to reformulate them to back up the product claims, or re-label them to keep them on store shelves.

Such products are widely sold and touted, and include SoftSoap products from Colgate Palmolive, Cetaphil from Galderma Laboratories, and Dial products from Henkel AG.

The FDA said the action is part of a larger ongoing review by the agency to ensure that antibacterial ingredients are safe and effective. But the proposed rule would not affect hand sanitizers, wipes or antimicrobial products used in healthcare settings, the agency said.

The move comes five days after the FDA issued new guidelines to phase out the use of antibiotics as a growth enhancer in livestock, also in an effort to stem a surge in human resistance to antibiotics.

"Due to consumers' extensive exposure to the ingredients in antibacterial soaps, we believe there should be a clearly demonstrated benefit ... to balance any potential risk," said Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Almost all soaps labeled "antibacterial" or "antimicrobial" contain at least one of the antibacterial ingredients addressed in the FDA's proposed rule, most notably triclosan and triclocarban, and some labeled "deodorant" may also contain these ingredients, the agency said.

The proposed rule will be available for public comment for 180 days. Concurrently, companies will be given one year to submit new data and information, followed by a 60-day rebuttal comment period.

Source: FDA

FSIS launches a new Salmonella reduction plan

An estimated 1.3 million illnesses can be attributed to Salmonella every year.

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service released today a plan to reduce Salmonella in meat and poultry products, a priority coming into tighter focus as another outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg has sickened hundreds across the country.

The Salmonella Action Plan prioritizes modernizing the poultry slaughter inspection system. Shifting FSIS inspectors to more offline, food safety duties will prevent at least an estimated 5,000 illnesses each year, the agency said.

An estimated 1.3 million illnesses can be attributed to Salmonella every year.

“Far too many Americans are sickened by Salmonella every year. The aggressive and comprehensive steps detailed in the Salmonella Action Plan will protect consumers by making meat and poultry products safer,” said Under Secretary for Food Safety Elisabeth Hagen, whose resignation from her post at FSIS will take effect mid-December.

The new plan prescribes enhanced sampling and testing programs that take into account “the latest scientific information available” and emerging trends in foodborne illness. Inspectors will “be empowered with the tools necessary to expeditiously pinpoint problems.” Equipped with more information about a plant’s performance history and better methods for assessing in-plant conditions, inspectors will better be able to detect salmonella earlier, ostensibly before it can cause an outbreak.

The plan also outlines several actions FSIS will take to foster new innovations toward lowering contamination rates, including establishing new performance standards; developing new strategies for inspection farm to table; addressing all potential sources of  Salmonella; and focusing the agency’s education and outreach tools on Salmonella.

The strategy announcement comes as FSIS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health agencies continue to wrestle with an outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg linked to three Foster Farms chicken plants in California. The outbreak has sickened nearly 390 people in 23 states.

Earlier impetus was provided also by an outbreak in 2011 of the same strain emanating from ground turkey that sickened 136 people in 34 states and forced Cargill to recall 36 million pounds of product.

FSIS followed with strengthened performance standards for salmonella in poultry, with a goal of significantly reducing illnesses by 20,000 per year. Through the Salmonella Initiative Program, plants currently are using processing technologies designed to directly reduce the pathogen in raw meat and poultry, and prevalence in broilers has dropped by more than 75 percent since 2006, FSIS said.

Source: USDA FSIS

Crunch Pak® sliced apples recalled due to potential for Listeria monocytogenes

State Lab Finds a Positive Sample, no human cases identified yet.

A Washington state company is recalling sliced apples due to the potential for Listeria contamination. The contamination was discovered by testing conducted by Minnesota Health Department. A sample tested was found to be positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

There have been no know Listeria outbreaks associated with sliced apples, however these product had been recalled in the 2012. Perhaps this is why MN Dept. of Health decided to pull this sample…perhaps it was just somebody pulling samples. Was the level of contamination significant? Studies have shown that Listeria can survive on apples and that it has grown on sliced apples when that product was temperature abused.

How risk is evaluated for a given product is rarely constant. This was the case with cantaloupes, where Listeria was probably not on the radar of those conducting a risk analysis, until the Jensen related outbreak in 2011. And so now for companies packing fresh apple slice, they too will need to include Listeria as part of their hazard analysis, and with this, they will need to implement environmental control measures in the processing environment.

The company sold the recalled product to retail customers and because, in some cases, the recalled product was shipped to regional distribution centers, Crunch Pak is taking the extra precautionary measure of issuing this recall nationwide to assure that consumers who may have purchased the product are properly alerted.

Source: Listeria blog http://www.listeriablog.com/listeria-recalls/apple-slices-recalled-due-to-listeria-risk/#.UoogdMRWxWA

Campylobacter outbreak due to undercooked chicken livers

The first reported multistate outbreak from undercooked chicken liver in the US

Six people were sickened and two were hospitalized, said the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Affected  were exposed to raw or lightly cooked chicken livers produced at the same poultry factory (establishment A) collected livers yielded the same strain of C. jejuni.

In October 2012 the VDH identified three cases of laboratory-confirmed C.  jejuni infection in Vermont residents; the isolates had indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns. PulseNet, the molecular subtyping network for foodborne disease surveillance, led to one additional case from New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont reported in the preceding six months.

Farm worker exposed: One of the people was exposed to the pathogen while working on the farm, the other four cases became ill after eating the livers, which were deliberately undercooked to maintain their texture.

USDA-FSIS found that establishment A, which stopped selling chicken livers, used antimicrobial cleaners to the livers, these efforts only affect the external surfaces and because Campylobacter contamination can be internal, the safety of undercooked chicken livers was not assured.

A food safety assessment conducted by the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) found no major violations.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that poultry must reach an internal temperature of 165oF (73.9oC) for at least 15 seconds.

Studies have shown that 77% of retail chicken livers are contaminated with Campylobacter and contamination is usually in internal tissues as well as on the surface.

Patients affected:  The six patients ranged in age from 19 to 87 years; three were female. Two were hospitalized, but all six had recovered by the time of their interviews.

Frozen chicken livers collected from restaurant A were sent to the VDH laboratory, minced into 13 25-gram subsamples and enriched as normal for the C. jejuni immunoassay. Two of the 13 subsamples screened gave positive results, but the pathogen could not be recovered in culture.

Source:FoodQualityNews.com

A novel transposon in Listeria monocytogenes responsible for tolerance to Benzalkonium Chloride

It is notable the increase of Listeria tolerance to various sanitizers.

Controlling the food-borne pathogen Listeria (L.) monocytogenes is of great importance from a food safety perspective, and thus for human health. The consequences of failures in this regard have been exemplified by recent large listeriosis outbreaks in the USA and Europe. It is thus particularly notable that tolerance to quaternary ammonium compounds such as benzalkonium chloride (BC) has been observed in many L. monocytogenes strains.

However, the molecular determinants and mechanisms of BC tolerance of L. monocytogenes are still largely unknown. Here we describe Tn6188, a novel transposon in L. monocytogenes conferring tolerance to BC. Tn6188 is related to Tn554 from Staphylococcus (S.) aureus and other Tn554-like transposons such as Tn558, Tn559 and Tn5406 found in various Firmicutes. Tn6188 comprises 5117 bp, is integrated chromosomally within the radC gene and consists of three transposase genes (tnpABC) as well as genes encoding a putative transcriptional regulator and QacH, a small multidrug resistance protein family (SMR) transporter putatively associated with export of BC that shows high amino acid identity to Smr/QacC from S. aureus and to EmrE from Escherichia coli. We screened 91 L. monocytogenes strains for the presence of Tn6188 by PCR and found Tn6188 in 10 of the analyzed strains. 

The isolates were from food and food processing environments and predominantly from serovar 1/2a. L. monocytogenes strains harboring Tn6188 had significantly higher BC minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) (28.5 ± 4.7 mg/l) than strains without Tn6188 (14 ± 3.2 mg/l). 

Using quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR we could show a significant increase in qacH expression in the presence of BC. QacH deletion mutants were generated in two L. monocytogenes strains and growth analysis revealed that ΔqacH strains had lower BC MICs than wild type strains. In conclusion, our results provide evidence that Tn6188 is responsible for BC tolerance in various L. monocytogenes strains.

Source: Müller A et al. (2013) Tn6188 - A Novel Transposon in Listeria monocytogenes Responsible for Tolerance to Benzalkonium Chloride. PLoS ONE 8(10): e76835. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0076835

Especias de cocina pueden albergar Salmonella

Salmonella fue común en cilantro, albahaca, orégano, etc.

Un estudio realizado por la FDA reveló que alrededor del 7 por ciento de las especies usadas en la cocina  resultaron contaminadas con Salmonella, patógeno que puede provocar graves enfermedades  e incluso  la muerte.

El organismo testeó unas 20 mil muestras de especies importadas en EE.UU. entre 2006 y 2009 -casi todas son traídas fuera del país, de las cuales un 7 por ciento contenían la bacteria. Salmonella fue común en cilantro, albahaca, orégano, semillas de sésamo, pimienta, cominos y curry en polvo. Las especias molidas y agrietadas tenían ligeramente más probabilidades de estar contaminados que las especias enteras.

El motivo por el que pudieron contaminarse es porque después de su cosecha a menudo son puestas en el suelo para que se sequen. Como Salmonella proviene de las aves y otros animales, éstas tienen acceso a las especias en algún lugar del proceso de recolección, secado, procesamiento o almacenamiento.

La FDA recomienda que la mejor forma de eliminar este  peligro es cocinar las especias a altas temperaturas,  proceso que  simula la pasteurización, que es un método que se usa para eliminar  a este agente. 

Fuente: http://www.industry-bionews.com/2013/10/salmonella/

Listeria multiple matrices recalls in US

Listeria has forced recalls from four US companies in products ranging from meat to salads.

Reser’s Fine Foods, based in Kansas, Boston Salads and Provisions Company, Inc., in Massachusetts, Garden Fresh Foods, in Wisconsin and Taylor Farms in Maryland are at the heart of separate recalls.

Chicken, ham and beef products. Reser’s Fine Foods is expanding its recall of chicken, ham and beef products to include all products produced between 5 September and 9 October, in addition to the 22,800 pounds of product recalled on 22 October. The problem was discovered through microbiological testing by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency after products were distributed to retailers and distributors nationwide.A traceback investigation and follow-up testing by FDA at the facility determined there was potential cross contamination of products with Listeria monocytogenes from product contact surfaces.

RTE chicken salad identified. Boston Salads and Provisions Company, Inc., is recalling 222,959 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken salad products due to Listeria monocytogenes, according to USDA-FSIS. The products were produced between 23 August and 14 October and shipped to wholesalers for distribution to retail locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MADPH) was alerted to these findings and tested intact samples of product, with two testing positive with matching PFGE patterns.

RTE chicken and ham suspected. Garden Fresh Foods, a Milwaukee company is recalling 103,080 additional pounds of ready-to-eat chicken and ham products due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, said USDA-FSIS. It is in addition to the 25,748 pounds of similar products that were recalled on 25 September and 17 October FSIS conducted a food safety assessment at the facility following the initial recall. Microbial testing and other findings indicated that additional product may have been contaminated due to harborage of Listeria monocytogenes. The products included in the expanded recall were produced between 6 September and October 10.

Broccoli salad kit recall. Taylor Farms, a Jessup, firm is recalling 5,084 pounds of broccoli salad kit products , which contain salad dressing in packets that are the subject of a recall due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to USDA-FSIS. The salad kits were shipped to distributors and retail locations (delis) for consumer purchase in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont. Taylor Farms informed FSIS that salad dressing subject to an FDA recall was contained in the salad kits produced on the dates listed above. FSIS, FDA and the companies have not received any reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these recalls.

Source: FoodQualityNews

Presencia de pesticidas en frutas: resumen temporada 2012-2013 en Chile

Uva de mesa, manzana y cítricos presentan el mayor porcentaje de muestras positivas

AGQ Labs dio a conocer las estadísticas arrojadas por los análisis multirresiduos realizados en su centro tecnológico de Chile sobre la presencia de pesticidas en frutas, hortalizas y alimentos procesados durante la temporada 2012-2013

El estudio fue realizado entre el 1 de junio de 2013 hasta el 31 de julio de 2013, se midió la presencia de pesticidas mediante cromatografía gaseosa GC/MS-MS y cromatografía líquida HPLC/MS-MS.

La muestra incluyó frutas frescas: berries (arándanos, boysenberries, cranberries, frambuesas, frutillas, moras y zarzaparrillas); cítricos (clementinas, limones, mandarinas, naranjas y pomelos); carozos (ciruelas, damascos, duraznos, cerezas, nectarines, plumcots y pluots); pomáceas  (manzanas y peras); uva de mesa; kiwis; paltas; y granadas. Además se analizaron También lechugas, tomates, acelga, zapallo italiano, apio, espinaca y repollo, y alimentos procesados, como pulpas (manzana, pera y durazno), vinos y aceite de oliva.

La uva de mesa destaco por  muestras positivas encontrándose 51 moléculas distintas detectadas, con Boscalid, Fenexamida e Imidacloprid como principales sustancias activas detectadas en la fruta, seguida por las pomáceas consideradas a nivel global una de las especies con mayor cantidad de pesticidas y los cítricos. Por el contrario, la palta fue la fruta con menos muestras positivas. Un caso especial fue el kiwi, fruta que presentó un número mayor de muestras positivas durante la temporada 2012-2013, hecho que se podría atribuir a un mayor número de muestras con tratamiento de postcosecha.

En el caso de las hortalizas, el tomate presentó 61 moléculas diferentes. Le siguió la lechuga con 54 (insecticidas básicamente), la acelga (33), apio (33), zapallo italiano (20), espinaca (19) y repollo (13). A pesar de este resultado, el tomate no supera por mucho la norma de los LMR, a diferencia de la acelga, alimento que concentró el mayor número de casos (87%). A nivel de productos procesados, se detectaron 38 moléculas distintas en la uva vinífera y 17 moléculas distintas en el vino. En aceite de oliva se detectaron  7 moléculas distintas, principalmente insecticidas y, en cuanto a la pulpa de manzana, se detectaron 24 moléculas distintas.

Fuente: http://www.portalfruticola.com/2013/09/23/presencia-de-pesticidas-en-frutas-resumen-temporada-2012-2013-en-chile/?pais=chile

Aporte: Felipe Pérez

Aplicación correcta de tratamiento térmico asegura la inocuidad alimentaria

Aplicación  de valores D y z en procesos térmicos

Los tratamientos térmicos que se realizan en la elaboración de alimentos listos para el consumo (RTE), carnes y productos avícolas son críticos para el control de patógenos presentes en estos productos. Dado que es una herramienta útil para eliminar o reducir los microorganismos patógenos a niveles aceptables para el consumo humano.

Para poder determinar un adecuado procesamiento térmico se debe considerar, a parte de los factores del alimento (pH, actividad de agua, humedad, contenido de grasa, forma y tamaño), las propiedades bacterianas (concentración, fase de crecimiento del patógeno y capacidad intrínseca de resistencia al calor) y  el uso de los valores D y z. Valores  aprobados por Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) y que están en permanente uso.

El valor D corresponde al tiempo necesario para reducir el patógeno a un 90 por ciento   (1 -log), y el valor  z, que corresponde  al cambio de temperatura necesaria para reducir  el valor D a la décima parte de su valor inicial. Por lo tanto, conociendo los valores D y z para diferentes bacterias patógenas y en diferentes alimentos se puede determinar rápidamente la letalidad del patógeno presente.

Esto contribuye a una mejora en la seguridad alimentaria. Estudios de investigación científica deben centrarse en proporcionar nuevos valores de D y z para posterior aplicación en programas con modelamiento matemático, de manera de realizar un procesamiento térmico más efectivo.

Fuente:http://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/octobernovember-2013/thermal-processing-with-food-safety-in-mind/

Aporte M. José Saludes