In the news

MIT engineers have identified a new optical signature using Dynabeads magnetic beads, which could be used to quickly detect contaminants in various diagnostic tests such as Salmonella in foods. Dynabeads are microscopic magnetic beads coated with antibodies that bind to target molecules, such as a specific pathogen. Dynabeads are typically used in experiments that are mixed into solutions to capture molecules of interest. But from there, scientists must take additional, time-consuming steps to confirm that the molecules are indeed present and bound to the beads. The MIT team found a faster way to confirm the presence of Dynabead-bound pathogens using Raman spectroscopy. The article is scheduled for publication in the Journal of Raman Spectroscopy special issue. The MIT lab is investigating ways to further separate the beads into those bound to a target molecule and those not. The researchers mixed Dynabeads into vials of water contaminated with Salmonella. They then magnetically isolated these beads onto microscope slides and measured how light scattered through the fluid when exposed to laser light. Within half a second, they quickly detected the Dynabeads’ Raman signature—a confirmation that bound Dynabeads and, by inference, Salmonella were present in the fluid. @ https://phys.org/news/2023-08-tiny-magnetic-beads-optical-quickly.amp

The FDA reported that Twin City Foods, Inc.(Stanwood, Washington) recalled a limited quantity of Not-Ready-To Eat Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) Super Sweet Cut Corn and Mixed Vegetables in retail bags due to a potential for these products to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. To date, there have been no consumer reports of human illness or other complaints associated with this product. The recall has been initiated because finished products may potentially be contaminated with the Listeria monocytogenes, based on one customer’s 3rd party lab results for the IQF sweet cut corn. The products were sold under the brands of Food Lion, Kroger, and Signature Select brands frozen sweet corn and mixed vegetables @ https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/twin-city-foods-inc-recalls-frozen-super-sweet-corn-and-mixed-vegetables-because-possible-health

The FDA announced the selection of James “Jim” Jones as the first Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods. The new executive position will lead the charge in setting and advancing priorities for a proposed unified Human Foods Program (HFP). Program areas include food safety, chemical safety, and innovative food products. Jones is scheduled to begin at the FDA on Sept. 24. Jones came to the FDA from the EPA. At the EPA, he was a principal architect of the 2016 overhaul of the Toxic Substances Control Act. Jones was a member of the Reagan-Udall Foundation’s Independent Expert Panel for Foods, which submitted a report on the operational evaluation of the FDA’s Human Foods Program to the agency in December 2022. His participation in the Reagan-Udall panel makes him intimately knowledgeable of the agency’s challenges and opportunities and the panel’s recommendations that the FDA is adopting in its proposal for a unified HFP. @ https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-names-first-deputy-commissioner-proposed-unified-human-foods-program?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

CORE update of August 23, 2023, the CORE list of outbreaks and adverse events includes four active cases. There were no new cases this week. The outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes (ref #1172) was updated to include state sampling results confirming that the recalled Soft Serve On The Go ice cream cups caused this outbreak. For the outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B var. L(+) tartrate+ (ref #1157), the outbreak has ended, and the FDA’s investigation has closed. Epidemiologic and traceback investigations identified Pico de Gallo as the outbreak’s source. FDA collected and analyzed product and environmental samples as part of the investigation, but all samples were reported as negative for Salmonella. Investigators were unable to determine a specific ingredient within the Pico de Gallo. This outbreak is over, and there is no risk to consumers. For the outbreak of Cyclospora cayetanensis (ref #1159), the case count has increased from 69 to 72 cases. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigations-foodborne-illness-outbreaks?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery