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More environmental Listeria testing is being conducted due to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), resulting in more recalls due to Listeria monocytogenes found in the environment, not necessarily in the product. The FDA announced that Pinnacle Foods Inc. is voluntarily recalling a variety of flavors of Aunt Jemima Frozen Pancakes, Frozen Waffles & Frozen French Toast Slices,distributed nationally in the United States and one product distributed into Mexico. The recall is due to the potential of the products being contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, as Listeria monocytogenes was found in the production plant environment. Two additional products (Aunt Jemima French Toast & Sausage, and Hungry Man Selects Chicken...

The CDC report describes surveillance data for 2016 nine pathogens (Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Listeria, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia). The data of 2016 is compared with the data from 2013-2015. FoodNet identified 24,029 infections, 5,512 hospitalizations, and 98 deaths caused by these pathogens. The data include both incidents confirmed by culturing the organisms and culture-independent diagnostic tests (CIDTs). CIDT can identify (by rapid diagnostic tests) the general type of bacteria causing illness within hours, without having to culture or grow the bacteria in a laboratory. This is the first time that the CDC report also includes CIDTs (total number of infections from bacterial infections diagnosed only by...

Rapid methods for pathogen testing have been gaining acceptance in the food industry. Recent advances in technology result in faster detection and identification of pathogens, more convenient, more sensitive, more reproducible, and more specific than conventional methods. Many new methods are available involving antibody-based assays, genetic amplification methods, and newer sensor development methods. However, the industry is always looking for faster, simpler and cost effective new methods. An article in ACS Central Science describes the work of researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that are developing a new method for pathogen detection, utilizing Janus emulsions. The team is lead by Timothy...

Banquet Chicken Nuggets with Mac & Cheese Banquet Chicken Nuggets with Mac & Cheese has been recalled due to possible salmonella contamination. Frozen dinners contain Chicken Nuggets, mac and cheese and brownies. It is the brownies flour mix that might be the culprit of the Salmonella contamination. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)alerted  consumers that the brownie mix dessert included in the breaded chicken nugget meal trays produced by Conagra Brands, Inc., of Marshall, Mo, may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recall affects 110,817 pounds of frozen meals, was done out of an abundance of caution after the company notified...