Food Safety News

Campylobacter infection is more often of domestic origin in Finland than previously thought, according to scientists.

To identify sources for domestic Campylobacter infections, researchers analyzed patient data from the Finnish Infectious Disease Register (FIDR) in 2004 to 2021 and outbreak data from the National Food- and Waterborne Outbreak Register (FWO Register) in 2010 to 2021. They also conducted a case-control study involving 256 patients and 756 controls with source attribution and patient sample analysis using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in July and August 2022. 

To target control measures, more detailed information on the sources of Campylobacter infection in Finland is needed, according to the study published in the journal Microorganisms.

Sequencing could improve outbreak detection
In total, 71,716 campylobacteriosis cases were reported to the FIDR during 2004 to 2021, of which 17 percent were domestic, 42 percent were travel-related, and 41 percent were of an unknown origin. Campylobacter jejuni caused the most infections, followed by Campylobacter coli.

Of the domestic patients, 12 died within 30 days of being tested. They ranged in age from 22 to 94. Most travel-related infections originated in Thailand, Spain, and Turkey.

From 2010 to 2021, 31 foodborne and six waterborne outbreaks were reported. In the foodborne outbreaks, 276 people fell ill. Ten were caused by poultry meat such as chicken, duck breast, and pigeon and four by unpasteurized, raw milk.

In the case-control study, more than half of patients with an unknown travel history in the FIDR reported not going abroad. Scientists estimated that two-fifths of all patients could be domestically acquired, indicating that more cases than previously considered, are of domestic origin. They said to identify domestic cases, travel information should be included in the FIDR notification.

Researchers identified 22 clusters and three larger ones had seven to nine cases. None of these clusters were reported to the FWO Register, indicating that many smaller, widespread, or prolonged Campylobacter outbreaks go undetected.

“To improve outbreak detection, we recommend that all domestic Campylobacter patient isolates should be sequenced,” said scientists.

Poultry, especially broiler meat, is an important source of campylobacteriosis in Finland. More extensive sampling and comparison of patient, food, animal, and environmental isolates is needed to estimate the significance of other sources.

Situation in Colombia and Italy
ampolobacterAnother study, published in the journal Heliyon, has looked at the prevalence and risk factors of Campylobacter in chicken in Colombia.

Ninety-one samples of fresh chicken carcasses were collected from farmers’ markets and small food stores at seven localities in Bogotá in 2021. Forty-two were positive for Campylobacter.

A higher recovery rate was obtained samples from small stores and Campylobacter jejuni was more predominant than Campylobacter coli among isolates from retail chicken.

Risk factors included poor cleanliness of scales, low frequency of disinfection of utensils, type of establishment, and direct contact of chickens with other food.

“It is important to highlight the need to carry out more studies to determine the general prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in chicken meat intended for human consumption in the country…which will allow the regulatory authorities to establish the necessary measures to reduce a possible impact of this pathogen on public health and also to generate education among consumers for the proper handling and preparation of this food at home,” said researchers.

A separate study provided epidemiological and microbiological data on Campylobacter infections in Italy during 2017 to 2021. Findings were published in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Data was collected from 19 hospitals in 13 Italian regions. In total, 5,419 isolations of Campylobacter were performed. The most common species was Campylobacter jejuni.

Scientists tested 4,627 isolates for antimicrobial susceptibility. Over the study period, resistance to ciprofloxacin and tetracyclines decreased, while resistance to macrolides remained stable. Resistance to ciprofloxacin and tetracyclines was 75.5 percent and 54.8 percent, respectively. 50 percent of Campylobacter jejuni and coli were resistant to more than two antibiotics. 

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The Environmental Group is out with its annual Dirty Dozen fresh fruits and vegetables and the Alliance for Food and Farming is countering the message as usual.

The EWG generally pushes consumers to buy organic fruits and vegetables while the AFF says it is important to eat fresh produce whether or not it is organic.

The position of the EWG
The Environmental Working Group bills itself as a nonprofit, non-partisan organization.

“Non-organic produce is loaded with fungicides that may harm human hormone systems” according to the Environmental Working Group’s 2024 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.

“Across fruits and vegetables from EWG’s Dirty Dozen – the Shopper’s Guide component that identifies the 12 non-organic, or conventional, fresh produce with the most pesticides – four of the five most frequently detected chemicals are fungicides: fludioxonil, pyraclostrobin, boscalid and pyrimethanil.  

This year, EWG determined — using a scattering of data from a USDA report — that 75 percent of all conventional fresh produce sampled had residues of potentially harmful pesticides. 

EWG’s 2024 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce analyzes data from tests conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration on 47,510 samples of 46 fruits and vegetables. 

The EWG Shopper’s Guide also includes the Clean Fifteen, a list of the fruits and vegetables it says have very low or no pesticide residues. Almost 65 percent of EWG’s 2024 Clean Fifteen fruit and vegetable samples had no detectable pesticide residues.

“EWG recommends consumers seeking fresh produce with low pesticide residues buy organic versions of items on EWG’s Dirty Dozen and either organic or conventional versions of produce on the Clean Fifteen,” said EWG Senior Toxicologist Alexis Temkin. “There are also many organic and Clean Fifteen options in the frozen food aisle.”

This year the EWG’s Dirty Dozen are strawberries, spinach, kale and other select leafy greens, grapes, peaches, pears, nectarines, apples, bell and hot peppers, cherries, blueberries and green beans.

The EWG also publishes its Clean 15, which this year includes avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, onions, papayas, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, honeydew melon, kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, mushrooms, mangoes, sweet potatoes and carrots.

The Alliance for Food and Farming position
The AFF bills itself as a non-profit organization formed in 1989 to represent organic and conventional farmers of fruits and vegetables.

“It’s time for our annual  “A Dozen Reasons” list to celebrate the bounty of choices in the produce aisle and remind everyone why it’s so important to eat more fruits and vegetables for better health and a longer life,” according to a statement from AFF.

Nutrient-dense, delicious and filled with goodness, fruits and vegetables offer it all.  Plus decades of nutritional studies, mostly using conventionally grown produce, have shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables prevents diseases, improves physical and mental health and increases lifespan, according to the AFF.

“Peer reviewed research has shown that if half of Americans increased their daily consumption of fruits and vegetables by a single serving, 20,000 cancer cases could be prevented annually,” according to the AFF.

“Choose the produce that you prefer and is affordable and accessible for you and your family. Organic and conventional – decades of studies and government sampling data show that both production methods yield very safe food that consumers can eat with confidence. And remember to follow the advice of the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and wash your fruits and vegetables. According to the FDA, washing produce under running tap water can reduce and often eliminate any minute pesticide residues, if present at all, as well as dirt and bacteria.

The AFF’s top fresh fruits and vegetables and reasons to eat them are apples, bell peppers, berries, cherries, grapes, green beans, leafy greens including kale and spinach, peaches, nectarines and pears, and to: improve mental health by promoting a greater sense of well-being; give your skin an attractive glow; and promote healthy weight maintenance.

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More than 100 patients have been added to a multi-country Salmonella outbreak that began in 2021.

By mid-March 2024, 300 Salmonella Mbandaka patients have been reported, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The United Kingdom has the most cases with 173 and Finland has 98. France has 16, Ireland has seven, while a few have also been reported in Estonia, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Twenty-three patients were hospitalized, six in Finland had septicaemia and one person died in the UK. Patients range in age from less than 1 year old to 100 and 165 are females.

Link to chicken products
Investigations by food safety authorities in Estonia, Finland, and the Netherlands, and the sharing of genomic food information with EFSA in 2024, identified the outbreak strain in frozen steam-cooked chicken breast fillet produced in Ukraine.

The shelf life of contaminated frozen chicken meat products expired in November and December 2023. The latest patients were detected in Finland in October 2023 and in the UK in February 2024, indicating the strain was still circulating in the chicken meat production chain recently.

“Assuming that the identified contaminated batches are no longer on the market, and given the expiration dates and control measures implemented, the likelihood of new infections occurring with the outbreak strain from these batches is low,” said ECDC and EFSA.

In November 2022, 196 cases had been recorded since September 2021. Ready-to-eat chicken products or fresh chicken meat were identified as probable vehicles of infection based on interviews with sick people in Finland and the UK. 

Many patients had consumed products at cafés and restaurants but some in the UK also reported eating chicken bought fresh, indicating that various contaminated products may have been distributed through retail and catering.

Despite the implementation of control measures, cases continued to occur throughout 2023 in Europe and in early 2024 in the UK, suggesting undetected routes of exposure which require further investigation and pose a risk for new infections, said ECDC and EFSA.

Origin of contaminated meat
In 2022, a link was made to an Estonian company based on patient interviews and purchase data but there was no microbiological evidence. The food safety authority in Estonia reported this company had not used chicken meat from Ukraine since December 2022. A chilled chicken Caesar ciabatta produced by this company, and sampled in Finland in 2022, was reported as Salmonella Mbandaka-positive. Based on traceability information, the Estonian firm cannot be linked to all countries reporting patients.

Steam cooked frozen chicken breast, from the Ukrainian processor and sampled at an Estonian company in 2022, matched the outbreak strain. Another batch of this product, sampled in 2023 at an Estonian wholesaler and a Dutch company, also tested positive for the outbreak strain.

In January and April 2023, the European Commission, on behalf of Ukraine, communicated in RASFF that corrective measures were reported to have been implemented at the Ukrainian plant such as microbiological testing of each batch exported to Europe, increased Salmonella testing of raw materials coming from the slaughterhouse, and revision of food safety and hygiene procedures.

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The City Council In Lewiston, Maine, has decided not to eliminate its local restaurant inspection program and not to withdraw funding from the city’s sanitarian positions. The votes was unanimous.

Lewiston remains one of three cities in Maine that, for the state, handles local restaurant inspections

The City Council took action after hearing much public support for the local inspection program and its inspector, Louis Lachance.

With those decisions, the City essentially ends a period of reaction to the temporary January closure of DaVinci’s, a popular Lewiston restaurant going through a cockroach infestation for almost a year.

After the closure, the city administration prepared a letter to the State of Maine terminating the city’s agreement to inspect local food service establishments. Had the letter been sent, the state would have been charged with inspecting Lewiston restaurants.

The  Council also voted down a resolution to rescind the budget for any Certified Sanitation Inspector/Code Enforcement Officers for the coming year.

These actions were proposed after a nine-day closure of DaVinci’s in January.

Lewiston’s restaurant inspector ordered the closure after DaVinci’s staff and pest control contractor worked on the issue since early 2023.

Cockroaches are harbingers of disease and pathogens. Their shed exoskeletons and feces can trigger asthma in otherwise healthy people, and a significant cockroach infestation can be incredibly unhealthy for people. Roaches also leave behind stains and nasty smells. If they, or their waste, come into contact with food, humans can develop food poisoning-like symptoms that may become severe enough to require hospitalization.

At the time of the closure, the City Immediately put its long-time and respected Code Enforcement Director David Hediger on administrative leave and prepared to rescind restaurant inspector Louis Lachance.

The union representing city employees, the Maine Service Employees Association, then held a “no confidence” vote on Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline.

The “no confidence” vote represented 60 city employees, including code enforcement staff. The union’s Adam Jones said Mayor Sheline had created a toxic work environment.

Sheline was elected in 2023 to a second term as Mayor of the second-largest city in Maine. He won by 122  votes out of 4,664 total ballots cast in a special mayoral runoff election

He said he was disappointed with the “no confidence” vote and has no power to hire or fire city staff, which rests with the City Administrator, Heather Hunter.

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Officials in the United Kingdom are looking into an E. coli outbreak linked to chili sticks that has affected five people.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA), Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are investigating the outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157 with five cases. Four sick people live in England and one in Scotland. 

One person was hospitalized with illness linked to products from a Christmas market. Ongoing enquiries are concentrating on the supply of beef mince used in the product. 

At the end of December 2023, Chiltern Artisan recalled its chili sticks because E. coli had been found in some of the products. The use-by date is also not always displayed on the packaging, according to the recall notice.

In December, Chiltern Artisan issued a statement for people who had bought its chili snap sticks between Oct. 14 and Dec. 24, 2023.

According to a message sent to the firm from an environmental health officer at Buckinghamshire Council, none of the patients were known to have consumed chili sticks or have any known links to Chiltern Artisan and spice samples were negative.

Highlights of foodborne disease work
Meanwhile, at a board meeting this week the FSA discussed how it monitors rates of foodborne disease; develops policy and provides advice to ministers on mitigation; and issues guidance to local authorities on control measures.

One challenge is understanding when and how to intervene and the effect of interventions. The work of a careful supply chain can be undone by poor handling in the domestic kitchen; but incorrect management in the supply chain can lead to problems even if the consumer follows food hygiene practices.

It is estimated there are 2.4 million illnesses because of pathogens associated with foodborne disease annually in the UK. Of these, 16,400 patients receive hospital treatment and 180 result in death, costing the UK £10.4 billion ($13.2 billion). The third Infectious Intestinal Disease study is underway with results expected in 2027.

FSA’s approach to mitigating the risk includes horizon scanning and thresholds for the rate of foodborne infections that were set in 2018.

FSA and others, such as the UK Health Security Agency, monitor data and evidence from a range of sources to identify whether there are food safety problems that need an intervention. Examples include the Campylobacter Reduction Program and the response to Listeria monocytogenes detection in enoki mushrooms imported to the UK. After an outbreak of listeriosis, updated advice around cold smoked fish was published to better reflect the risk to vulnerable consumers. 

An Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) working group is being created to focus on Listeria monocytogenes strains. This group will develop recommendations for how strain-specific information can be incorporated into risk assessments and technical advice to inform policy decisions.

The Pathogen Surveillance in Agriculture, Food and Environment (PATH-SAFE) program was scheduled to finish this year but recently received a one year funding extension. This means the pathogen sequence data sharing platform can be extended from Salmonella to include STEC and Listeria.

Relooking at pathogen thresholds
Thresholds for Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli O157, and Listeria monocytogenes are being reassessed with changes put forward later this year. If confirmed lab reports for these pathogens exceed the relevant threshold then the FSA and other agencies will investigate the reasons behind the rise and determine an appropriate response following a review.

The Campylobacter threshold is 71,300 lab reports per year in the UK, for Salmonella it is 8,500 to 9,500, for E. coli O157 it is 800 to 1,500 and 150 to 250 for Listeria.

FSA previously had only been able to include fecal samples in confirmed Campylobacter and Salmonella laboratory reports. However, since 2022, it has had access to other results, such as blood and urine, through UKHSA. For Salmonella, it has led to an increase in cases and rates in the last couple of years have exceeded the threshold.

Confirmed lab reports for Campylobacter have increased since 2016, except for in the first COVID-19 year of 2020. However, levels are below the threshold agreed in 2018. Information on interventions along the broiler food chain are being reviewed. A report will be published in spring 2025 with interventions predicted to be effective at reducing Campylobacter cases and their cost.

Other work includes a survey on the microbiological contamination of sheep at slaughter in England and Wales and on AMR bacteria in raw dog and cat food on sale in the UK.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for imported frozen catfish products that were illegally imported from the People’s Republic of China and are ineligible for entry into the United States. 

The products were not certified for export to the U.S. by the government of China as being produced under equivalent inspection, they do not identify a certified establishment number on their packaging, and they were not presented to FSIS for import reinspection as required. These factors make the products ineligible to import into the U.S. and unfit for human consumption. FSIS is working with other agencies to investigate how these products entered the country.

“FSIS is concerned that some product may be in retailers’ and consumers’ freezers or refrigerators. Retailers who have purchased the products are urged not to sell them. Consumers who purchased the products should not consume them and need to dispose of them properly. Consumers are asked to dispose of the products by double bagging them to reduce the possibility of animals accessing the products,” according to the public warning.

The following product is subject to the public health alert:

• 12-oz. (340 g) plastic packages containing “FROZEN STRIPED PANGASIUS MAWS.”

The products subject to the public health alert do not bear any producing establishment information or import marks on the labels and are packed in plain white shipping cartons devoid of labels or markings. These items are believed to have been shipped to retail and wholesale locations in New York, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.                                

The problem was discovered during FSIS surveillance activities conducted at a wholesaler. By law, commercial imports of meat, poultry, and egg products must be produced in certified establishments in eligible countries, and these products must be presented to FSIS for import reinspection prior to entering U.S. commerce. 

Raw Siluriformes fish products from specific establishments in China are eligible for importation provided the raw materials originate from a certified establishment.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in retailers’ and consumers’ freezers or refrigerators. Retailers who have purchased the products are urged not to sell them. Consumers who purchased the products should not consume them and need to dispose of them properly. Consumers are asked to dispose of the products by double bagging them to reduce the possibility of animals accessing the products.  

Consumers with questions regarding the public health alert can contact Susie Yang, Accountant, Fuxin USA Inc. at 347-881-9899 or fuxinusa@gmail.com.

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Pennsylvania State Rep. Natalie Mihalek has introduced House Bill 2116, to prohibit certain substances in food in the state.

Today, Rep. Mihalek, Rep. Melissa Shusterman, and Sen. Devlin Robinson are hosting a press conference on this legislation. Pennsylvania is the fourth state to consider such legislation after California, New York, and Illinois.

This time, the  National Confectioners Association reports that it is “working to clear up misconceptions about food additives and inform policymakers and consumers about the real science and policy process behind this issue.”

“Enough is enough – Pennsylvania is the latest in a series of states proposing to dismantle our national food safety system in an emotionally-driven campaign that lacks scientific backing,” said Chris Gindlesperger, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications at NCA. “FDA is the only institution in America that can stop this sensationalistic agenda not based on facts and science. It’s time for FDA Commissioner Califf to wake up and get in the game.”

However, on schedule, Consumer Reports endorsed the Pennsylvania bills to help protect the state’s consumers from several harmful food dyes and additives.

consumer Reports says the state legislation banning “unsafe ingredients in food” is because of inaction by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at the federal level.

“Dangerous dyes and additives shown to cause cancer and other serious health and behavioral problems shouldn’t be allowed in our food,” said Brian Ronholm, food policy director at Consumer Reports. “Unfortunately, the FDA hasn’t taken action to protect the public despite the well-documented risks these harmful food chemicals pose to our health. By banning these toxic dyes and additives, these bills will protect Pennsylvanians and make our food safer.”

Under proposed legislation introduced by Representatives Mihalek and Shusterman, Pennsylvania would ban synthetic dyes in food: Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, and Blue 2. 

Red 3 was banned by the FDA in cosmetics and skincare products decades ago but is still allowed in food. 

Consumer Reports cited recent research that has linked these food dyes to behavioral problems in children, including inattentiveness, learning difficulties, and restlessness.

Separate legislation introduced by Representatives Mihalek and Shusterman would ban potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil (BVO), and beta hydroxycarboxylic acid (BHA), which they claim have all been linked to an increased risk of cancer and other negative health effects.

Similar legislation passed the California Assembly in 2023. 

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The number of Cryptosporidium outbreaks involving an agency of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) increased in 2023.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) assisted with investigations into seven Cryptosporidium parvum outbreaks linked to an animal origin. Five were in England and two were in Wales. One outbreak of cryptosporidiosis was epidemiologically linked to a milk vending machine.

Of the other human outbreaks, three were epidemiologically linked to open farms, two to commercial farms, and one to a farm shop which had animals on site.

For the on-farm vending machine incident and one of the open farm investigations, APHA performed animal sampling, involving the collection of fresh feces samples. Testing detected Cryptosporidium parvum DNA which matched human cases in both outbreaks.

In 2022, APHA was involved in three outbreak investigations of cryptosporidiosis. All of them were from April to June and associated with open or petting farms.

Two E. coli outbreaks
APHA was also part of investigations into two Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) outbreaks in 2023 which were epidemiologically linked to separate animal-contact visitor attractions.

For both outbreaks APHA visited the site at the request of the Incident Management Team (IMT) and collected floor, field, or pen environmental and feces samples from a range of animal species.

The first was a STEC O157 incident which started in Q4 2022. There was a suspect E. coli O157 cultured by APHA in a pig sample. This sample underwent further investigation including WGS analysis which confirmed the pig isolate was an identical strain to human cases.

E. coli O157 and E. coli O26 were implicated in the second outbreak. There was a link established for the cases with an animal-contact visitor attraction premises. However, the outbreak strains were not found in animal samples. Environmental sampling at the premises detected E. coli O26 in a children’s play area.

Due to intermittent shedding and asymptomatic carriage, negative sampling results can only be interpreted as E. coli O157 and E. coli O26 not being detected on the day of sampling. They do not confirm absence on the premises, said APHA.

The most common deficiencies at animal contact visitor attractions include: suboptimal handwashing facilities; poor supervision of animal contact; contamination of walkways with soiled animal bedding or feces; and unclear signage of animal contact versus non-contact areas.

In all of 2022, APHA was part of five E. coli investigations. The agency helped the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) investigate E. coli O103, O157, O26, and two O145 outbreaks.

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There is a need for a specific food safety regulatory framework for donated food in Australia, according to researchers.

Current national food safety laws and policies regulate businesses, but do not apply to donations.

The study, published in the journal Food Policy, involved visually identifying and assessing the safety and quality of donations at an Australian food bank. It found there was a need for food safety guidance to protect food banks from receiving damaged, spoiled, and expired products that pose a risk to clients. 

Criteria were developed based on food safety standards and applied to 1,217 items of donated food. Each product was inspected and assessed as safe,‘unsuitable,‘potentially unsafe, or unsafe for human consumption.

Need to improve donation quality
Of the almost 85,000 kilograms of donated food, 96 percent was categorized as satisfactory and 4 percent as either unsafe, potentially unsafe, or unsuitable for consumption. Not all risks can be identified by visual assessment, for example microbial contamination, so the proportion of hazardous foods could be higher, said scientists.

Data collected during a five-day audit of food given to the Foodbank of Western Australia was used for the assessment. Packaging and the product itself were inspected for damage. Visual inspection was used to determine temperature control and evidence of thawing in frozen products.

Lead author Sharonna Mossenson, from the Curtin School of Population Health, said findings highlight the need for donors, particularly supermarkets, to improve the quality of food they donate.

“Supermarkets donated the most food overall, half of which was in small mixed loads from local supermarkets, which is a process that needs closer attention as most of the unsafe food was in these mixed loads,” she said.

“While Foodbank WA has extensive processes in place to dispose of unsafe foods, the time it takes for staff and volunteers to unpack and check each donated item is substantial. Introducing explicit regulations requiring food donors to eliminate inappropriate foods before they are donated could free up Foodbank WA staff time so they can focus more on their clients.”

Examples of dodgy donations
In total, 27 of 72 donations contained products classed as unsafe or unsuitable. Supermarkets were responsible for 18 donations containing products categorized as unsafe, potentially unsafe or unsuitable.

Products past the use-by date included chicken-based chilled meals, salami, frankfurters, and pork schnitzels. Items past their acceptable best before date included a can of coconut cream that was almost three years old. There were 51-kilograms worth of dented cans donated. Other concerns were visible mold, unidentifiable items due to missing labeling, and breakfast cereals contaminated with leaking pet food and maggots.

“These examples demonstrate a failure in the current system, and potentially, a disregard for basic food safety principles by donors. The overall proportion of visually unsafe and unsuitable foods was low, but consumption of any unsafe, hazardous and/or damaged products poses a risk to the consumer. Given the vulnerability of clients receiving this food, the public health risk is high,” said researchers.

Kate O’Hara, Foodbank WA chief executive officer, said the unknown nature of donations created challenges.

“There are always improvements to be made across the entire food relief sector, particularly to ensure donations are made within a safe timeframe and appropriate refrigerated transportation and storage is utilized.”

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— ANALYSIS —

Whether it was in federal court or, as now, state court, Amos Miller has delivered like one of those old Sunday morning serial cartoons.

Pennsylvania’s Attorney General thinks Miller, like everybody else, should comply with state raw milk license and permit requirements. Miller does not think so.  

 A state Lancaster County judge will decide the issue. And Miller’s attorney says the answer might be two or three years away.

The serial episodes, however, keep coming,

The latest inspired by Amos Miller is a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution by the “Food Freedom” Rep. Thomas Masse, R-KY.

“The right of the people to grow food and to purchase food from the source of their choice shall not be infringed, and Congress shall make no law regulating the production and distribution of food products which do not move across state lines,” according to the unlikely amendment by Massie.

Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds vote from both Houses of Congress and, even then, do not pass until an amendment is ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. 

At the same time, Miller is getting support from many blogs and podcasts on social media, including from Donald Trump Jr. and Masse.

Miller is currently prohibited from commercial sales of raw milk or raw milk products. Raw milk is not pasteurized. His attorneys have countered by asking the court for permission to conduct sales out state.

Miller primarily wants to get the AG’s civil action against him dismissed. His attorneys are accused of making “indecipherable” objections to make a case.

Among their arguments are:

-An injunction would hurt “the local Amish community,” and “Amos Miller is a pillar of the Amish Community.”

-The Commonwealth tries to “dictate what Miller is allowed to feed himself, his family, and even his own animals.”

-Preliminary injunctive relief will “bankrupt the defendant, severely damage the local Amish farming economy, and prevent thousands of Americans from obtaining food they need…”

-Defendant good is “known to be made in a traditional Amish way, and known to the informed consumer to be produced by an unregulated, unpermitted, unlicensed, uninspected  and unapproved by the government  family farmer.”

-Those who consume the food produced by the defendant do not consider any of the food as mislabeled because they want, demand, and need food made in the traditional way Amish farmers produced the food.

-The current injunction has caused harm to “thousands of Americans.”

The AG’s office calls all those statements “averments of facts on these matters.”

While the case continues, Miller has reset his GiveSendGo fundraising goal to $800,000, up from $300,000 after collecting $271,356 from his many donors.

Last year, Miller signed a Consent Decree with the federal government, agreeing to abide by USDA food regulations.  In January, his farm was searched by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture over food illness investigations involving New York and Michigan.

Miller’s failure to maintain licenses and permits for raw milk production caused the AG to file a lawsuit against him.

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A recent review assessed how technology can play a role in early warning and emerging risk identification systems.

The review covers the existing applications of artificial intelligence, big data, and internet of things (IoT) in developing early warning and emerging food safety risk identification tools and methods. Information comes from 40 original studies and 57 reviews published from 2013 to 2022.

It is important for national authorities and international organizations to be able to identify emerging food safety risks and provide early warning signals. The use of AI for food safety surveillance and hazard source tracking purposes enables the identification of critical points and processes that are susceptible to the introduction of contaminants into the supply chain.

The study, which received funding from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), was published in the journal Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety.

Artificial Intelligence, IoT, and big data hold potential as tools to support efficient and effective food safety management by the public and private sectors, said scientists.

New challenges include the increasing complexity of food supplies, climate change, international food trade, new food sources and technologies, and the circular economy.

There are many early warning and monitoring systems in operation. Information from different systems can be integrated to make better predictions.

Barriers to adoption
Implementation may prove challenging, particularly for low- and middle-income countries because of low connectivity and data availability. Appropriate infrastructure and skilled personnel are needed to collect monitoring data. Information obtained through channels such as social media and crowdsourcing should be processed with caution as there is a lack of assurance on data quality. There is also a need to ensure strong cybersecurity.

These issues can be overcome by improving the capability and capacity of national authorities, and enhancing their collaboration with the private sector and international agencies, said the study.

Cost may act as a barrier to adoption. Other challenges linked to IoT are high energy consumption and the incompatibility of different datasets.

Scientists made several recommendations to promote the use of AI and big data in early warning and emerging food risk identification. International organizations can help facilitate the exchange of data and collaboration between countries, through the harmonization of data formats and collection methods and the establishment of platforms and databases.

National authorities should share data and collaborate with other national agencies, fostering data generation and sharing within the private sectors. They should prioritize the creation of adequate ICT, mobile communications, and connectivity infrastructure and an enabling environment with adequate legislation on food safety data and data protection.

The private sector should be encouraged to allow openness of data for public use. They should also co-develop the tools for identifying early warning signals and emerging food safety risks.

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The Food and Drug Administration continues using import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed.

Recent modifications to FDA’s import alerts, as posted by the agency, are listed below. 

Click here to go to the FDA page with links to details on specific alerts.

Click on table to enlarge. Use link above to go to FDA page with links to specific alerts.

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New York officials are warning consumers about contaminated raw milk from Big Brook Farm in Lee Center.

In a warning issued by the State Agriculture and Markets Commissioner the public is advised to stop consuming unpasteurized raw milk from the dairy. The caution is a result of potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

“On March 13, 2024, the producer was notified of a preliminary positive test result. Further laboratory testing, completed on March 18, 2024, confirmed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in the raw milk sample,” a release from the agriculture department stated. 

The farm is prohibited from selling raw milk until new testing shows that the product is free of harmful bacteria.

The commissioner said that if you bought the raw milk from there to throw it out and call the farm at 315-266-7254.

Big Brook Farm is located at 6063 Weaver Road in Lee Center. 

Earlier this month a different New York raw milk producer entered a plea agreement in a federal case related to an outbreak of listeria infections that resulted in eight people being hospitalized and two deaths. Johannes Vulto, owner of Vulto Creamery LLC, faces up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $250,000.

“Vulto and Vulto Creamery both admitted that between December 2014 and March 2017, they caused the shipment in interstate commerce of adulterated cheese. According to the plea agreement, environmental swabs taken at the Vulto Creamery facility between approximately July 2014 and February 2017 repeatedly tested positive for Listeria species, “the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.

It is against federal law to sell raw, unpasteurized milk across state lines.

The Food and Drug Administration as well as most state and local public health officials across the country advise against consuming unpasteurized, raw milk because it is often contaminated with bacteria such as Listeria, E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter.

Proposed changes to the levels of checks on a range of products, including sesame seeds from India and Turkey for Salmonella, have been put forward by UK food agencies.

The plans cover official controls and special conditions on imported high-risk food and feed that is not of animal origin. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) are consulting on the changes.

Proposals involve 25 updates to the lists in regulation. Controls should be removed for one product group, reduced for four products, increased for two commodities, and introduced for 15 items. FSA said a range of evidence was used in the decision-making process.

Imports of higher-risk food and feed of non-animal origin from specified countries can only enter Great Britain through designated Border Control Posts (BCP) where official controls are undertaken, including documentary, identity, and physical examinations such as sampling.

Countries and products affected
According to an assessment, controls for pesticide residues on groundnuts from Brazil, which includes seven separate commodities, should be removed due to a reduction in risk.

Reduced checks should be applied to four items from India. These are guar gum for pentachlorophenol and dioxins, nutmeg for aflatoxins, peppers of the Capsicum species for aflatoxins, and sesame seeds for pesticide residues due to improved compliance. Controls on sesame seeds will be reduced from 50 to 30 percent. Checks on guar gum and peppers will be at 20 percent and at 50 percent for nutmeg.

Tea from China for pesticide residues and sesame seeds from India for Salmonella should be subjected to enhanced controls because of concerns about their risk to public health. The frequency of controls on tea will be 5 percent, and those on sesame seeds will increase from 20 to 30 percent.

Items covered by new controls include a mixture of nuts, hazelnut paste, and hazelnut oil from Georgia, as well as groundnut paste from Madagascar and Argentina due to aflatoxin. Sesame seeds and tahini and halva from sesame seeds from Turkey will be controlled for Salmonella at a rate of 10 percent.

Checks for pesticide residues will be applied to cumin seeds, cumin seeds crushed or ground, fenugreek leaves and yardlong beans from India; basil and mint from Israel, mukunuwenna from Sri Lanka, and grapefruits from Turkey. 

Feedback is open until late April
Recommendations will be made to ministers. Food safety is a devolved subject, and ministers in each country make decisions about it. Comments on the plans are open until April 25. Legislation to implement the changes should come into force by late 2024.

It is the third time FSA and FSS have done such work. On the last occasion, 39 updates to the lists were recommended. These included checks on 20 percent of enoki mushroom shipments from South Korea and China due to Listeria, tahini, and halva from sesame seeds from Syria at 10 percent for Salmonella, and 10 percent of groundnut paste from the United States for aflatoxin. Legislation to implement the changes came into force on March 7 this year.

In the previous consultation in July and August 2023, 13 comments were received from groups, including the Food and Drink Federation, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Fresh Produce Consortium, and Nestlé UK and Ireland.

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Tonight, local officials will discuss whether food safety is still a priority for Lewiston, Maine.

On its agenda tonight, the Lewiston Council has at least two items that do not look good for food safety.

The first is to approve a letter to the State of Maine terminating the city’s agreement to inspect local food service establishments. The state will be charged with inspecting Lewiston restaurants if the termination letter is sent.

Secondly, the Lewiston City Council will vote on whether to rescind the budget for the coming year for the position of Certified Sanitation Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer.

These drastic actions have been on the agenda in Lewiston since January when DaVinci’s, a popular local restaurant with a cockroach infestation, was asked to close for nine days to address the human health and food safety problem.

Restaurant staff and a pest control contractor have worked on the issue since early in 2023.

Cockroaches are harbingers of disease and pathogens. Their shed exoskeletons and feces can trigger asthma in otherwise healthy people, and a significant cockroach infestation can be incredibly unhealthy for people. Roaches also leave behind stains and nasty smells. If they, or their waste, come into contact with food, humans can develop food poisoning-like symptoms that may become severe enough to require hospitalization.

Immediately upon DaVinci’s temporary closure, the city put its long-time and respected Code Enforcement Director, David Hediger, on administrative leave and prepared to rescind  Louis Lachance, who inspected DaVinci’s.

With the reactionary moves pending, the union representing city employees, the Maine Service Employees Association, held a “no confidence” vote on Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline.

The “no confidence” vote represented 60 city employees, including code enforcement staff. The union’s Adam Jones said Mayor Sheline had created a toxic work environment.

Sheline was elected in 2023 to a second term as Mayor of the second-largest city in Maine. He won by 122  votes out of 4,664 total ballots cast in a special mayoral runoff election

He said he was disappointed with the “no confidence” vote and said he does not have the power to hire or fire city staff, which rests with the City Administrator Heather Hunter.

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Researchers have shared details on one of the largest national Salmonella outbreaks in Sweden that was likely caused by produce.

The Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak involved more than 100 confirmed cases in Sweden, and other infections were recorded in Finland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Norway.

109 cases with symptom onset between Sept. 17 and Nov. 24, 2022, were reported from 20 of 21 Swedish regions. The median age of cases was 52 with a range from 4 to 87 years old and 68 were female.

A case-control study found cases associated with the consumption of rocket salad and bagged mixed salad, according to the study published in the journal Eurosurveillance.

Link to Rocket salad
Traceback, supported by authorities in Finland who identified the Swedish outbreak strain in a Finnish cluster during the same period, identified rocket salad, cultivated, pre-washed and pre-packed in Sweden as the likely source of the outbreak. No microbiological analyses of rocket salad were performed as the outbreak had stopped when the suspected source was identified.

At the end of September 2022, the Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten) observed an increase in domestic Salmonella cases, and a national outbreak was declared in early October.

In October 2022, 54 patients and 434 controls answered a questionnaire. Frequently reported symptoms among 52 patients who responded were diarrhea, fever, stomach pain, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting. Overall, 22 people were hospitalized.

Investigators received 69 receipts from 21 confirmed cases. They were dated in September and October. Only 65 receipts from one retailer were included in the investigation. Seventeen cases had receipts, including bagged rocket salad and/or mixed salad. These purchases were in September.

No food samples of suspected products from cases were available for laboratory analysis. As the outbreak was over when the investigation identified the producer, no attempts were made to sample products at this level.

Of the 18 patients in Finland, 17 were in September to October 2022 and one in January 2023. Two patients were part of a cluster in which six people became ill after dining at a restaurant in Western Finland. The Norwegian case had a sampling date in September 2022 and had recently traveled to Sweden. The Danish case had a sampling date in the same month with no additional information.

Salmonella survive despite washing
The seven UK patients had sampling dates between July 2021 and February 2022, and no travel to Nordic countries was reported. Patients were not likely linked to the Swedish outbreak as they were reported seven to 14 months before the Swedish and Finnish outbreaks. Researchers speculated that an environmental reservoir for the outbreak strain exists, such as surface waters or wildlife, such as gulls.

Traceback investigations showed that bagged rocket salad and mixed salad, including rocket salad sold at one retailer, were all delivered from one packaging company in Sweden. In September 2022, this company only bought rocket salad from three growers in southern Sweden.

These growers delivered 16 to 21 tons of rocket salad weekly to the packing company. At this company, all leafy greens underwent a washing process with potable water consisting of two washing steps and a final rinse before the salad was dried and packaged. All leafy greens were washed in the same tanks.

Finnish authorities identified a particular batch of rocket salad as the likely outbreak source. This batch included a rocket from two of the three Swedish growers delivering salad to the packaging firm. 

The packaging company told the retailer that Salmonella had not been found in samples from their routine produce analysis. Both growers had no problems with wildlife or flooding during the growing season. The latest water samples taken by growers did not show signs of contamination.

“Our investigation indicates that, regardless of pre-washing procedures in the production chain, bagged leafy greens such as rocket salad may contain Salmonella and cause outbreaks, posing a health risk to consumers. We emphasize the need for primary leafy greens producers to identify possible contamination points to prevent outbreaks,” said researchers.

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Wenders LLC of Dublin, CA is recalling specific production lots of Trader Joes Nuts – 50% Less Sodium Roasted & Salted Whole Cashews because of potential Salmonella contamination.

The issue was identified through routine testing by Food and Drug Adminitration during import, which indicated that at least one of the recalled lots tested positive for the presence of Salmonella.

The recalled product was sold at Trader Joe’s locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington.

The product can be identified by the country of origin, India or Vietnam and the “Lot No:” printed on the back panel of the plastic pouches Trader Joes Nuts – 50% Less Sodium Roasted & Salted Whole Cashews (SKU Number – 37884).

Lot No#Best Before DateT12139Feb 21, 2025T12140Mar 01, 2025T12141Mar 08, 2025T12142Mar 10, 2025

As of the posting of this recall, no illnesses have been reported.

Consumers should not eat any products covered by this recall. Consumers who have purchased a recalled product are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. 

About Salmonella infections

Food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria does not usually look, smell, or taste spoiled. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection. Infants, children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile, according to the CDC.

Anyone who has eaten any recalled products and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention. Sick people should tell their doctors about the possible exposure to Salmonella bacteria because special tests are necessary to diagnose salmonellosis. Salmonella infection symptoms can mimic other illnesses, frequently leading to misdiagnosis.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever and usually develop within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Otherwise, healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that patients require hospitalization.

Older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, are more likely to develop a severe illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions.

Some people get infected without getting sick or showing any symptoms. However, they may still spread the infections to others.

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The debate over the legality of raw milk sales continues to stir discussions among legislators, public health officials, and consumers across the United States. Raw milk, which is milk that has not undergone pasteurization to kill harmful bacteria, remains a contentious issue because of its associated health risks and raw milk advocates’ arguments about the benefits.

While federal law prohibits interstate sales of raw milk, regulations vary widely across states, with some permitting its sale under strict conditions. The ongoing debate between consumer choice and food safety persists, even as outbreaks associated with raw milk consumption persist.

Recent legislation and history of raw milk
In recent legislative sessions, states like West Virginia and Colorado have witnessed proposals to alter regulations surrounding raw milk sales. In West Virginia, Republican Delegate Michael Hornby introduced House Bill 4911, advocating for the sale of unpasteurized raw milk, albeit with stringent labeling requirements. Another bill, House Bill 4736, known as the West Virginia Farm Fresh Dairy Act, seeks to expand the sale of raw milk directly between producers and consumers while implementing regulatory measures to ensure compliance with safety standards.

Similarly, in Colorado, Senate Bill 24-043, sponsored by Democrat Sen. Dylan Roberts, aims to allow direct sales of raw milk to consumers under specific labeling, storage, and transportation guidelines. Despite bipartisan support, the bill’s progress in the legislature remains uncertain.

Government involvement in milk safety is nothing new, since the early 1900s public health advocates have pushed regulations to address the widespread illnesses, especially among children, caused by unsanitary milk production and distribution practices. Beginning in urban centers and eventually extending nationwide, regulations were established to ensure milk safety, with courts affirming the government’s authority to enforce such measures in the interest of public health. In 1987 the FDA enacted regulations mandating the pasteurization of milk for direct human consumption in interstate commerce.

Despite concerted efforts to implement comprehensive bans on raw milk sales, challenges persisted. 

State-by-state: A complex regulatory landscape
As of the publication of this article, as many as 19 states allow retail sales of raw milk but impose stringent testing requirements and mandatory warning labels. In addition to retail sales, 14 states allow on-farm sales directly to consumers. However, the laws governing the sale of raw milk vary significantly from state to state, resulting in a complex regulatory landscape. For instance, raw milk sales in Mississippi are strictly prohibited; however, incidental sales of raw goat milk from small farms to consumers are permitted under specific conditions, despite advertising restrictions. This nuanced approach reflects the intricacies of state regulations, as raw goat milk is treated differently from raw cow milk, leading to challenges in categorizing its legality.

Similarly, in Nevada, while raw milk sales are technically allowed in the state, producers must adhere to standards established by county raw milk commissions. Yet, the absence of such commissions across all counties effectively bans raw milk sales statewide. These examples underscore the difficulty in making sweeping statements about the legal status of raw milk sales, as each state navigates its own set of regulations, leading to variations in interpretation and implementation.

Benefits vs. Risks
The debate surrounding raw milk revolves around the associated health risks and purported benefits. Raw milk advocates argue that raw milk retains essential nutrients and beneficial bacteria that are destroyed during pasteurization. However, health officials caution against its consumption because of the potential for contamination with harmful pathogens such as Campylobacter, E. coli, and Salmonella.

A Campaign for “Real Milk,” an activist group that promotes the consumption of raw milk from pasture-fed animals, argues that raw milk is safe to consume because of its bioactive components that they claim kill pathogens, prevent pathogen absorption, and strengthen the immune system. They state that raw milk from pasture-raised cows is a safe and nutritious alternative, to the potential risks associated with industrial dairy practices. According to the campaign, pasteurization and other treatment methods remove key nutrients and vitamins.

The campaign emphasizes supporting small, independent farms and rural prosperity through raw milk purchases and positions raw milk as an ideal food for individuals of all ages, particularly children and the elderly.

Public health officials however say the risks far outweigh the benefits. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), from 2013 through 2018, there were 75 outbreaks linked to raw milk, resulting in 675 illnesses and 98 hospitalizations. These outbreaks were primarily caused by Campylobacter, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, or Salmonella. Raw milk-related outbreaks often affect individuals aged 19 or younger. Furthermore, of the 74 outbreaks that occurred within a single state, 58 (78%) were in states permitting the sale of unpasteurized milk.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises against the consumption of raw milk, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems. These groups are at higher risk of developing severe or life-threatening complications from foodborne illnesses transmitted through raw milk.

As the debate over raw milk legislation continues, policymakers face balancing consumer choice with public health concerns. The outcome of legislative initiatives in states like West Virginia and Colorado may influence future discussions and decisions regarding raw milk sales nationwide. Meanwhile, consumers are encouraged by local, state and federal health officials to prioritize food safety by opting for pasteurized milk and dairy products to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses.

Legal Status of raw milk sales by state:

StateTotal BansOn-Farm Sales Directly to ConsumersRetail Sales with Strict RequirementsAlabamaYesAlaskaYesArizonaYesArkansasYesCaliforniaYesColoradoYesConnecticutYesDelawareYesFloridaYesGeorgiaYesHawaiiYesIdahoYesIllinoisYesIndianaYesIowaYesKansasYesKentuckyYesLouisianaYesMaineYesMarylandYesMassachusettsYesMichiganYesMinnesotaYesMississippiYesMissouriYesMontanaYesNebraskaYesNevadaYesNew HampshireYesNew JerseyYesNew MexicoYesNew YorkYesNorth CarolinaYesNorth DakotaYesOhioYesOklahomaYesOregonYesPennsylvaniaYesRhode IslandYesSouth CarolinaYesSouth DakotaYesTennesseeYesTexasYesUtahYesVermontYesVirginiaYesWashingtonYesWashington D.C.YesWest VirginiaYesWisconsinYesWyomingYes

Please note: This chart provides a snapshot of the legal status of raw milk sales in various states as of the posting of this story. It is also important to remember that the laws governing the sale of raw milk vary significantly from state to state, even within these categories. Regulations may be subject to change, and consumers are advised to consult local authorities for the most up-to-date information.

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The Food Safety Information Council has warned people in Australia against picking and eating wild mushrooms.

The charity raised several issues around picking mushrooms for consumption after recent wet weather in the country.

Cathy Moir, chair of the Food Safety Information Council, said foraging for wild food is becoming popular, and is promoted by influencers on social media, but gathering wild mushrooms can be life-threatening.

“We are particularly concerned about this growing online promotion of mushroom foraging with some wild mushroom social media groups having over 40,000 members seeking to have their photos of mushrooms identified by fellow foragers. Apps and Google are not reliable to identify mushrooms accurately as they often only recognize Northern Hemisphere mushrooms and mushrooms change appearance during their growth cycle,” she said.

Advice to the public
Moir said death cap mushrooms can appear at any time of year but are more common a week or two after good rains.

“They are not native to Australia and are often found near English oak trees. Death cap mushrooms are difficult to distinguish from some other wild mushrooms so we recommend you play it safe and only eat mushrooms that you have purchased from a supermarket, greengrocer or other reputable source. People born overseas, especially in European and Asian countries, should be aware that these deadly mushrooms can look like edible mushrooms they may have gathered in their home countries,” she said.

“Many accidental exposures to poisonous mushrooms are in children under 5 years; remember that small children have a natural inclination to put things in their mouths, especially if they are colorful and attractive. Parents, school and childcare workers should regularly check outdoor areas and gardens for mushrooms and remove them to reduce the risk of them being eaten accidentally.” 

The poison in one death cap mushroom is enough to kill a healthy adult. The toxin in these mushrooms is not destroyed by peeling, cooking or drying. Symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps and usually appear 10 to 16 hours after eating. They may ease for 2 to 3 days before a terminal phase of 3 to 4 days begins. Without early medical intervention people may go into a coma and die after 2 or 3 weeks of liver and kidney failure.

Other wild mushrooms that can cause illness include the Cortinarius (webcap) and Galerina species, the ghost mushroom (commonly mistaken for oyster mushrooms), and the yellow stainer which resembles a field mushroom.

An issue elsewhere
In 2023, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention investigated 505 reports of mushroom poisoning incidents, resulting in 1,303 patients and 16 deaths.

In September 2023, French officials said more than 250 poisoning incidents had been reported to poison control centers (CAP). A total of 1,923 patients were reported to these centers between July and December 2022.

Data from Tox Info Suisse, the Swiss poisons information center, revealed 655 calls about potential mushroom poisoning in Switzerland in 2022.

The Belgian Poison Center (Centre Antipoisons) received more than 350 calls about potential mushroom poisonings in Belgium and Luxembourg in 2022.

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As part of its enforcement activities, the Food and Drug Administration sends warning letters to entities under its jurisdiction. Some letters are not posted for public view until weeks or months after they are sent. Business owners have 15 days to respond to FDA warning letters. Warning letters often are not issued until a company has been given months to years to correct problems.

Lucky K.T. Co., Inc.
El Monte, CA

The FDA has warned a food firm in California over various violations inside their manufacturing facility, including pests such as birds, rodents, worms and cockroaches.

In a Jan. 26 warning letter, the FDA described an April 18 through May 11, 2023 inspection of Lucky K.T. Co. Inc.’s food manufacturing facility in El Monte, CA.

The FDA’s inspection revealed that the firm was not in compliance with federal regulations, which resulted in the issuance of an FDA Form 483. 

Some of the significant violations are as follows:

Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls:

1. The firm did not prepare, or have prepared, and implement a food safety plan, as required. The preparation of the food safety plan must be overseen by one or more preventive controls qualified individuals (PCQIs), and their food safety plan must include the following:

1. The written hazard analysis,
2. The written preventive controls,
3. The written supply-chain program,
4. The written recall plan,
5. The written procedures for monitoring the implementation of the preventive controls,
6. The written corrective action procedures, and
7. The written verification procedures.

Current Good Manufacturing Practice:

1. The firm did not take reasonable measures and precautions to ensure that all persons working in direct contact with food, food-contact surfaces, and food-packaging materials conform to hygienic practices while on duty to the extent necessary to protect against allergen cross-contact and against contamination of food. Specifically, the following was observed:

a. On April 30, 2023, employees returned from break to the Fresh Rice Noodle cutting and packaging area without washing their hands. One employee, responsible for folding the (redacted by FDA) Fresh Rice Noodle sheets, touched his ear and immediately handled the Fresh Rice Noodles with his bare hands. Other employees folded and carried stacks of cooked Fresh Rice Noodle sheets over their bare hands and forearms to prepare them for cutting and packaging.
b. On April 2026, 2023, two employees were packaging (redacted by FDA) Rice Stick Noodles while wearing their watches and rings. They were handling sheets of uncut and cut Rice Stick Noodles, bundling them, and grabbing them with their bare hands to place them into plastic bags. As the noodles are flexible, strands of noodles occasionally wrapped around the hands and wrists of the employees.
c. On April 20, 2023, an employee stored his cell phone on the worktable, directly adjacent to the Egg Noodles he was (redacted by FDA). The employee’s cell phone was covered in white powder and Egg Noodle.
d. On 4/26/2023, an employee with long arm hairs was weighing and packaging (redacted by FDA) Egg Noodles using his bare hands, and the noodles came into direct contact with his forearms.
e. On April 18, 2023, personal belongings, including a sweatshirt, two lunch bags, and a water bottle, were stored on the top surface of table where (redacted by FDA) Rice Stick Noodles are cut and packaged.

2. The firm’s equipment and utensils were not designed and constructed as to be adequately cleanable and were not adequately maintained to protect against allergen cross-contact and contamination. Specifically, the following were observed:

a. OnApril 19, 2023, an employee (redacted by FDA) Egg Noodles was placing rounds of (redacted) Egg Noodles directly on top of cardboard boxes, which had absorbed oil over time, and turned dark as a result.
b. On April 21, 2023, employees were (redacted by FDA) Pancit Noodles in a two-compartment sink filled with milky-colored water in order to (redacted by FDA) before packaging. Employees then transferred the noodles to a tall, white plastic container, filled with milky-colored water, (redacted by FDA). The plastic container contained black and brown residues and showed signs of abrasion and cracking. The (redacted by FDA) Pancit Noodles were (redacted by FDA).
c. On April 26, 2023, a pot, submerged in a bucket containing (redacted by FDA) and (redacted by FDA), was used to measure and add the mixture into Mixer Tank (redacted by FDA) of the Rice Stick Noodle (redacted by FDA). The handle of the pot, which appeared to be rusted, was also partially (redacted by FDA).
d. On May 10, 2023, the interior of the wash tank in the Fresh Rice Noodle line, used for (redacted) and (redacted) rice in water, had a crusty build-up of white, black, and yellow residue. The buildup was most apparent on the uneven seams of the wash tank. They stated the employees had already washed this line.

3. The firm did not clean all food-contact surfaces, including utensils and food-contact surfaces of equipment as frequently as necessary to protect against allergen cross-contact and against contamination of food. Specifically, the following were observed:

a. On April 18, 2023, there was an orange-colored residue on the surface of the water pump inside the rice (redacted by FDA) tank of the Rice Stick Noodle line. The tank was filled with water and rice, submerging the water pump, and exposing the rice to the orange residue.
b. On April 18, 2023, there was a white-colored buildup on the pipes, electrical tubing, and water tubing in and around the wash tank and grinder of the Rice Stick Noodle line. The pipes and tubes came into direct contact with the rice and water. Additionally, water droplets from spraying water were forming and dripping from these pipes and tubes, directly above exposed (redacted by FDA) rice and (redacted by FDA).
c. On April 19, 2023, a dirty copper water pipe was submerged inside rice and water in the rice (redacted) tank; a rusty release lever was located approximately 4 inches above the grinder hopper of the wash tank, over exposed rice; and the grinder hopper containing rice appeared rusted or deteriorated.
d. On April 21, 2023, a white buildup was observed on the surface of a 2-compartment sink immediately before an employee began washing and (redacted by FDA) Pancit Noodles in the sink. Further, there was a brown residue along the wall directly connected to the sink, greenish buildup along the base of the faucet, a yellow residue on the faucet knobs, and a dirty hose submerged in one of the compartments filled with water for cleaning the noodles.
e. On April 21, 2023, two employees were weighing (redacted) Pancit Noodles with (redacted) tabletop scales that had pink and brown-colored residue adhering to the face of the scale dial and underneath the scale plate. The back of the scale had a white and orange buildup and rusty screws, and the scales appeared to have peeling paint, deep seams, and discolored surfaces. The piles of noodles on the table, and the noodles being weighed, all came into direct contact with the scale surfaces.
f. On May 10, 2023, an employee was rinsing Egg Noodles (redacted by FDA) them, in a sink that had brown/black residue adhering to the edges. The noodles were placed into the sink filled with water and they came into contact with the unclean surfaces of the sink while being removed.
g. On May 10, 2023, Egg Noodles were hanging out of, and touching, the dirty exterior of the white bins they were being held in (redacted by FDA). Additionally, the white bins were stacked on top of each other on a (redacted by FDA) covered with yellow, white, and black build-up, and strands of Egg Noodles hanging out of the white bins came in contact with the dirty cart.

4. The firm did not exclude pests from their food plant to protect against contamination of food. Specifically, the following were observed:

a. On April 18, 2023, throughout the day, at least 5 apparent birds were flying in the warehouse, rice noodle production area, and egg noodle production area.
b. On April 18, 2023, at least 10 apparent winged insects were crawling on the walls adjacent to the rice wash tank and inside the exhaust vents directly above Mixer Tanks (redacted by FDA) and (redacted by FDA) of the Rice Stick Noodle line.
c. On April 19, 2023, a hole in the wall, less than a foot away from the rice soak tank of the Rice Stick Noodle line, contained remnants of old rice and apparent worm-like insects.
d. OnApril 19, 2023, at least 3 apparent cockroach-like insects were hiding amidst the electrical wiring structure of the wash tank, located adjacent to the rice grinder and directly above the rice soak tanks. On the same day, 1 apparent cockroach-like insect was dead, on top of the rice (redacted), directly beneath the electrical tubing.
e. On April, 19, 2023, at least 4 apparent birds flew out from behind the Pancit/Egg Noodle (redacted by FDA) equipment. The roll-up door was fully open, and the side door to the outside was slightly open, during various times throughout the day. On the night of 4/19-20/2023, the loading door was left open by employees. They closed the door when it was pointed out by our investigator, but it was later found wide open again.
f. On April 19, 2023, at least 1 apparent bird was observed walking around the noodle frying station, where both packaged and unpackaged deep-fried noodles were sitting atop cardboard boxes.
g. On April 26, 2023, 1 apparent dead mouse was observed between pallets of (redacted) and (redacted by FDA) in the raw material warehouse.

5. The firm did not maintain their plant in a clean and sanitary condition and in repair adequate to prevent food from becoming adulterated.

a. Walls and ceilings (area greater than (redacted by FDA)) adjacent to and directly above the rice stick noodle soak tanks and wash tank had yellow and brown buildup adhering to them.
b. The floors throughout the facility, in walkways, and directly beneath and adjacent to processing equipment, are pitted and cracked.
c. There was a pink, yellow, and brown buildup on an area of the floor, approximately (redacted by FDA) in size, located behind the rice grinder of the Rice Stick Noodle line.
d. The walls and floors adjacent to the 2-compartment wash sink and Fresh Rice Noodle wash tank had a brown and yellow buildup.
e. The walls and floors adjacent to the 2-compartment wash sink in the Egg Noodle room had apparent yellow and brown buildup.

6. The firm did not properly store equipment, remove litter and waste, and cut weeds and grass within the immediate vicinity of the plant that may constitute an attractant, breeding place, or harborage for pests within the immediate vicinity of the plant. Specifically, the following were observed:

a. The exterior facility walls had an over-growth of vegetation. Specifically, on the exterior wall containing the pedestrian door and loading dock door of the Egg Noodle production room, there was an overgrowth of plants above the pedestrian door, and both doors were left open during employee breaks and production breaks.
b. The uncovered trash bins outside of the facility in the front parking lot contained food waste, and on ay 10, /2023, at least 7 birds were eating from scraps around the trash bins.

The full warning letter can be viewed here.

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